Application of geoaccumulation

Life Sciences International Research Journal Volume 7 Issue 1 ISSN 2347- 8691
Journal Published by IMRF Journals | 2020 Edition | 70
APPLICATION OF GEOACCUMULATION
INDEX (IGEO) AS A TOOL TO ASSESS
THE HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN
THE AGRICULTURAL FIELDS OF CHAMBAL RIVER
AT NAGDA, UJJAIN (M.P.INDIA)
Bhawna Srivastava
Department of Zoology, DAV College, Kanpur, U.P, India
Reddy P.B
Government PG College, Ratlam, M.P, India
Email: reddysirr@gmail
Received: Aug. 2020 Accepted: Sep. 2020 Published: Oct. 2020
Abstract: Soil contamination with heavy metals is a serious global concern due to their toxicity and
bioaccumulation property. The present investigation was aimed to assess heavy metal contamination of
agricultural soil around the polluted zone of the Chambal River at Nagda, Ujjain (M.P, India). Soil
samples were collected at three sites S1, S2, and S3 alongside of Chambal River in December 2019 and
analyzed for heavy metals like Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS)
methods. The Igeo results revealed that the study area has fallen in the category of uncontaminated and
moderately contaminated with Cd and Pb in all study stations. Essential compositions were evaluated
through the estimation of geochemical accumulation indices to find out the heavy metal contamination
of soil. Significant enrichment of the soil with Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb was observed in all study stations.
The S1 station exhibited the highest concentrations of heavy metals in soil. The present outcome is
useful for mitigating the impact of metallic pollution on environmental health and required strategies to
prevent such effects.
Keywords: Chambal River, Geo-Accumulation Index, Heavy Metals, Industrial Pollution, Soil Quality.
Introduction: Soil is the key factor for plant life. It supplies many nutrients and pollutants to plants.
Plants can uptake toxic materials from the contaminated soils through their roots from soils. [1]
Industrialization and urbanization influenced aquatic pollution. [2], [3], [4], [5] and heavy metal
contamination of the agricultural soil is a worldwide threat. Due to water scarcity, the use of wastewater
for irrigation has become a common practice in both urban and rural areas across the globe. [6] Unlike
other pollutants, heavy metals are non-degradable and persist in the environment with potential
bioaccumulation and biomagnifications effects through the food chain. Nevertheless, the major distress
is several industries release their effluents directly into surface water bodies without any pre-treatment.
[4], [7] However, sometimes, irrigating the agricultural fields with some industrial effluents was found to
be advantageous to some extent due to a relatively higher load of plant nutrients. [8] On the other hand,
it has been understood that long-term irrigation with industrial effluents would result in the
accumulation of heavy metals in soil and groundwater. [9]
Nagda is an industrial town and municipality located on the bank of Chambal River at Nagda, Ujjain
(23’27N and 75’25), (M.P.India) elevation of 522 m above MSL at a distance of 60 km from Ujjain.
The Chambal River flows through the town. There are many industrial complexes in this town like
Lanxess, Grasim and Garwal brothers etc.
The presence of useless rudiments in wastewater from industries can harm human health and the
environment and has become a public issue for maintaining public health and environmental quality.

IMRF Biannual Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal | SE Impact Factor 2.87 | 71
[4], [10] So far, no inclusive studies were found to assess the heavy metal concentration in the
agricultural soil and the accumulation level in agricultural fields in this area. For that reason, the present
study designed to analyze the heavy metals accumulation in agricultural soils of industrial areas of
Nagda town (M.P, India).
Materials and Methods:
Study Area: Nagda is an industrial town and municipality located on the bank of Chambal River at
Nagda, Ujjain (23’27N and 75’25), (M.P.India) elevation of 522 m above MSL at a distance of 60 km
from Ujjain. The Chambal River flows through the town (Fig.1). The study area was the Chambal River at
Nagda town used for the disposal of urban and industrial wastewater.
Site 1: It is located at the Sethi dairy firm Riverbed situated 1km east to the town. It is characterized by
plentiful vegetation.
Site 2: It is located at the Chambal Bridge at the right bank of the Chambal River and 1 km away from
the station 1 towards the north. Its vegetation is mainly constituted by a variety of grasses.
Site 3: It is located at the left bank of the Chambal River 3 km from station 1 towards the north near
Tejaji Mandir. The site is characterized by a layer of grass and leaf litter.
Fig. 1: Map Showing the Study Area of Nagda in Ujjain District
Analytical Procedure: Nagda experiences moderate of temperature with a minimum of 70°C in
December 2019 while it goes up to 18°C with southwestern monsoon rains in July–September. Soil
samples were collected randomly from the three study stations along with the Chambal River. Soil
sampling was carried out from 0 to 15 cm depth using a tube auger. The samples were collected by
adopting the Simple Random Sampling (SRS) technique. After collection, soils were air-dried under
shade and stored in polythene bags.
For the quantification, 1 g of each sample was digested with an HNO3 (5 ml), H2O2 (1 ml) and HClO4 (1
ml) mixture. Samples were kept overnight to degrade the organic content before digestion. Samples
were digested at 200-250
o
C by using automatic hotplate until the solution was evaporated to near
dryness and become colorless and then the volume of digestate was raised up to 50 ml by deionized
water. Afterward, they were filtered through Whatman filter paper No. 1 and stored in polyethylene
bottles [11] for further analysis.
Heavy metals like Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd were estimated by the procedure as described by Page et al.
(1982). The soils were digested with aqua regia (75% concentrated HCl + 25% con.HNO3). After proper
dilution with double distilled water, the digested samples were analyzed for heavy metals using atomic

absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) (SYS-813 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (200) (Systronics,
India) by fixing different individual wavelengths for different heavy metals. The detection limit for the
heavy metals was 0.001 ppm. The AAS was adjusted for all the metals by running different
concentrations of standard solutions. The mean values of three replicates were in use for each
determination. Glasswares were washed by using 10% nitric acid prior to use.
Soil Analysis: Both the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were calculated using (2:5 w/w) and (1:5 w/w
soil water ratio).
Geo-Accumulation Index: It is a widely used tool for evaluating heavy metal contagion in sediments
[12] and trace metal pollution in agricultural soils. [13] In the present study, the geo accumulation index
was calculated using the following formula described by Muller. [14]
Where,
Igeo = geo accumulation index
Cn= is the concentration of the element in the soil sample (mg/kg)
Bn= Bn is the background or uncontaminated (reference) value of the elements. [15]
Table 1. Geo-Accumulation Index: It Consists of Seven Grades
Igeo Value Category Description
1 0 0 Uncontaminated
2 0-1 1 Uncontaminated to moderately contaminated
3 1-2 2 Moderately contaminated
4 2-3 3 Moderately to strongly contaminated
5 3-4 4 Strongly contaminated
6 4-5 5 Strongly to extremely contaminated
7 >5 6 Extremely contaminated
The soil samples with Igeo ≤ 0 indicates uncontaminated and categorized under class 0. Likewise, Igeo
values with 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, 3–4, 4–5 and >5 indicates Uncontaminated to moderately contaminated (class
II), moderate polluted (class III), moderate to strongly polluted (class IV), strongly polluted (class V),
strongly to extremely contaminated (class VI) and extremely contaminated (class VII), respectively. Each
parameter in the study was analyzed in triplicates.
Results and Discussion: The results of heavy metal concentrations of soil samples from different study
stations were presented in Table 2.
Table 2: Heavy Metals Concentration (Mean Value in mg/kg) in Soils at
Different Locations of the Chambal River at Nagda.
Parameter Station I Station II Station III
1 pH 7.18± 0.02 7.3± 0.2 8.6± 0.23
2 EC(dS m−1
) 0.41± 0.06 1.55±0.11 1.74± 0.12
3 Cu (mg/kg) 31.2± 4.2 44.2± 5.3 52.4 ± 5.6
4 Cd (mg/kg) 0.7± 0.02 1.3 ± 0.2 3.3 ± 0.32
5 Pb (mg/kg) 4.92± 0.9 19.0± 3.3 30.5 ± 5.2
6 Cr (mg/kg) 16.1± 3.9 76.1± 13.3 72.1± 14.1
7 Ni (mg/kg) 7.1 ± 1.2 14.5 ± 2.1 22.8 ± 3.4
8 Zn (mg/kg) 29.4 ± 5.7 72.4 ± 8.9 83.3 ± 12.2
Results clearly revealed that the pH of tested soils was slightly alkaline and varied from 7.18 to7.44. The
concentrations of heavy metals in the soils of the agricultural fields of three sampling stations varied
significantly. Station 1, where tube well water was used for irrigation purpose, the pH of soil varied from
7.18 to7.29 and concentrations (mg kg−1) of Cu (31.2), Cd (0.7), Pb (4.9), Cr (16.1), Ni (7.1), and Zn (29.4)

