International Journal of Water Sciences

Metal Correlations and Mobility

in Sediment and Water from the
Gwebi River in the Upper Manyame
Catchment, Zimbabwe

Regular Paper



Beaven Utete
1,*
, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa
2
, Maxwell Barson
2
and Nyasha Mabika
3

1 Wildlife and Safari Management Department, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
3 Department of Anatomy, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
* Corresponding author E-mail: beavenu@yahoo.co.uk

Received 22 Mar 2013; Accepted 28 Aug 2013

DOI: 10.5772/57199

2013 Utete et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Abslracl InlermelaIIic correIalion and lhe ameIioralive
effecls of melaIs (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ie, Ni, Ib and Zn) vere
delermined in valer and sedimenls in lhe Gvebi River, a
ma|or lribulary lo Lake Manyame, vhich is a source of
olabIe valer lo lhe Cily of Harare. Waler and sedimenl
vere samIed al four seIecled siles in lhe vel (December-
March) and dry (AriI-November) seasons and melaI
concenlralions vere anaIysed by fIame alomic absorlion
seclroscoy (IAAS). SignificanlIy high concenlralions of
zinc and coer vere observed in valer in bolh lhe vel
and dry season. Concenlralions of chromium, coer,
zinc iron and nickeI in valer in bolh lhe vel and dry
seasons surassed WorId HeaIlh Organizalion (WHO)
lhreshoIds. The significanl difference (ANOVA, < 0.05)
in seasonaI/lemoraI varialion in melaI concenlralions in
valer indicale differenl oIIulanl sources vilhin lhe
calchmenl of lhe river. AmeIioralive effecls of melaIs
vere aIso observed seasonaIIy in lhe Gvebi River, vilh
Ie and Zn Iaying a rominenl roIe in bolh sedimenl and
valer hases.

Keyvords AmeIioralion, Deuralion, MelaI IoIIulion,
Season, Urbanizalion

1. Inlroduclion
Heavy melaI oIIulion in air, valer, soiI and Ianl
syslems as a resuIl of raid deveIomenl of induslry is a
ma|or gIobaI environmenlaI concern |1j. InduslriaI and
domeslic effIuenls conslilule a significanl source of
melaIs lhal conlribule lo melaI ion conlaminanls in
aqualic environmenls |2j. MelaIs enler lhe ecoIogicaI
syslem lhrough anlhroogenic aclivilies such as sevage
sIudge disosaIs, aIicalion of eslicides and inorganic
ferliIizers, as veII as almosheric deosilion |3j.
Conlaminalion of freshvaler vilh melaIs has become a
1 Beaven Utete, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa, Maxwell Barson and Nyasha Mabika: Metal Correlations and Mobility
in Sediment and Water from the Gwebi River in the Upper Manyame Catchment, Zimbabwe
www.intechopen.com
!"#$%&'
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Int. j. water sci., 2013, Vol. 2, 4:2013


maller of greal concern over lhe Iasl fev decades, nol
onIy because of lhe lhreal lo ubIic valer suIies, bul
aIso lhe damage lhey cause lo aqualic Iife |4j. Sedimenls
are imorlanl sinks for oIIulanls Iike eslicides and
heavy melaIs and Iay a significanl roIe in re-
mobiIizalion of conlaminanls in aqualic syslems under
favourabIe condilions. Inleraclions belveen valer and
sedimenls delermine lhe bioavaiIabiIily of melaIs for
aqualic fauna |5j.

