Abstract:
A detailed survey work was carried out in the contaminated areas of Coimbatore district to assess the level of heavy metals contamination in soils irrigated with sewage water and industrial effluents. The study showed that the soil irrigated with the sewage water contained almost all the heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn) exceeded the critical limit. The soils contaminated with electroplating and textile effluents were rich in Ni and Cr concentration. The results obtained from the physico chemical analysis indicated that the sewage and electroplating effluents contaminated soils recorded acidic pH. However, the soils contaminated by textile and dye effluents recorded alkaline soil pH. The electrical conductivity values of soils collected from Orathuppalayam village were > 9 dS m-1. This study indicated that the major contaminants of soil in Coimbatore district are sewage water, dye and electroplating effluents.
M. Malarkodi , R. Krishnasamy , R. Kumaraperumal and T. Chitdeshwari , 2007. Characterization of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils of Coimbatore District in Tamil Nadu
. Journal of Agronomy, 6: 147-151.
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