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Heavy metal contamination in soil and groundwater around industrial areas of Kollam District, Kerala, India

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Abstract

The present study was intended for assessing the contamination level of various heavy metals in surface soil and groundwater around the automobile workshops situated at different locations in the Kollam District of Kerala state, India. The procured soil and groundwater samples were analyzed for cadmium, zinc, iron, lead, nickel, chromium, copper, manganese, and arsenic using atomic absorption spectrophotometer by following standard procedures. The contamination level of these metals was assessed using the pollution indices like enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI). The results revealed that the concentrations of all analyzed metals in the surface soils of the automobile workshops were higher than the control. On the contrary, the concentration of no heavy metal in the groundwater was either equal to or higher than the limit prescribed by WHO. However, the concentration levels of Fe, Pb, Cu, and Zn were either equal to or higher than the control values. Based on the Igeo, CF, and EF, it was found that the contamination intensity of the heavy metals in soil decreased in the following order: Fe > Pb > Cd > As > Cr > Zn > Cu > Ni > Mn. From the results of PLI, it was interpreted that the sampling sites S2, S4, and S5 were highly polluted. Non-contamination of underground water from the age-old workshops is the uniqueness of the present study against the other studies, which were completed in alluvial formations with inverse results. In the studied region, the groundwater is stored in the hard rock formations and its hydraulics remains different from alluvial aquifers.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extremely appreciate the efforts given by the anonymous reviewers for improving this manuscript to its current presentable form.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, St. John’s College, Anchal, Kerala, India

    Anila George & Aiswarya Venugopal

  2. Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Central Agricultural University, Manipur, Imphal, India

    Ajay Kumar Vashisht

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  1. Anila George
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  2. Aiswarya Venugopal
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  3. Ajay Kumar Vashisht
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Anila George: concept and a rough draft of the manuscript, fieldwork. Aiswarya Venugopal: laboratory work. Ajay Kumar Vashisht: data analysis and final draft of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ajay Kumar Vashisht.

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George, A., Venugopal, A. & Vashisht, A.K. Heavy metal contamination in soil and groundwater around industrial areas of Kollam District, Kerala, India. Environ Monit Assess 195, 265 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10880-5

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