Home > Determination of Heavy Metals and Physicochemical Characteristics of Kurram River Pakistan Water and its Effects on Agricultural Land, Maize and Wheat Crops
Determination of Heavy Metals and Physicochemical Characteristics of Kurram River Pakistan Water and its Effects on Agricultural Land, Maize and Wheat Crops
The entry of pollutants into a river is considered as the major reason of deterioration of its water quality. Toxic heavy metals, organic compounds, microbes, crude oil and grease, and even nutrients are the leading water contaminants excessively accumulating in the sediments of river which act as both sink and sources for these contaminants. Toxic heavy metals are more significant and hazardous environmental pollutants, originate from both natural processes (weathering of rocks, volcanoes emissions) and human activities (industries, vehicular emission, agrochemicals and mining etc.). These toxic metals present in agricultural soil may be accumulated in food chains which subsequent lead to human health risk. The present study is focused on determination of toxic heavy metals and physicochemical characteristics of Kurram River water and its effects on agricultural land, maize and wheat crops. In the study area i.e. from Surrani bridge (Bannu) upstream to downstream [Darra Tang near Essa Khel Mianwali (Punjab)], where Kurram River throws its water into Indus River; a total number of 110 samples were collected, out of which 30 samples were collected from river water, 30 from sediments, 25 from soil and 25 from each maize and wheat. River water samples were tested for heavy metals (Zn, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Fe, Mn and Cd) and physico-chemical characteristics (pH, E.C, TDS, TSS, Na, K, Ca and Mg), while sediments, soil and crops samples were analyzed for toxic heavy metals only. Physico-chemical characteristics like pH and E.C were measured using their respective electrodes; light metals such as Na, K, Ca and Mg were analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS, Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer), while heavy metals analyses were carried out using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS, Perkin-Elmer Analyst 700). Water quality of Kurram River is being degraded by the entry of toxic metals due to point sources such as municipal sewage, industrial waste, dumping of waste along the river banks, and non-point sources like atmospheric deposition and urban/agricultural run-off etc. 7 Contamination of water and other environmental matrices was decreased while going downward the streams. For the estimation of chronic health risk, health risk index (HRI) of food crop consumption was calculated using the formula HRI = daily intake of metals (DIM)/reference doze (RfD), while the average DIM was calculated by using the formula “DIM = Cmetal× Dfood intake /BWaverage weight.”. The values of pH in water samples varied between 8.3 to 8.7 unit with mean value of 633, while the mean values of electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Na, K, Ca and Mg were 633 μS/cm, 553 mg/L, 6.60 mg/L, 164 mg/L, 8.78 mg/L, 64.9 mg/L and 0.67 mg/L, respectively. All these parameters were found within their respective permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) except in the samples collected from dumping point, Sikna sikander khel and Ghori wala which showed high concentrations of Ca i.e. 76.6 mg/L, 75.9 mg/L and 75.5 mg/L, respectively. Mean concentration of TDS (553 mg/L) and TSS (6.60 mg/L) was also higher than permissible limit set by US-EPA. According to Pakistan EPA (Pak-EPA), US-EPA and WHO, the concentrations of heavy metals such as Zn (3.5-6.0 mg/L), Cr (2.5-8.0 mg/L), Cu (2.5-7 mg/L), Pb (2.5-9.5 mg/L), Ni (2-10.5 mg/L), Fe (3.5-13.25 mg/L), Mn (4.0-10 mg/L) and Cd (0.042- 0.138) were found higher in the river water samples collected at in the study area. In the sediments, Zn concentrations (3.0-8.5 mg/kg), Cr (10.2-18.5 mg/kg), Cu (3.5-13.2 mg/kg), Pb (1.0-12.5 mg/kg), Ni (3.5-12 mg/kg), Fe (12-46.5 mg/kg), Mn (8.75-14 mg/kg) and Cd (0.101- 0.151 mg/kg) were found within their prescribed permissible limits set by USEPA. In soil samples, the concentrations of Zn (11-19.5 mg/kg), Cr (12-19.5 mg/kg), Cu (4.5-14.75 mg/kg), Pb (3.0-14.0 mg/kg), Ni (6-14.5 mg/kg), Fe (17-46.5 mg/kg), Mn (6.25-13.5 mg/kg) and Cd (0.113-0.163 mg/kg) were observed within permissible limits set by USEPA. In maize crop, the concentrations of Zn (4.85-7.9 mg/kg), Cr (5.85-11 mg/kg), Cu (5.95-10.25 mg/kg), Pb (8.55-11 mg/kg), Fe (9.5-23 mg/kg), Mn (7.05-12 mg/kg) and Cd (0.097-0.147 mg/kg) were greatly varied in the study area but observed within their permissible limits set by 8 WHO except Ni (8.9-11.5 mg/kg). In wheat crop the concentrations of Zn (4.25-7.5 mg/kg), Cu (5.75-8.75 mg/kg), Fe (9-22.25 mg/kg), Mn (6.5-11 mg/kg) and Cd (0.094-0.145 mg/kg) were found within safe permissible limits set by WHO except Cr (5.25-10 mg/kg), Pb (8-10.5 mg/kg) and some samples of Ni (8.75-11.25 mg/kg),. The concentrations of heavy metals in selected environmental matrices were observed in the order of: sediments>water>soil>maize>wheat. In water, sediments, soil, wheat and maize the order of toxic metal were: Fe > Mn > Ni > Pb > Cu > Zn > Cr > Cd, Fe > Cr > Mn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Zn > Cd, Fe > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Mn > Pb > Cd, Fe > Ni > Mn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Zn > Cd and Fe > Mn > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cr > Zn > Cd, respectively. For these environmental matrixes, the order of metals was not the same which can be linked with mobility and uptake of these metals and also on the physiology of the grown plants. The DIM values of wheat and maize crops were less than 1, the highest HRI was recorded for Cu (0.7492), while the lowest for Cr (0.0203) in wheat. Similarly, the highest HRI in maize crop was recorded for Ni (0.04155), while the lowest for Cr (0.0041). All the HRI values of selected heavy metals were less than one (<1), thus falls within safe limits having no risk on the health of the inhabitants of the study area. The results also give interesting information about co-relation among selected heavy metals as environmental matrices irrespective of their sources whether natural or anthropogenic. The highest significant co-relation was observed between wheat and maize (r= 0.949), while the lowest co-relationship was observed between sediments and water samples (r= 0.659) for all heavy metals except Fe and Mn, in which the lowest significant co-relation could be seen between water and soil (r=0.130) and sediments and soil (r=0.709). It is revealed from the study that the water of Kurram River is being degraded by a couple of natural and anthropogenic activities which may cause risk not only for the aquatic life but also for the crops cultivating in the study area and finally on the health of local inhabitants. This study recommends the investigation of toxic metals in the human biological samples particularly for those leaving in the sites where high contamination is reported. Other pathways 9 responsible for toxic metals exposure of human beings should also be studied to give a complete picture about the total DIM and health risk and also fill the gaps present in the existing research. The concerned authorities and organizations should commit themselves towards a sustained effort for educating the people about the importance of water and soil quality, implementing the NEQs, and imposing taxes/fines on industrialists and inhabitants of the area on the basis of polluter pays principles to minimize not only the aquatic contamination but also the soil, sediments and food chains. TABLE OF
ڈاکٹر محمد طاہر یکم جنوری کو ۸ بجے شب دارالمصنفین کے ایک بڑے ہمدرد اور ہر وقت کے حاضر باش ڈاکٹر محمد طاہر صدر شعبۂ اردو شبلی نیشنل پوسٹ گریجویٹ کالج انتقال کرگئے، ابھی ان کی عمر ۵۰ برس ہی کی رہی ہوگی لیکن انہوں نے اپنی صلاحیت و ذہانت کے جو نمونے چھوڑے وہ برابر یاد کئے جائیں گے، انہیں تحریر وتقریر دونوں کا ملکہ تھا، پہلی مرتبہ علامہ شبلی کی تاریخِ ولادت کا تعین اپنے ایک مضمون میں کیا جو ’’نیا دور‘‘ لکھنؤ میں شائع ہوا، مگر ان کی زیادہ توجہ انتظامی امور کی طرف ہو گئی تھی جس کا انہیں بہت اچھا سلیقہ تھا، اب ان کی سر گرمیوں کا خاص میدان سرسید انٹر کالج صبرحد تھا جس کو پہلے ہائی اسکول اور پھر انٹر کالج بنوایا، اسے ڈگری کالج بنانے کے لئے جان توڑ کوشش کررہے تھے کہ وقتِ موعود آگیا، دارالمصنفین کے ہر کام میں آگے آگے رہتے تھے، اسلام اور مستشرقین کے موضوع پر یہاں ہونے والے بین الاقوامی سیمینار کے شرکاء کے طعام کی ذمہ داری جس حسن و خوبی سے انجام دی اس کا اعتراف جناب سید صباح الدین عبدالرحمن مرحوم برابر کرتے تھے، ان سے اور شاہ معین الدین احمد ندوی مرحوم کے علاوہ اس خاکسار سے بڑا مخلصانہ تعلق رکھتے تھے، اﷲتعالیٰ ان کی بشری لغزشوں کو معاف کرے اور ان کی مغفرت فرمائے اور ان کے اعزہ خصوصاً بیوہ اور دونوں کم سن بچوں کو صبرِ جمیل عطا فرمائے۔ آمین! (ضیاء الدین اصلاحی، جنوری ۱۹۹۶ء)
The humanity witnesses a strange international phenomenon called
the Globalization which endeavors to make an intellectual
unification in the sphere of norms — education, social, economic
and politics. 77m carries a strong challenge for the Muslim societies
across the world. Through a focus on the educational, cultural,
economical and politiiclal spheres and to employ the devices of
communication
— media and the internet. The world has shrunk
into a small village which is diminishing the geographical,
historical, political and educational boundaries. The world is
undergoing the transition in materialistic and educational values
and principles which are not accorded as per the Islamic values.
