PJB-2023-159
STRESS MITIGATION BY RIPARIAN FLORA IN INDUSTRIAL CONTAMINATED AREA OF RIVER CHENAB PUNJAB, PAKISTAN
TOQEER ABBAS
Abstract
Abstract
Faisalabad is a major industrial area in Pakistan's Punjab province that discharges wastewater into the Chenab River. As in other parts of the world, industrial effluents from Faisalabad industries were predicted to pose a significant threat to the riparian vegetation of the River Chenab and nearby vegetation of three drains carrying effluents from industry to the River Chenab. The interplay of soil, water, and vegetation components in riparian ecosystems determines their ecological significance. Heavy metal pollution in plants, water, and soil is one of the world's major issues that must be addressed, as heavy metals above their normal levels are extremely hazardous to both riparian vegetation and animal life. Heavy metals like Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were found in water, soil, and plant samples collected from ten different locations (one non-polluted, nine polluted). The results indicated a high level of pollution in drains carrying industrial effluents as well as inside the river in the form of salinity, metal toxicity, TSS, TDS, SAR, acidic and alkaline nature of industrial drainage, and a spread of industrial effluents up to 15 square kilometres inside the river Chenab. Despite higher levels of pollution, four plants were found growing at all sites: Calotropis procera, Phyla nodiflora, Eclipta alba, and Ranunculus sceleratus. It was discovered that the majority of the chosen plants were phytoaccumulators with the aforementioned strategies, making them best suited to survive in harsh environments such as industrial pollution. The level of Fe concentration in plant components was highest along Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cu, all of which were above the WHO permissible limits. Metal Transfer Factor (MTF) was higher in most of the studied plants, and even exceeded 10 at some affected sites in studied plants. Calotropis procera was found to be the most suitable plant for growth on drains and at river sites as well, as it showed the highest importance value across the sites and seasons.
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