Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health

Abstract This study investigated the seasonal fluctuations in physicochemical parameters and heavy metal (HMs) concentrations in the Hindon River water throughout 2023. Water samples were collected from the Atali station in Muzaffarnagar district, India. The analyses of various parameters, including...

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Main Authors: Bhanu Pratap Singh, Pankaj Varshney, Shikha Chourasiya, Vikas Kumar Vidyarthi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Water
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00243-9
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author Bhanu Pratap Singh
Pankaj Varshney
Shikha Chourasiya
Vikas Kumar Vidyarthi
author_facet Bhanu Pratap Singh
Pankaj Varshney
Shikha Chourasiya
Vikas Kumar Vidyarthi
author_sort Bhanu Pratap Singh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study investigated the seasonal fluctuations in physicochemical parameters and heavy metal (HMs) concentrations in the Hindon River water throughout 2023. Water samples were collected from the Atali station in Muzaffarnagar district, India. The analyses of various parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity (TUR), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), total alkalinity (TA), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorides (Cl−), sulphate (SO4 2c), nitrate (NO3 −), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and measurements of HMs, including cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb), were conducted across different seasons. The results demonstrated that DO levels fell below the required limit according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) water quality standards in all seasons. Conversely, multiple parameters, encompassing EC, TUR, TDS, TH, TA, BOD, COD, Ca2+, and Mg2+, along with HMs Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Pb, exceeded the permissible thresholds established by category A in BIS (IS 2296:1992) and the standards set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Water Quality Index (WQI) and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) values exceeded the threshold of 100, indicating that the water is unsuitable for human consumption. The degree of contamination (Cdeg) exceeded the moderate pollution threshold (10–20), reaching 15.307 in the summer and 13.099 in the winter, while the monsoon period maintained a low pollution level (< 10). The Ecological Risk Index (ERI) indicated moderate pollution in the summer (186.034) and winter (143.698) while indicating low pollution in the monsoon (106.951). Both Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) calculations revealed potential risks associated with oral ingestion, particularly for children, as their values exceeded the acceptable limit (HQ > 1). Dermal exposure assessment underscored a higher risk to the health of children and adults. This underlines the pollution of the Hindon River due to the release of untreated effluents in substantial quantities. Consequently, there is a crucial requirement for effective monitoring and control measures to safeguard the sustainability of the river ecosystem.
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spelling doaj-art-0b9f6c7f34da4aaaacb3400495fd65d82025-08-20T03:46:29ZengSpringerDiscover Water2730-647X2025-07-015112110.1007/s43832-025-00243-9Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public healthBhanu Pratap Singh0Pankaj Varshney1Shikha Chourasiya2Vikas Kumar Vidyarthi3Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Delhi-NCR Campus, SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Delhi-NCR Campus, SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Civil Engineering, Central University of JharkhandDepartment of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology RaipurAbstract This study investigated the seasonal fluctuations in physicochemical parameters and heavy metal (HMs) concentrations in the Hindon River water throughout 2023. Water samples were collected from the Atali station in Muzaffarnagar district, India. The analyses of various parameters, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity (TUR), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), total alkalinity (TA), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorides (Cl−), sulphate (SO4 2c), nitrate (NO3 −), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and measurements of HMs, including cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb), were conducted across different seasons. The results demonstrated that DO levels fell below the required limit according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) water quality standards in all seasons. Conversely, multiple parameters, encompassing EC, TUR, TDS, TH, TA, BOD, COD, Ca2+, and Mg2+, along with HMs Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Pb, exceeded the permissible thresholds established by category A in BIS (IS 2296:1992) and the standards set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Water Quality Index (WQI) and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) values exceeded the threshold of 100, indicating that the water is unsuitable for human consumption. The degree of contamination (Cdeg) exceeded the moderate pollution threshold (10–20), reaching 15.307 in the summer and 13.099 in the winter, while the monsoon period maintained a low pollution level (< 10). The Ecological Risk Index (ERI) indicated moderate pollution in the summer (186.034) and winter (143.698) while indicating low pollution in the monsoon (106.951). Both Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) calculations revealed potential risks associated with oral ingestion, particularly for children, as their values exceeded the acceptable limit (HQ > 1). Dermal exposure assessment underscored a higher risk to the health of children and adults. This underlines the pollution of the Hindon River due to the release of untreated effluents in substantial quantities. Consequently, there is a crucial requirement for effective monitoring and control measures to safeguard the sustainability of the river ecosystem.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00243-9ParametersSeasonal fluctuationsHeavy metalsWater quality indexHindon RiverEtc
spellingShingle Bhanu Pratap Singh
Pankaj Varshney
Shikha Chourasiya
Vikas Kumar Vidyarthi
Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
Discover Water
Parameters
Seasonal fluctuations
Heavy metals
Water quality index
Hindon River
Etc
title Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
title_full Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
title_fullStr Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
title_short Assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
title_sort assessment of physicochemical properties and heavy metal contamination in riverine system and their impacts on public health
topic Parameters
Seasonal fluctuations
Heavy metals
Water quality index
Hindon River
Etc
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00243-9
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AT shikhachourasiya assessmentofphysicochemicalpropertiesandheavymetalcontaminationinriverinesystemandtheirimpactsonpublichealth
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