Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in inland aquatic ecosystems of India with a global perspective on sources, composition, and spatial distribution

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in India's rivers, lakes, and wetlands, finding widespread pollution across water, sediment, and wildlife, with concentrations peaking during monsoon season due to runoff. The review highlights a critical gap: most studies don't account for how water flow and seasonal variation affect where microplastics go, making it hard to gauge the true health risk to people and ecosystems.

2024 Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems of India: Current Trends and Future Perspectives

The study provides a comprehensive review of microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems across India, including lakes and rivers. Researchers found that microplastic research in Indian freshwater environments has grown significantly but remains limited compared to marine studies, highlighting the need for expanded monitoring given India's increasing plastic production and low recycling rates.

2023 ACS Omega 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: an emerging environmental contaminant in surface water bodies of Indore, Central India

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in three lakes in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, Central India, collecting water samples and performing risk assessment to characterize microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer types in these freshwater bodies. The study found microplastics present across all sampled lakes, contributing baseline data on microplastic pollution in central Indian urban freshwater ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Critical Review on the Characterization and Distribution of Microplastic Contaminants in Indian Water Environments: Pathways and Related Hazards

This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in India's freshwater environments, including rivers and lakes. While marine ecosystems have gotten the most attention, freshwater sources — which supply drinking water — are also heavily contaminated. The findings highlight how inadequate waste management and recycling infrastructure allow microplastics to spread through the water systems that communities depend on.

2025 Water Resources 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater lakes: A case study from Southern India

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in Vellayani Lake, a major drinking water source in southern India, and found particles present across all sampling sites and seasons. Fibers were the most common shape, with polyethylene and polypropylene as the dominant polymer types, likely originating from domestic wastewater and fishing activities. The study highlights the need for monitoring microplastic pollution in freshwater lakes that serve as critical drinking water supplies.

2024 Geosystems and Geoenvironment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems in India: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines the occurrence, sources, and ecological risks of microplastics across freshwater ecosystems in India, synthesizing current literature on contamination levels in rivers, lakes, and other inland water bodies.

2025 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL REVIEWS
Article Tier 2

Tracing microplastic footprints in pristine ecosystems: Insights and implications of Parsons Valley and Sandynulla Lakes, Western Ghats

Researchers conducted the first microplastic assessment of surface waters in Parsons Valley Lake and Sandynulla Lake in the Western Ghats, India, collecting 40 samples and identifying polyethylene and nylon as the dominant plastic types. Pollution levels were highest near tourist and waste disposal areas, and built-up area expansion between 2017 and 2024 was identified as a key driver of microplastic input into these pristine ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Environments – With Special Focus on the Indian Scenario

This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater environments globally with a focus on the Indian context, finding that despite India being one of the world's largest contributors to marine plastic pollution, freshwater microplastic research in India remains almost entirely absent, and calling for systematic river catchment monitoring to quantify land-to-ocean plastic fluxes.

2022
Article Tier 2

Spatial and vertical distribution of microplastics and their ecological risk in an Indian freshwater lake ecosystem

Researchers mapped the spatial and vertical distribution of microplastics in Kodaikanal Lake, a popular tourist destination in India that also serves as a water source for downstream communities. They found microplastics in surface water, surface sediment, and deeper sediment cores, with the highest concentrations near areas of heavy tourist activity. The study highlights how human activities directly influence microplastic contamination patterns in freshwater ecosystems used for drinking water.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater environments: Influence of topography and water velocity on their distribution in river systems

Scientists found over 3,000 tiny plastic particles in rivers and lakes in India, with more plastics settling in slow-moving water areas like lake bottoms and wide river sections. The study shows that microplastics—plastic pieces smaller than a grain of rice—build up heavily in freshwater systems we rely on for drinking water and fish. This research helps us understand where plastic pollution concentrates most, which is important for protecting our water sources and food supply from contamination.

2026
Article Tier 2

Baseline Study on Microplastics in Indian Rivers under Different Anthropogenic Influences

Researchers collected microplastic samples from Indian rivers under different levels of anthropogenic influence and found MPs in all sites, with concentrations correlating with population density and industrial activity, providing one of the first systematic field datasets for major Indian river systems.

