Study of heavy metals in river water of Satna region

Water pollution has become one of the major threat to human health. The safe drinking water is now globally one of the most serious challenges.Vast industrialization, uses of insecticides and pesticides and vast use of fertilizers to meet the need of food of exponential growth in population is responsible to change physico-chemical characteristics of water. Water is vital for life, it should be clear, colourless, odourless and should not have any suspended particles as well as harmful and toxic chemical substances. The main aim of this study is to find out the concentration of different heavy metals in the water of Satna region on paying proper attention on the availability of mineral resources in this region. Crosssection survey of different scaled industries to recognize their discharged wastage is also considred at the root level.

degradable nature and often accumulate through tropic level causing a deleterious biological effect (Jain, 1978).Anthropogenic activities like mining, ultimate disposal of treated and untreated waste effluents containing toxic metals as well as metal chelates (Amman, et al. ,2002) from different industries based on use of batteries, paints, ceramics,electroplating,utensils manufacturing etc are incorporating heavy metals in river water.Mandakini and Paisuni rivers are basically receive heavy metals from effluents coming from temple washings and worshiping, also the indiscriminate use of heavy metal containing fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture resulted in deterioration of water quality rendering serious environmental problems posing threat on human.
The area under study receives domestic raw sewage from surrounding habitation; so also the activity like cattle washing, cloth washing, bathing, religious activities like idol immersion etc. paves the way for high concentration of harmful chemicals in the river water.So it is vital to study the heavy metals of this (SATNA) region to find a safeguard instruction regarding health of human and crops production.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Water samples were collected once in every month during April 2007 to March 2008 from two sites one from the middle strech of the river and four other discharge receiving points of the rivers Tamas, Kariyari, Satna river, Mandakini river and Paysuni river over a strech of 20 kms.
The samples were collected from a depth of 1ft below the surface using Nansen type water sampler and kept in polythene containers (500 mL) with the addition of 2 mL concentrated HNO3 at 2 mL in order to preserve the metals and also to avoid precipitation.The pH of water samples was determined using pH-meter with electronic glass electrode (LI 127 of Elico, India) and conductivity was measured by conductivity-meter (Systronics 304).
For the analysis of total heavy metals (dissolved and suspended), water (200 mL) samples were digested with 5 mL of di-acid mixture (HNO3: HClO4 :: 9: 4 ratio) on a hot plate and filtered by

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Cd concentration in this region is very less.Its minute concentration in the water of this region may be due to paint-pigments as well as plastics and silver cadmium batteries.Its accumulation may also be possible due to its photographic use as cadmium bromide and iodide as well as its use as fertilizers.The W.H.O.permissible limit of cadmium is 0.01gm/l, suggesting concentration of cadmium is within the permissible limit.Accumulation of nickel may be owing to nickel storage batteries used abundantly.Nickel and its salts are used in several industrial applications such as in electroplating, storage batteries, automobile parts, spark plugs, electrodes, cooking utensils and in pigments paints and cosmetics.As a result its accumulation in water becomes possible.The concentration of nickel in the water of this region is also within the permissible limit of water quality standards of India ( 1975).Although no any metal except iron and zinc are crossing the W.H.O. and BIS parameters but their presence in traces suggest to take proper precautions before using this water in domestic purpose.Concentration of Mn is 0.5 ppm as per water quality standards (India).Mn concentration is also within the limit and its accumulation in the water of this region is due to use of dry battery cells, iron Shrivastava et al., Curr.World Environ., Vol.3(2), 297-300 (2008) alloys, glass, ceramics and fertilizers.Chromium accumulation in the water of this region may be owing to using Cr as corrosion inhibitor in photography and in manufacture of green varnishes and paints etc. Chrome steel disposal may also be a cause of it.The concentration of zinc in this region may be due to manufacture of bronze and brass in Unchehara Satna as well as its use as fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides and as Zn batteries.Latterite ores of iron are the main cause of iron concentration in this region.Traces of lead may be due to application in alloys, lead pipes, lead arsenate as pesticide as well as its use in pigments, paints and as lead storage batteries.
Thus it can be concluded that traces of heavy metals are mainly in the river R1 (Tamas) which receives sewage from Maihar, Unchehara and Satna which have increasing industrial activities.Trace element concentration in river R2, R3, R4 and R5 is due to agricultural and domestic activities.