Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India
Summary: The Ganga basin includes some of the most densely populated areas in the world, in a region characterized by extremely high demographic and economic growth rates. Although anthropogenic pressure in this area is increasing, the pollution status of the Ganga is still poorly studied and unders...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-03-01
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| Series: | iScience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221000900 |
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| author | Aurora Ghirardelli Paolo Tarolli Mangalaa Kameswari Rajasekaran Amogh Mudbhatkal Mark G. Macklin Roberta Masin |
| author_facet | Aurora Ghirardelli Paolo Tarolli Mangalaa Kameswari Rajasekaran Amogh Mudbhatkal Mark G. Macklin Roberta Masin |
| author_sort | Aurora Ghirardelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: The Ganga basin includes some of the most densely populated areas in the world, in a region characterized by extremely high demographic and economic growth rates. Although anthropogenic pressure in this area is increasing, the pollution status of the Ganga is still poorly studied and understood. In the light of this, we have carried out a systematic literature review of the sources, levels and spatiotemporal distribution of organic pollutants in surface water and sediment of the Ganga basin, including for the first time emerging contaminants (ECs). We have identified 61 publications over the past thirty years, with data on a total of 271 organic compounds, including pesticides, industrial chemicals, and by-products, artificial sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs).The most studied organic contaminants are pesticides, whereas knowledge of industrial compounds and PPCPs, among which some of the major ECs, is highly fragmentary. Most studies focus on the main channel of the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Gomti, and the deltaic region, while most of the Ganga's major tributaries, and the entire southern part of the catchment, have not been investigated. Hotspots of contamination coincide with major urban agglomerations, including Delhi, Kolkata, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Patna. Pesticides levels have decreased at most of the sites over recent decades, while potentially harmful concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organotin compounds (OTCs), and some PPCPs have been detected in the last ten years. Considering the limited geographical coverage of sampling and number of analyzed compounds, this review highlights the need for a more careful selection of locations, compounds and environmental matrices, prioritizing PPCPs and catchment-scale, source-to-sink studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:09:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc2bc090c9b84a3cbe6e1bd8a1d64f85 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:09:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc2bc090c9b84a3cbe6e1bd8a1d64f852022-12-21T22:07:36ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422021-03-01243102122Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern IndiaAurora Ghirardelli0Paolo Tarolli1Mangalaa Kameswari Rajasekaran2Amogh Mudbhatkal3Mark G. Macklin4Roberta Masin5Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, PD 35020, ItalyDepartment of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, PD 35020, Italy; Corresponding authorMinistry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, New Dehli 110003, IndiaLincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health, School of Geography, College of Science, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7TS, UKLincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health, School of Geography, College of Science, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7TS, UK; Innovative River Solutions, School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; Centre for the Study of the Inland, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora VIC 3086, AustraliaDepartment of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, PD 35020, ItalySummary: The Ganga basin includes some of the most densely populated areas in the world, in a region characterized by extremely high demographic and economic growth rates. Although anthropogenic pressure in this area is increasing, the pollution status of the Ganga is still poorly studied and understood. In the light of this, we have carried out a systematic literature review of the sources, levels and spatiotemporal distribution of organic pollutants in surface water and sediment of the Ganga basin, including for the first time emerging contaminants (ECs). We have identified 61 publications over the past thirty years, with data on a total of 271 organic compounds, including pesticides, industrial chemicals, and by-products, artificial sweeteners, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs).The most studied organic contaminants are pesticides, whereas knowledge of industrial compounds and PPCPs, among which some of the major ECs, is highly fragmentary. Most studies focus on the main channel of the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Gomti, and the deltaic region, while most of the Ganga's major tributaries, and the entire southern part of the catchment, have not been investigated. Hotspots of contamination coincide with major urban agglomerations, including Delhi, Kolkata, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Patna. Pesticides levels have decreased at most of the sites over recent decades, while potentially harmful concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organotin compounds (OTCs), and some PPCPs have been detected in the last ten years. Considering the limited geographical coverage of sampling and number of analyzed compounds, this review highlights the need for a more careful selection of locations, compounds and environmental matrices, prioritizing PPCPs and catchment-scale, source-to-sink studies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221000900Earth SciencesEnvironmental ScienceEnvironmental MonitoringPollution |
| spellingShingle | Aurora Ghirardelli Paolo Tarolli Mangalaa Kameswari Rajasekaran Amogh Mudbhatkal Mark G. Macklin Roberta Masin Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India iScience Earth Sciences Environmental Science Environmental Monitoring Pollution |
| title | Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India |
| title_full | Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India |
| title_fullStr | Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India |
| title_short | Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India |
| title_sort | organic contaminants in ganga basin from the green revolution to the emerging concerns of modern india |
| topic | Earth Sciences Environmental Science Environmental Monitoring Pollution |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221000900 |
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