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Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences

Year: 2005 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 10 | Page No.: 1337-1341
DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2005.1337.1341
Heavy Metal Contamination of Freshwater Fish and Bed Sediments in the River Ravi Stretch and Related Tributaries
Muhammad Javed

Abstract: Iron, zinc, lead, nickel and manganese contaminations in the river bed sediments and organs viz., scale, skin, muscle, gills, liver and kidney of freshwater fish, Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhina in the stretch of river Ravi (from Baloki headworks to Sidhnai barrage) and the related effluent discharging tributaries have been studied. Suspended matter and the soluble metallic ions had affected the quality of bed sediments significantly that resulted in the accumulation of metals in fish organs. Three fish species showed non-significant differences for the accumulation patterns of all metals except lead. The fish at Baloki headworks accumulated significantly higher quantities of iron and nickel in their bodies than those captured from Sdhnai barrage. However, the fish collected from Baloki headworks and Sidhnai barrage showed direct relationship (r = 0.8997) with the intensity of metal pollution in the bed sediments. Accumulation of iron in all the four fish organs showed statistically significant differences. Lead accumulation in both gills and liver were significantly higher than that in fish muscle and kidney. Fish liver was the organ that accumulated significantly higher quantities of nickel followed by that of kidney, gills and muscle. Both fish liver and kidney were the organs that accumulated significantly higher quantities of manganese than that of gills and muscle. Among the three fish species, Cirrhina mrigala showed significantly lower ability to accumulate lead in its body than that of Catla catla and Labeo rohita. Fish liver was the organ that accumulated significantly higher quantities of nickel, followed by that of kidney, gills and muscle.

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How to cite this article
Muhammad Javed , 2005. Heavy Metal Contamination of Freshwater Fish and Bed Sediments in the River Ravi Stretch and Related Tributaries. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 8: 1337-1341.

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