Chromium pollution assessment of water in the Hindon River, India: Impact of industrial effluents

The objective of the study is to reveal the seasonal variations in the Hindon River water pollution with respect to chromium contamination. The study was carried out from December 2014 to January 2017 by selecting twelve sampling stations of River Hindon. To get the extend of trace and ultratrace chromium contamination, water samples were collected from twelve different sites along the course of the River and its tributaries for summer and winter seasons. Higher concentrations of chromium (0.096mg/L) in summer and (0.088) in winter at Mohannagar (Ghaziabad) were recorded, thus indicating very high pollution of chromium at this sampling station. The concentration of chromium was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). In the past decades the increased use of chromium in several anthropogenic activities and consequent contamination of soil and water have become an increasing concern. Cr exists in several oxidation states but the most stable and common forms are Cr(0), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species. Cr (VI) is a notorious environmental pollutant because it is a strong oxidant and much more toxic than Cr (III) and also carcinogenic. KeywordsRiver pollution, Chromium, Hindon River (India), assessment, water pollution Introduction The Hindon River, historically known as the Harnandi River, has been a major source of water to the highly populated and predominantly rural population of Western Uttar Pradesh (India). The river was once considered to be so clean that its water was believed to cure the Kaali Khansi (bad cough). However, now the water quality of the River Hindon has been drastically deteriorated due to discharge of industrial as well as domestic sewage and due to application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. The heavy discharge of industrial effluents directly into the Hindon River at places has caused intolerable burden on the river’s natural ability to assimilate pollutants (Janhit Foundation 2007). The aquatic media such as lakes, Rivers, ponds, stream and coastlines are national wealth for any nation. Pollution is unavoidable harmful by product of industrial development (Khanna et al., 2014). The main sources of pollution in River include Municipal and Industrial (sugar, pulp and paper,