Heavy metal pollution around the island city of Bombay, India. Part II: distribution of heavy metals between water, suspended particles and sediments in a polluted aquatic regime

The island city of Bombay is surrounded by Thane creek in the east and Ulhas river on the north. These two aquatic regimes act as receptacles of industrial waste and sewage discharges from the city and also lithogenic fluxes from the adjacent basaltic terrain.

Two consecutive sets of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon samples of water, suspended solids and sediments were collected from the intertidal zone of Thane Creek and along the Ulhas River. These were analysed for toxic heavy metals such as Fe. Mn, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Hg and Cd and the degree of metal contamination was determined. Using this data the pattern and mechanism of distribution of heavy metals in water, suspended solids and sediments were investigated. These are closely related to discharges of industrial effluents and domestic sewage and largely controlled by basic geochemical processes.