This study is focused on potentially toxic elements pollution in the farmlands around Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Authors
Diksha Sharma, Department of Chemistry, School of Basic Science, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India.
Michel Prabhu Inbaraj, Department of Chemistry, School of Basic Science, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India.
Aliya Naz, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Abhiroop Chowdhury, Professor, Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Summary
This study is on the outskirts of the rapidly growing city of Jaipur, located in the semiarid region of India and gateway to the ‘Great Indian Thar’ desert, and focused on potentially toxic elements (PTE) pollution in the farmlands around the city. Concentrations of PTE, along with associated soil parameters such as pH, available nitrogen, organic carbon, phosphorus, and potassium, were estimated in agricultural soil samples near an industrial region on the outskirts of the capital city of the largest state of India.
The PTE concentrations in the soil were in the following order: Mn > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cu > Cd. Soil pollution indices, such as the geochemical accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and ecological risk index (ERI), indicated that the soil was moderately to highly polluted. The result of BCR extraction techniques showed Cd is found mainly in the exchangeable and residual fractions, Pb, Mn were found in the reducible as well as residual fractions, while other PTE were mostly bound to residual fraction.
All other PTEs are primarily found in the residual fraction, tightly linked with the silicate lattice of soil minerals. Multivariate analysis and the Pearson correlation matrix indicate a common source apportionment for Pb and Cd. Cd, and Pb concentrations in agricultural soil indicate ecological harm that warrants immediate attention and policy-level intervention.
Published in: Environmental Geochemistry and Health
To read the full article, please click here.
