Seasonal variation of heavy metals in Subarnarekha River at Jamshedpur, East Singhbhum, Jharkhand

The present investigation is aimed at assessing the amount of heavy metals and current water quality standard along the Subarnarekha river in Jharkhand. Three samples were collected along the stretches of Subarnarekha basin during the period: Jan-Dec, 2015, on the first week of every month. The concentrations Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr, Co, Sr, Cd and Fe were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for seasonal fluctuation, source apportionment and heavy metal pollution indexing. The results demonstrated that concentrations of the metals showed significant seasonality. To assess the composite influence of all the considered metals on the overall quality of the water, heavy metal pollution indices were calculated. The deterioration of water quality and enhanced concentrations of certain metals in the Subarnarekha River near industrial and mining establishments may be attributed to anthropogenic contribution from the industrial and mining activities of the area. Various physicochemical parameters like pH, TDS, EC, DO, BOD, Total Hardness, Total alkalinity sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium etc. were also analysed. Eight parameters namely pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate, Phosphate, Total Dissolved Solids and Faecal Colliform were considered to compute Water Quality Index (WQI) based on National Sanitation Foundation studies and discussed.