Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Investigation of microplastic pollution in river Alaknanda stretch of Uttarakhand

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Microplastic pollution research is conducted at a rapid rate throughout the world. However, microplastics (MPs) research in the freshwater ecosystem especially riverine ecosystem is lacking in India. This study is the pioneer to explore the occurrence of MPs in an Indian river. For the present investigation a stretch of river Alaknanda which is a major stream of river Ganga was selected. This stretch was divided into five sampling sites from which five water samples and four sediment samples were collected. The samples were filtered, oxidized, density separated and finally studied under compound microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope. Further, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrum was also conducted to analyze the elemental status of the samples. The result of this research study recorded a total of 955 MPs. Among which 566 particles of the MPs were in water samples while 389 particles were found in sediment samples. In this study threads/fibers were the dominating type, i.e., 412 particles and particle size less than 1 mm was the most abundant type of MPs. Presence of such fine size of plastic particles increases the effect of exposure and interaction of particles with aquatic organisms and possesses a bigger threat for aquatic life. Metals like sodium, potassium, aluminum, calcium, titanium and magnesium were found attached with the MPs, indicating the potential risks to the living organisms.

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

Source: Google Earth

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrady, A. L. (2011). Microplastics in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 1596–1605.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, K., Holmes, L., & Turner, A. (2010). Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60, 2050–2055.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Besseling, E., Wegner, A., Foekema, E. M., Van, D. H. G. M. J., & Koelmans, A. A. (2013). Effects of microplastic on fitness and PCB bioaccumulation by the Lugworm Arenicola marina (L.). Environment Science and Technology, 47, 593–600.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Biginagwa, F. J., Mayoma, B. S., Shashoua, Y., Syberg, K., & Khan, F. R. (2016). First evidence of microplastics in the African Great Lakes: Recovery from Lake Victoria Nile perch and Nile tilapia. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42, 146–149.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bladwin, A., Corsi, S., & Mason, S. (2016). Plastic debris in 29 great lakes tributaries: Relations to watershed attributes and hydrology. Environmental Science and Technology, 50, 10377–10385.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, R. M., Waldron, S., Phoenix, V. R., & Lindsay, C. G. (2019). Microscopy and elemental analysis characterization of microplastics in sediments of a freshwater urban river in Scotland, UK. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26, 12491–1250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brennecke, D., Duarte, B., Paiva, F., Caçador, I., & Canning-Clode, J. (2016). Microplastics as vector for heavy metal contamination from the marine environment. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 178(5), 189–195.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Browne, M. A., Crump, P., Niven, S. J., Teuten, E., Tonkin, A., & Galleway, T. (2011). Accumulation of microplastic on shorelines worldwide: Sources and sinks. Environmental Science & Technology, 45, 9175–9179.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Halsband, C., & Galloway, T. S. (2011). Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 2588–2597.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Delle, S. A. (2001). Factors affecting sorption of organic compounds in natural sorbent/water systems and sorption coefficients for selected pollutants: A review. The Journal of Physics and Chemistry Reference Data, 30, 187–439.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobardaran, S., Schmidt, T. C., Nabipour, I., Khajeahmadi, N., Tajbakhsh, S., Saeedi, R., Mohammadi, M. J., Keshtkar, M., Khorsand, M., & Ghasemi, F. F. (2018). Characterization of plastic debris and association of metals with microplastics in coastline along the Persian Gulf. Water Management, 78, 649–658.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, P., & Nelson, K. (2013). Trophic level transfer of microplastic: Mytilus edulis (L.) to Carcinusmaenas (L.). Environmental Pollution, 177, 1–3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hidalgo, R. V., Gutow, L., Thompson, R. C., & Thiel, M. (2012). Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the methods used for identification and quantification. Environmental Science & Technology, 46, 3060–3075.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Imhof, H. K., Schmid, J., Niessner, R., Ivleva, N. P., & Laforsch, C. (2013). Contamination of beach sediments of a subalpine lake with microplastic particles. Current Biology, 23, 867–868.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jayasiri, H. B., Purushothaman, C. S., & Vennila, A. (2013). Quantitative analysis of plastic debris on recreational beaches in Mumbai, India. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 77, 107–112.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jeong, C. B., Won, E. J., Kang, H. M., Lee, M. C., Hwang, D. S., Hwang, U. K., Zhou, B., Souissi, S., Lee, S. J., & Lee, J. S. (2016). Microplastic size-dependent toxicity, oxidative stress induction, and p-JNK and p-p38 activation in the monogonont rotifer (Brachionus koreanus). Environmental Science and Technology, 50, 8849–8857.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karthik, R., Robin, R. S., Puevaja, R., Ganguly, D., Anandavelu, I., Raghuraman, R., Hariharan, G., Ramakrishna, A., & Ramesh, R. (2018). Microplastic along the beaches of southeast coast of India. Science of the Total Environment, 645, 1388–1399.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, S., Worch, E., & Knepper, T. P. (2015). Occurrence and spatial distribution of microplastics in river shore sediments of the Rhine-main area in Germany. Environmental Science & Technology, 49, 6070–6076.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, S., & Martin, W. (2018). Microplastics are contaminants of emerging concern in freshwater environments: An overview. Freshwater Microplastics: Emerging Environmental Contaminants, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 58, 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lahens, L., Strady, E., Kieu-Le, T. C., Dris, R., Boukerma, K., Rinnert, E., Gasperi, J., & Tassin, B. (2018). Macroplastic and microplastic contamination assessment of a tropical river (Saigon River, Vietnam) transversed by a developing megacity. Environment Pollution, 236, 661–671.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lebreton, L. C., Van Der Zwet, J., Damsteeg, J. W., Slat, B., Andrady, A., & Reisser, J. (2017). River plastic emissions to the world’s oceans. Nature Communications, 8(1), 1–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Massos, A., & Turner, A. (2017). Cadmium, lead and bromine in beached microplastics. Environmental Pollution, 227, 139–145.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Masura, J., Baker, J., Foster, G., Arthur, C., Herring, C. (2015). Laboratory methods for the analysis of microplastics in the marine environment: recommendations for quantifying synthetic particles in waters and sediments. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-48.

