POLLUTION STATUS OF THALTEJ LAKE, PRAHLADNAGAR LAKE AND SOLA
LAKE SITUATED AT AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT WITH REFERENCE TO HEAVY
METALS
S. D. VEDIYA, A.K. SHRIVASTVA AND R. P. RATHOD
P. G. Centre in Botany, Sir P. T. Science College, Modasa, North Gujarat, INDIA
drsanjuvediya@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT: Ahmedabad is unique in the whole of India in matter of environmental neatness and flourishing
conditions and it is superior to other cities in the excellence of its monuments. Ahmedabad Urban Development
Authority (AUDA) has identified 22 lakes which have been severely degraded. Thaltej lake is located at Thaltej
village near national highway no.8 Ahmedabad. Its total storage capacity is 32.2 crore liters and lake
circumference is 1617 M. Desilting area is 107393m3. Prahladnagar lake is located at Prahladnagar village at
Ahmedabad. Its total storage capacity is 16.7 crore liters and lake circumference is 616 M. Desilting area is
74272 m3. Sola lake is located at Sola village near national highway no.8, Ahmedabad. Its total storage capacity
is 24.6 crore liters and lake circumference is 1364 M Desilting area is 82080 m3. Thaltaj, Prahladnagar and Sola
lakes were studied for iron, manganese, lead, chromium, nickel, zinc, cadmium, copper, silver, selenium and
arsenic during 2006-2007. Heavy metals analysis of lakes water showed that the results of Manganese, Zinc,
Cadmium, Copper, Silver and Arsenic were within the permissible limit of BIS, while Iron, Lead, Chromium,
Nickel and Selenium had higher results as compare to BIS. . Finally, concluded that lakes waters were not
suitable for drinking as well as irrigation.
KEY WORDS: AUDA, Pollution status, Desirable limits, Permissible limit
Corresponding Author : Dr. S. D. Vediya, Head, P.G.Centre in Botany, Sir P. T Science College, Modasa 383315, North Gujarat, India.
E mail: drsanjuvediya@rediffmail.com.
POLLUTION STATUS OF THALTEJ LAKE, PRAHLADNAGAR LAKE
AND SOLA LAKE SITUATED AT AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT WITH
REFERENCE TO HEAVY METALS
S. D. VEDIYA, A.K. SHRIVASTVA AND R. P. RATHOD
P. G. Centre in Botany, Sir P. T. Science College, Modasa, North Gujarat, India
drsanjuvediya@rediffmail.com
Abstract:
Ahmedabad is unique in the whole of India in
matter of environmental neatness and flourishing
conditions and it is superior to other cities in the
excellence of its monuments. Ahmedabad Urban
Development Authority (AUDA) has identified 22
lakes which have been severely degraded. Thaltej
lake is located at Thaltej village near national
highway no.8 Ahmedabad. Its total storage
capacity is 32.2 crore liters and lake circumference
is 1617 M. Desilting area is 107393m3.
Prahladnagar lake is located at Prahladnagar
village at Ahmedabad. Its total storage capacity is
16.7 crore liters and lake circumference is 616 M.
Desilting area is 74272 m3. Sola lake is located at
Sola village near national highway no.8,
Ahmedabad. Its total storage capacity is 24.6 crore
liters and lake circumference is 1364 M Desilting
area is 82080 m3. Thaltaj, Prahladnagar and Sola
lakes were studied for iron, manganese, lead,
chromium, nickel, zinc, cadmium, copper, silver,
selenium and arsenic during 2006-2007. Heavy
metals analysis of lakes water showed that the
results of Manganese, Zinc, Cadmium, Copper,
Silver and Arsenic were within the permissible
limit of BIS, while Iron, Lead, Chromium, Nickel
and Selenium had higher results as compare to
BIS. . Finally, concluded that lakes waters were not
suitable for drinking as well as irrigation.
Keywords: AUDA, Pollution status, Desirable
limits, Permissible limit
1.Introduction:
The term environment refer to a definable place
where an organisms lives including both the
physical and biological features of the place. The
word environment comes from the French verb
‘environ’ which means ‘to surround, surroundings
or something that surrounds’. Environmental
Science in its broader sense is the science of
complex interactions that occur among the
atmospheric, aquatic, biotic, terrestrial and
anthropological
environments.
