Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Irrigation Water of Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Heavy metal in irrigation water can be absorbed by crops, resulting in their accumulation in edible plant portions. These metals can be ingested through foods produced with contaminated water, which can result in organ damage, concerns with child development, neurological illnesses, and even cancer. This study, therefore, focuses on the estimation of Pb, Cr, Mn, and Cd in irrigation water along with their pollution assessments. Pb, Cr, Mn, and Cd concentrations were found in the range of 0.0211-0.2104, 0.00105-0.00937, 0.0913-0.3701, and 0.0004-0.0222 mg/L, respectively. This study found that 80% of samples for Mn and 55% for Cd exceeded the permissible limit recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization. Pollution assessments were carried out using the enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, contamination factor, and modified degree of contamination. This study also revealed that the geoaccumulation index and contamination factor indicated higher levels of Mn and Cd contamination. The government and organizations should establish stringent heavy metals regulations, regular monitoring, public awareness, and robust wastewater management to prevent contamination. However, due to limited metals and samples, further studies with a large number of heavy metals and samples are essential to a more profound understanding of sources, distribution, health impacts, and effective mitigation strategies.

Impacts of irrigation with Cd-contaminated water from Sugovushan Reservoir, Azerbaijan on total cadmium and its fractions in soils with varied textures

“…A significant decrease in total Cd content was observed in all soils when the amount of applied water decreased. Similarly, previous studies have reported a significant increase in Cd and other heavy metal contents in soils irrigated with Cd-contaminated water (Chaoua et al, 2019;Orosun et al, 2023;Shahriar et al, 2023). In the incubation experiment, although initially the entire set of soils used exhibited the CFeO-Cd fraction as the predominant fraction within inorganic Cd fractions, it was observed that OM-Cd and Res.-Cd contained the least Cd fraction (Figure 1).…”