Study of Toxic Elements in River Water and Wetland Using Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as Pollution Monitor

The concentration of toxic elements present in surface water of Sutlej River and Harike wetland besides Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as water hyacinth, is estimated employing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). Toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), uranium (U), and zinc (Zn) are identified in the river as well as in Harike wetland catchment. Accumulation of elements in different parts of the water hyacinth plant is observed with the roots exhibiting maximum affinity followed by stem and then leaves. The removal efficacy of pollutants by water hyacinth is estimated using bioconcentration factor (BCF) index. It is found to be different for different elements, with Mn showing the highest and U the lowest magnitude. The study carried out in the present work indicates that rhizofiltration could play an important role in controlling pollutant load.