Estimation of Pollution Load in Khanpur Dam and its Tributaries due to Anthropogenic Activities

Abstract

Riverine water exposed to pollution is the major concern in the world because of its serious effects on ecosystem and human health. This study assessed the pollution status, sources, diffusion and potential risk of contaminants in Khanpur dam Pakistan. The present study is based on the measurement and characterization of various physicochemical parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Solids(TS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Nitrate-nitrite and Phosphate-phosphorus) and heavy metals that is Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd),Chromium (Cr), and Lead (Pb) in the subject area. Heavy metal concentrations investigated in sediment for the quantification of pollution and potential ecological risks of the Khanpur dam and its tributaries. Dam sediments were sampled across the five major sampling stations: the Nilan Kas, Haro River, Exit Stream, Nilan Nala, and Khanpur Dam. Special emphasis was on microbial profile related to the bacteria of gram-negative group, as many pathogenic bacterial species belong to the gram-negative group including those related to the spread of nonviral Gastroenteritis. The heavy metal concentrations of the sediment samples were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Analyicjena AAS nova 800). Water quality assessment revealed that microbial pollution is widely spread all around the Khanpur Dam area, bacterial growth was observed in majority of the sites along with other harmful pollutants. Physicochemical parameters such as Total Hardness (70-130 mg/L), TKN (32-53 mg/L), Phosphate-Phosphorus (0.5-5.3 mg/L), and heavy metals like As (20-60 mg/kg) and Cd (80-160mg/kg) exceeded WHO permissible limits in majority of the sampling sites. Results revealed that most of the samples depicted higher values of physicochemical parameters with respect to the permissible limit set by the NEQS of WHO. The potential sources of contamination were identified to be the surrounding geogenic activities, industrial/municipal wastewater discharges, agricultural and surface runoffs by using multivariate statistics including correlation analysis. The major findings of the study showed that higher level of alteration in the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals in water will have great impact on freshwater resources and human health in the study area. Meanwhile other parameters such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrite, Nitrate, TDS, TS, Cr, and Pb were found to be within the permissible limits. The bottom line suggests the water is deteriorating at a rapid pace with increasing urbanization in the hotspots of Khanpur Dam area.

Riverine water exposed to pollution is the major concern in the world because of its serious effects on ecosystem and human health. This study assessed the pollution status, sources, diffusion and potential risk of contaminants in Khanpur dam Pakistan. The present study is based on the measurement and characterization of various physicochemical parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Solids(TS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Nitrate-nitrite and Phosphate-phosphorus) and heavy metals that is Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd),Chromium (Cr), and Lead (Pb) in the subject area. Heavy metal concentrations investigated in sediment for the quantification of pollution and potential ecological risks of the Khanpur dam and its tributaries. Dam sediments were sampled across the five major sampling stations: the Nilan Kas, Haro River, Exit Stream, Nilan Nala, and Khanpur Dam. Special emphasis was on microbial profile related to the bacteria of gram-negative group, as many pathogenic bacterial species belong to the gram-negative group including those related to the spread of nonviral Gastroenteritis. The heavy metal concentrations of the sediment samples were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Analyicjena AAS nova 800). Water quality assessment revealed that microbial pollution is widely spread all around the Khanpur Dam area, bacterial growth was observed in majority of the sites along with other harmful pollutants. Physicochemical parameters such as Total Hardness (70-130 mg/L), TKN (32-53 mg/L), Phosphate-Phosphorus (0.5-5.3 mg/L), and heavy metals like As (20-60 mg/kg) and Cd (80-160mg/kg) exceeded WHO permissible limits in majority of the sampling sites. Results revealed that most of the samples depicted higher values of physicochemical parameters with respect to the permissible limit set by the NEQS of WHO. The potential sources of contamination were identified to be the surrounding geogenic activities, industrial/municipal wastewater discharges, agricultural and surface runoffs by using multivariate statistics including correlation analysis. The major findings of the study showed that higher level of alteration in the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals in water will have great impact on freshwater resources and human health in the study area. Meanwhile other parameters such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrite, Nitrate, TDS, TS, Cr, and Pb were found to be within the permissible limits. The bottom line suggests the water is deteriorating at a rapid pace with increasing urbanization in the hotspots of Khanpur Dam area.