Through media and interactive modes of communication. Hence, it
becomes necessary to examine all aspects of this subject to be on a
firm position of this transformation to preserve and safeguard our
Muslim identity. In this context, the concept of globalization by
Muslim and western scholars and its impact on globalization are
discussed along with some proposals in order to cope with the
negative effects of globalization in the Muslim societies.
The current research is focused on an important cultural material, exclusively sculptures, excavated from the Buddhist site of Nimogram in Swat. The antiquities discovered from this site in the late sixties, now lying in the Swat Museum, have not been studied in depth. Only a preliminary report was published by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan in 1968 (Pakistan Archaeology 1968: 116). As such, we decided to study these unique pieces of sculpture, which remained hidden from the scholarly world for about five decades. We have made an effort here to trace the history of the collection, classify it on the basis of style, analyze it for the subject matter, kind of material and workout its chronology by correlating it to the already established sequence of the Swat Valley. The main objective of the current research is to examine and evaluate the study material for its religious, cultural, historical and artistic importance, overlooked so far. Where there was necessary, we have also traced foreign cultural influences on the collection and have carried out its comparative study for the establishment of chronology. The chronology is established on the basis of style, which indicates that the earliest sculptures were produced during the Saka-Parthian period. The artistic activities reached to the climax in the Kushan time. The height of figures of this site, generally, is rather more than those from other Buddhist sites of the valley. The cultural material also shows that the site was intact up to the Kushano-Sasanian period, i.e., circa early fourth century CE. The reliefs from Nimogram throw a floodlight on the cultural life of the ancient people, for example, skilfully depicted costumes from the princely class to the poor, furnished houses, weapons, sport objects, armour, ornaments, elephant and horse saddles, carts and carriages, horses, yokes, tools, agricultural implements, cult objects, musical instruments, etc. People are portrayed at work: playing, worshiping, and engaged in acts of devotion, marriage, donation, and all sorts of activities. As well as the musicians, ascetics and wrestlers depicted there in not only display the cultural diversity of ancient Uddiyana, but, also, suggest a base for the genesis of folk tales of the Swat Valley. To sum up our research, the dissertation is divided in five chapters. The first chapter discusses geography, cultural history and an account of archaeological investigation in the Swat Valley. The second chapter deals with origin and development of the Buddhist Art in the valley. Activities of the Italian Archaeological Mission and major archaeological sites in chronological sequence are also discussed here, in addition to major rock carvings and inscriptions. The third chapter comprises catalogue of the selected sculptures that is prepared with the help of consulting primary and secondary sources. The Buddhist art of the valley was continually enriched by foreign cultural influences at different periods of time. Such elements in the cultural material of Nimogram are traced in depth in chapter four. Chapter five deals with the descriptive and analytical analyses of the selected sculptures, which illustrate almost all major events related to the life of the Buddha. The style of the sculptures shows that all the figures are carved with great care, keeping the socio-cultural environment of the area in view. The artist has tried to display natural mobility of the figures. Architectural members, either carved individually or shown in relief panels, indicate contemporary building tradition of the valley. The figures and decorative elements chiselled on the architectural members of the main and votive stupas as well as those of the monastery are also given due attention in the present study.