AJES SIAN JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

 e ISSN-0976-8947
VOLUME 9 | ISSUE 2 | DECEMBER, 2014 | 106-108
DOI: 10.15740/HAS/AJES/9.2/106-108 Visit us : www.researchjournal.co.in
RESEARCH
NOTE

Determination of heavy metals in water of Ganga and Yamuna

river basin in Allahabad
SYED SUAIB NAUSHAD, ALOK MILTON LALL AND AMIT ALEXANDER CHARAN

Article Chronicle : SUMMARY : The objectives of this paper were to illustrate the distribution and levels of sediment contamination
Received : by heavy metals in the Allahabad city, and to compare recent data with those collected during the early 2001.
13.06.2014; The metals as, Cd, Ni, Cu, Fe, Pb, Co, Ni and Zn were chosen because of their abundance and toxic effects in the
Accepted : environment of highly industrialized and urbanized areas. The pollutants, which do not remain in water column
30.11.2014 or solution, could be absorbed rapidly by particulate matters and thereby they also could escape any detection
by water monitoring schemes (Meiggs, 1980). Some heavy metals like Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb were determined
in water from four reaches of the river from Yamuna (river-km 1112) upstream from Sangam to Arail Ghat (river-
km 851) downstream from Allahabad.

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE : Naushad, Syed Suaib, Lall, Alok Milton and Charan, Amit Alexander (2014).
Determination of heavy metals in water of Ganga and Yamuna river basin in Allahabad. Asian J. Environ. Sci., 9(2):
106-108.

T
he river Ganga is a part and parcel of consumed by human being (Asaolu et al., 1997).
everyday life in the city and thousands of Pressure on the river is increasing enormously
Key Words : people bath daily in the river Ganga and due to ever increasing population, industrial and
Heavy metals, Ganga, Yamuna. The largest tributary of river Ganga has urban growth in the river basins. It is of relatively
Yamuna, River basin
been one of the most prominent and important recent recognition that stalinization of water
rivers of India. The river, draining the southern resources is a major and widespread phenomenon
slopes of the Himalaya in its upper reaches, is the of possibly even greater concern to the
largest tributary of the Ganga (Negi, 1991). The sustainability of irrigation than is that of the
availability of good quality water is an stalinization of soils, per second these metals in
indispensable feature for preventing diseases and various organs of marine creatures ultimately lead
improving quality of life (Oluduro and Adewoye, to metal related diseases in the long run because
2007). Natural river water contains some types of of their toxicity, thereby endangering the aquatic
Author for correspondence : impurities whose nature and amount vary with biota and other organisms (Watling, 1983; Lee and
SYED SUAIB source of water. Metals for example, are Cundy, 2001; Melville and Burchett, 2002).
NAUSHAD introduced into an aquatic system through several Cadmium is principally dispersed in natural and
Department of ways which include, weathering of rocks and agricultural environments through various
Biochemistry and
Biochemical
leaching of soils, dissolution of aerosol particles agricultural, mining and industrial activities as well
Engineering, Jacob from the atmosphere and from several human as resulting from the exhaust gases of automobiles
School of Biotechnology activities, including mining, processing and the (Das et al., 1997). This trace metal is pollutant and
and Bioengineering, use of metal based materials (Ipinmoroti and potential toxin that has no known function in any
(SHIATS) , ALLAHABAD
(U.P.) INDIA
Oshodi, 1993; Adeyeye, 1994 and Asaolu et al., biological organism, and is one of the most
Email: suaibnaushad@ 1997). Metals after entering the water many be dangerous heavy metals for the environments due
gmail.com taken up by fauna and flora and eventually, its high mobility and low concentration in
See end of the article for accumulated in marine organisms that are organisms. The two most important factors that
Coopted authors’

HIND INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 SYED SUAIB NAUSHAD, ALOK MILTON LALL AND AMIT ALEXANDER CHARAN

