Heavy metal accumulation in pond and farm cultured fish species of District Ludhiana
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Date
2017
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
In India, fresh water bodies in the form of naturally occurring ponds, form the lifeline in
Indian villages. The present study was carried out to analyze the heavy metals in pond water
and their impact on the water quality and fish species inhabiting these ponds. The water
samples were collected for a period of one year (July’16- June’17) and the fish samples were
collected seasonally (autumn, winter and summer) from three sites i.e. ponds of villages Kila
Raipur and Lohatbaddi; and Fish Farm Complex in Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal
Sciences University (GADVASU) of district Ludhiana. Analysis of physicochemical
parameters of water samples revealed decreased dissolved oxygen and increased BOD, free
carbon dioxide and total alkalinity, indicating high pollution load in ponds of villages
Lohatbaddi and Kila Raipur. Heavy metal accumulation in water samples varied seasonally
where zinc was maximally accumulated, while cadmium was least. The heavy metals were
greatly accumulated in village pond of Kila Raipur as compared to the other sites. Though the
presence of heavy metals was detected in gills, liver and flesh from fish species collected
from all sites, samples collected from pond of Lohatbaddi showed highest bioaccumulation of
metals in fish with the liver recording greatest value for heavy metals. The haematological
indices TEC and Hb were found to exhibit significant decline (P<0.05) whereas TLC
depicted significant increase (P<0.05) in all fishes inhabiting the ponds of two villages.
Histological examination of gills showed ruptured secondary lamellae and severe necrosis and
vacuolization was observed in the liver of fish species collected from ponds of Lohatbaddi
and Kila Raipur, flesh of fish species also showed significant histopathological alterations.
The present study, therefore, indicated that environmental contaminants systematically disturb
the aquatic ecosystem, leading to accumulation of toxicants like heavy metals, which induce
severe physiological and histological changes in fish tissues, posing a significant potential
health risk to humans from fish consumption.
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