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Urban River Pollution in Bangladesh During Last 40 Years: Potential Public Health and Ecological Risk, Present Policy, and Future Prospects Toward Smart Water Management

Md. Jamal Uddin
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Barisal, Bangladesh

Yeon-Koo Jeong
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Laboratory, Department of Environmental Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, South Korea

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

River water is very much important for domestic, agriculture and industrial use in Bangladesh which is in critical condition from long time based on research data. During last 40 years, extreme pollution events occurred in peripheral rivers surrounding Dhaka city and Karnaphuli River in Chittagong city. Present data showed that other urban rivers are also in critical condition especially Korotoa, Teesta, Rupsha, Pashur and Padma. The pollutants flowing with water made a severe pollution in downstream areas of rivers. Metals concentrations in river water was found to be higher in dry season. Dissolve oxygen (DO) was nearly zero in Buriganga River and several points in Turag, Balu, Sitalakhya and Karnaphuli River. NO₃^-, NO₂^- and PO4^3- pollution occurred in different rivers. Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd, Ni, Mn, As and Cr concentration was above drinking water standard in most of the river and some metals was even above irrigation standard in water from several rivers. Sediment data showed very much higher metal concentrations in most of the rivers especially peripheral rivers in Dhaka and Karnaphuli, Korotoa, Teesta, Rupsha and Meghna River. Metal concentrations in sediment was above US EPA threshold value in most of the rivers. Metal concentrations in fish and agricultural crops showed that bioaccumulation of metals had occurred. The concentration of metals showed the trend like: water

Keywords: Urban river pollution, Potential public health, Ecological risk, Present policy, Future prospects, Water management

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Risk Management in Agriculture

Commodity: Water pollution, Health hazard, Water management, Water quality

Objectives:

To determine the Urban river pollution in Bangladesh during the last 40 years: potential public health and ecological risk, present policy, and future prospects toward smart water management.

Methodology:

Bangladesh is a river-based country. There are about 700 rivers including tributaries. Most of the rivers coming from India and entering the northern part after that flowing across the country and fall in Bay of Bengal in the southern part of Bangladesh [36]. Rivers are the prime source of fish and agriculture. Transportation through waterways is very much important in several parts of the country. Every year these rivers deposited huge volumes of silt which is very much fertile. In the southern part, approximately 2.4 billion tons of sediment deposited by rivers and hoping that it will increase the surface area for settlement. However, riverbank erosion is a major problem at present. Additionally, sedimentation in the rivers causes flush flood in rainy season which hampered agriculture, settlements and lives extremely. . One of major concerns of the growth of industrialization is the environmental pollution load from each industrial sector which greatly affects the environment as well as public health. For example only tannery sectors produces approximately 20,000 m3 of liquid waste and 232 tons of solid waste per day. According to DoE (Department of Environment) report, textile industry produced 217 million cubic meter of wastewater in 2016 and estimated that it will increase to 349 million cubic meter in 2021. Dyeing, leather, sugar, pulp and paper industries are the major contributors of water pollutants [4]. Non-renewable local resource-based industries include industries based on mineral resources such as limestone, hard rock, gravel, glass, sand and various types of clays. In this category, major polluters are the cement and fertilizer factories. Imported resource based industries includes textiles, pharmaceuticals, plastics, petroleum and metal works. Many of these are found to be highly polluting. Open field dumping is the main process of solid and liquid waste treatment in Bangladesh. Liquid wastes are mixed with water and released to the drain and canals and ultimately to the river. Household, Hospital, market and industrial wastes is dumped into the open field [45, 46]. Aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of wastes occurred continuously. During rainy season, soluble and insoluble waste materials are mixed with water and finally comes to the adjacent khals, canals and rivers. Industrial growth has led to increase in quantity of chemical materials used in industry, as well as in industrial facilities as raw materials. As a result, there is an increasing emission of organic and inorganic materials into the air, water and soil [49]. Although the problems occur in specific locations and regions, they are in fact global problems in that their frequency, magnitude, and potential effects are increasing rapidly. Industrial wastes are known to adversely affect natural life by direct toxic action or indirectly through qualitative alterations in the character of the water. The pollution from industrial effluents, urban and agricultural waste in some rivers and water bodies has reached alarming levels in Bangladesh. In dry season, the color of the river water is dark black and looks like burned engine gasoline. Most of the physicochemical characteristics exceeds WHO water standards. In 2000, dissolve oxygen was 2 mg/L which turned zero in 2019. We have tried to collect river pollution data from published research paper, books, thesis papers, conference papers and reports from government organizations like the Department of Environment. Some observations on data which affect pollution trend analysis are: - Data collected from different sources. - Sampling location was different. Time and season of sample collection. - Number of samples to represent whole river pollution. - Sample collection and analysis process. - Selection of parameters for analysis. Bangladesh is a riverine country and most of the soils belong to the Inceptisol category of soil classification. This means that the soils are newly developed. The soils close to river area receive sediments during the rainy season. These soils are used extensively for vegetable cultivation. River water is cheaper and easily available for irrigation. At present, most of the river is contaminated with higher concentrations of heavy metals and these metals are transferred to soil and crop through irrigation.

Source of Information: Heliyon, Volume 7, Issue 2, February 2021, e06107

Article Link (Online Journal): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06107

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

This manuscript first time collected and gathered last 40 years research data on river pollution in Bangladesh and tried to express tabular and graphical representation to show pollution trends and present situations. Trends of physicochemical and toxic metals data showed that extreme pollution events occurred but not frequently. From 2008 to 2012, most of the parameters in Turag, Buriganga River water showed similar peak and from 2011 to 2015 similar peak was found in Sitalakhya River. It might be due to extreme pollution in Turag and Buriganga River which ultimately comes to Sitalakhya River after some time. In Karnaphuli River, higher pollution events occurred from 2012 to 2015 time periods. The data showed that Turag, Buriganga, Balu, Sitalakhya and Dhaleshwari River water and sediment is contaminated with toxic metals and in some sampling points it was above the drinking, irrigation and surface water standards. Lower Basin Rivers receive this huge pollutant loads continuously. Besides that anthropogenic pollution events also occurring on the lower basin river bank area. Heavy metals concentrations were above the drinking water quality standards in Karnaphuli River. Cd, Ni, Mn and Cr were above the irrigation water quality standards. Higher concentrations of Fe and Mn in Teesta, Cd and Cr in Korotoa and Fe, Mn, Zn and Cr in Rupsha River water which are above irrigation standards. River sediments contain higher amount of metals. The metal concentrations in Old Brahmaputra River were below US EPA recommended threshold value. Most of the river sediment are polluted with Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Mn and Cr which is above a threshold value. There is higher possibility of groundwater contamination by the accumulation of these metals in groundwater flow in aquifers. In Dhaka city, ground water from several area was already contaminated with metals, which should be treated prior to use. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish body occurred in the polluted river, which causes toxic effects in fish body. Consumption of this contaminated fish might cause severe toxic effects in human body. Food crops grown on the vicinity of the polluted river contain higher amount of metals. Daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), target carcinogenic risk (TR), health index (HI) and total cancer risk (TCR) analysis data by several researchers showed that continuous consumption of metal contaminated food may cause severe carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health impacts on human body. Based on research data, it is confirmed that river pollution is occurring in all the major urban rivers and some are facing extreme situation. In addition, till date, all the available data only based on physicochemical and metals analysis. Research on organics, antibiotics, micro plastics, personal care products and other toxic pollutants in river water are overlooked. Therefore, extensive research, continuous monitoring and strict rules and regulations are needed urgently to control river pollution in Bangladesh.

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