  • Moos, N. V., Holm, P. B., & Kohler, A. (2012). Uptake and effects of microplastics on cells and tissue of the Blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an experimental exposure. Environmental Science & Technology, 46, 11327-e11335.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, F., & Cowie, P. R. (2011). Plastic contamination in the decapods crustacean Nephropsnorvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 1207–1217.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Napper, I. E., Baroth, A., Barrett, A. C., Bhola, S., Chowdhury, G. W., Davies, B. F., Duncan, E. M., Kumar, S., Nelms, S. E., Niloy, M. N. H., Nishat, B., Maddalene, T., Thompson, R. C., & Koldewey, H. (2021). From sea to source: The abundance and characteristics of microplastics in surface water in the transboundary Ganges River. Environmental Pollution, 274, 116348.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy, M. S., Basha, S., Adimurthy, S., & Ramachandraiah, G. (2006). Description of the small plastics fragment in marine sediments along the Alang-Sosiys ship-breaking yard, India. Estuarine coastal and Shelf Science, 68, 656–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenkranz, P., Chaudhry, Q., Stone, V., & Fernandes, T. F. (2009). A comparison of nanoparticle and fine particle uptake by Daphnia magna. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 28, 2142–2149.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarkar, D. J., Sarkar, S. D., Das, B. K., Manna, R. K., Behera, B. K., & Samanta, S. (2019). Spatial distribution of meso and microplastics in the sediments of river Ganga at eastern India. Science of the Total Environment, 694, 133712.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer, C., Weber, A., Lambert, S., & Wagner, M. (2017). Interactions of microplastics with freshwater biota. Freshwater Microplastic, Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 58, 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Setälä, O., Fleming-Lehtinen, V., & Lehtiniemi, M. (2014). Ingestion and transfer of microplastics in the planktonic food web. Environmental Pollution, 185, 77–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N., Mondal, A., Bagri, A., Tiwari, E., Khandelwal, N., Monikh, F. A., & Darbha, G. K. (2021). Characteristics and spatial distribution of microplastics in the lower Ganga River water and sediment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 163, 111960.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sruthy, S., & Ramasamay, E. V. (2016). Microplastic pollution in Vembanad Lake, Kerala, India: the first report of microplastics in lake and estuarine sediments in India. Environmental Pollution, 222, 315–322.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. C. (2015). Microplastics in the marine environment: Sources, consequences and solutions. In L. Gutow, M. Klages, & M. Bergmann (Eds.), Marine anthropogenic litter. (pp. 185–200). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tudor, D. T., & Williams, A. T. (2004). Development of a ‘matrix scoring technique’ to determine litter sources at a Bristol channel beach. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 10, 119–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veerasingam, S., Saha, M., Suneel, V., Vethamony, P., Rodrigues, A. C., Bhattacharyya, S., & Naik, B. G. (2016). Characteristics, seasonal distribution and surface degradation features of microplastic pellets along the Goa coast, India. Chemosphere, 159, 496–505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Veerasingam, S., Mugilarasan, M., Venkatachalapathy, R., & Vethamony, P. (2016). Influence of 2015 flood on the distribution and occurrence of microplastic pellets along the Chennai coast, India. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 109, 196–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vidyasakar, A., Neelavannan, K., Krishnakumar, S., Prabaharan, G., Sathiyabama Alias Priyanka, T., Magesh, N. S., Godson, P. S., & Srinivasalu, S. (2018). Macrodebris and microplastic distribution in the beaches of Rameshwaram Coral Island, Gulf of Mannar, Southeast coast of India: A first report. