CYPRINUS CARPIO: BIOINDICATOR OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION IN YAMUNA RIVER, DELHI REGION

Abstract

Heavy metals being persistent pose conglomerated hazards towards safety and human health. Impacts of heavy metal pollution can be exhibited by both natural and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, developing nations are under immense pressure of controlling the environmental impacts of increasing industrialization and pollution, subject to their limited resources and infrastructure. Bioindicators are important biological entities to determine the positive/ negative changes in the desired ecosystem. They are the fast respondents towards the slightest changes and provide early reliable results. Identifying & establishing a suitable bioindicator can provide a faster and inexpensive way to address the undesirable effects. Cyprinus carpio, a freshwater fish, is used to determine the Lead (Pb) at different locations of Yamuna River and the bioavailability in different tissues. In the present study, we are trying to establish fish as an indicator of lead pollution in the river. It is a well-known fact that the water bodies are most affected by human activities. Polluted water bodies can lead to adverse effects on human health. Lead is also known to cause phytotoxicities in aquatic and terrestrial plants. This study is therefore an attempt to identify the harmful impacts of lead in River ecology. Ten fish specimens of C. carpio were collected from four different sites of Yamuna River and analyzed for Lead accumulation in fish tissues. High concentration and accumulation were observed in specimens collected from various locations and found to be higher than the permissible limits for human consumption.