A study on chromium accumulation in Labeo rohita in the river Yamuna ecosystem in Mathura-Agra region in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The study investigated chromium (Cr) in the Yamuna river at Mathura - Agra region in Uttar Pradesh, India. The water and fish samples were collected quarterly from the sites, i.e. Vrindavan (Vihar ghat) and Agra (Renuka ghat) from October 2018 to January 2020.The average Cr concentration in water at the Vrindavan site was observed to be maximum (2.27 mg/l) than the Agra site (1.93 mg/l) in the month of April 2019 compared to its BIS/WHO standards (0.05 ppm). Among the samples of fish organs like gill, liver, muscle and kidney, maximum Cr concentration was found in the samples of gills from Vrindavan (Vihar ghat) site (9.63μg/g) and from Agra (Renuka ghat) site (7.78 μg/g) being above the standards values (1 μg/g by European union commission; 0.15 μg/g by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) and World Health Organization (WHO). The Cr concentration in the samples was in the order of gill > liver > muscle > kidney. The lower Bio-concentration factor (BCF) and target hazard quotients (THQ) in the muscles indicated fish to be safe for consumption. Heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis indicated more HPI (2676.67) and a positive correlation between all the samples. The contamination degree (Cd) values were above the critical level at both the sampling sites-Vrindavan (38) and Agra (28). The higher pollution indices (HPI, HEI, Cd values) indicated higher degree of contamination in water samples. Hence strategies need to be formulated to check the rising concentration of heavy metals and ensure the safety of the people in the nearby areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]