Rajni Sharma. Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Application www.ijera.com ISSN : 2248-9622, Vol. 7, Issue 3, ( Part -3) March 2017, pp.81-91 www.ijera.com DOI: 10.9790/9622- 07030238191 81 | Page A study of Heavy Metal Pollution in Groundwater of Malwa Region of Punjab, India: Current Status, Pollution and its Potential Health Risk Rajni Sharma 1 ,Dr. Ashit Dutta 2 1 Bhagwant University, Ajmer (Rajasthan) 2 Department of Applied Science, Bhagwant University, Ajmer Bhagwant University, Ajmer ABSTRACT Among the different types of pollution, heavy metal pollution has become one of the major environmental issues in India. A number of studies show that high level of heavy metal exposure is a frequent cause of permanent intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this present study, the AAS method is used to determine the various heavy metal concentrations for 240 samples of Groundwater distributed in eight districts in Malwa Region of Punjab. The concentration values were compared with Standard Values given by BIS. The results showed that the maximum percentage of groundwater samples of Malwa region is beyond the permissible limits and that’s why not fit for drinking purposes and other domestic activities due to the presence of various heavy metals . The overall groundwater quality of Punjab for Arsenic, lead, Iron, Cobalt, Chromium, zinc and Mercury can also be detected and compared with BIS standards. The aim of this particular study was to investigate the distribution of Heavy metals in groundwater of Malwa Region of Punjab and its greater risks to public health. The results were compared with the recommended standards for drinking water of BIS to know the existing status and trend. Overall, water quality was found as unsatisfactory for drinking purposes in all the samples. Keywords: Heavy Metal pollution, Groundwater, Human Health, BIS Guidelines, Malwa Region, Punjab. I. INTRODUCTION Heavy metal pollution is an inorganic chemical hazard, which is mainly caused by lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), Zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni) (Jarup, L., 2003). Five metals among them, Pb, Cr, As, Cd and Hg, are the key heavy metal pollutants in Malwa region of Punjab. These heavy metals are classified as strong carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Sarkar, B., 2002). High level of heavy metal exposure can also cause permanent intellectual and developmental disabilities, including reading and learning disabilities, behavioral problems, hearing loss, attention problems, and disruption in the development of visual and motor function (Sarkar, B., 2002). So, it is important to know the quality of groundwater because it is the major factor which decides its suitability for domestic, agriculture and industrial purposes (Raju, Ram, & Dey,2009). The suitability of groundwater for drinking and other purposes may be assessed by comparing heavy metal concentrations of the study area with the guidelines recommended by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, 2012). The existence of heavy metals in the groundwater of the Malwa region has been proven by earlier studies. Their origin can be traced back both to natural weathering and to discharges from mining and industrial activities in the region. Due to the toxic nature of Heavy metals there are reasons to survey the presence of metals in the area. II. MATERIAL AND METHODS PUNJAB: The state of Punjab located in North West India, bordering Pakistan, extends from 29 o 32’ to 32 o 32’ North and 73 o 55’ to 76 o 50’ East. It is surrounded by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir in the north; the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh in the east; and by the state of Haryana and Rajasthan in the south. It covers a geographical area of 50,362 square kilometers and is one of the smallest states in India. STUDY AREA: The study area comprises of eight districts of the Malwa region in Punjab namely, Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Firozpur, Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa. The entire study area lies between latitudes of 29 0 32’19” and 31 0 10’58” North, and longitudes of 73 0 52’33” and 76 0 12’40” East. The study area covers 22.175 square kilometres out of a total of 50.362 square kilometres area in the state. It includes 2102 villages out of 12959 villages of Punjab. The study area covers 44 percent of the area of the state, though it covers only 16 percent of the villages. This is because villages in Malwa region, where the study area is located, are much larger in size than the villages in the rest of the state. RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS