Heavy Metals Contamination in Groundwaters of Punjab: A Man-made Curse and its Mitigation

Year : 2024 | Volume :11 | Issue : 01 | Page : 6-22
By

Hardev Singh Virk,

  1. Professor of Eminence Physics Department (Honorary) Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab India

Abstract

The curse of heavy metal contamination in groundwaters of Punjab state is causing health hazards for the population of Punjab. It is not so much a natural disaster as its origin can be traced to a man-made crisis in Punjab. Potentially toxic elements, including high levels of Uranium (U) contamination in the Malwa belt of Punjab, Arsenic contamination in the Majha belt, and Selenium contamination in the Doaba belt of Punjab, have been reported by the author in groundwater of Punjab. Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS) of Punjab Government has collected and conducted groundwater survey of almost all villages of Punjab state to determine heavy metal contents of groundwater in the underground water table of Punjab. Groundwater quality data pertaining to heavy metals, such as Arsenic, Selenium, Mercury, Iron, and Aluminum, have been also reported. The present study pertains to trace elements, namely heavy metals like Nickel, Cadmium, Chromium, and Lead in groundwater of Punjab state. The present investigations reveal that Nickel and Cadmium are both equally rampant in Punjab with concentration variation from 0.02 mg/l to 0.947 mg/l and 0.003 mg/l to 0.162 mg/l, respectively. Chromium concentration in groundwater shows a variation from 0.053 mg/l to 0.308 mg/l. Almost 80% of villages with high chromium concentration fall within the boundaries of Hoshiarpur district. Lead is highly toxic and its concentration in groundwater above the safe limit has been found in 708 habitations with a variation from 0.010 mg/l to 0.479 mg/l. The origin and occurrence of heavy metals may be traced to overexploitation of groundwater resources in Punjab.

Keywords: Groundwater, heavy metals, contaminants, health hazards, mitigation

[This article belongs to Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research(jowppr)]

How to cite this article: Hardev Singh Virk. Heavy Metals Contamination in Groundwaters of Punjab: A Man-made Curse and its Mitigation. Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research. 2024; 11(01):6-22.
How to cite this URL: Hardev Singh Virk. Heavy Metals Contamination in Groundwaters of Punjab: A Man-made Curse and its Mitigation. Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research. 2024; 11(01):6-22. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jowppr/article=2024/view=160930

