This presentation deals with the heavy metal contamination of water bodies primarily considering river ganga for its study. It explains the various sources of heavy metal pollution along with the various remediation measures. It also focus on the role of the government in taking initiatives and executing projects to combate heavy metal pollution and to put a check on the activities that lead to the same. This presentation also gives the overall scenario of the heavy metal pollution of the world's water bodies and the status of heavy metal pollution in river ganga.

1. Heavy Metal Pollution
in river Ganga
Name- Saumya Tripathi
I.D no. - 20412SAC011
M.Sc. (Ag)
Soil Science and Agl.
Chemistry
Prof. Nirmal De
Advisor-
Advisor-
Advisor-
H.O.D, Dept. of Soil
Science & Agricultural
Chemistry, BHU

2. Heavy metals are naturally occuring elements
that have -
What are Heavy Metals?
a density atleast 5 times greater than that
of water (density of more than 5 g/cm3 )
high atomic weight/ atomic numbers
toxic or poisonous at low concentrations
environmentally stable elements of high specific
gravity
Non - degradable

3. In Physics- In Chemistry-
The criteria used varies depending on the contex :
In metallurgy-
Density Atomic number Chemical behaviour

4. 1.Lusture 2.Malleability
Characteristics of heavy metals :
3.Ductility
4.High Electrical conductivity
5.High thermal conductivity
Apporoximately 80 elements of the periodic table can be
refered to as 'Heavy Metals'
*
There are 23 are
heavy metals that are
of concern for us
because of residential
or occupational
exposure:
antimony
arsenic
bismuth
cadmium
cerium
chromium
cobalt
copper
gallium
gold
iron
manganese
mercury
nickel
platinum
silver
tellurium
thallium
tin
uranium
vanadium
lead
The most pollutant heavy metals are:
Hg, Pb $ Cd
Hg, Pb $ Cd
Hg, Pb $ Cd

5. Iron- for Haemoglobin
Copper- for Haemocyanin ( invertebrates)
Cobalt- in Vitamin B12 . Stimulates the
production
of RBC ( Anaemia Treatment)
Zinc - component of many enzymes,
Drugs( anti-oxidants),
Galvanizing steel, Alloys,
-ve terminal of batteries
Significance of Heavy Metals

6. HEAVY METAL POLLUTION
SOURCES
Natural
Natural
Natural Anthropogenic
Anthropogenic
Anthropogenic

9. 10% 15% 25%
30% 15%
Sources of heavy metal
Sources of heavy metal
pollution in water bodies
pollution in water bodies
: Rock
weathering
, fertilizer
Fertilizer
and
pesticide
use
Mining
Manufacturing
Waste
Discharge

10. Types Africa Asia Europe
North
America
South
America
Lakes 18 39 8 6 -
Rivers 24 126 11 1 6
Total concentrations and
sources of heavy metal
pollution in global river
and lake water bodies
ACROSS FIVE DECADES AND FIVE CONTINENTS

11. S.E. denotes standard error
Total heavy metal concentrations (mg L1) and selected sample numbers (SN) of global river and lake water bodies
from the 1970s to the 2010s, and concentrations of heavy metals in water as per World Health Organization
(WHO) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards.

12. Heavy metal concentrations in global river and lake water differed over the five decades from 1972 to 2017 .
Collectively, the majority of heavy metal species had higher concentrations in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s,
and lower concentrations in the 1970s and 1980s. For example, the declining order for the mean Cd
concentration was
Among the 12 heavy metals, two (Fe and Mn) had concentrations greater than the threshold concentrations
of the WHO and USEPA standards in the 1970s, and three (Pb, Fe, and Mn) exceeded the respective
threshold concentrations in the 1980s.
Heavy metal concentrations over five decades
1990s 2010s 2000s 1970s 1980s.
However, eight heavy metals showed levels greater than the standard threshold concentrations in
the 1990s and 2000s, which increased to ten in the 2010s.

