Fresh discovery shows river pollution are caused by mixture of chemical cocktail

By Omotayo Edubi

Water contaminants on rivers are caused by a mixture of chemical cocktail caused by normal chemical processes related to downstream flow.

Researchers of a new study found that hydrogeological and biogeochemical processes are considered as natural processes which affect water quality on rivers.

According to a new study published in Water Research, human interaction with its environment is also a determining factor in increasing the stress in bodies of water at an unprecedented rate.

The proponents of the study consists of researchers from the Universities of Birmingham, Manchester, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, and other Indian and UK collaborators.

According to Phys.org, water pollutants can travel at varying speeds and gradually increase in quantities along rivers due to the mixture of ‘cocktail’ of chemicals. The researchers have discovered river choke points or major breakpoints where chemical cocktail is formed.

This phenomenon also drastically change the behavior of some chemical compounds, drastically altering the concentration of chemicals.

The researchers used India’s River Ganges (Ganga) as the site of their study. The River Ganges is one of the world’s largest river system, spanning to more than 2,500 kilometers from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. With its cultural and religious history, the Ganges River is one of the most important water source and livelihood to more than 400 million people.

The study reveals that chemical cocktail along the Ganges River consists of various chemicals, including chloride, calcium, nitrate, sulfate, sodium, and strontium. The study highlights a growing global concern about water pollutants as the chemicals within the Ganges River travel from downstream towards the ocean.

Environmentalists, scientists, and aid officials stated that clean-up campaigns due to toxic chemical cocktail along the Ganges River have cost hundreds of millions of dollars in more than two decades, as per Financial Times.

Also read: India’s Ganges and Yamuna Rivers Now Have the Same Legal Rights as a Human Being.

The global challenge against the water pollutants in the Ganges River is highlighted by Stefan Krause, a professor of Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham.

Krause stated, “Large river systems, such as the Ganga, provide crucial water resources with important implications for global water, food and energy security. Understanding the complex dynamics of such systems remains a major challenge.”

Resolving the challenge of water pollutants along the Ganges River is important because these chemicals cause water pollution along the river and spreads to the Bay of Bengal. Non-containment of this chemical cocktail affects not only aquatic life but also poses a threat to human health. 

According to Laura Richards, the study’s lead author from the University of Manchester, their research is helpful in understanding the chemistry of the River Ganga during downstream transitions. Richards added that the systematic approach used in the study is “environmentally and societally” important.

She stated the study’s approach in the Ganges River can also be substantial in understanding other large river systems across the world. The systematic approach used by the researchers could provide substantial insights in future studies surrounding the factors controlling key geochemistry in the Ganga River.