Distribution of Heavy Metals in River Chambal and its Tributaries

June 2015 | AJTEHS


Corresponding Author E-mail: drjakirhussain@gmail.com
Published: 27 June 2015

Abstract


Heavy metals are major pollutants in river water because of industrial and municipal waste discharges into the environment without proper treatment. To a small extent these heavy metals find their way into human bodies via food, drinking water and air. These metallic chemical elements are toxic or poisonous at low concentration. However, at higher concentration they can lead to poisoning as a result of bio-accumulation in the human body. The study was designed to establish the distributions of heavy metals into the river Chambal and its tributaries. Thirty six water samples of the study area were analysed for As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg. Fe, Pb, Ni and Zn by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The metal concentrations in the river water ranges as As (0.19-7.15µg/L), Cd (0.01 – 3.0 µg/L), Cr (0.07 – 22.86 µg/L), Cu (0.21 – 42.49 µg/L), Hg (0.01 – 0.68 µg/L), Pb (0.07 – 9.37 µg/L), and Ni (0.25 - 9.76 µg/L), Zn (0.008 – 0.099 mg/L) and Fe (0.020 – 0.30 mg/L. The analysed data revealed that, toxic metals content among all the samples were distributed in a decreasing sequence of Fe>Zn>Cu> Cr>Ni>Pb>As>Cd>Hg. Iron, zinc metals were found to be the most abundant metals in the river Chambal and its tributaries. All the metals are within the acceptable limit of BIS.

Keywords:

River Water quality, Heavy metals, AAS.

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