Research Article Open Access Farid et al., Adv Crop Sci Tech 2015, 4:1 DOI: 10.4172/2329-8863.1000199 Research Article Open Access Advances in Crop Science and Technology Volume 4 • Issue 1 • 1000199 Adv Crop Sci Tech, an open access journal ISSN: 2329-8863 *Corresponding author: Ghulam Farid, Department of Agriculture Extension Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan Tel: +92-300-6411884; E-mail: faridghouri@gmail.com Received July 13, 2015; Accepted October 16, 2015; Published October 22, 2015 Citation: Farid G, Sarwar N, Saifullah, Ahmad A, Ghafoor A (2015) Heavy Metals (Cd, Ni and Pb) Contamination of Soils, Plants and Waters in Madina Town of Faisalabad Metropolitan and Preparation of Gis Based Maps. Adv Crop Sci Tech 4: 199. doi:10.4172/2329-8863.1000199 Copyright: © 2015 Farid G, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Heavy metal pollution is a great threat to the environment. These metals are enters to the soil-plant environment through anthropogenic sources. A survey study was conducted to assess the heavy metals contamination of soils, plants and waters of Madina town of Faisalabad, Metropolitan area in 2010. Soil, plant and water samples were collected in the vicinity of Faisalabad following 4 × 4 Km grids. Soil samples were taken from 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths and prepared for the determination of metals (Cd, Pb and Ni). Plant samples were also taken from the same location and dried and digested in HClO4:HNO3 in the ratio of 1:3. AB-DTPA extract of soil, plants extract and water samples was analyzed on Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Model Thermo S series). The results of the study showed the concentration of metals in Soils ranged from Cd (0.00-0.111 ppm), Pb (0.87-8.97 ppm) and Ni (0.017-1.72 ppm) at 0-15 cm while Cd (0.00-0.88 ppm), Pb (0.43-6.77 ppm) and Ni (0.055-0.852 ppm) at 15-30 cm respectively. Cd, Pb and Ni concentration in the plants ranged from 0.00-2.25 ppm 1.11-5.29 ppm and 1.51-4.96 respectively. Concentration of metal in the ground water ranged from Cd (0.00-0.06 ppm), Pb (0.10-11.10 ppm) and Ni (0.03-0.05). The concentration Pb and Ni was below the permissible limits while concentration of Cd in waters and plants above the permissible limits. Finally it was concluded that soil, plant and water of Madina town were in the safe limits with respect to metals. The use of city effuent is increasing the level of metals into the soils that ultimately contaminate the soils, plants and waters. So, it is suggested that city effuent must be treated for the detoxifcation of metals before use in irrigation purposes for crops. Heavy Metals (Cd, Ni and Pb) Contamination of Soils, Plants and Waters in Madina Town of Faisalabad Metropolitan and Preparation of Gis Based Maps Ghulam Farid 1,3 *, Nadeem Sarwar 2,3 , Saifullah 3 , Ayaz Ahmad 1 , Abdul Ghafoor 3 and Mariam Rehman 4 1 Department of Agriculture Extension Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan 2 Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan 3 Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan 4 Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan Keywords: Heavy metals; Contamination; Soil; Plants and water Introduction Pollution of heavy metals directly and indirectly afects the human health. Tese substances adversely afect the productivity of soils, plants, animals and the entire environment if exceed certain limits [1]. Since quantity of good quality of water for agriculture is decreasing so, peoples are using raw city efuent for the production of diferent crops especially for vegetables. Tis raw city efuent contains lot of carcinogenic constituents like heavy metals, organic pollutants, salts and pathogens. Even in low concentration in soil-water system heavy metals persist for longer time in soil from where these enter into food chain through plant uptake. Sources of heavy metals pollution in environment are mainly derived from anthropogenic in nature. Which include vehicle exhaust, tire wearing, weathering street surfaces, power plants, coal combustion, metallurgical industry, auto repair shop, chemicals plant, domestic emission, weathering of building and pavement surface and atmospheric deposits. However, the anthropogenic sources of heavy metals in agricultural soils include mining, smelting, waste disposal, urban efuent, vehicle exhausts, sewage sludge, pesticides and fertilizers application. Among all the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic for both the plants and animals as well as for human beings. Cadmium enters into soil-plant environment mainly through anthropogenic activities. Compounds of Cd are more soluble than other heavy metals rendering it more available for plant absorption where these could accumulate in edible plant parts. In Pakistan Cd concentration in soil samples from the Islamabad expressway varied from 5.8 to 6.1 mgkg -1 with an average value of 5.95 mgkg -1 [2]. Te value of Cd in the paddy and straw was ranged from 0.116to 0.370 mgkg -1 and 0.315 to0.370 mgkg -1 in the areas of Faisalabad [3]. Nickel (Ni) another heavy metal which is toxic, carcinogenic and dangerous for humans, plants and animals. Te Ni released into the soil from copper-nickle smelters, burning of diesel oil containing Ni, city efuent, bio-solid, impurities in fertilizers, mining and smelting [4]. It enters into the soil-environment through anthropogenic activities although small quantities are released during in-situ wheathering of parent material. In soil samples from Islamabad expressway, average concentration of Ni was 32 mg kg -1 [2]. Chemical analysis of paddy and straw from Sheikhupura contained Ni 0.073-0.093 mg kg -1 [5]. Lead (Pb) is a widespread heavy present in soils, plants and waters. It is mostly present in top layer of soil due to the deposition from air containing smoke from vehicles. Te Pb is released to the from mining, industrial and agricultural chemicals. In uncontaminated soils, Pb concentrations are generally below 50 mg kg _1 [6]. Te Pb concentration in vegetation growing on such soils is ofen less than 10 mg kg _1 dry mass. Soil lead ranging from 10 to 293 mgkg -1 in agricultural areas and in the areas of pesticide manufacturing companies 57.05 mg kg -1 were noted in Rajasthan, area of India [7]. 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