Abstract
In water stressed Karachi city, waste water is often used for irrigating vegetables fields. Persistent use of waste water causes accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils and vegetables. Cd, Cr, Zn and Mn act as essential micronutrients but become toxic after crossing threshold values. To study the effect of waste water on heavy metal concentration in vegetables, soil and water an area irrigated separately with waste water and treated water were selected. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Zn and Mn in beet, potato and radish were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The data obtained was tested at 95% (±2s) confidence level for six replicate measurements. The levels of Zn was found higher in both the treated water and vegetables beet, potato and radish irrigated with treated water but Mn was higher in industrial waste water and soil irrigated with industrial waste water and treated water. Soil irrigated with treated water contained (mg.L-1) 0.007 of Cd; 0.128 Cr; 2.672 Mn and 0.714 Zn. Soil irrigated with waste water seems to accumulate significant concentration of metals. It showed (mg.L-1) 5.85 of Cd; 84.5 Cr; 480.3 Mn and 305 Zn. Vegetables irrigated with industrial waste water have shown concurrent rise in metal levels. Mn was 0.860 mg.L-1 in radish, Cr 0.320 mg.L-1 in beet and Cd 0.330 mg.L-1 in potato.
Highlights
Quality of wastewater depends on its source, i.e., sewage or industrial effluents (Akan, 2007)
Heavy metals and organic matter in industrial wastewater produce a synergetic effect; dissociating at lower pH, metals bound to organic matter become mobile and find their way to diverse end users
The composition of soils in the boundaries of Karachi and its industrial area, separated by 25 km, was sampled at four sites of the Korangi Industrial Estate and one at Karachi University was determined (Rehman et al, 2009). They reported that between the two areas there was a two-fold variation of CaCO3; three fold differences in organic matter, coarse sand content varied by 4%, pH ranged between 7.8-8.4, and Cu, Zn and Cr had concentration of 0.002-0.0741, 0.003-0.09, and 1.46.8 g.g-1, respectively
Summary
Quality of wastewater depends on its source, i.e., sewage or industrial effluents (Akan, 2007). The composition of soils in the boundaries of Karachi and its industrial area, separated by 25 km, was sampled at four sites of the Korangi Industrial Estate and one at Karachi University was determined (Rehman et al, 2009). They reported that between the two areas there was a two-fold variation of CaCO3; three fold differences in organic matter, coarse sand content varied by 4%, pH ranged between 7.8-8.4, and Cu, Zn and Cr had concentration of 0.002-0.0741, 0.003-0.09, and 1.46.8 g.g-1, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine concentrations of possible contaminants in water, soil and tissues of vegetable crops irrigated with industrial waste water and treated water
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
