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Has irrigated water from Mahaweli River contributed to the kidney disease of uncertain etiology in the dry zone of Sri Lanka?

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Abstract

The Mahaweli is the largest river basin in Sri Lanka that provides water to the dry zone region through multipurpose irrigation schemes . Selenium, arsenic, cadmium, and other bioimportant trace elements in surface waters of the upper Mahaweli River were measured using ICP-MS. Trace element levels were then compared with water from two other rivers (Maha Oya, Kalu Ganga) and from six dry zone irrigation reservoirs. Results showed that the trace metal concentrations in the Mahaweli upper catchment were detected in the order of Fe > Cu > Zn > Se > Cr > Mn > As > Ni > Co > Mo. Remarkably high levels of Ca, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, As, and Se were observed in the Mahaweli Basin compared to other study rivers. Considerably high levels of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Se were found in upstream tributaries of the Mahaweli River. Such metals possibly originated from phosphate and organic fertilizers that are heavily applied for tea and vegetable cultivations within the drainage basin. Cadmium that is often attributed to the etiology of unknown chronic kidney diseases in certain parts of the dry zone is much lower than previously reported levels. Decrease in these metals in the lower part of the Mahaweli River could be due to adsorption of trace metals onto sediment and consequent deposition in reservoirs.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Research Council (NRC), Sri Lanka research Grant (NRC 12-102) offered to RC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    Saranga Diyabalanage

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    Sumith Abekoon & Rohana Chandrajith

  3. National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan

    Sumith Abekoon & Keerthi S. Guruge

  4. Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwa-cho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Izumi Watanabe, Chie Watai & Yuko Ono

  5. Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Sri Lanka

    Saman Wijesekara

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  1. Saranga Diyabalanage
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  2. Sumith Abekoon
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Correspondence to Keerthi S. Guruge or Rohana Chandrajith.

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Diyabalanage, S., Abekoon, S., Watanabe, I. et al. Has irrigated water from Mahaweli River contributed to the kidney disease of uncertain etiology in the dry zone of Sri Lanka?. Environ Geochem Health 38, 679–690 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-015-9749-1

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