HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN GROUND WATER: SOURCES, HEALTH RISKS AND REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the most vital sources of freshwater for drinking purposes, agricultural activities, and industrial use all over the world. Unfortunately, groundwater water quality is facing severe threats of contamination with heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and nickel. These metals are stable in nature and cannot be degraded by biological means; in addition, they have the potential to bio accumulate in living organisms. Therefore, heavy metals pose severe threats to the environment and human health. Heavy metals can enter groundwater systems through geological and anthropogenic activities. Geological activities include natural weathering of rocks and dissolution of minerals in groundwater. Anthropogenic activities include mining activities, industrial effluent discharge into water bodies, agricultural activities, and poor waste management practices. Prolonged exposure to groundwater containing heavy metals may cause various diseases in humans, including neurological disorders, kidney damage, developmental abnormalities, and cancer. Due to low velocities and low self-purification capacity of groundwater systems, it is difficult to remove heavy metals once they have entered groundwater systems. In recent years, various technologies like adsorption, membrane filtration, ion exchange, chemical precipitation, and bioremediation have been developed to remove heavy metals from groundwater systems. This review aims to highlight major sources of heavy metal contamination in groundwater, risks to human health, and available remediation strategies, with emphasis on sustainable management practices and monitoring techniques to maintain groundwater quality.