Monitoring waste metal pollution at Ganga Estuary via the East Calcutta Wetland areas

Abstract

East Calcutta Wetlands, a Ramsar site, receives a huge amount of the city's composite industrial effluent (∼600 million liters per day) throughout the year. The waste-element-contaminated water flows down through a major storm water flow (SWF) canal into the wetland for nearly 40km farther eastward and is finally discharged into Kultigong river that flows through the eastern limit of the wetland and that in turn unites with river Ganga. Elemental load in water and bottom sediment at selected sites of the SWF canal was assessed by proton-induced X-ray emission and atomic absorption spectroscopy techniques. Gradual decrease in concentration levels of elements was observed in both water and bottom sediments of SWF canal up to its site of confluence at Kultigong, indicating natural remediation processes taking place along the canal up to the confluence at Ganga estuary. Any further conversion of this wetland area should be prevented to get the benefit from this no-cost natural cleanup process in connection to pollution prevention.