Scientifically,
environmental science may be defined as the study
of earth, water, air and living environments and the
effects of technology upon them. Life on earth
depends on fresh water. Earth has a definite
hydrological cycle, which sustains life. Over 97 %
of all the water on earth is salty and most of the
remaining 3 % is frozen in the polar icecaps. The
atmosphere, rivers, lakes and underground stores
hold less than 1 % of all the fresh water and this
tiny amount has to provide the fresh water needed
to support the earth's population. As we all know
that 71 % of earth’s surface is covered with water.
More than 97 % of water is contained in the oceans
but marine water is saline and is of little use to
humans. Remaining 3 % water is fresh water that
includes ground water, rivers, lakes, etc. The
ground water is the major source of water to human
which makes only 0.6 % of total water of earth.
But much of the fresh water is highly polluted. In
India 90 % of the water available is from rivers and
lakes, all of which are considerably polluted.(1)
Water has always been important factor in human
civilization. Action need is to be initiated towards
water security. Measures such as water harvesting,
desisting of ponds and rivers, reaching well and
improving the water table need to be taken up.
Water, the key to survival of life on the earth is not
only precious but also a finite resource. Given the
growing pressure on water resources due to rapid
population growth, industrial and urbanization, the
need for harnessing of awareness among the people
and use of water concentration technology is of
important paramount. Earth is the “blue” water
planet but 97.5 % of water is saline and only 2.5 %
are fresh water. The water crisis is so bad that,
every eight seconds, a child dies from a water
related disease, 50 % of people in developing
countries suffer from one or more water related
diseases, 80 % of the people in developing world
are caused by contaminated water, 50 % of people
on earth lack adequate sanitation, 20 % of
freshwater fish species have been pushed to the
edge of extinction by contamination.(2)
A recent report by the WHO stated that
“Classification of the trace elements into essential,
non-essential and toxic groups can be inaccurate
and misleading. All the essential elements become
toxic at sufficiently high intakes and the harmful
may be small… it would not be surprising,
therefore, if other trace elements classically
regarded as toxic elements were also found to be
beneficial or essential.” It was mentioned earlier
that there are international standards for five toxic
elements in drinking water. In additional limits
have been drawn for six essential metals (Ca, Cu,
Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) which may affect the
acceptability of water for domestic use. Mortality
from cerebral hemorrhage was directly related to
the acidity of river water in the area. Water
softness showed positive correlations for
cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart diseases
and arteriosclerosis - heart disease in human beings.
They adversely affect fish gills and cause
asphyxiation. Heavy metal salts are lethal to fish at
very low concentrations especially in soft water.
Heavy metals are essential to organisms in trace
amounts. At high levels they accumulate in
sediments and in aquatic organisms and are further
concentrated in the food chain - biomagnifications,
hence, they may reach lethal levels. In additional to
high concentrations of Ca and Mg, which usually
are the cause of hardness, such elements as Cr, Mn
and Zn often labeled beneficial, while Pb, Cd and
Cu are considered to be harmful. Many trace
elements are important in biological processes.
They can activate enzymes, compete with other
element for binding sites; influence the
permeability of cell membranes, etc. Evidently
subtle deficiencies or excesses may lead to suboptimal health and sub-clinical, severe or even fatal
chronic diseases. The causal relationship and
mechanisms are still very incompletely known.
Intake takes place often via several routes inhalation, drinking and food. The total intake is
decisive. Keeping in view the aforesaid facts an
extensive study was taken up with the following
broad objective - to study the concentration of
heavy metals in lakes water.(3)
Materials and Methods:
Water samples were collected from three aforesaid
lakes once in a month from October 2006 to
September 2007 in between 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
at on regular interval of 30 days. 500 ml of water
samples were collected and immediately acidified
with 2 ml Nitric acid (HNO3) (1:1 or 50 ml conc.
HNO 3 + 50 ml DW) or (2 ml HCl for arsenic) (5).
Fe, Mn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ag, Se and As heavy metals were analysed on Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometer (AAS) using standard methods
given (6) (7). DW was used as control and results
were compared with the desirable limit and
permissiblelimitof(8)(9)(10)(11).
Results and Discussion:
The highest concentration of iron was recorded at
locality no. 2 in summer (2143.68 ppb) and the
lowest concentration was recorded at locality no. 2
in monsoon (421.69 ppb) (Table 1). Fe3+ is
moderately toxic to many species of aquatic plant.
