Rapid industrialization, increased urbanization and improved agricultural production methods have led to an increase in heavy metal pollution in the environment. Weedy Amaranthus species commonly found on roadsides and abandoned lands, such as Amaranthus spinosus were selected for this study. Seedlings of the experimental plants were grown in soil containing USW (Urban Solid Waste) collected from three selected sites in the state of Kerala, India, namely, Vilappilsala, Chavara and Plachimada. Soil parameters such as soil moisture, soil pH, soil organic carbon and alkalinity were estimated. After measuring the initial heavy metal concentrations at the three selected locations, the test plant seedlings were allowed to grow in soil collected from the respective dumpsites for 60 days, and the percentage reduction in heavy metal content was determined. Post-harvest analysis showed a reduction of more than 50% in heavy metal concentration at each site.

Environmental pollution and toxic heavy metal accumulation has increased exponentially over the last decade due to various natural and anthropogenic activities. Pollutants in the environment affect the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and as a whole biosphere. Scientists all over the world over the years made significant contributions to eradicate sources of pollution and remedy the already contaminated areas. Since heavy metals are non-biodegradable, they persist in the environment and have the potential to enter the food chain ultimately leading to biomagnification that would put human lives at risk. Thus, remediation of contaminated soil and water takes precedence. Hence, Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and eco-friendly way to mitigate heavy metal contaminations. More than 300 plant species with potential for soil and water remediation have been noted so far. In this paper, a brief review of recent understanding and working progress in research as well as practical applications of phytoremediation for water and soil resources has been undertaken.

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of heavy metal contamination in the agricultural area of Ganganagar district. The study was conducted for post monsoon season in year 2014.Concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in the water, soil and some crops of the study area using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Significant variations in the concentration of different heavy metal were observed in the samples of soil, water and selected crops. Certain heavy metals exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations in some of the samples. The excessive concentration of such heavy metals may leads to severe health related issues in human as well as animals. It is thus suggested that regular monitoring of heavy metals must be carried out to mitigate the adverse impacts of the heavy metals.