2021 Water 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in Indian rural and urban lacustrine ecosystems

Researchers surveyed 39 rural and urban lakes across Tamil Nadu, India, for microplastic contamination and found particles present in water and sediment samples from every lake studied. Urban lakes had significantly higher microplastic concentrations than rural ones, with fibers being the most common particle shape across all sites. The study provides one of the most comprehensive assessments of freshwater microplastic pollution in India, revealing that even relatively remote lakes are not free from contamination.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems: The Hiren-2 Reservoir case study from Gujarat, India

Researchers examined the distribution, composition, and abundance of microplastics in the Hiren-2 Reservoir in Gujarat, India, finding microplastic concentrations ranging from 1.756 to 5.422 particles per liter. The study characterized microplastic contamination in a freshwater reservoir representing a growing concern for drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystem health in South Asia.

2025 JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY INDIA
Article Tier 2

Geographical heterogeneity and dominant polymer types in microplastic contamination of lentic ecosystems: implications for methodological standardization and future research

Researchers found significant geographical heterogeneity in the types of microplastics contaminating lentic ecosystems worldwide, with polyethylene dominating overall, followed by polypropylene and polystyrene, highlighting regional differences in plastic sources and environmental persistence.

2023 RSC Advances 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution studies in India: a recent review of sources, abundances and research perspectives - a comparison with global research

This review summarizes published research on microplastic pollution in India, identifying sources and distribution across aquatic environments while noting that India remains one of the least-studied countries despite being a major plastic-producing and plastic-polluting nation. The paper compares Indian findings to global research and calls for expanded monitoring.

2022 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and characterization of microplastics and ecological risks in Vellayani Lake, Kerala, India

Researchers surveyed Vellayani Lake in Kerala, India, for microplastic contamination and found particles in both water and sediment samples across the lake. The most common types were fibers and fragments, primarily from polyethylene and polypropylene, likely originating from household waste, fishing activities, and agricultural runoff. The ecological risk assessment indicated moderate contamination levels, raising concerns for this freshwater lake that serves local communities.

2023 Total Environment Research Themes 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution: An emerging threat to freshwater aquatic ecosystem of India

This review examined microplastic pollution as an emerging threat to freshwater aquatic ecosystems in India, discussing sources, distribution, ecotoxicological effects on aquatic biota, and potential human health hazards. The authors highlighted that while marine microplastic research is extensive, freshwater ecosystems in India remain critically understudied relative to the scale of contamination.

2020 Journal of the Inland Fisheries Society of India 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics – an emerging threat in the Indian waterbodies

This review examines the current state of microplastic research in Indian aquatic ecosystems, documenting widespread contamination in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters alongside growing evidence of impacts on aquatic biota. The authors call for standardized national monitoring frameworks to better characterize and address India's emerging microplastic pollution crisis.

2022 Marine Biology Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic pollution in the aquatic ecosystems – An indian perspective

A review of Indian microplastic research across aquatic sediments, water, and biota found that river discharge, domestic sewage, and industrial runoff are major sources, and that monsoon hydrology plays a distinctive role in distributing MPs through India's aquatic ecosystems.

2020 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in rivers and lakes of India: Sources, ecotoxicological impacts, and removal strategies

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic pollution in India's rivers and lakes, covering sources, ecological impacts, and removal strategies. Researchers found that Indian freshwater systems are increasingly contaminated from industrial discharge, domestic waste, agricultural runoff, and tourism. Evidence indicates that exposed aquatic organisms experience bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, and behavioral changes, underscoring the need for comprehensive remediation efforts.

2025 NanoImpact 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Delving Deep into the Microplastics Crisis in the Indian Aquatic Environment

This review synthesized research on microplastic contamination in India's aquatic environments—rivers, lakes, and coastal waters—covering sources, distribution, ecological impacts, and human exposure risks. The authors found microplastics widespread in Indian water bodies and highlighted the particular vulnerability of rural communities that rely on these waters for drinking and food.

2025
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic contamination, an emerging threat to the freshwater environment: a systematic review

Researchers systematically reviewed the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and streams — documenting their sources, how they move through water, the damage they cause to aquatic organisms, and the methods used to detect them. Their review serves as a baseline reference for future research and calls for improved waste management to protect freshwater environments from ongoing microplastic contamination.

2024 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Environment: A Case Study of River Gomti, Lucknow, India

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in water and sediment samples from the Gomti River in Lucknow, India, using standard extraction methods and microscopic identification and quantification. The study documents the types, shapes, and concentrations of microplastics present in this urban freshwater system and its implications as a transport pathway to the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

A comparative review of microplastics in lake systems from different countries and regions

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination data from lake systems across multiple countries, finding that abundance, size, and polymer type varied widely by region and identifying land use, population density, and hydrological connectivity as key drivers of lake microplastic levels.

2021 Chemosphere 206 citations