13. Total heavy metal concentrations (mg L1)and selected sample numbers (SN) of global river and
lake water bodies across five continents and standards for heavy metal concentrations in water as
per the WHO and USEPA standards.

14. Heavy metal concentrations across five continents
Heavy metal concentrations in global river and lake water differed across the five continents.
Collectively, heavy metal concentrations were higher in Africa, Asia, and South America, and lower in Europe and
North America. For example, the declining order for the mean Cr concentration was South America Africa Asia
Europe North America.
Among the 12 heavy metals, Pb and Al were present in concentrations that exceeded WHO and USEPA standard
threshold concentrations in North America, and Cd, Zn, Ni, Al, Mn, and As exceeded the standard thresholds in
Europe
. However, seven, nine, and ten heavy metals were present at concentrations greater than the threshold values of both
standards in South America, Asia, and Africa, respectively

15. Permissible limits of heavy metals in drinking water:
WHO: World Health Organization, USEPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency, ISI: Indian Standard Institution, ICMR:
Indian Council of Medical Research, CPCB: Central Pollution Control Board.

17. The majority of heavy metal species had higher concentrations in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, and lower
concentrations in the 1970s and 1980s
two (Fe and Mn) had - 1970s
three (Pb, Fe, and Mn) - 1980s
Heavy metals conncentrations greater than the threshold concentrations of the WHO and USEPA standards:
eight - 1990s and 2000s
which increased to ten in the 2010s.
Inferences:

18. In Africa, the main metal sources were fertilizer and pesticide use, along with rock weathering,
with a combined contribution exceeding 56.7%.
In Asia, the main metal sources were mining and manufacturing, along with rock weathering,
which contributed 97.1%.
In Europe, the main metal sources were the same as those in the Asia, with a total combined
contribution amounting to 56.2%.
In North America, the main sources were mining and manufacturing, along with fertilizer and
pesticide use, with a combined contribution exceeding 90.4%.
In South America, the main sources were rock weathering, fertilizer and pesticide use, mining
and manufacturing, and waste discharge, which contributed 93.5% of the total.
Continentwise sources:

19. In the 1970s, the main metal sources were mining and manufacturing, along
with rock weathering, with a total contribution of 66.0%.
In the 1980s, the main metal sources were mining and manufacturing, along
with waste discharge, which had a combined contribution of 94.9%.
In the 1990s, the main sources were mining and manufacturing, with a
contribution of 95.0%.
In the 2000s, the main sources were waste discharge along with rock
weathering, which were responsible for a total contribution of 97.4%.
The dominant sources in the 2010s were the same as those in the 2000s, with a
total combined contribution of 52.4%.
Yearwise sources:

20. In view of the intense human activity, natural sources of heavy
metal are usually of little importance.
The most important anthropogenic sources of heavy metal are
various industries and domestic sewage. The practice of
discharging waste from industries and untreated domestic
sewage into the aquatic ecosystem is continually going on that
leads to the increase in the concentration of heavy metals in
river water.
The industries which attribute heavy metals in river water are
generally metal industries, paints, pigment, varnishes, pulp
and paper, tannery, distillery, rayon, cotton textiles, rubber,
thermal power plant, steel plant, galvanization of iron
products and mining industries as well as unsystematic use of
heavy metal-containing pesticides and fertilizer in
agricultural. These heavy metals have accumulative effect at
the low level in drinking water and ground water.
Sources of Heavy Metal Pollution in Ganga River:

