According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, high levels of cancer-causing heavy metals like lead and chromium have been found in 8 wetlands in Odisha, including Hirakud.
Key points
Reason
- Anthropogenic activities such as increasing urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural practices accumulate heavy metals in wetlands, which act as heavy metal sinks.
- Heavy metal pollutants that commonly accumulate in wetlands as a result of human activity include lead, chromium, cadmium, copper, mercury, nickel, zinc, manganese, and arsenic.
Problem with heavy metal pollution
- Heavy metals can enter crops through the soil, affecting their health as humans consume these crops further up the food chain; Diseases like cancer etc. can occur.
- Water from these wetlands is not being used directly for human consumption, so the only way for the people of the surrounding community to consume it indirectly is to consume various food items like fish, rice, some vegetables and spinach from that wetland. Which has indirect impact on human health.
Why were wetlands studied
- According to scientists, the first goal of conducting the study was to obtain information about wetland pollution.
- The second is to assess the ecological risk of wetlands within agricultural landscapes and the third is to study the human health risk potential of lead and chromium.
- The 8 wetlands are – natural ones like Chandaneshwar, Chilka, Daringbadi and Koraput as well as man-made wetlands like Bhadrak, Hirakud, Talcher and Titlagarh.
- The highest concentrations of lead (51.25 micrograms per gram) and chromium (266 micrograms per gram) were recorded in Hirakud.
- The highest concentration of copper was found at Bhadrak site with 34.27 micrograms per gram. Zinc has been found in abundance in Koraput.
- Chromium concentrations are currently higher than previously studied at all wetland sites.
Wetland
- The submerged area is called wetland. Be it natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, full-time wet or short-term, stable water or unstable water, clean water or unclean, salty, muddy water – all these types of water places come under wetland.
- Sea waters, where the depth of ebb water does not exceed 6 meters, are also called wetlands.
- conclusion
- Efforts should be made to increase awareness among people by formulating successful policies for the conservation of wetlands.
Hirakud Dam
- Hirakud Dam is known as the world’s longest dam built on Mahanadi which is located in Sambalpur city of the state of Odisha.
- The length of this dam is approximately 26 kilometers.
- The construction of this dam was completed by the year 1953 but it was inaugurated on 13 January 1957 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
- This is Asia’s highest dam and artificial lake.
- The dam and its surrounding expanse of water and the Catholic Tower and Nehru Tower present a beautiful engineering spectacle which is a center of attraction.
- This reservoir controls the water level of Mahanadi and the effects of floods.
- It provides habitat to more than 130 bird species and about 54 fish species.
- Hirakud Reservoir was declared a wetland in August 2022.
Economic importance of Hirakud Reservoir
- The fish species are economically important to the region as they provide a total yield of about 480 tonnes per year, providing livelihood to more than 7,000 fishermen.
- This reservoir produces about 350 megawatts of hydropower and irrigates 436,000 hectares of land.
- The rich biodiversity and other recreational activities in and around the reservoir make it a popular tourist destination.