Assessment of urban pollution from heavy metals concentration in road dust in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Telangana State, India

Abstract

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is witnessing fast urbanization characterized by rapid urban sprawl, population growth, infrastructural construction, industrialization and motorization, which is leading to environmental degradation, placing human health at risk. Presently, heavy metals in road dusts are used as proxies to illustrate environmental changes of GHMC area. In this study 307 dust samples were collected along the roads of GHMC in one season of the year 2014.Further, measurements like Magnetic susceptibility(χ), Anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) and Isothermal Remanent Magnetization (IRM), on these samples have revealed high concentration of magnetic minerals like magnetite and hematite in the urban road dust. The results indicate increasing trends, though not steady, in traffic and industry contributed pollution. Regular measurement and monitoring of these pollution markers in different seasons and for longer periods can help understand area-wise ill-effects of the present trend of urbanization and therefore guide the city planners and rulers.