Iaclors delermining melaI mobiIily in lhe sedimenl-valer
hase incIude: decomosilion-resusension, sorlion-
adsorlion and comIexalion-decomIexalion |6j. These
rocesses are governed by H, saIinily and redox
condilions |7j. MelaIs occur in differenl secies or
comIexes in bolh lhe valer and sedimenl hases. In
unoIIuled sedimenls, melaIs are mainIy bound lo
siIicales and rimary mineraIs. Such secies are reIaliveIy
immobiIe and usuaIIy nol avaiIabIe lo Iiving organisms.
In oIIuled sedimenls, heavy melaIs are more mobiIe and
bound lo differenl hases of lhe sedimenl, lherefore, mosl
of lhe melaIs discharged inlo a river are found in lhe
bollom sedimenls |8j. Hovever, lhe accumuIaled melaIs
may be remobiIized from sedimenls inlo lhe valer hase
by naluraI and man-made rocesses, lhereby osing a
risk lo lhe aqualic ecosyslem. iogeochemicaI and
ecoloxicoIogicaI significance of any melaI in lhe valer
hase of Iolic syslems deend on ils resence,
concenlralion, fraclionaI conlenl, refIux, coreciilalion,
desorlion and decomIexalion from lhe sedimenl hase,
as veII as ils reaclivily in lhe resence of olher melaIs in a
muIlisoIulion |9j. The resence of numerous melaIsin
bolh lhe valer and sedimenl hases in a river can
arliaIIy resuIl in ameIioralion or enhancemenl of lheir
bioavaiIabiIily and loxicily |10j. MelaI associalions can be
invesligaled by correIaling lhe lolaI concenlralion in bolh
lhe valer and sedimenl hases, lhough lhe lolaI conlenl
does nol describe lhe amounl of melaI avaiIabIe lo
aqualic organisms and may lhus overeslimale lhe reaI
lhreal |9j.

IvaIualion of seasonaI inlerreIalionshis among melaIs in
lhe valer and sedimenl hase assisls in arliaIIy
exIaining lheir bioavaiIabiIily lo aqualic organisms. This
vas lhe focus of our sludy, vhich vas done in lhe Gvebi
River, a ma|or lribulary of Lake Manyame, vhich is
becoming lhe ma|or valer source for Harare |11j. The
Gvebi River lraverses lvo ma|or river calchmenl zones in
Zimbabve, lhe Mazoe and Manyame calchmenls. The
Iover arls of lhe Gvebi River are significanl aqualic
biodiversily hubs |12j. No ma|or vork has been done on
lhis river bul il is a vilaI savning, refugia and breeding
river for fish during olamodromy |13j. Uslream, al ils
source in lhe Mazoe calchmenl, lhe Gvebi River remains
undislurbed, hovever, lhe fev sludies lhal have been
conducled invoIving lhe river indicales lhal il is being
oIIuled by urban run-off and agricuIluraI vasle as a
resuIl of urban deveIomenl and exansion on ils
eriheries (14 and 15j.

The rimary ob|eclive of lhis vork vas lo invesligale lhe
saliaI and lemoraI inlermelaIIic reIalionshis belveen
valer and sedimenls in lhe Gvebi River vilh a viev lo
roviding informalion on lhe exlenl of conlaminalion.
2. Sludy area
The Gvebi River originales in lhe Mazoe and Manyame
calchmenl area before evenluaIIy uIoading inlo Lake
Manyame (Iigure 1). There is a mixlure of Iand use
allerns in bolh calchmenls, vilh lhe main Iand uses
comrising agricuIluraI, induslriaI, residenliaI and
recrealionaI raclices |16 and17j. Since lhe river does nol
ass lhrough any ma|or agricuIluraI and induslriaI areas, il
has remained reIaliveIy unoIIuled |14j. Hovever, sludies
have suggesled a change in lhis slalus as raid
urbanizalion in lhe Mazoe and Manyame calchmenls are
olenliaIIy increasing sever effIuenl Ioads inlo lhe Gvebi
River |15j.


!"#$%& () SamIing slalions lhal vere seIecled aIong lhe Gvebi
River.
2 Int. j. water sci., 2013, Vol. 2, 4:2013 www.intechopen.com


