A Study on Assessment of Credible Sources of Heavy

Authors: C Singaraja S Chidambaram K Srinivasamoorthy P Anandhan S Selvam

Publish Date: 2015/02/24

Volume: 7, Issue: 4, Pages: 459-467

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Abstract

The study investigates the Heavy Metal Pollution vulnerability of the groundwater in the coastal aquifers of Thoothukudi District Tamilnadu India A total of 80 groundwater samples were collected throughout the entire district Integrated approach includes pollution evaluation indices principal component analysis PCA and correlation matrix CM to evaluate the intensity and source of pollution in groundwater The average abundance order of heavy metal contents in groundwater samples are Cr  Cu  Pb  Fe  Zn  Ni  Mn  Cd These values were calculated for heavy metal pollution index HPI heavy metal evaluation index HEI and degree of contamination C d Spatial distribution map of HPI HEI C d indicates that higher indices are observed in the north eastern part of Industrial area SIPCOT The Factor score maps suggest that the activities of industries and landfill leachate are pervasive processes Correlation matrix of heavy metal elements clearly indicates that the groundwater has assimilated with various contaminants from the processes of chemical industries landfill leachate and municipal sewage systems in the study area This study has provided the evidence of effluents discharged from the tannery and auxiliary industries and landfill leachate are the main sources of heavy metal pollution in the groundwater The current distribution level of heavy metal in the groundwater is of environmental and health concerns and requires attentionThe authors acknowledge the valuable suggestions given by Prof Al Ramanathan School of Environmental Sciences Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi 110067 which greatly helped in the final presentation of the paper The authors are grateful to anonymous referee for the constructive comments and suggestions which led to significant improvements to the manuscript The authors would also like to thank the results generated by ICPMS Department of Earth Sciences Pondicherry University Pondicherry India

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