This made iron more toxic than Cr, Mn, B, Pb but
less than Se, Cu, Ni and Cd. Fe2+ and Fe3+ are only
moderately toxic to most invertebrate species. Iron
may be present in tap water as Fe2+ but quickly
oxidize to form unusable by plants. To prevent this,
chelated iron mixtures can be used.(12)
The highest concentration of manganese was
recorded at locality no. 1 in winter (48.92 ppb) and
the lowest concentration was recorded at locality
no. 2 in summer (1.21 ppb) (Table 2). Chronic
effects are well known in miners, mill workers and
other occupationally exposed workers and involve
in central nervous system toxicity, manganese
poisoning, anorexia, insomnia, hallucination.(13)
The highest concentration of lead was recorded at
locality no. 1 in winter (62.14 ppb) and the lowest
concentration was recorded at locality no. 2 in
summer (4.51 ppb) (Table 3). Acute poisoning by
lead is relatively rare and is generally restricted to
occupational settings. The symptoms are fatigue,
colic anemia, neurological disorders, chronic
poisoning, loss of appetite, constipation, metallic
taste etc. Lead also damages the kidneys and
reproductive systems. Lead is toxic for aquatic
organism but less than Cd and Hg. Lead may be an
essential element to animals. Lead the most
dangerous heavy metal pollutant to mankind, but
mainly as an air pollutant. Smelters, incinerators
and leaded gasoline are three main sources. Pipes,
fittings, solder, and the service connections of
some household plumbing systems contain lead
that contaminates the drinking water source.(14)
The highest concentration of chromium was
recorded at locality no. 1 in summer (725.92 ppb)
and the lowest concentration was recorded at
locality no. 2 in monsoon (21.17 ppb) (Table 4).
Lower concentration of chromium and higher
concentration of copper in the eastern area
correlated most conspicuously with the high death
rate. The concentration of serum cholesterol also
correlated negatively with the chromium in
drinking water. Cr is generally moderately toxic to
algae and other aquatic plant like Lemna minor.
Acute exposure to Cr6+ produces nausea, liver and
kidney damage, internal hemorrhage, respiratory
problem. Chronic exposure to Cr3+ is often
associated allergic contact dermatitis skin ulcer,
nasal membrane, septum irritation, pulmonary
congestion, edema perforated ear drums, necrosis
and nephritis. It also appears to be important in the
prevention of mild diabetes, atherosclerosis in
humans.(15)
The highest concentration of nickel was recorded
at locality no. 1 in summer (39.852 ppb) and the
lowest concentration was recorded at locality no. 2
in winter (0.98 ppb) (Table 5). The primary acute
effect of nickel exposure is dermatitis, including
contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic
sensitization.
The highest concentration of zinc was recorded at
locality no. 1 in winter (99.63 ppb) and the lowest
concentration was recorded at locality no. 2 in
monsoon (0.96 ppb) (Table 6). Zinc increases
cadmium’s toxicity and accumulation in aquatic
plants. Other authors observed zinc to reduce the
toxic effect of cadmium in Aspergillums niger. The
highest mortality with cadmium was obtained
when the Zn : Cu ratio was 1 has been studied by
given a sub-lethal chronic load of zinc to the fish
by uptake from water. Zinc is an essential trace
element in human and animal nutrition.
The highest concentration of cadmium was
recorded at locality no. 2 in winter (4.412 ppb) and
the lowest concentration was recorded at locality
no. 2 in summer (0.110 ppb) (Table 7). The free
cadmium ions are highly toxic to most plants and
animals. The effective concentration for duckweed
- Lemna minor is 0.2 mg/l, green alga Selenastrum capricornutoum is 0.006 mg/l. The
classical cadmium poisoning are associated with
proteinuria, gluconuria, aminoaciduria, bronchitis,
emphysema, anemia, general toxic, gonadotoxic,
hypertension, prostate cancer in man, irritation to
the stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, nausea
and renal stones.
The highest concentration of copper was recorded
at locality no. 1 in winter (34.19 ppb) and the
lowest concentration was recorded at locality no. 2
in monsoon (2.59 ppb) (Table 8). Copper occurs
naturally in environment, plans and animals. Low
level of copper is essential for maintaining good
health. High level can cause harmful effects such
as irritation of nose, mouth and eyes, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, epigastriac burning, lesions in
the gastrointestinal tract, hemolytic anemia,
neurotically abnormalities, corneal opacity, loss of
hair pigment, reduced growth, loss of arterial
elasticity
and
stomach
cramps.