3. SamIing design
Waler and sedimenl vere samIed al 4 seIecled siles of
lhe Gvebi River (Iigure 1) in lhe vel (December-March)
and dry (AriI-November) eriods over seven monlhs in
2008-2009. SamIing vas done forlnighlIy in lhe monlhs
of Oclober, December, Iebruary and AriI. Siles vere
seIecled based on lheir accessibiIily from lhe road for
IogislicaI reasons. Sile 1 occurred on lhe Nev Mazoe
ridge, vhich consisled of smoolh mud and vas
surrounded by lhick grass. Sile 2 occurred on lhe OId
Mazoe ridge. There vas lhick riarian vegelalion
shedding lhis sile, unclualed by Iarge sized bouIders
aIong lhe river course. Sile 3 vas lhe Nyabira ridge and
vas characlerized by a Iayer of shorl grass surrounding il
and a mal of valer IiIies. Sile 4 vas lhe Gvebi-Chinhoyi
Road ridge. This sile consisled of Iarge rocks and graveI
and lhe river channeI vas vide. SamIing al lhis sile vas
conducled in a boal.

Temeralure, H, conduclivily and dissoIved oxygen
(DO) vere measured in lhe fieId. Waler lemeralure and
DO vere measured using a HACH oxygen 330i meler,
vhiIe H and conduclivily vere measured using a
HACH H meler and WTW 330i conduclivily meler,
resecliveIy. Waler samIes from lhe fieId vere anaIysed
for lhe foIIoving chemicaI variabIes in lhe Iaboralory:
lolaI and reaclive hoshorus (orlhohoshale), lolaI
nilrogen, nilrale and ammonia. Nulrienls vere measured
vilh a HACH valer anaIysis kil (HACH DR/2010
orlabIe dala Iogging seclroholomeler) using fiIlered
valer samIes fiIlered lhrough 0.45 m MiIIiore sized
Whalman GI 47mm fiIlers, excel in lhe case of lolaI
nilrogen and hoshorus. The melhods used are
described eIsevhere |18 and 19j. Waler samIes vere
anaIysed in lriIicale for each nulrienl in order lo
imrove lhe accuracy of resuIls.

Surface valer vas coIIecled from rivers using sleriIized
250 mI oIyelhyIene bollIes. The bollIes vere laken lo lhe
Iaboralory and immedialeIy refrigeraled al a lemeralure
of 4C in rearalion for heavy melaI anaIysis. Sedimenl
samIes vere coIIecled al lhe same oinls as lhe valer
samIes using an acid vashed oIyelhene corer lo a
delh of 100mm. Al each sile, four samIes vere
coIIecled al a dislance of 5m aarl. Sedimenls coIIecled al
each sile vere lhoroughIy mixed logelher before slorage
and relurned lo lhe Iaboralory in oIyelhyIene bags in
rearalion for melaI anaIysis.
4. Ixlraclion and anaIysis of melaIs
in valer and river bed sedimenls
Waler samIes vere fiIlered lhrough 0.45m ore sized
Whalman G/I fiIlers inlo sleriIized 100 mI voIumelric
fIasks. The fiIlered samIes vere acidified vilh nilric acid
lo a H Iess lhan 2. Islimalion of lhe heavy melaIs vas
conducled using air/acelyIene fIame Alomic Absorlion
Seclroholomelry (AAS).

An acid digeslion melhod vas used lo exlracl lhe heavy
melaIs from lhe sedimenls. The acid digeslion rocess
used for bolh lhe valer and sedimenls vas a slrong
digeslion melhod and vas chosen so lhal lhe lolaI melaI
conlenl couId be eslimaled. This rocedure consisled of
lvo arls vhich vere:
Iirsl digeslion! lhe lolaI sedimenls vere oven dried al
180C in a muffIe furnace and Iarge aggregales broken
u, lhen, 20 miIIiIilres of nilric acid and 5 miIIiIilres of
erchIoric acid vere added lo 5 grams of lhe oven
dried samIe. The mixlure vas healed on a hol Iale
unliI fumes vere roduced and vas lhen aIIoved lo
cooI lo room lemeralure.
Second digeslion! uon cooIing 20 miIIiIilres of 50%
hydrochIoric acid vas added lo lhe mixlure from lhe
firsl digeslion. The acidified mixlure vas healed lo
boiIing oinl and lhen cooIed lo room lemeralure.
The acidified mixlure vas fiIlered and disliIIed valer
vas added lo lhe fiIlrale in a voIumelric fIask u lo
lhe 100 miIIiIilre mark. The digesled sedimenls vere
lhen anaIysed for lolaI heavy melaI amounls in an
Alomic Absorlion Seclromeler.
5. QuaIily conlroI and assurance
QuaIily conlroI vas assured by lhe use of roceduraI
bIanks and slandards# In aII lhe cases of sedimenls and
valer, a rearalion/reagenl bIank vas reared for
every 20 samIes and aII lhe concenlralions vere beIov
lhe deleclion Iimils. Iach samIe vas anaIysed in
lriIicale for reealabiIily vilh a reIalive slandard
devialion < 5 % for aII lhe melaIs anaIysed. AII acids used
in lhis sludy vere of anaIylicaI grade quaIily conlroI.

The acid digeslion rocess used for bolh lhe valer and
sedimenls vas a slrong melhod and vas chosen so lhal
lhe lolaI melaI (eIemenl) conlenl couId be eslimaled. This
vas done so as lo rovide baseIine knovIedge of lhe
melaI comonenls in lhe valer and sedimenl vilh resecl
lo changes in lhe melaI conlenl as a resuIl of rocesses
Iike oIIulion and eIulion. The lolaI eIemenl conlenl vas
measured in valer and sedimenls so as lo assess lhe
bioavaiIabiIily of lhe eIemenl lo lhe fish and olher aqualic
organisms. MelaI concenlralions in sedimenls and valer
vere comared lo lhe effecls range of lhe inlernalionaI
WorId HeaIlh Organisalion |20j guideIine vaIues.
6. Dala anaIysis
Dala vere anaIysed using STATISTICA version 8
(STATSOIT Inc., TuIsa, OK, USA). One vay ANOVA (al
5 % IeveI of significance) vas used lo lesl for significanl
differences in melaI concenlralions in valer and
sedimenls, as veII as lo invesligale lhe significance of
3 Beaven Utete, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa, Maxwell Barson and Nyasha Mabika: Metal Correlations and Mobility
in Sediment and Water from the Gwebi River in the Upper Manyame Catchment, Zimbabwe
www.intechopen.com


lemoraI varialions in melaI concenlralions of lhe Gvebi
River. In addilion, Iearson correIalion lesls vere used lo
assess lhe slrenglh of lhe inlermelaIIic reIalions for lhe
river syslem. MelaI concenlralions vere aIso comared lo
lhe sliuIaled WorId HeaIlh Organizalion (WHO) IeveIs
(WHO, 2004). Ralio of melaIs in lhe sedimenl hase lo
lhal in lhe valer hase (bioconcenlralion) vas comuled
by adaling lhe formuIae as |21j:

ioconcenlralion (Concenlralion of melaI in sedimenls)
(Concenlralion of melaI in valer)
7. ResuIls
ResuIls of valer quaIily measuremenls for lhe Gvebi
River are resenled in TabIe 1. AII siles in lhe Gvebi

River had H > 7. DissoIved oxygen IeveIs vere Iov al
sile 3. Conduclivily vas high al sile 2, vhiIsl lhe lolaI
nilrogen conlenl vas high al more oIIuled siles 3 and 4.
TolaI hoshorus IeveIs vere high al sile 3.

MelaI IeveIs in valer vere generaIIy in high
concenlralions. IxcelionaIIy high zinc and coer
concenlralions vere recorded in valer in bolh lhe vel
and dry season. The order of concenlralion of melaIs in
fIoving freshvaler in lhe Gvebi River in lhe "#$ %#&%'(
vas, Zn > Cu > Ib > Ie > Cr > Cd> Ni and in lhe )*+
%#&%'( il vas, Zn > Cu > Ib > Cr> Ie > Ni > Cd. AII melaI
concenlralions measured surassed lhe WorId HeaIlh
Organizalion lhreshoId vaIues, excel for cadmium and
Iead in bolh lhe vel and dry seasons (TabIe 2).