21. about 90% of the contents of Cd, Cr, and Sn
50–75% of Cu and Zn
25% of Co, Ni and Pb
Anthropogenic
inputs
the level of dissolved heavy metals such as Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Hg at three
ecologically distinct zones along the course of the river Ganga- Babughat,
Diamond Harbour and Gangasagar in West Bengal were analyzed and high
values for Hg and Pb were reported which were attributed to the discharge
from pulp and paper manufacturing units and to atmospheric input and runoff
of automobile emission.
Extensive studies have been carried out by several researchers on heavy metal
pollution of river Ganga which includes the study of concentrations of different
heavy metals in the water and sediments of river Ganga at different regions or
sampling stations and concluded that the water was polluted.
The sediment quality mainly trace metals from upstream and downstream
area of Ganga river at Kanpur city were studied where effluents from tannery
industries are discharged and reported that Cr in downstream sediment was
30-fold higher than in upstream sediment and its concentration was above
the probable effect level.
RESEARCHES AND STUDIES

22. The occurrence and bioaccumulation of several heavy metals
(Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn) in the river water, sediment, and the muscles
of two catfish species procured from the river Ganga at
Allahabad was studied.
The heavy metals analysis in sediment indicated that Zn
was maximally accumulated followed by Pb, Cr, Cu, and Cd.
The toxicity of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in the water of
Ganga river at Varanasi was studied. This study suggested that Ganga river
water is extremely polluted at Varanasi and industrial effluents are the main
source of heavy metal pollution.
Bhatnagar et al. [99] studied the effect of tannery effluents on
sediments of river Ganga in special reference to heavy metals at Jajmau,
Kanpur and found that the heavy metal such as Cr, As, Co, Fe, Cu, Mn,
Zn, Pb, Cd, and Ni were present in significantly higher concentrations.
Scientists determined the concentration of several heavy metals such as Cr, Cu,
Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the water of river Ganga at Allahabad and reported that all
the heavy metals at all the sampling sites were found above the permissible
levels.

23. Geochemical environment of the river sediment in the middle stretch of the river
Ganga at Ghazipur, Buxar and Ballia urban centers was investigated .The percentage
of anthropogenic and lithogenic values of heavy metal concentration showed that
Cd receives the highest value of anthropogenic addition into river water and it is
followed by Cr, Cu, Zn and Co.
The heavy metal concentration as well as Ganga river water quality at
different ghats of Haridwar was assessed. The distribution of non-
radioactive heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Cu, and Pb) in water of river Ganga from
Rishikesh to Allahabad was studied. The investigations reported that at
some locations concentrations of measured heavy metals were exceeding
the standard limits which correspond to more anthropogenic activities
the mid stream water quality of Ganga river as influenced by
aerially - driven heavy metals at Varanasi, India. Twelve sampling stations
were selected along A 20 km long stretch of the river.
The data revealed that the mid-stream water of river Ganga at Varanasi is
invariably contaminated by heavy metals.

24. Concentrations of heavy metals (μg L−1) in the river Ganga water at different study sites.
BDL- Below detection limit; ND- Not detected

25. The Yamuna river, however a tributary of the river Ganga, is almost a river by itself. There are vast
numbers of industries, draining the huge amount of untreated effluent water in the Yamuna existing in
the cities like Delhi, Agra, Faridabad, and Mathura Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had estimated
that there were nearly 359 industries, which directly or indirectly discharge their effluents in Yamuna.
Kali is a highly polluted river. Levels of pollutants including heavy metals have reached alarming
amount in the river Kali.
The water quality of Gomti river has also been found quite unsafe at Lucknow and Jaunpur.
Kali
Ramganga
Yamuna
Gomti
Ghaghara
Gandak
Mahananda
Damodar
Kosi
Tamsa
Son
Punpun
Role of tributaries of river Ganga in heavy
metal pollution:
The Ganga river has a vast number of tributaries.
The tributaries of Ganga have an important role in
pollution of river Ganga because it transports
considerable amounts of pollutants as well as heavy
metals into the Ganga. All the tributaries join the river
Ganga and drain their pollutant input load adding to the
already polluted Ganga river.