was observed (Table 2). Overall, the pH of the soils was found to be in the optimal range and also had
the lowest concentrations of heavy metals. This concentration will not pose any detrimental effects on
plant growth and yield [1], [2], (Gyawali and Lekhak 2006).
Conversely, soil samples collected from agricultural fields where contaminated waters (industrial
effluent) were used for irrigation purpose had pH values in the range of 7.3 and 8.6 at station II and III.
EC values were found to be 0.41, 1.55 and 1.74 at the station I, II, and III respectively. The total heavy
metals content was higher in an effluent irrigated soil than that of tube water irrigated soils. The
concentrations of Cu (44.2), Cd (1.3), Pb (19.0), Cr (76.1), Ni (14.5), and Zn (72.4) were observed at station
II. The station III shown the values of Cu (54.2), Cd (3.3), Pb (30.0), Cr (72.1), Ni (22.8), and Zn (83.3)
were observed at s (Table 2).
Table 3: The Geo Accumulation Index of Heavy Metals in
Wastewater Irrigated Soils of Nagda, Ujjain (M.P, India)
Parameter
Station I Station I Station I
Igeo Value Category Igeo Value Category Igeo Value Category
1 Cu (μg/l) 0.22 I 1.1 II 1.3 II
2 Cd (μg/l) 1.49 III 2.2 IV 2.4 IV
3 Pb (μg/l) 0.9 I 1.1 I 1.3 I
4 Cr (μg/l) 1.2 II 2.3 III 2.1 III
5 Ni (μg/l) 0.56 I 0.9 I 0.9 I
6 Zn (μg/l) 0.7 I 2.4 III 2.6 III
Thus, the results showed that the use of contaminated water for irrigation resulted in the buildup of
heavy metals in the crop field. It was observed that the continuous use of wastewater from industries for
vegetable and crop production had resulted in building up more heavy metals in the soils than the soils
irrigated with groundwater (Station 1). Moreover, Dhungana and Yadav [16] reported 16%–30% high Cr
accumulation and other heavy metals by 2–3 times [17] in soils irrigated with industrial wastewater. The
higher buildup of salt and metal concentration in the agricultural field deteriorates the soil quality and
affects sustainability. [18]
The elevated levels of heavy metal concentrations in the agricultural field had led to a higher geo-
accumulation index (Igeo) value (Table 3). The Igeo of all the studied heavy metals in the present study
had revealed values greater than 0 indicating that the soils were slightly polluted with heavy metals, but
the amount of pollution mixed with the type of heavy metals.
For example, the Igeo values of Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn was found to be in the range of 0–1 representing the
level of contamination to be between unpolluted to moderate level. Conversely, the Igeo values of Cd, Cr,
and Pb were 2 to 3 times higher than station I. It showed moderate contamination for Zn and Cr. Cd
values fallen in the IV
th
category which reflected moderately to strongly contaminated soils at station II
and III. The use of wastewater for irrigation might have increased the significant amount of Cr build-up
in soil. [19] The significant amount of other metals, particularly Cd might have originated from other
wastewater discharged into the wastewater carrying channels.
The present study has revealed that the use of industrial wastewater for crop production has led to build
up of heavy metals in the soil by 2-3 times. The transformation in the geo-accumulation index of heavy
metals from class II (unpolluted to moderate polluted) to V (heavily polluted) in the study area is an
indication of heavy metal contamination in the agricultural field. The increased heavy metal
contamination of soil may perhaps negatively affect the soil health and likely to contaminate the entire
food chain. Therefore, the administration and concerned authorities should take initiatives to strictly
monitor the effluent treatment plants regularly and also spread the awareness among the public on the
impact of industrial wastewater through government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in
the effluent irrigated areas. Furthermore, the use of mixed industrial wastewater for agricultural
activities should be evaded and more studies are needed to study the risk of multi-metal toxicity. [20]

Conclusions: The present study has generated information on heavy metal concentration in soil from
agricultural fields near downstream of the Chambal River at Nagda (MP, India). The heavy metal
contamination found in soil was closely related to the pollutants in irrigation water, agricultural soil
fertilizers, and dusts. The Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) was calculated and used in agricultural soil
samples of Nagda of Ujjain district (MP, India). The Igeo factor is not readily comparable due to the
nature of Igeo calculation which involves a log function and a background multiplication of 1.5. The
Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of the soil ranged from uncontaminated to moderately contaminated
with respect to analyzed metals. It is therefore recommended that frequent monitoring of heavy metals
in soil and vegetables should be performed and surrogate alternatives should be carried out in order to
prevent heavy metal accumulation.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to express sincere thanks and gratitude to the Principal of
Government PG College, Ratlam (M.P.India) for providing necessary laboratory facilities to complete
this important project related to public health.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest in preparing this
manuscript.
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