Abstract:
Assessment of heavy metals in soils is important in context of human health as these may either pollute the agricultural crops or may move deeper into the groundwater. There has been no such work been carried out in the soils of Mewat district. In the present study, to investigate the soil heavy metal pollution characteristics 15 samples and 3 typical soil profiles were collected from 2 blocks of Mewat district, Haryana and were analyzed for contents of Arsenic (As), copper(Cu), cadmium (Cd), zinc(Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and nickel(Ni). Concentrations of As, Cd and Ni in soils are less than their toxicity levels while concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu are found exceeding the toxicity levels. Based on the results, soil in the study area is polluted by heavy metals viz. Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. According to principal component analysis, distinct groups of heavy metals were discriminated between natural or anthropogenic sources.