26. From the published research articles of many authors it is revealed that the
presence of heavy metal in the river may cause of the reduction in growth, size,
and survival of fish population or may also cause extinction of some fish species
and river dolphins. Daphnia and Cyclops are most sensitive to heavy metals.
Presence of such heavy metal pollutants in water course not only creates
unfavourable environment but also causes paucity of the fish organisms.
The occurrence of very large amount of heavy metal pollutants into surface
water and sediment can affect the self-purifying nature of the river. As soon as
the river loses its self-purifying nature, it results in the growth of high level of
pathogenic bacteria.
Effects

27. The heavy metal pollution of the river Ganga has drawn the attention of the scientists and
others concerned with the endangerment of the environment.
Regulatory standards for emission and discharges from different industries should be strict.
Recycling of wastewater containing heavy metals needs to be given greater importance not
only from environmental and health concerns but also as a resource conservation initiative.
Monitoring of wastewater from toxic heavy metal processing units of the different industries
needs to be executing more vigorously.
The government should outline a plan or strategy to comprehensively survey the Ganga
inorder to identify and specify the sources of the pollution
Strategies

28. Ganga Action Plan
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched by Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India,
on June 1986.
The main goals of Ganga Action Plan:
(i)To improve the water quality by Interception, Diversion and treatment of domestic sewage and
(ii) Prevent toxic and industrial chemical wastes from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river.
The key objective of the GAP was to improve the water quality by decreasing the pollution load before it reached to the
flowing river Ganga.
Ganga Action Plan, however, have had little success in meeting proposed objectives. An over-dependence on conventional
methods, designed and executed by the central Government without the involvement of local stakeholders, has provided to
the GAP's shortcomings.
A survey of CPCB, showed that 317 major industrial units are operating all along the bank of river Ganga and its tributaries.
Only 37% of these units followed some controlled measures and the remaining ones pose pollution hazards, and none of
them has any treatment facilities.

29. The $1 billion National Ganga River Basin Project is helping the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) build
institutional capacity for rejuvenating the river. It is also financing key infrastructure investments in the five mainstem states -
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Uttar Pradesh: Investments worth more than $250 million are focusing on reducing the pollution load in the river in key cities
and towns that lie along the river’s most critically polluted stretch. In Allahabad alone, the project will help build two sewage
treatment plants as well as 800 km of sewerage networks in four city districts, covering almost 80 percent of the city’s population
of nearly 1.3 million people.
Water Quality Monitoring: Some 30 state-of-the-art, real-time water quality monitoring stations will be installed along the
river in the first phase of a larger effort to acquire reliable water quality data. These will be managed by the Central Pollution
Control Board and will strengthen the regulation and oversight of the river’s pollution load by helping planners better understand
the point-source versus non-point source origins of pollution, as well as to assess the impact of treatment on the water’s
quality.
In the year 2008, the Prime Minister of India announced Ganga a National River and set up the National Ganga River Basin
Project (NGRBP) for its clean up.
National Ganga River Basin Project

30. National Mission for Clean Ganga
National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011
under the Societies Registration Act 1860. It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga
River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for
prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure
continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below;

31. Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a
‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish the
twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and
rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
It is being operated under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) NMCG is the
implementation wing of National Ganga Council (set in 2016; which replaced the National Ganga River
Basin Authority (NRGBA).
It has a Rs. 20,000-crore, centrally-funded, non-lapsable corpus and consists of nearly 288 projects.

33. FIVE YEARS AFTER LAUNCH OF NAMAMI GANGE
The Namami Gange programme, aimed at making the Ganga nirmal and aviral, in 2015. Five years later, there were
signs that the effort had yielded some tangible results.
The basin of Ganga is India’s richest basin in terms of fish species — a study conducted by the the Zoological
Survey of India in 1991 put the number at 375. Over the years, the increasing pollution in India’s holiest river made
the survival of aquatic life difficult. In 1996, the iconic Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), called ‘Tiger of the
Ganges’, was categorised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The number of
Dolphins in the Ganga in the early 19th century was around 10,000. This came down to 3,526 by early 2000. The
species, India’s national aquatic animal ,had disappeared entirely in Haridwar and most of the Yamuna.
Five years after the launch of the mission, a survey of Ganga conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
found that 49 per cent of the river has “very high biodiversity levels” and the sightings of biodiversity indicators,
such as the Gangetic Dolphin and Others, have increased over the last few years. Six stretches of the river with
high biodiversity levels have been identified by theWII in the study as : Devprayag to Rishikesh (61 kilometer) in
Uttarakhand

