Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial Distributions, Sources and Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Waters of a Central Asian Basin

  • Published:
Water Resources Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We measured selected toxic element concentrations in surface water samples of the Ili-Balkhash Basin to obtain current contaminant levels. Fe, Cu, Zn, As and Pb were the most abundant toxic elements in basin waters, whereas Ni and Co were less abundant. Concentrations in water samples were generally within international water quality standards, with a few exceptions (high Cu, Pb and As in lake waters). These pollution hotspots were associated with the presence of industrial and domestic effluents, revealed by spatial distribution maps. Correlation and principal component analysis classified four pollutant groups and their sources, which were both natural and anthropogenic. Moreover, highly polluted waters at headwater areas were associated to atmospheric transport and deposition. The water quality indices denoted that river waters are suitable for irrigation and drinking, while lake waters demand remedial measures. A health risk assessment indicated that non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks in river waters were below threshold values, whereas lake water samples surpassed safe limits, and As was identified as a potential hazard, suggesting that consumption of lake water may cause adverse health effects in local inhabitants. Thus, regular monitoring and regulation, particularly of As in the lake, should be implemented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Abadi M, Zamani A, Parizanganeh A, Khosravi Y, Badiee H (2018) Heavy metals and arsenic content in water along the southern Caspian coasts in Iran. Environ Sci Pollut R 25(24):23725–23735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cánovas CR, Olías M, Nieto JM, Galván L (2010) Wash-out processes of evaporitic sulfate salts in the Tinto river: hydrogeochemical evolution and environmental impact. Appl Geochem 25(2):288–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan W, Zou S, Chen Y, Nover D, Fang G, Wang Y (2020) Sustainable water management for cross-border resources: The Balkhash Lake Basin of Central Asia, 1931–2015. J Clean Prod 263:121614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emenike PGC, Tenebe IT, Neris JB, Omole DO, Afolayan O, Okeke CU, Emenike IK (2020) An integrated assessment of land-use change impact, seasonal variation of pollution indices and human health risk of selected toxic elements in sediments of River Atuwara, Nigeria. Environ Pollut 265:114795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira MDS, Fontes MPF, Pacheco AA, Lima HN, Santos JZL (2020) Risk assessment of trace elements pollution of Manaus urban rivers. Sci Total Environ 709:134471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaillardet J, Viers J, Dupré B (2003) Trace elements in river waters. Treatise on Geochemistry 5:225–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habib MA, Islam ARMT, Bodrud-Doza M, Mukta FA, Khan R, Siddique MAB, Phoungthong K, Techato K (2020) Simultaneous appraisals of pathway and probable health risk associated with trace metals contamination in groundwater from Barapukuria coal basin. Bangladesh Chemosphere 242:125183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Islam ARMT, Islam HMT, Mia MU, Khan R, Habib MA, Bodrud-Doza M, Siddique MAB, Chu R (2020) Co-distribution, possible origins, status and potential health risk of trace elements in surface water sources from six major river basins. Bangladesh Chemosphere 249:126180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph L, Jun BM, Flora JRV, Park CM, Yoon Y (2019) Removal of heavy metals from water sources in the developing world using low-cost materials: A review. Chemosphere 229:142–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karan SK, Samadder SR (2016) Reduction of spatial distribution of risk factors for transportation of contaminants released by coal mining activities. J Environ Manage 180:280–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karthe D, Abdullaev I, Boldgiv B, Borchardt D, Chalov S, Jarsjö J, Li L, Nittrouer JA (2017) Water in Central Asia: an integrated assessment for science-based management. Environ Earth Sci 76:690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelepertzis E (2014) Accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils of Mediterranean: insights from Argolida basin. Peloponnese Greece Geoderma 221:82–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krupa E, Barinova S, Aubakirova M (2020) Tracking pollution and its sources in the catchment-lake system of major waterbodies in Kazakhstan. Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 25(1):18–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kulmatov R, Hojamberdiev M (2010) Distribution of heavy metals in atmospheric air of the arid zones in Central Asia. Air Qual Atmos Health 3(4):183–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon JC, Léopold EN, Jung MC, Emmanuel EG, Israël ML, Kim KH (2012) Impact assessment of heavy metal pollution in the municipal lake water, Yaounde, Cameroon. Geosci J 16(2):193–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin L, Dong L, Wang Z, Li C, Liu M, Li Q, Crittenden JC(2020) Hydrochemical composition, distribution, and sources of typical organic pollutants and metals in Lake Bangong Co, Tibet.Environ Sci Pollut R1–12

  • Liu W, Ma L, Li Y, Abuduwaili J (2020) Heavy metals and related human health risk assessment for river waters in the Issyk-Kul Basin, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. Int J Environ Res Pu 17(10):3506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo X, Yu S, Zhu Y, Li X (2012) Trace metal contamination in urban soils of China. Sci Total Environ 421 – 422: 17 – 30

  • Nurtazin S, Pueppke S, Ospan T, Mukhitdinov A, Elebessov T (2020) Quality of drinking water in the Balkhash District of Kazakhstan’s Almaty region. Water 12(2):392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opp C, Groll M, Aslanov I, Lotz T, Vereshagina N (2017) Aeolian dust deposition in the southern Aral Sea region (Uzbekistan): Ground-based monitoring results from the LUCA project. Quatern Int 429:86–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey B, Agrawal M, Singh S (2016) Ecological risk assessment of soil contamination by trace elements around coal mining area. J Soil Sediment 16(1):159–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasanna MV, Praveena SM, Chidambaram S, Nagarajan R, Elayaraja A (2012) Evaluation of water quality pollution indices for heavy metal contamination monitoring: a case study from Curtin Lake, Miri City, East Malaysia. Environ Earth Sci 67(7):1987–2001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Propastin P (2012) Problems of water resources management in the drainage basin of Lake Balkhash with respect to political development. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Climate Change and the Sustainable Use of Water Resources. Climate Change Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 449–461

