Contamination of Estuary Water of Ship Breaking Activities in Sitakund Region, Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate hydrogeochemistry and its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes and to determine the contamination of estuary water of ship breaking activities in Sitakunda region, Chittagong, Bangladesh. The study was carried out by in-situ field measurement of physical parameters while chemical parameters were followed by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) methods of laboratory analyses of 12 estuary water samples. The result shows that the PH value was average 7.08 indicated neutral water while Eh, EC, TDS and TH value was average -24.65 mv, 8586.5 μS/cm, 5495.36 μS/cm  and 432.41 mg/l respectively, indicated that the estuary water is not safe and suitable for domestic and irrigation purposes. Inferential statistical results were depicted that a strong positive correlation (ρ) between the parameters such as EC, TDS, TH, Ca2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, Br2-, SO42-, PO42-, NO3-  while negative correlation (ρ) were existed between Mg2+ and HCO3-. According to most abundance of major cations were Na+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+ whereas major anions were Cl->SO42->HCO3->Br->NO3->PO4-. The concentration of cations and anions in the study area exceeded drinking standards according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Directorate of Environment (DOE), Bangladesh. Irrigation quality index (SAR and PI) indicated that the quality of water is not suitable for irrigation. The origin of solutes in estuary water was influenced by chloride dissolution, although weathering of silicate and cation exchange also added to the water chemistry. This is not conclusive but it may be suggested that the sampled water is not ionically balanced and is highly contaminated due to ship breaking activities.