34. The authorities involved in cleaning the river have repeatedly come under the
scanner of a parliamentary panel as well as the National Green Tribunal for the
slow pace of cleaning-related work.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s latest available data, the
water quality of Ganga across a significant portion of its 2,500 kilometres length is
still unfit for bathing and drinking as it does not meet the permissible parameters
for biochemical oxygen demand and total coliform.
THE OTHER SIDE
After spending Rs 100 billion on the programme, the authorities claim progress in cleaning the
river. However, The Central Pollution Control Board’s most recent data and Environmentalists
monitoring the river question these claims and state there is no marked improvement in cleaning
of Ganga and sewage continues to fall into the river unchecked.

35. Heavy Metals exhibit
Bio- accumulation: Pollutants like heavy metals are
conservative pollutants (they are non biodegradable)
and are build up in organisms over time. This is called
bio-accumulation.
Bio- magnification: Animals feeding on bio-
accumulators take in a higher level of contaminants
thus animals at higher trophic level obtain higher
concentration of toxic metals, the phenomenon is
known as bio- magnification.

36. Heavy Metals and Living Organism
Living organisms require varying amounts of heavy metals. Iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc are
required by humans. All metals are toxic at higher concentrations. Excessive levels can be damaging to the organism.
Other heavy metals such as mercury, plutonium, and lead are toxic metals that have no known vital or beneficial effect
on organisms, and their accumulation over time in the bodies of animals can cause serious illness. Certain elements that
are normally toxic are for certain organisms or under certain conditions, beneficial.

37. ADSORBENTS
One of the most promising methods from economic point of view
Adsorption is referred to as attachment of the molecules to the
surfaces of the adsorbent. Adsorbate is one which gets adhered to
solid surfaces and the surface is adsorbent
efficient and cost-effective method.
leads to the production of a high-quality effluent.
easy to use and does not generate any toxic pollutants,
an environment friendly technique .
traditional adsorbents: lack of reusability and tunability
A solution was made for this problem in the form of
nanoadsorbents
a new material in nano size to clean the water

38. Biofilters use microorganisms, which are capable of degrading many compounds, fixed to an
inorganic/organic medium (carrier) to break down pollutants present in a fluid stream.
biofiltration converts contaminants (heavy metals) into biomass, metallic by products, carbon-dioxide, salts and water.
use the energy and nutrients to grow and reproduce.
BIO- FILTERS

39. A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Mandi has developed a fibrous membrane filter using a
biopolymer-based material that helps to separate out the
heavy metals from water samples.
These membranes contain adsorbents — materials that attract
and hold the metals.
“We tested with a prototype with four litres of heavy metal-
laden water in the laboratory and have seen impressive
results,” the scientists said.
Fibes are nanometres in diameter — a hundred thousand times thinner than a single human hair. When the
fibres get finer, their surface area increases tremendously, which results in better adsorption of heavy metals.
Recent success

40. Azolla possesses all the properties of an ideal plant for use in
phytoremediation, such as fast growth rate, high biomass production,
moderately extensive root system, easy to harvest and tolerance to a
wide range of heavy metals. An integrated approach can be developed
using Azolla biomass produced during phytoremediation as source for
bioenergy production or bio-ore for recovery of marketable amount of
precious heavy metal.
The use of aquatic macrophytes, such as Azolla with hyper
accumulating ability is known to be an environmentally friendly option
to restore polluted aquatic resources.
Azolla based remediation

41. 1. Phytoextraction
3. Phytodegradation
4. Rhizodegradation
5. Phytovolatilization
Phytoremediation

42. My Thoughts