Heavy metal contamination and ecological risk assessment in peruvamaba river, Kannur District, Kerala

• Published in: Materials today : proceedings 2023-09
• Main Authors: Harsha, P.V., Nandagopan, S., Vineethkumar, V., Nath, Manju R., Nair, Haritha T., Vaishnav Raj, K., Krishnan, Ajay, Prakash, V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ecological Risk; Environmental pollution; Peruvamba river; Pollution indices
• ISSN: 2214-7853; 2214-7853
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2023.09.096

The presence of heavy metal pollution in the sediment of a river located in Kerala, India, was investigated through the utilization of pollution indices. This approach aimed to assess the extent of pollution and the potential ecological hazards linked to it. Sediment samples were collected from 11 locations of Peruvamba river, Kerala. The concentration of heavy metals in the sediment samples was determined using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). In order to comprehend the pollutions loads in the sediments of the study area, the levels of heavy metal contamination in the samples were assessed using pollution indices such as contamination factor, enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, pollution load index, and modified degree of contamination. These indices stand highly appropriate to assess the overall contamination of an area. The results show elevated levels of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb higher than the crustal values in the collected sediment samples which may be due to industrial, municipal, agricultural, and several anthropogenic invasions in the study area. In this context, the identification of sources and pollution levels periodically and implementation of proper mitigation measures are need of the moment. The detailed results of this study are outlined and discussed in this manuscript.