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Potentially toxic element and microplastic contamination in the river Hooghly: Implications to better water quality management
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The Hooghly River in India was found to contain both microplastics — peaking at 1,000 particles/m³ near urban sewage outlets — and dissolved potentially toxic elements including cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel distributed across different salinity zones. The co-occurrence of microplastics and heavy metals highlights the compounded contamination burden in rivers flowing through industrial and urban areas, reinforcing the need for integrated national water quality policy.
Present study revolves around the assessment of basic physicochemical parameters, dissolved PTEs, and microplastics (MPs) in riverine water to illuminate the policies for better sustainable management practices in river Hooghly. The samples were analysed in ICP-OES and fluorescence microscope to enumerate PTEs and MPs. The distribution of PTEs indicates that highest concentration of Al, Co, and Cu was in estuarine zone; Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb in mixo-haline zone and Zn in freshwater zone. The maximum concentration of MPs was observed near Bali Khal, which acts as a sewage canal of the urban conglomerate of Howrah. Overall, the size of MPs was observed between 150 and 4560 µm with an abundance frequency of 1000 pieces/m3 near the mouth of the sewers. Dissolved PTEs concentration was found to be lower than previous works, which can be attributed towards GoI approved flagship program ‘Namami Gange Mission’. The study emphasizes the necessity of a uniform national water policy for better management of Indian rivers and estuaries.
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