Occurrence of Organic Contaminants in Lower Reaches of River Ganges, India
Abstract
The Gangetic plain of eastern India has been long known as the "bread basket" of the Indian subcontinent. However, indiscriminate use of pesticides in the agricultural fields is to increase crop production. These resulted to increased vulnerability of pesticide pollution of the hydrological systems of the area, potentially exposing to significant human health consequences. Our present study delineate pesticides occurrence in lower Ganges in West Bengal. The major organic contaminants regularly detected in the studied reaches of the Ganges belong to wide range of herbicides and insecticides, which especially include organochlorides and organophosphates such as Aldrin, Alachlor, Lindane, Malathion, Chlorpyrifos and Methyl parathion. Results show Alachlor and Malathion were the most abundant organic contaminant in the river. Among the other pesticides, one of the most venomous substances, Malathion has been noticed from the last year insecticide screening study. The mean concentration of river water Malathion was found to be 5 times higher than the maximum concentration limit (MCL). Presence of Malathion or its derivative Malaoxon in river water is suspected to be caused by agricultural run-off and it showed a good correlation with river water chlorine concentrations.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.B51A0380D
- Keywords:
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- 0414 Biogeochemical cycles;
- processes;
- and modeling;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 0432 Contaminant and organic biogeochemistry;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 0461 Metals;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 0489 Trace element cycling;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES