Metal Fractionation Study on Bed Sediments of Lake Nainital, Uttaranchal, India

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 130; no. 1-3; pp. 129 - 139
• Main Authors: Jain, C. K, Malik, D. S, Yadav, Rashmi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrect Dordrecht : Kluwer Academic Publishers 01-07-2007; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Anthropogenic factors; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Aquatic organisms; Biological and medical sciences; Bottom trawling; Cadmium; Catchment area; Chemical Fractionation; Chemistry; Chromium; Cities; Continental surface waters; Dredging; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effluents; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Exact sciences and technology; Food chains; Fractionation; Fresh water environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Hazardous materials; Heart; Heavy metals; India; Industrial effluents; Industrial wastes; Industrial wastewater; Lake bottom; Lake Nainital; Lake sediments; Lakes; Lead; Manganese; Metal ions; metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Municipal wastes; Municipal wastewater; Natural water pollution; Nickel; Pollutants; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Restoration; Risk assessment; Risk assessment code; Sediment; Sediments; Sequential extraction; Sewage; Sewage effluents; Studies; Suspended sediments; Tessier scheme; Toxic substances; Toxicity; Urban runoff; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water treatment and pollution; Zinc; Lake Nainital; India; Toxicity; Pollution control; Metals; Lake Nainital; Dredging; Urban area; Freshwater environment; Trophic chain; Pollution; Decontamination; Urban waste water; Waste water discharge; Speciation; Anthropogenic factor; Fractionation; Risk assessment code; Ecotoxicology; Pollutant behavior; Sequential extraction; Bioavailability; Runoff water; Lake sediments; Heavy metal; Tessier scheme; Industrial waste water; Pollution source
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-006-9383-6

Lake Nainital in the heart of Nainital Town in the State of Uttaranchal (India) receives toxic substances through various open drains through the catchment of the lake. The toxic substances of particular interest are heavy metals derived from urban runoff as well as municipal sewage and industrial effluents. Heavy metals entering the lake get adsorbed onto the suspended sediments, which in turn settle down in the bottom of the lake. In this study fractionation of metal ions has been studied on the bed sediments of lake Nainital with the objective to determine the eco-toxic potential of metal ions. Comparison of sediments with average shae values indicated anthropogenic enrichment with nickel, lead, cadmium and zinc. The risk assessment code as applied to the present study reveals that 4-13% of manganese, 4-8% of copper, 17-24% of nickel, 3-5% of chromium, 13-26% of lead, 14-23% of cadmium and 2-3% of zinc exist in exchangeable fraction and therefore comes under low to medium risk category and may enter into food chain. The association of these metals with exchangeable fraction may cause deleterious effects to aquatic life. The present database will help in formulating guidelines for carrying out dredging operations and/or restoration programmes in the Nainital lake.