Lower
concentration
of
chromium
and
higher
concentration of copper in the eastern area
correlated most conspicuously with the high death
rate. The concentration of serum cholesterol also
correlated negatively with the chromium in
drinking water.
The highest concentration of silver was recorded at
locality no. 2 in monsoon (0.04 ppb) and the lowest
concentration was recorded at locality no. 1 and 2
in winter and summer (0.0 ppb) (Table 9). There
are multiple primary sites of Ag deposition
including the liver, skin, adrenal glands, pancreas,
muscle, kidney, spleen and heart. Large oral doses
lead to violent abdominal pain, convulsions,
necrosis of the bone marrow and shock. The
primary chronic effect of silver is characterized by
a series of symptoms collectively known condition
is manifested by a slate-gray pigmentation of the
hair, skin, eyes and internal organs.
The highest concentration of selenium was
recorded at locality no. 2 in summer (641.42 ppb)
and the lowest concentration was recorded at
locality no. 1 in winter (169.41 ppb) (Table 10).
Greatest residues of Se are found in the liver and
kidneys, with lesser amounts in heart, lungs, spleen
and pancreas. Selenium was recognized as the
toxin associated with the cattle grazing on
seleniferous vegetation causing blind staggers and
alkali disease. Effects on human health have not
been clearly established – a low selenium diet is
beneficial, where as high doses can produce
undesirable physical manifestations. Due to
chemical similarity, selenium can substitute for
sulphur. Too much selenium can cause skin and
nail abnormalities.
The highest concentration of arsenic was recorded
at locality no. 1 in winter (0.10 ppb) and the lowest
concentration was recorded at locality no. 2 in
winter and monsoon (0.0 ppb) (Table 11). Acute
poisoning of As in humans is characterized by side
effects on central nervous system, respiratory tract,
gastrointestinal tract, leading to coma and eventual
death. Chronic intoxication results in neurological
disorders,
cardiac
abnormalities, muscular
weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, pigmentation,
inflammation of the mucous membranes in the eyes,
nose and larynx, skin lesions and keratosis. Some
organic arsenic compounds are beneficial as a
growth stimulant for animals. In the environment,
arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine and
sulphur to form inorganic arsenic compounds.
Arsenic in plants and animals combines with
carbon and hydrogen to form organic arsenic
compounds. Inorganic arsenic is the toxic form of
arsenic for humans. It is a known carcinogen.
Inorganic arsenic is more toxic than organic arsenic
is more hazardous than the pentavalent form. A
few years back, high concentrations of this element
was found in drinking water in six districts in West
Bengal. A majority of people in the area was found
suffering from arsenic skin lesions. It was felt that
arsenic contamination in the groundwater was due
to natural causes. The government is trying to
provide an alternative drinking water source and a
method through which the arsenic content from
water can be removed.
Water samples from Motijheel, Surajkund and
Ranilal at Gwalior, M.P. analysed for heavy metals
e.g. Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Pb, Mn, Cr, Cd and As. It was
concluded that water was free from heavy metal
and safe for drinking purpose(16). They studied the
heavy metal contamination through idol immersion
in lake at Bhopal, M.P. They concluded that the
idols are being made of clay, hay cloths, paper,
wood, bamboo, thermocol, adhesive materials,
paints etc. and the introduction of these biodegradable and non-bio-degradable substances in
the lake, affected the water quality(17). Although
heavy metal concentration remains within the
permissible limit but regular immersion activity
may increase the concentration of heavy metallic
ions in the lake water, which may ultimately cause
serious health hazards in human beings when get
accumulated through food chain. (18,19,20)
Summary and Conclusions:
Thaltej lake, Prahladnagar lake and Sola lakes were
developed by Ahmedabad Urban Development
Authority (AUDA). AUDA proposes to undertake
works for revival, development of catchments area
and beautification of lakes under the present
project. The results values were higher than the
desirable limits of WHO, BIS and ICMR but
within the permissible limits. Finally, concluded
that Sola lake water quality was better than Thaltej
lake water. But, all three lakes waters were not
suitable for drinking as well as irrigation.
Reference:
[1] Hell mann H Analysis of surface waters, Ellis
Harwood Ltd. England. 1987
[2] Hynes H B The biology of polluted waters, Liverpool
Uni. Press, Liverpool.Cambridge 1978
[3] Coulston F and Mark E Water quality –
proceedings of an international forum, Academic
press, New York
1977
[4] Shukla S K and Shrivastva P R .Water quality
impact analysis, Common wealth publ; New Delhi.
