Distribution, Association, and Ecological Risk Evaluation of Heavy Metals and Influencing Factors in Major Industrial Stream Sediments of Chandrapur District, Central India

The accumulation of heavy metals in stream sediment depends on various influencing factors. Sediments are aggregation of number of species along with organic debris. Accretion of heavy metals on sediment is the outcome of absorption by fine-grain inorganic particles of clays, adsorption of hydrous ferric and clays, and complexation with natural organic matters. These processes are regulated by different influencing factors including TOC and pH. This study reveals the spatial distribution of potentially toxic heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zn) and assessment of contamination levels to find out the role of TOC and pH in distribution of heavy metal contamination in major industrial stream sediment in Chandrapur district, Central India. The pollution indices and multivariate statistical analysis were carried out to identify the correlation between various parameters. The concentration of anthropological derived heavy metals is higher in TOC-rich area. PCA and HCA study reveals that heavy metals are significantly correlated with TOC of the sediments, while Ni is associated with pH. Chromium shows the ambiguous behavior towards association with pH and TOC. The study also reveals that there is urgent need for assessment of Wardha River and Erai River basins because there could be hotpots for heavy metal contamination.