Appraisal of pollution indices due to accumulation of heavy metals in endosulfan affected regions of Kasaragod district, Kerala, India

Abstract

Present study is an attempt to assess the pollution indices due to the presence of heavy metals in the sediment samples collected from Kodangari stream situated in Enmakaje panchayath, one of the endosulfan spread area of Kasaragod district, Kerala. The concentrations of heavy metals viz., Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe were measured using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS). The pollution indices viz. enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), Degree of contamination (Cd), Modified degree of contamination (mCd), Potential ecological risk factor (Eri), and index (PERI) were calculated from the heavy metals concentration. The results clearly indicate that the pollution indices associated with heavy metal accumulation does not introduce any harmful effects to the flora and fauna of the study. The results of these systematic investigations are presented and discussed in detail in the manuscript.