1992
[5] Mathur G N and Chawla A S Water for sustainable
development towards innovative solutions, In ; XII th
world water congress, New Delhi. 2005
[6] APHA Standard methods for the examination of
water and waste water, American Public Health
Association, Washington, D.C. 1998
[7] Vogel A I A text book of quantitative inorganic
analysis. 3 rd edition, Longmans 1962
[8] WHO Drinking water quality control in small
community supplies – Guidelines for drinking water
quality, CBS publisher., New Delhi, vol. I, II, III 1991
[9] WHO: World Health Organization, International
standards for drinking water, Geneva, Switzerland 1992
[10] ICMR ;Manual of standards of quality for drinking
water supplies, special report no. 44:27 1975
[11] Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS): 10500
Specification for drinking water, Indian Standard
Institution, (Bureau of Indian Standard), New Delhi, pp –
1-4. 1991
[12]Vediya S D and Shrivastva A K Anionic
contamination in lake’s water situated at Ahmedabad,
Gujarat. Plant Archives, Vol.8 No.2 pp. 1019-1022, 2
008
[13] Vediya and Shrivastva Comparative analysis of
heavy metals in water and sediments of Sabarmati river
from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad at Gujarat. Plant
Archives vol.9 No.1 pp. 309-312. 2009
[14] Jain S and Salmon S Heavy metals concentration in
a highly eutrophic lake sediments and overlaying water.
Poll Res 14(4) pp.471-476. 1995
[15] Veissman W and Hammer M J Water supply and
pollution control, Harper Collins pub. 1985
[16] Kaushik, S., Sahu, U. K., Lawania, R. K. and Tiwari,
R. K. Occurrence of heavy metals in lentic water of
Gwalior region, Poll. Res., 16 (4): 237-239 1997
[17] Bajpai, A., Pani, S., Jain, R. K. and Misra, S. M.
Heavy metal contamination through idol immersion in a
tropical lake, Quarterly Int. J. of Eco., Env. and
Conservation, 8 (2): 157-159 .2002
[18] Evangelou V P Environmental soil and water
chemistry, principles and applications, wiley Inter
science pub. New York. 1998
[19] Korte F What is water; In : water quality –
proceddings of international forum, Couston F and Mark
E (eds.) Academic press, New York, pp. 11-20. 1977
[20]Vediya S D and Shrivastva A K Study on heavy
metals in Sabarmati river water (Gandhinagar to
Ahmedabad) Gujarat, Eco, Env & Cons. 14(4) pp. 759762. 2008
Observation Tables:
TABLE 1: Concentration of Iron (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
567.635
660.885
610.645
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
39.625
10.08
13.627
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
37.79
13.475
19.34
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
51.745
50.02
51.688
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
1.59
0.49
0.67
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
86.165
73.44
75.62
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
5229.54
5371.84
5233.64
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
260.92
210.845
220.82
TABLE 2: Concentration of Manganese (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
66.3135
63.839
64.989
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
28.0595
13.2515
15.3513
TABLE 3: Concentration of Lead (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
33.39
11.005
17.49
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
20.1585
24.635
22.202
TABLE 4: Concentration of Chromium (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
503.71
492.595
500.69
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
21.18
33.135
30.15
TABLE 5: Concentration of Nickel (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
33.6555
45.1815
42.2020
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
1.4155
3.338
2.345
TABLE 6: Concentration of Zinc (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
TABLE 7: Concentration of Cadmium (ppb)
31.305
27.56
30.32
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
1.315
0.48
0.50
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
2.3715
2.451
2.402
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
26.895
23.08
24.06
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
0
0
0
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
84.705
89.775
85.620
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
Winter
October-2006
to
January-2007
0.05
0
0
Summer
February-2007 to
May-2007
1.8925
3.9055
2.6972
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
0.238
0.6205
0.325
TABLE 8: Concentration of Copper (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
19.76
15.27
16.30
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
2.3465
3.903
2.532
TABLE 9: Concentration of Silver (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
1.027
2.724
2.327
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
0.015
0.02
0.02
TABLE 10: Concentration of Selenium (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
395.437
503.56
402.45
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
257.672
349.737
323.637
TABLE 11: Concentration of Arsenic (ppb)
Locality No.
Locality Name
1
2
3
Thaltej lake
Sola lake
Prahladnagar lake
0.0015
0.003
0.002
Monsoon
June-2007
to
September-2007
0.0005
0
0