Table 1 : Heavy metal concentrations (mg/l) in water of the Allahabad river basin
Heavy metal concentration (mg/l)
Sites
Cr Cd Ni Fe Pb Mn

Old Bridge (W1) 0.29±0.005 0.029±0.005 0.234±0.0009 1.223±0.0289 0.254±0.0167 0.010±0.0054

Arail Ghat (W2) 0.16±0.0075 0.33±0.0013 0.345±0.0093 1.939±0.0494 0.284±0.0525 0.013±0.0127

Sangam (W3) 0.13±0.0041 0.027±0.0020 0.094±0.0014 0.536±0.0087 0.248±0.0020 0.036±0.0149
Saraswati Ghat (W4) 0.003±0.0094 0.020±0.0009 0.060±0.0025 1.109±0.0159 0.166±0.0387 0.055±0.0017

contribute to the deleterious effects of heavy metal as exception of Fe, the heavy metal concentrations in water did
pollutants are their indestructible nature through not exceed WHO (World Health Organization, 1993), EPA
bioremediation unlike organic pollutants and their tendency (Environment Protection Agency, 2002), guidelines (Table 1).
to accumulate in environment especially in the bottom Fe content was found highest and Mn was found the lowest
sediments of aquatic habitats in association with organic and in water Jain and Sharma, 2009, Sarkar et al., 2007 and Malik et
inorganic matter (Forstner and Wittmann, 1983). The observed al., 2010. Gupta et al. (2009) have reported that the
values of various heavy metal parameters of water samples concentration of Fe in the water of river Ganges at Allahabad
were compared with standard values recommended by ISI was highest and followed by Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb and Mn. More
standards. reliable guidelines for water quality control and contamination
The area chosen for this study is Allahabad (25025'28'’N impact studies can be drawn to work on these lines in forth
and 81053’2'’ E) which is a natural wetland located between coming investigation.
two rivers, Yamuna on its West and Ganga on its East. The
freshwater enters through rivers, stream and agricultural drains. Conclusion :
The river has rich aquatic life and the river has always been The results indicated that there were differences in trace
exploited by local population. Water samples were taken at metal concentration in water. At Old Bridge the concentration
different places at each station by a PVC tube column sampler of metallic elements was higher in water samples than what it
at depth of half meter from the water surface. The samples at was found in Sangam while the opposite was true for water
each station were mixed in a plastic bucket and a sample of 1 samples from the Saraswati Ghat and Arail Ghat. Present results
lit. was placed in a polyethylene bottle, kept refrigerated and indicate that Ganga and Yamuna basins have significant basal
transferred cold to the laboratory for analysis. To determine contamination levels that do not reach those of clearly polluted
level of metals, Cu, Mn, Fe and Pb in water, 5 ml of water areas. However, there is need for continuous monitoring of
samples were digested at 800C with nitric acid and perchloric pollution levels in the river.
acid solution (3:1 v/v). Samples were allowed to cool, dissolved
in 0.6 per cent HNO3 and filtered through Whatman Filter Paper Coopted Authors’ :
No. 42. Volume of each samples was maintained up to 10 ml ALOK MILTON LALL, Department of Biochemistry and Biochemical
with 0.6 per cent HNO3 and analyzed by atomic absorbance Engineering, Jacob School of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (SHIATS),
spectrophotometer. The data were analyzed through the ALLAHABAD (U.P.) INDIA

standard method of the statistical analysis (T-test). AMIT ALEXANDER CHARAN, Department of Molecular and Cellular
Table 1 shows the water quality constituents of Old Engineering, Jacob School of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (SHIATS),
ALLAHABAD (U.P.) INDIA
bridge (W1), Arail Ghat (W2), Sangam (W3) and Saraswati
Ghat (W4) water, with reference to freshwater values and
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107 Asian J. Environ. Sci., 9(2) Dec., 2014 : 106-108

HIND INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
 DETERMINATION OF HEAVY METALS IN WATER OF GANGA & YAMUNA RIVER BASIN IN ALLAHABAD

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