STUDY OF HEAVY METALS IN SOIL, WATER AND SOME CROPS OF SRI GANGANAGAR (RAJASTHAN), INDIA

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.