New Delhi: 

The ICMR revealed that lead, iron and aluminium exceeded the permissible limit of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav has recently informed Parliament that the study conducted by the ICMR in 2024 revealed that people dwelling near river drains are highly prone to cancer disease.

 People dwelling near river drains are highly prone to cancer disease. A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also observed hazard quotients above the threshold limit that pose high non-carcinogenic risks. “The study results revealed that lead, iron and aluminium exceeded the permissible limit of the Central Pollution Control Board,” Jadhav said. Agricultural and industrial activities are a principal cause of increasing heavy metal contamination in natural surface water resources. In paddy fields, the incidence of multiple heavy metal pollution such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc(Zn), arsenic(As), and copper (Cu) is very common.

This combined toxicity of heavy metals might pose a severe potential ecological risk as compared to single-metal contamination. The heavy metal pollution of surface water is also considered responsible for the degradation of groundwater quality, which is further posing a severe threat to potable water.

“Wastewater analysis is becoming an increasingly important tool for civic authorities and public health officials. We have seen this during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. This must be performed routinely to understand toxic substance levels as well as any emerging or ongoing infections in the community,” said Dr Tamorish Kole, renowned health expert and Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee at the International Federation for Emergency Medicine

What Was the ICMR Study:

The Sirhind Choe is a 60.97 km long drain that has untreated sewage and agricultural runoff from adjoining cities, towns and villages of Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. The second sampling station, Badi Nadi (Patiala River) is a 71.08 km long drain. It is the most significant subsidiary stream that joins the Ghaggar River, and it primarily brings wastewater water from towns and villages of Patiala district.

The third monitoring site-Dhakanshu Drain directly joins Ghaggar and is 9.90 km long. This drain brings industrial effluents from major cities of Punjab such as Mohali, Chandigarh, Patiala and Rajpura. It also receives agricultural runoff and untreated wastewater.

During the study, three sites, including Sirhind Choe, Badi Nadi and Dhakanshu Drain, were selected as monitoring stations from the drainage network of Punjab. These are three open drains of River Ghaggar (a seasonal Punjab river) that carry wastewater from the agricultural, domestic and industrial sectors.

Dr Anil Gupta, a board member, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that there are two kinds of river pollution, including anthropogenic and natural pollution. The anthropogenic pollution is man-made whereas the natural pollution is caused by soil erosion, dust storms and wildfires.

“When both the anthropogenic and natural pollution mix with water it becomes toxic and they create very serious health hazards,” said Dr Gupta.

Sampling and analytical methods:

During the study, the water samples were collected from October 2017 to July 2018 from all seasons including the post-monsoon season, winter season, post-winter transitional season, summer season, and monsoon season.

The wastewater samples were collected by grab sampling method and stored in sterile plastic containers. The samples were acidified using concentrated nitric acid (HNO3) and transported to the laboratory in iceboxes. By following standard procedures, the samples were stored in a cold room at 4C temperature. The concentrations of metals, namely lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), and nickel (Ni) were determined by the Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES) technique.

Findings:

“This drastic increase in the concentration of both metals in the monsoon season indicated the discharge of agricultural runoff and untreated wastewater into drains,” the findings stated.

A higher concentration of Pb was observed in the post-monsoon season at all sites. Levels of Fe were found higher in all seasons compared to all other metals and the maximum level was found in the post-winter transitional season. In the case of aluminium, the concentration was found high except in the Summer season. Conspicuous variations of Cd and Ni were not observed in all seasons.

In the monsoon season, the lowest concentrations of Pb, Cd and Ni were recorded. On the other hand, the concentration of Fe and Al in the monsoon season was several times higher than the permitted value of CPCB and EPA.

Dr Gupta said that the river taken for study originates from Himachal Pradesh and it reaches Punjab via Panchkula. “Man-made domestic waste, industrial waste and agriculture pesticides and chemicals mix into the water through drains,” said Dr Gupta.

Untreated industrial waste, especially from iron forging, poses significant environmental hazards and also contaminates water and it is a major threat to cancer.