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 137, 610–616.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., Peng, J., Tan, Z., Gao, Y., Zhan, Z., Chen, Q., & Cai, L. (2017). Microplastics in the surface sediments from the Beijiang River littoral zone: Composition, abundance, surface textures and interaction with heavy metals. Chemosphere, 171, 248–258.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, W., Ndungu, A. W., Li, Z., & Wang, J. (2017). Microplastics pollution in inland freshwaters of China: A case study in urban surface waters of Wuhan, China. Science of the Total Environment, 575, 1369–1374.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z. M., Wagner, J., Ghosal, S., Bedi, G., & Wall, S. (2017). SEM/EDS and optical microscopy analyses of microplastics in ocean trawl and fish guts. Science of The Total Environment, 603, 616–626.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, N., Zhang, Y., Zhao, Z., He, J., Li, W., Ma, Y., & Niu, Z. (2019). Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in the surface water and sediment of two typical estuariesin Bohai Bay, China. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 21, 1143–1155.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, P., Tang, Y., Dang, M., Wang, S., Jin, H., Liu, Y., Jing, H., Zheng, C., Yi, S., & Cai, Z. (2020). Spatial-temporal distribution of microplastics in surface water and sediments of Maozhou River within Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Science of the Total Environment, 717, 135187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, M., Nie, H., Xu, K., He, Y., Hu, Y., Huang, Y., & Wang, J. (2019). Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the Pearl River along Guangzhou city and Pearl River estuary, China. Chemosphere, 217, 879–886.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zbyszewski, M., & Corcoran, P. L. (2011). Distribution and degradation of fresh water plastic particles along the beaches of Lake Huron, Canada. Water Air Soil Pollution, 220, 365–372.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K., Gong, W., Lv, J., Xiong, X., & Wu, C. (2015). Accumulation of floating microplastics behind the three Gorges Dam. Environmental Pollution, 204, 117–123.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K., Su, J., Xiong, X., Wu, X., Wu, C., & Liu, J. (2016). Microplastic pollution of lakeshore sediments from remote lakes in Tibet plateau, China. Environmental Pollution, 219, 450–455.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

Research facilities received from USIC, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal university (A Central university) Srinagar Garhwal Uttarakhand, India, is gratefully acknowledged. Authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that helped us to improve this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Biodiversity Lab, Department of Himalayan Aquatic Biodiversity, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, 246174, India

    Jaspal Singh Chauhan, Deepti Semwal, Mamta Nainwal & Neha Badola

  2. Department of Instrumentation Engineering, H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, 246174, India

    Prashant Thapliyal

Authors
  1. Jaspal Singh Chauhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Deepti Semwal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mamta Nainwal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Neha Badola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Prashant Thapliyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jaspal Singh Chauhan.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

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

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 16 kb)

Supplementary file2 (DOCX 16 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chauhan, J.S., Semwal, D., Nainwal, M. et al. Investigation of microplastic pollution in river Alaknanda stretch of Uttarakhand. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 16819–16833 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01388-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01388-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation