CHAPTER-V

SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSION
 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The present work has been done considering the constant spread pollution of heavy
metals in water bodies. Pollution among water bodies is a major global problem. This
contaminates not only the water but also the sediment and aquatic life such as fish.

The water, sediments and fish samples were collected from the four different Ghats of
Yamuna River. Gau Ghat, New Yamuna Bridge Ghat, Balua Ghat, Arail Ghat were
chosen for the sample collection. L.rohita and E.kawei fish samples were considered for
the study as they are more common eatable fish among the population.

The study was carried out in the all three seasons of summer, monsoon and winter in
order to check seasonal variation of heavy metal pollution.

Total 20 samples of water, sediment and fish (10 of each species) were analyzed. The
three heavy metals lead, copper and arsenic which are considered highly toxic were
detected in the samples in the year 2010 and 2011.

Heavy metal concentration in water samples shows that high concentration of Copper is
found more at Site 2 (2.857mg/l, 1.590gmg/l ) in Summer and Monsoon seasons whereas
in Winter, Site 4 is polluted highly with 2.0085mg/l concentration.

The Lead in Water in the summer season shows that site 2 is highly polluted in summer
and monsoon season with 1.1706 mg/l, 2011 and 0.0125 mg/l, 2010 whereas in winter
season, site 4 is highly polluted 0.0222 mg/l in Year 2011.

The Arsenic concentration was found high at site 3, 0.016 mg/l in Year 2010 (summer
season), Site 1, 0.0103 mg/l in Year 2011 (monsoon season) and Site 2, 0.0124 mg/l in
Year 2011(winter season).

The concentration of these metals in sediment samples was detected and it was found that
the higher copper concentration is at Site 4, 27.853 mg/kg, 26.442 mg/kg in Year 2010

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(Summer season and Winter season), Site 2, 1.5906 mg/kg in Year 2011 (Monsoon
Season).

The Site 4 was found highly polluted with lead in Year 2011 as compared to 2010 with
33.828 mg/kg (Summer season), 27.194 mg/kg(Monsoon season) and 32.246
mg/kg(Winter season).

A constant increase was found in 2011 as compared to 2010 in the Arsenic concentration.
The concentration was 8.700 mg/kg at Site 4 (Summer season), 7.040 mg/kg at Site1
(Monsoon season) and 9.303 mg/kg at Site 3 (Winter season).

Two species of fish ‘L. rohita and E. kawei’ was examined and Copper, Lead and Arsenic
concentration. In Summer, the copper was found more in L. rohita and E. kawei as 3.699
mg/kg and 3.264 mg/kg in Year 2010 at Site 4 whereas in Monsoon L. rohita was having
2.642 mg/kg at Site 1 and in E. kawai it was 2.313 mg/kg at Site 4 in Year 2010.

In Winter, the copper was found highest in L. rohita (3.149 mg/kg, Year 2010 at Site 2)
and in E. kawai (3.714 mg/kg, Year 2011 at Site 4).

In Summer, the highest average value of Pb in L. rohita was 2.301 mg/l in Year 2010 at
Site 4 and in E. kawai it was 2.778 mg/l in Year 2011 at Site 3. In Monsoon, the lead was
found highest in L. rohita as 1.880 mg/l and in E. kawai it was 1.595 mg/kg, in Year
2011 at Site 2 for both species. In winters the lead was found highest in L. rohita at Site 2
as 2.789 mg/kg whereas in E. kawai was 1.927 mg/kg at Site 4 in Year 2011.

From the heavy metal concentrations mentioned above we can see that somewhere the
concentration is crossing the limits as permissible by the World Health Organization. It
suggests a high risk to the health of human being on the consumption of contaminated
water and fish.

Therefore it is recommended that the practice of trace element detection should be

continued in order to update whether the heavy metal concentration is above or below the
permissible limits and if it is above the limit then precautions must be taken to avoid

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possible consumption of contaminated eatables. It is also recommended that awareness
should be spread among the people regarding the hazards on consumption of polluted
water and related eatables.

It is also essential that farmers should be educated to reduce such contamination and
should be encouraged to use the controlled amount of pesticides, to avoid the leaching of
waste water and cultivating in a field far away from industrial area as well as areas prone
to contamination.

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