Impact Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution of Shahpura Lake, Bhopal, India

Abstract

Monitoring and Assessment of water has become environmental concern due to the contamination by man kind. One of the most important crises of the 21st century is the availability of drinking water, a resource basic to our survival and growth. Most of the fresh water bodies all over the world are getting polluted thus decreasing the suitability of the fresh water. The area of the study, selected to estimate the levels of water pollution is the Shahpura lake of Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh Province of India. The area under study receives domestic raw sewage from surrounding habitation; so also the activities like cattle washing, cloth washing, bathing, religious activities like idol immersion etc paves the way for high concentration of harmful chemicals in the lake water. Parameters like water temperature, concentration of heavy metals like lead, copper, cadmium, manganese, chromium were studied every month for a period of six months and seasonal variations were observed in each of them using standard methods. It was found that the concentration of the heavy metals in the lake water substantially increased after the religious activities like idol immersion around August and September. These heavy metals have a marked effect on the aquatic flora and fauna which through bio magnification enter the food chain and ultimately affect the human beings as well.