Geochemical assessment in a creek environment in Mumbai, West coast of India

Abstract

To understand the status of metal pollution, various sediment parameters such as organic matter, sediment composition and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed at the head and mouth end of a creek in western Mumbai, India. High metal concentrations were observed at the inner creek-(head)-end, characterized by the presence of finer sediments and higher organic matter as compared to near the mouth of the creek. Geochemical indices employed to determine the pollution status of the region, showed that the creek is moderately polluted with Cu and Pb. Increase of Pollution Load Index (PLI) in the upper portions of both the cores, representing recently settled sediments, supports the influence of external discrete anthropogenic sources like agricultural runoff, industrial and atmospheric inputs. The mean concentrations of most elements exceed the threshold effect level (TEL), probable effect level (PEL) and effects range low (ERL) values indicating that, there may be ecotoxicological risk to sediment dwelling organisms.