Assessment of drain water receiving effluent from tanneries and its impact on soil and plants with particular emphasis on bioaccumulation of heavy metals

In the present study, impact of tannery and other industrial effluents on the physico-chemical characteristics of loamy drain water and their consequent impact on soil and plants irrigated with effluent have been studied. The study reveals most of the parameter pH, BOD5 and COD at sampling station I was higher than station II. Waste water quality at both Stations I and II exceeded prescribed limits (BIS) for safe disposal of effluents into the surface water Samples of soil and vegetables from the land irrigated with loamy drain water has been collected and analyzed for Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr Pb and Cd. The different metals showed different enrichment factor for loamy drain water irrigated soil and are as follows: Cd 30% (max), Pb 26%, Zn 18%, Cr 5%, Cu 5%, Ni 2% (min). For plant samples collected at polluted sites are Ni 46% spinach (whole plant) (max), Zn 42% spinach (whole plant), Cr 39% spinach (whole plant), Cu 33% spinach (whole plant), Pb 20% potato tuber, Cd 20% potato tuber (min). The levels of Zn 145, Cu 5.25, and Ni 39.25 microg/ g in spinach, Pb 29.25, Cr 38. 25 and Cd 3.2 microg/g in potato tuber grown on polluted soil irrigated with contaminated drain water were found more than the reference value, which may create chronic health hazard problem to human and cattle through food chain in long run. Accumulation of toxic heavy metals may be build up in the agriculturally productive land where it is treated with contaminated effluent enrich with metals in turn bio-concentrated in the edible fodder/plants.