Ganga river sediments; GDS: Ganga delta sediment; UCC: upper continental crust; MoE: Ministry of Environment; USEPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
a Singh et al. (2003).
b Datta and Subramanian (1998).
c McLennan (2001).
d McDonald et al. (2000).
Table 2.5 Heavy metal content in various species of the Kanwar wetland.
| Species | Cr (mg/kg) | Mn (mg/kg) | Cu (mg/kg) | Zn (mg/kg) | Pb (mg/kg) | Cd (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrilla | 111–164 | 116–148 | 38.5–55 | 9.6–12.85 | 133–158 | 0.89–0.98 |
| Eichhornia | 172–224 | 72–88 | 48–72 | 8.0–18 | 212–252 | 1.8–2.8 |
| Lotus | 28–46 | 26–42 | 12–31 | 6.0–22 | 114–163 | 1.02–1.8 |
| Fish | 22–36 | 12.0–26 | 5.3–21.5 | 6.24–20 | 146–172 | 0.97–1 |
| Sorghum | 58–92 | 12.6–23 | 22.5–52 | 4.0–15 | 217–264 | 1.01–1.26 |
| Wheat | 38.3–42 | 24–25.7 | 27.2–39 | 8.52–9.63 | 95.9–101 | 0.98–1.25 |
| Maize | 32–34.41 | 16.5–19 | 15.2–16.9 | 7.15–8.27 | 89–111 | 0.97–1.1 |
| Rice | 42–46.63 | 8.14–8.93 | 23–25.44 | 5.5–6.2 | 101–105 | 0.9–1.15 |
| Permissible limit | 1a | 1b | 30b | 50b | 5c | 0.3c |
| Indian Standardd | 20 | NA | 30 | 50 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
NA: not available.
a GB2762 (2012).
b CODEX (2001).
c FAO/WHO (2011).
d Awashthi (2000).
Figure 2.10 Health risk index of heavy metals via cultivated crop grains in the Kanwar wetland.
2.3.7 Socio‐Economic Dependence and Anthropogenic Pressure
The economy of the nearby population is significantly dependent on the wetland resource. It was recorded that 70.1% of the population was directly involved in agricultural activities inside the wetland area during the lean period. Sometimes, their activity extended throughout the year if there was no flooding. The major crops cultivated were sugarcane, sorghum, maize, wheat, and paddy. During agriculture, a large number of chemical fertilizers of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK), biofertilizers, and different chemicals including pesticides/insecticides and herbicides were commonly used. The range of chemical fertilizer application varied from 170.97 to 864.85 kg/ha, while biofertilizer application was recorded between 350 and 635 kg/ha. Chemical fertilizers were used two to three times for each cultivated crop, whereas biofertilizers were used once at the time of cultivation. However, the maximum cultivators (61.22%) were not satisfied with the yield of crops.
The activity of bird poaching, practices to drain out the water, young fish dying due to pollution, and overexploitation of other resources like water, fish, and land were commonly recorded during the survey. The range of vegetation biomass collection was in the range of 75–210 kg/day/head, while the fish catch was highly variable with the season, ranging from 20–60 kg/day/head.
2.3.7.1 Demographic Status and Literacy
The change in village‐wise population and number of households among ten villages between 2001 and 2011 is summarized in Table 2.6. The increase in population and number of households were largest at Kanausi and smallest at Manikpur villages. Whereas, the annual rate