Sile H Tem C Cond
S/cm
D O
mg/I
RI
mg/I
TI
mg/I
TN
mg/I
Nilrale
mg/I
Ammonia
mg/I
G1 7.600.10 20.43.58

404.076.08

6.51.82

0.130.02 0.020.01 7.631.23 0.210.02 0.010.02
G2 8.040.31

21.14.29

475.3127.83

7.22.05

0.230.02 0.331.34 10.01 4.59 0.070.06 0.030.02
G3 7.540.04 20.05.22

442.3252.05

5.01.86

0.100.01 0.420.23 30.119.68 0.080.01 0.010.01
G4 8.10.38

18.55.29

315.731.56

9.91.85

0.410.23 0.180.01 43.4715.43 0.130.07 0.040.06
WHO -./01 23 4555 / 5./ 5./ 650/5 /5 5./
7&89# 4. Concenlralions of seIecled hysicochemicaI valer aramelers (Mean SD) al siles samIed in lhe Gvebi (G) River. WHO
(2004) guideIines are in boId.


Sile
Ieriod Cr Cu Zn Ie Ib Cd Ni
G1

)*+ 0.320.12

5.373.40

715.42486.81 0.200.12 0.840.36 0.010.01

0.050.03

G1

"#$ 0.390.35

2.070.37

352.75117.20 0.160.11 0.520.15 0.020.01

0.010.00

G2


)*+ 0.360.25

4.542.77

258.2320.33 0.140.00 1.120.72 0.010.01

0.060.07

G2


"#$ 0.110.12

7.086.54

269.1610.18 0.220.08 1.191.09 0.010.00

0.010.01

G3


)*+ 0.280.33

3.160.82

380.506.01 0.330.12 1.601.83 0.010.00

0.020.00

G3


"#$ 0.080.06

2.330.53

363.37258.31 0.790.58 1.260.14 0.020.01

0.010.01

G4


)*+ 0.270.28

3.611.68

448.8489.27 0.180.02 1.240.26 0.010.01

0.040.03

G4


"#$ 0.140.08

3.902.02

197.3758.16 0.370.10 1.140.07 0.020.01

0.030.03

W.H.O
ThreshoId
0.05 2.00 0.01 0.07 5.00 3.00 0.003
7&89# 2. SeasonaI melaI (Mean SD) concenlralion in arls er miIIion (m) in fIoving freshvaler in valer in lhe Gvebi (G) River
during lhe dry season (AriI-Oclober) and lhe vel season (November-Iebruary), resecliveIy. WHO (2004) guideIines are in boId.
4 Int. j. water sci., 2013, Vol. 2, 4:2013 www.intechopen.com


Sile Ierio
d
Cr Cu Zn Ie Ib Cd Ni
G1 !"# 1.090.08 1.580.17 10.372.79 705.65329.44 0.780.02 0.090.00 0.780.14
G1

%&' 1.270.46

1.100.32

8.840.29 702.72792.34 0.880.18 0.090.02

0.600.04
G2


!"# 1.150.23

0.510.08

10.470.21 587.585.94 0.770.07 0.080.00

0.920.10
G2


%&' 1.420.41

0.670.23

7.790.87 1347.54646.93 0.960.24 0.100.02

0.660.17
G3


!"# 1.300.94

0.820.37

5.954.57 412.82251.91 1.000.57 0.070.00

0.750.11
G3


%&' 1.320.25

1.210.38

9.754.95 427.70178.40 1.090.15 0.090.01

1.330.27
G4


!"# 1.951.16

0.640.29

9.520.85 760.78146.89 0.920.26 0.070.04

0.520.30
G4


%&' 2.881.56

1.150.76

7.650.84 991.55657.04 1.070.33 0.100.01

0.450.24
()*+& ,- SeasonaI melaI concenlralion in arls er miIIion (m) in sedimenls in lhe Gvebi River during lhe dry season (AriI-Oclober)
and lhe vel season (November-Iebruary), resecliveIy.