References

  1. Virk HS. A Crisis Situation Due to Uranium and Heavy Metal Contamination of Ground Waters in Punjab State, India: A Preliminary Report. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology. 2017; 7(2): 6–11p.
  2. Virk HS. Measurement of Concentration of Natural Uranium in Ground Waters of Bathinda District (S. Punjab) for the Assessment of Annual Effective Dose. Global J. of Human-Social  Science. 2016; 16(5): 25–29p.
  3. Virk HS. Uranium Anomalies in groundwater of Sangrur district of Punjab (India) for cancer risk assessment. Current Science 2017; 113(9): 1661-1663p.
  4. Virk HS. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwaters of Fazilka District of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology 2017; 6(2): 21–26p.
  5. Virk HS. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwaters of Ferozepur District of Punjab (India) and the corresponding risk factors. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology 2018; 6(3), 18–24.
  6. Virk HS. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwater of Barnala District of Malwa Belt of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology. 2019; 8(1), 19–26p.
  7. Virk HS. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwater of Moga District of Malwa Belt of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology 2019; 8(3), 18–24.
  8. Virk HS. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwater of Patiala District of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology 2019; 8(2), 13–19.
  9. Kailley S and Virk HS. Uranium and Heavy Metal Contamination of Sirhind Canal Water and Groundwater in the Malwa Belt of Punjab and its Mitigation Strategies. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2020; 10(1), 34–41p.
  10. Sahoo PK, Virk HS, Powell M, Kumar R, Pattanaik J, Salomao G, Mittal S and Tiwari RP. Meta-analysis of uranium contamination in groundwater in the alluvial plains of Punjab, North-West India: status, health risk, and hydrogeochemical processes. Science of Total Environment 201; 807: 151753;
  11. Virk HS. A Preliminary Report on Groundwater Contamination of Majha Belt of Punjab due to Heavy Metal Arsenic. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2017; 7(3), 27–33.
  12. Virk HS. Groundwater Contamination of Amritsar District of Punjab due to Heavy Metals Iron and Arsenic and its Mitigation. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2019; 9(2), 18–27.
  13. Virk HS. Groundwater Contamination in Punjab due to Arsenic, Selenium and Uranium Heavy Metals. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2020; 10(1), 1–6.
  14. Sridharan M, Virk HS and Nathan DS (2024). Evaluation and Health Risk Assessment of Arsenic and Potentially Toxic Elements Pollution in Groundwater of Majha belt, Punjab, India. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2024; 46: 208–227.
  15. Virk HS. Selenium Contamination of Groundwater of Doaba Belt of Punjab, India. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2019; 9(1), 1–8.
  16. Virk HS. A Critical Evaluation of Mercury Contamination in Groundwater of Punjab. Journal of Water Pollution and Purification 2023; 10(3): 1–11.
  17. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Indian Standard Drinking Water — Specification (Second Revision). New Delhi: Publication Unit, BIS; May 2012.
  18. Annual Water Quality Report FY 2018. Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Punjab. Compiled in end of June 2018.
  19. Annual Water Quality Report FY 2020–21. Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Punjab. Released on 1st April 2021.
  20. Annual Water Quality Report FY 2021–22. Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Punjab. Released on 1st April 2022.
  21. World Bank Report 2015. Towards Managing Rural Drinking Water Quality in the State of Punjab, India. World Bank Water Partnership Program.
  22. World Bank Report 2020. Towards Managing Rural Drinking Water Quality in the State of Punjab, India. World Bank, Washington, DC. /uploads/ documents/ WQ_strategy_mitigation.pdf
  23. The Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resources), Government of India:
  24. Mohapatra A K and Sinha D. High Precision Analysis of Heavy Metals in Water by ICP- MS. Chapter 4. In: Futuristic Trends in Pharmacy and Biotechnology (Volume – 1) Publisher: Aki Nik Publications, 2024. DOI: 10.22271/ed.book.2551.
  25. Chetan S, Satpute S T and Garg S. Determination of heavy metal pollution index of ground water of village Wallipur in Ludhiana district. Journal of Applied and Natural Science2017; 9(2): 1139–1145.
  26. Sekhon G S and Singh B. Estimation of Heavy Metals in the Groundwater of Patiala District of Punjab, India. Environmental Science DOI:10.12966/ER.05.01.2013
  27. Naqash N, Jamal M T and Singh R. Heavy Metal Contamination in Surface Water of Harike Wetland, India: Source and Health Risk Assessment. Water 2023; 15(18):
  28. Bajwa PS. Contamination in groundwater in Punjab. Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. Starred Question No. 39. 6 Feb. 2017.
  29. Sharma S, Nagpal A K and Kaur I. Appraisal of heavy metal contents in groundwater and associated health hazards posed to human population of Ropar wetland, Punjab, India and its environs. Chemosphere 2019; 227: 179-190.
  30. Sharma A and Dutta R. A study of Heavy Metal Pollution in Groundwater of Malwa Region of Punjab, India: Current Status, Pollution and its Potential Health Risk. Journal of Engineering Research and Application 2017; 7(3): 81–91.
  31. Ashraf A, Chen X and Ramamurthy R. Modelling Heavy Metals Contamination in Groundwater of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2021; 18 (8): 2221–2236.
  32. Krishan G et al. Occurrences of potentially toxic trace metals in groundwater of the state of Punjab in northern India. Groundwater for Sustainable Development 2021; 15: 100655.
  33. World Health Organisation (WHO). Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, 4th Edition, 564 pages, 2011. https://iris.who.int › 9789241548151_eng.pdf
  34. WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality: fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda. 21 March, 2022.
  35. Nickel in drinking-water. Background document for development of WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality Geneva: World Health Organization, 2021 (WHO/HEP/ECH/WSH/ 2021.6).
  36. Nickel and nickel compounds. In: Chromium, nickel and welding. Lyon, International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans 1990; 49: 257–445.
  37. Aitio A. Nickel and nickel compounds. Stockholm, National Institute of Working Life, Nordic Council of Ministers, The Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals. 1995, 61 pp. (Arbete och hälsa 26).
  38. Bangotra P et al. Investigation of heavy metal contamination and associated health risks in groundwater sources of southwestern Punjab, India. Environ Monit Assess. 2023; 195(3):367. doi:10.1007/s10661–023-10959-7.
  39. Gupta V. Science: The Wire. New govt. data points to dangerous Groundwater Pollution in Punjab. 22 August, 2021. Retrieved on 15 June, 2024.
  40. US Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
  41. Kaur DK. Areas near Kala Sanghian drain high on chromium. The Tribune 20 May, 2024. Retrieved on 15 June.
  42. Naz A. et al. Human Health Risk Assessment of Chromium in Drinking Water: A Case Study of Sukinda Chromite Mine, Odisha, India. Exposure & Health 2016; 8: 253–264.
  43. Aziz S. et al. Human cancer risk due to chromium and its bioaccumulation in physids in Central Punjab, Pakistan. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int.  2023; 30(29):74223–74235.
  44. US EPA. Groundwater and Drinking Water.
  45. Malyan SK et al. An overview of carcinogenic pollutants in groundwater of India. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 2019; 21: 101288.
  46. Krishnamurthy R. Down to Earth. Poisoned Punjab: Study finds declining groundwater quality, southwestern Punjab most affected. 10 Oct. 2023. Retrieved on 15 June, 2024.
  47. Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Mohali, Punjab. Report: Water Quality Mitigation Strategy. www.pbdwss.gov.in >dwss > left_menu >orders >WQ_Strategy.
Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 11
Issue 01
Received June 21, 2024
Accepted July 24, 2024
Published August 3, 2024
Views: 44

Check Our other Platform for Workshops in the field of AI, Biotechnology & Nanotechnology.
Learn more
Check Out Platform for Webinars in the field of AI, Biotech. & Nanotech.
Learn more