“When such toxic material comes through the drain and mixes with water it automatically infests humans and animals,” said Dr Gupta.

Metals In Water:

According to the study, the mean concentration of Fe was found highest among all studied metals and it exceeded the permissible limits of CPCB at (6.77 mg/l) and (5.89 mg/l).

In the study, the average concentration of aluminium also exceeded the permissible limit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Badi Nadi (6.18 mg/l) and S3 (2.81 mg/l).

Similarly, in the surface water of the Gomti river, an average Al concentration of 5.29 mg/L was observed, which was relatively the same as in the present study and also drastic increase in Al concentration in the Gomti River was found in the monsoon season.

Environmental risk assessment:

The studied sites were highly polluted with heavy metals as HPI values were tremendously higher. The highest Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI) values were observed for Badi Nadi (71.80), and from Sirhind Choe and Dhakanshu Drain, the values were found as 29.54 and 48.02, respectively. HEI values indicated high pollution in terms of heavy metals.

According to the study, mean metal concentration values were used to determine the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) for all five selected heavy metals namely Pb, Cd, Fe, Al, and Ni. The values of HPI were found as 848.7, 980.5, and 781.1 for Sirhind Choe, Badi Nadi, and Dhakanshu Drain respectively.

Conclusion:

The pollution indices such as HPI, HEI, and Cd exceeded the threshold limit from all three sites and indicated enormous heavy metal pollution in the study area. The water pollution index suggested the dilution of water samples for all studied metals except for nickel (Ni).

The water samples of these three drains were highly contaminated. The spatial distribution of studied metals showed that Badi Nadi was highly contaminated compared to other sites. The metals Pb, Fe, and Al were found above permissible limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Heavy metal toxicity load assessment revealed that the water of the study area needs approximately 90 per cent Pb and Al removal and 70 per cent cadmium (Cd) removal from water samples to make it harmless and fit for use.

The hazard index for Pb and Cd was found very high from all the study sites. The levels of cancer risks were found in the order of Cd>Ni>Pb. The results also suggested that children are more prone to cancer disease as compared to adults.

Action Required:

People dwelling in the vicinity of these drains are at high risk of prevalence of cancer. A consistent evaluation of water bodies is required for management plans, and it is also necessary to investigate the groundwater quality around these sites. There is a dire requisite to remove heavy metals from these water bodies because heavy metals are hazardous to human health.

“If we have regular surveillance data, we can undertake preventive measures, perform population-level screening and educate people. Any efforts in prevention and screening are much more effective than responding to a disease,” said Dr Kole.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also classified cadmium, nickel, and lead as carcinogenic to humans.

“People can be exposed to heavy metals through two routes including direct exposure by drinking surface water and indirect exposure through skin contact with surface water during domestic activities such as bathing and washing,” said Dr Suneela Garg, Chair of Programme Advisory Committee, National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW).

The hazard index (HI) values, which measure non-carcinogenic risk for the two exposure routes, were found to be significantly greater than 1 for lead at all sites. An HI level exceeding 1 indicates a high possibility of non-carcinogenic health issues, she said.

“The researchers stressed the urgent need to manage and remove these toxic contaminants, especially lead and cadmium. They also calculated carcinogenic risk values for lead, cadmium, and nickel, which exceeded the safe limits set by US regulators. This suggested that people living near the drains had a high risk of developing cancer due to metal exposure from surface water,” said Dr Garg, who is also an Alumni of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Lawmaker From Punjab Raises Shortage Of Drinking Water And Cancer Issue In Parliament:

Lok Sabha MP representing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Sangrur Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has recently said in Parliament that the entire Malwa region is struggling with clean drinking water and is suffering from cancer. Malwa region in Punjab is located south of the Sutlej River and north of the Ghaggar River.

Hayer also raised the issue of the outbreak of floods in the Ghaggar River in the Sangrur region. Meet Hayer said that the Ghaggar River should be permanently managed. “Work should be done to widen and strengthen the Ghaggar in an area of 17 km from Makrour Sahib to Karail,” he said.

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