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Anthropogenic and Agricultural Impact on Hydrocarbon Contamination in the Ganga-Yamuna Confluence, Prayagraj, India

Ruchi Agnihotri,Sanjay Dwivedi,Ravi Kumar Tiwari,Seema Mishra,Tuhina Verma

Published 2025 in International Journal of Plant and Environment

ABSTRACT

The Ganga, one of the major rivers of northern India, originates in the Himalayas and flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, supporting diverse ecological and human activities. Spanning 2,525 km, the river receives significant urban discharge and agricultural runoff, impacting its water quality. This study assesses water quality and pesticide contamination in the middle stretch of the river, focusing on the Sangam area of Prayagraj. The analysis revealed distinct variations in physico-chemical properties, cation and anion concentrations, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs), trihalomethanes (THMs), bromate, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), common pesticides, and trace toxic elements among the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sangam waters. The concentrations of CHCs and THMs were relatively high in the Ganga, whereas PAHs and bromate levels were elevated in the Sangam waters. Further, PAH levels were high in Sangam, exceeding acceptable limits, with naphthalene concentrations approximately 14 times higher than in the Ganga and Yamuna. CHC levels were highest in the Ganga, while dieldrin in the Yamuna exceeded BIS limits. Among hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers, α-, β-, and δ-HCH exceeded permissible levels, whereas γ-HCH remained within limits in Ganga. Most pesticides, including malathion, ethion, parathion-methyl, and endosulfan-II, were within acceptable thresholds, except atrazine, which was nearly twice the permissible level in the Yamuna. PCBs were mostly undetectable, except for PCB-28, PCB-153, and PCB-209, which were present in the Ganga and Yamuna, but at lower levels in Sangam. Additionally, trihalomethanes such as chloroform, dibromochloromethane, and bromodichloromethane were detected at all sites. These findings highlight significant variations in pollutant levels in the Ganga, Yamuna, and their confluence at Sangam, underscoring the urgent need for more effective implementation of Namami Gange policies in the middle stretch of the Ganga to support its restoration and long-term sustainability.

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