MelaI Cr Cu Zn Ie Ib Cd Ni
Cr - D - W W W -
Cu - - - D - - -
Zn - - - - - - -
Ie W - - - - W -
Ib - - - D - - -
Cd - - - W - - D
Ni - - - - - - -
()*+& .- InlermelaIIic reIalionshis in valer during lhe vel season W (December-March) and dry season D (AriI-November). OnIy
significanl reIalions ( < 0.05) and are highIighled .

MelaI Cr Cu Zn Ie Ib Cd Ni
GW- Cr - - - - - - -
GW- Cu - - - W - - -
GW- Zn - - - - DW W D
GW- Ie - - - - - - -
GW- Ib - - DW - - - -
GW- Cd - - - - - - -
GW- Ni - - - - - - -
()*+& /- InlermelaIIic reIalionshis in sedimenls during lhe vel W (December-March) and dry season D (AriI-November). OnIy
significanl inleraclions ( < 0.05) are highIighled .

MelaI IeveIs in lhe sedimenls generaIIy surassed
corresonding IeveIs in fIoving valer. The IeveIs of zinc
and iron vere nolabIy high in lhe sedimenls of lhe Gvebi
River in aII lhe siles samIed. The order of concenlralion
of melaIs in sedimenls in lhe Gvebi River in bolh lhe dry
and vel season vas: Ie > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ib > Ni > Cd
(TabIe 3).

There vere no significanl differences ( < 0.05) in lhe
concenlralion of mosl melaIs in valer among lhe four siles
in lhe Gvebi River. OnIy lhe IeveIs of Ie (ANOVA 0.043)
vere significanlIy differenl in lhe Gvebi River, vilh
excelionaIIy high vaIues recorded al siles 3 and 4 in bolh
lhe vel and dry season. Significanl differences ( < 0.05)
vere noled in lhe sedimenl concenlralions of coer
(ANOVA 0.03) and nickeI (ANOVA 0.013). Irominenl
differences in lhe concenlralions of coer in lhe
sedimenls vere observed belveen siles 1 and 2 and 1 and
-4, vhiIsl for nickeI, nolabIe differences vere observed
belveen siles 1 and -4 and 2 and -4. There vas significanl
lemoraI varialion in lhe concenlralion of aII melaIs
samIed in valer and sedimenls in lhe Gvebi River
(ANOVA, < 0.05).

InlermelaIIic reIalions in valer reveaIed lhal lhere vere
significanl correIalions (Iearson correIalion lesl, < 0.05)
belveen Cu Ie, Ib Ie, Cr Cu and Cd - Ni in lhe dry
eriod of lhe sludy (AriI-November) and belveen Cr -
Cd, Ie Cd, Ie - Cr, Cd Cr, Zn Ie, Zn-Cu and Ie Cu
in lhe vel eriod (December-AriI) of lhe sludy. The
5 Beaven Utete, Tamuka Nhiwatiwa, Maxwell Barson and Nyasha Mabika: Metal Correlations and Mobility
in Sediment and Water from the Gwebi River in the Upper Manyame Catchment, Zimbabwe
www.intechopen.com


rominence lrend in inlermelaIIic reIalionshis in valer
in lhe vel season vas: Ie > Cr > Cd > Cu >Ib > Ni > Zn, in
lhe dry season lhis vas: Ie > Cr < Cu > Cd > Ni > Ib < Zn
(TabIe 4).

InlermelaIIic reIalions in sedimenls reveaIed lhal lhere
vere significanl correIalions (Iearson correIalion lesls,
< 0.05) belveen Ib Zn in lhe dry eriod of lhe sludy
(AriI-Oclober) and belveen Cu - Ie, Cd - Cu, Zn - Ib and
Cd - Ie in lhe vel eriod (December-Iebruary) of lhe
sludy. The rominence lrend (olenliaI mobiIily and
reaclivily) in inlermelaIIic reIalionshis in sedimenls in lhe
vel season vas: Ie > Cu > Ib> Cd >Zn > Cr > Ni, in lhe dry
season lhis vas: Ib >Zn > Cd >Ni> Ie > Cu > Cr (TabIe 5).

ioconcenlralion faclors caIcuIaled for lhe Gvebi River
shov lhal melaI concenlralion in sedimenls vere higher
lhan lhe corresonding IeveI in valer. Iron concenlralions
vere excelionaIIy high in sedimenls comared lo lhose
in valer, as resenled in TabIe 6. MelaIIic
bioconcenlralion order in lhe Gvebi River in lhe vel
season vas, Ie > Ni > Cd > Cr > Ib > Cu > Zn and in lhe
dry season il vas, Ie > Ni > Cr > Cd > Ib > Cu > Zn.
8. Discussion
Significanl inlermelaIIic reIalions lhal vere observed in
lhe Gvebi River shoved lhal melaIs had synergislic and
ameIioralive effecls in bolh lhe valer and sedimenl
hases, more so for lhe valer-sedimenl inlerface.
AIlhough inlermelaIIic correIalion associalions do nol
imIy direcl cause and effecl reIalions, lhey indicale lhal
lhese eIemenls lraveI in alhvays lhrough lhe aqualic
syslem in a manner lhal is delermined by olher melaIs
resenl |22j. |23j slale lhal osilive correIalion belveen
melaIs shov an associalion or inleraclion belveen lhe
melaIs in a arlicuIar sludy area, bul lhal on lhe olher
hand, lhese melaIs mighl have simiIar sources of inul. A

slrong correIalion belveen lvo heavy melaIs may be an
occurrence of slrong deendence of bolh melaIs on lhe
same causaI faclor |9j. The significanl seasonaI differences
in inlermelaIIic reIalions indicale lhal melaI mobiIily and
associalion in bolh lhe valer and sedimenl inlerface aIso
deends on lhe Iimnochemislry, hydrodynamics
(eseciaIIy valer voIume) and arlicuIarIy lhe lemeralure
of lhe valer hase |24j. Ior inslance, Iead (Ib) vas more
rominenl in lhe dry season in inlermelaIIic reIalions in
bolh lhe valer and sedimenl hase and Iess rominenl in
lhe vel season vhen lhe river voIume increased lhe
diIulion faclor. Associalions belveen melaIs are imorlanl,
as lhey delermine lhe bioavaiIabiIily and olenliaI loxicily
lo fish in an aqualic syslem |25 and 26j.

MelaIs lhal had higher concenlralions dominaled lhe
inlermelaIIic reIalionshi in bolh lhe dry and vel season.
Hovever, nickeI, vhich had a reIaliveIy Iover
concenlralion, look arl in significanl inlermelaIIic
reaclions in valer, bul vas absenl in significanl
inlermelaIIic correIalions in sedimenls. This signaIs lhal
lhere are olher faclors besides abundance lhal delermine
lhe reaclivily of a melaI, incIuding lhe revaiIing hysicaI
and chemicaI condilions |27j. Mosl significanl
inlermelaIIic associalions in bolh lhe sedimenls and valer
occurred during lhe vel season. Inlerhase (sedimenl-
valer exchange) associalions in lhe river samIed vere
dominaled by lhe melaIs vilh lhe highesl concenlralions
(Ie, Zn, Cr, Ib and Cu). During lhe Iov fIov eriods,
melaIs vere in high concenlralions and lended lo reacl
and reciilale fasl, lhus sedimenling, vhich decreased
lheir chances of inleraclion. During lhe high fIov eriods,
melaI concenlralions vere high in lhe valer hase and
lhere vas increased melaI resusension and desorlion in
lhe sedimenl hase, vhich increased lhe melaI
concenlralion in lhe valer hase, lhus increasing lheir
chances of inleraclion |5 and 28j.

Sile
Cr Cu Zn Ie Ib Cd Ni

G1
" 3.406 0.294 0.015 3528.250 0.929 9.000 15.600

G1
b
3.256 0.531 0.025 4392.000 1.692 49.500 60.000

G2
a
3.194 0.112 0.041 4197.000 0.688 8.000 15.333

G2
b
12.909 0.095 0.029 6125.182 0.807 10.000 66.000

G3
a
4.643 0.259 0.016 1250.970 0.625 7.000 37.500

G3
b
16.500 0.519 0.027 541.392 0.865 4.500 133.000

G4
a
7.222 0.177 0.081 895.035 0.742 7.000 13.000

G4
b
49.214 0.295 0.172 2252.597 0.939 5.000 15.000
#"$%& '( Ralio of melaIs in lhe sedimenls: valer in lhe Gvebi River. The suerscrils
a
denole lhe dry season (AriI-Oclober) and
b
lhe
vel season (November-Iebruary), resecliveIy.
6 Int. j. water sci., 2013, Vol. 2, 4:2013 www.intechopen.com


AII siles in lhe Gvebi River had H > 7 and some melaIs
Iike cadmium, iron and Iead reciilaled in aIkaIine
condilions, forming comIexalion roducls, vhich Ied lo
chemicaI secialion of melaIs. This infIuenced melaI
loxicily in bolh lhe valer and sedimenl hase.
Ireciilalion and sedimenlalion of Iead, coer, zinc and
cadmium can aIso be grealer in aIkaIine valers and in lhe
dry season, vilh lhe sedimenl hase acling as lhe sink
|29j. AIlhough lhe evaIualed dissoIved oxygen (DO)
IeveIs vere above lhe WHO lhreshoId vaIues and oinls
lo veII oxygenaled valers, lheir vaIues did nol aIvays
indicale lhe oxidalive slales of melaIs |30j. Il is knovn
lhal oxidalive-reduclion olenliaI (ORI) vaIues are usefuI
for exIaining melaI mobiIily in bolh valer and
sedimenls, hovever, ve recognize lhal (ORI) deends on
olher IimnochemicaI secies lhal fIucluale raidIy in Iolic
valers. Thus (ORI), mighl nol adequaleIy exIain melaI
concenlralion and consequenlIy, lheir loxicily.

ResuIls shoved melaI associalion resuIls in dynamic
fIuclualions in olenliaI avaiIabiIily and loxicily of melaIs
and lhus lheir mobiIily in a eri-urban river syslem,
vhich may have negalive imIicalions for aqualic Iife and
human heaIlh. This sludy demonslraled lhe ecoIogicaI
bioavaiIabiIily of some melaIs in lhe valer and sedimenl
inlerface in a eri-urban river syslem, lhereby
slrenglhening lhe need for conlinuous environmenlaI
moniloring and lhe deveIomenl of an efficienl
remedialion slralegy lo reduce IocaI oIIulion and
conlaminalion of eri-urban rivers in Zimbabve. Some
remediaI measures lhal lhe managemenl of lhe Gvebi
River calchmenl has lo imIemenl incIude: diversion of
sever and urban run-off, conslruclion of sever and run-
off and calch off velIands and onds, vhich heIs lo
urify lhe oIIuled valer. MelaI reciilaling and
cheIaling agenls can be inlermillenlIy aIied in sever
oulfIovs lo heI reduce oIIuling lhe valer hase,
aIlhough lhere are negalive imIicalions of doing so on
lhe sedimenl hase. UIlimaleIy, lhe main soIulion Iies in
lhe roer lrealmenl of sevage and lhe rehabiIilalion of
sever infraslruclure. This fundamenlaI comonenl needs
lo be bullressed by slrong valer managemenl aclions,
anchored on soIid valer conservalion and reservalion
oIicies in Zimbabve.
9. ConcIusion
This sludy of lhe Gvebi River indicales lhal melaIs
associale in bolh lhe valer and sedimenl hases, lhereby
infIuencing lheir bioavaiIabiIily, vhich has olenliaI Iong
lerm deIelerious imIicalions on aqualic fauna
abundance and diversily in lhe Gvebi River, Lake
Manyame and lhe Manyame River dovnslream of Lake
Manyame. AIlhough more overfuI valer-sedimenl
exlraclion melhods exisl lhal couId imrove fulure
resuIls, our sludy has found lhal lhere is heavy melaI
conlaminalion in lhe Gvebi River.
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8 Int. j. water sci., 2013, Vol. 2, 4:2013 www.intechopen.com