Quality and Metallic Pollution Level in Surface Waters of an Urban Industrialized City: A Case Study of Chittagong City, Bangladesh

Abstract

P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 107%; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }P.western { font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-size: 12pt; } Abstract Disposal of urban and industrial waste is one of the major problems and responsible for both soil and water pollution in Chittagong city, Bangladesh. Total 22 surface water samples were collected from different locations of Chittagong city to assess quality and metallic pollution level. The concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr and Pb in water samples ranged from trace- 10.37, trace- 1.91, 0.824–0.999, 0.11–1.32 and 1.69–2.56 µg ml -1 , respectively while the contents of Zn and Ni were trace. Among the metals, Pb was dominant in water samples followed by Cu and Cr. The study results inferred that all water samples were unsuitable for irrigation due to higher concentrations of Pb, Cu and Cr. Furthermore, Cr and Pb showed highly significant positive correlation, which indicates that the metals were interrelated with each other and may be originated from the same source of the study area. The mean concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na and K in water samples were 61.98, 77.08, 102.90 and 146.90 µg ml -1 , respectively. Among the anions, Cl contributes 98% to the total anionic mass balance followed by HCO 3 (1.84%). In respect of K, Cl and HCO 3 contents, all water samples were found unsuitable for irrigation. The study results concluded that surface water in the study area was significantly contaminated and hence the authority should take initiative to preserve the city environment. Keywords : Heavy metal, surface water quality, pollution, Chittagong, Bangladesh Cite this Article Md. Anwar Hossain, Zakir HM, Dipok Kumar et al. Quality and Metallic Pollution Level in Surface Waters of an Urban Industrialized City: A Case Study of Chittagong City, Bangladesh. Journal of Industrial Safety Engineering . 2017; 4(2): 9–18p.