    Google Scholar 

  • Rzymski P, Klimaszyk P, Niedzielski P, Marszelewski W, Borowiak D, Nowiński K, Baikenzheyeva A, Kurmanbayev R, Aladin N (2019) Pollution with trace elements and rare-earth metals in the lower course of Syr Darya River and Small Aral Sea. Kaz Chemosphere 234:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sala R, Deom JM, Aladin NV, Plotnikov IS, Nurtazin S (2020) Geological history and present conditions of Lake Balkhash. In: Mischke S (ed) Large Asian Lakes in a Changing World. Springer Water. Springer, Cham, pp 143–175

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shen B, Wu J, Zhan S, Saparov AS, Abuduwaili J (2021a) Spatial variations and controls on the hydrochemistry of surface waters across the Ili-Balkhash Basin, arid Central Asia. J Hydrol 600:126565

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen B, Wu J, Zhan S, Jin M (2021b) Residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in waters of the Ili-Balkhash Basin, arid Central Asia: concentrations and risk assessment. Chemosphere, p 129705

  • Shil S, Singh UK (2019) Health risk assessment and spatial variations of dissolved heavy metals and metalloids in a tropical river basin system. Ecol Indic 106:105455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh UK, Kumar B (2017) Pathways of heavy metals contamination and associated human health risk in Ajay River basin, India. Chemosphere, 174: 183–199

  • Tilekova ZT, Oshakbaev MT, Khaustov AP (2016) Assessing the geoecological state of ecosystems in the Balkhash region. Geogr Nat Resour 37(1):79–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thevs N, Nurtazin S, Beckmann V, Salmyrzauli R, Khalil A (2017) Water consumption of agriculture and natural ecosystems along the Ili River in China and Kazakhstan. Water 9(3):207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Todorova Y, Lincheva S, Yotinov I, Topalova Y (2016) Contamination and ecological risk assessment of long-term polluted sediments with heavy metals in small hydropower cascade. Water Resour Manage 30(12):4171–4184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (2018a) Exposure Assessment Tools by Media-Water and Sediment. https://www.epa.gov/expobox/exposure-assessment-tools-media-water-andsediment. Accessed 8 December 2018

  • USEPA (2018b) National Recommended Water Quality Criteria - Aquatic Life Criteria Table. https://www.epa.gov/wqc/national-recommended-water-quality-criteria-aquatic-life-criteria-table#table. Accessed 8 December 2018

  • Varol M (2019) Arsenic and trace metals in a large reservoir: Seasonal and spatial variations, source identification and risk assessment for both residential and recreational users. Chemosphere 228:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Liu G, Liu H, Lam PK (2017) Multivariate statistical evaluation of dissolved trace elements and a water quality assessment in the middle reaches of Huaihe River, Anhui, China. Sci Total Environ 583:421–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2017) Guidelines for drinking water quality, 4rd edn. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao J, Jin Z, Wang J (2014) Geochemistry of trace elements and water quality assessment of natural water within the Tarim River Basin in the extreme arid region, NW China. J Geochem Explor 136:118–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao J, Wang L, Deng L, Jin Z (2019) Characteristics, sources, water quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in river water and well water in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Sci Total Environ 650:2004–2012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu S, Lang Y, Zhong J, Xiao M, Ding H (2020) Coupled controls of climate, lithology and land use on dissolved trace elements in a karst river system. J Hydrol 591:125328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Song X, Zhang Y, Han D, Tang C, Yu Y, Ma Y (2012) Hydrochemical characteristics and water quality assessment of surface water and groundwater in Songnen plain, Northeast China. Water Res 46(8):2737–2748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Jlili A, Jiang F (2015) Heavy metal contamination, sources, and pollution assessment of surface water in the Tianshan Mountains of China. Environ Monit Assess 187(2):33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu T, Wang X, Lin H, Ren J, Wang C, Gong P (2020) Accumulation of pollutants in proglacial lake sediments: impacts of glacial meltwater and anthropogenic activities. Environ Sci Tech 54(13):7901–7910

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia for assistance with this work and Yuqing Wu for assistance with data processing. We also thank Mark Brenner for editorial help.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2003202), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Pan-Third Pole Environment Study for a Green Silk Road (XDA2006030101).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, 225127, Yangzhou, China

    Beibei Shen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Jinglu Wu, Shuie Zhan & Miao Jin

  3. Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011, Urumqi, China

    Jinglu Wu

Authors
  1. Beibei Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jinglu Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shuie Zhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Miao Jin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: Jinglu Wu; Methodology: Beibei Shen; Formal analysis and investigation: Beibei Shen, Jinglu Wu, Shuie Zhan, Miao Jin; Writing - original draft preparation: Beibei Shen; Writing - review and editing: Beibei Shen, Jinglu Wu, Shuie Zhan, Miao Jin; Funding acquisition: Jinglu Wu; Supervision: Jinglu Wu.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinglu Wu.

Ethics declarations

Competing Interests

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethical Approval

This work didn’t involve human participants or animals; the authors comply with other ethical standards.

Consent

All authors made substantial contributions to the work, approved the manuscript before submission, and the version to be published.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shen, B., Wu, J., Zhan, S. et al. Spatial Distributions, Sources and Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Waters of a Central Asian Basin. Water Resour Manage 36, 6187–6203 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-022-03348-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-022-03348-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation