Skip to main content
Article | Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution | Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2021 | 74-86 | https://doi.org/10.53623/tasp.v1i2.20
© 2021 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Level and Distribution of Heavy Metals in Miri River, Malaysia

Author(s): Amit Kumar Maharjan 1 , Dick Rong En Wong 2 , Rubiyatno Rubiyatno 3
Author(s) information:
1 Interdisciplinary Centre for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Japan
2 Faculty of Engineering and Science, Curtin University, CDT250 Miri 98009, Malaysia
3 Integrated Graduate School of Medicine, Engineering, and Agricultural Sciences, University of Yamanashi, Japan

Corresponding author

Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution

Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2021

 About the journal
Submit your article
The heavy metals pollution in the water resource has become a serious and hazardous environmental problem all over the world because of non-biodegradability, emanating from multiple sources, easy accumulation, and biological toxicity. This research was carried out to study the level and distribution of heavy metals at different sampling locations (upstream, midstream, and downstream), at different depths (0.5 m and 1.5 m from surface water level), and during low tide and high tide conditions in the Miri River of Miri City in Malaysia. The river water samples were collected and analyzed for Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Concentration of Ca was found to be the highest in the Miri River, followed by Mg and Fe, and with traces of Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Increment in the concentration of heavy metals, such as Cu, Mg, and Ni, was observed while flowing from upstream to downstream of the Miri River. Concentration of heavy metals, such as Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn, were clearly lower at 1.5 m depth than at 0.5 m depth. High tides in the river decreased the concentration of heavy metals, such as Ca, Cu, Mn, and Ni, than during low tides. From this research, it gets clear that using the Miri River water for domestic and recreational purposes, washing, and fishing is detrimental to human health and the environment.
Read Full-Text
Previous article
Next article

Carpenter S.R.; Caraco N.F.; Correll D.L.; Howarth R.W.; Sharpley A.N.; Smith V.H. (1998). Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen. Ecological Application, 8, 559–568. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1998)008[0559:NPOSWW]2.0.CO;2.

Demirak A.; Yilmaz F.; Levent Tuna A.; Ozdemir N. (2006). Heavy metals in water, sediment and tissues of Leuciscus cephalus from a stream in southwestern Turkey. Chemosphere, 63, 1451–1458. ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.09.033.

Unesco WWAP (2017). Wastewater: The untapped resource, Paris. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002471/247153e.pdf.

Abbaspour S. (2011) Water quality in developing countries, South Asia, South Africa, Water quality management and activities that cause water pollution. In International Conference on Environmental and Agriculture Engineering, IACSIT Press, Singapore; pp. 94–102.

Afroz R.; Masud M.M.; Akhtar R.; Duasa J.B. (2014). Water pollution: Challenges and future direction for water resource management policies in Malaysia. Environmental Urban ASIA, 5, 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0975425314521544.

Arefin M.A.; Mallik A. (2017). Sources and causes of water pollution in Bangladesh: A technical overview. Bibechana, 15, 97–112. https://doi.org/10.3126/bibechana.v15i0.18688.

Abbas Alkarkhi F.M.; Ismail N.; Easa A.M. (2008). Assessment of arsenic and heavy metal contents in cockles (Anadara granosa) using multivariate statistical techniques. Journal of Hazardous Materieals, 150, 783–789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2007.05.035.

Fan H.; Chen S.; Li Z.; Liu P.; Xu C.; Yang X. (2020). Assessment of heavy metals in water, sediment and shellfish organisms in typical areas of the Yangtze River Estuary, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 151,. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110864.

Strungaru S.A.; Nicoara M.; Teodosiu C.; Baltag E.; Ciobanu C.; Plavan G. (2018). Patterns of toxic metals bioaccumulation in a cross-border freshwater reservoir. Chemosphere, 207, 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.05.079.

Tariq S.R.; Shah M.H.; Shaheen N.; Khalique A.; Manzoor S.; Jaffar M. (2006). Multivariate analysis of trace metal levels in tannery effluents in relation to soil and water: A case study from Peshawar, Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Management, 79, 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.05.009.

Dawson E.J.; Macklin M.G. (1998). Speciation of heavy metals in floodplain and flood sediments: a reconnaissance survey of the Aire Valley, West Yorkshire, Great Britain. Environmental. Geochemistry and. Health, 20, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006541724394.

Wagner A.; Boman J. (2003). Biomonitoring of trace elements in muscle and liver tissue of freshwater fish. Spectrochimica Acta - Part B Atomic Spectroscopy, 58, 2215–2226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2003.05.003.

WHO (2011). Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th ed., World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Martin S.; Griswold W. (2009). Human health effects of heavy metals. Environmental Science and Technology Briefs from Citizens, 15, 1–6.

Rehman K.; Fatima F.; Waheed I.; Akash M.S.H. (2018). Prevalence of exposure of heavy metals and their impact on health consequences. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 119, 157–184. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.26234.

Kim H.S.; Kim Y.J.; Seo Y.R. (2015) An overview of carcinogenic heavy metal: Molecular toxicity mechanism and prevention. Journal of Cancer Prevention, 20, 232–240. https://doi.org/10.15430/jcp.2015.20.4.232.

Tutic A.; Novakovic S.; Lutovac M.; Biocanin R.; Ketin S.; Omerovic N. (2015). The heavy metals in agrosystems and impact on health and quality of life. Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 3, 345–355. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2015.048.

Chaoua S.; Boussaa S.; El Gharmali A.; Boumezzough A. (2019). Impact of irrigation with wastewater on accumulation of heavy metals in soil and crops in the region of Marrakech in Morocco. Journal of Saudi Society of Agricultural Science, 18, 429–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2018.02.003.

Sandeep G.; Vijayalatha K.R.; Anitha T. (2019). Heavy metals and its impact in vegetable crops. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 7, 1612–1621.

Huang Y.F.; Ang S.Y.; Lee K.M.; Lee T.S. (2015). Quality of water resources in Malaysia, In Research and Practices in Water Quality, pp. 65–94. https://doi.org/10.5772/58969.

Prasanna M. V.; Praveena S.M.; 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, 1987–2001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1639-6.

Rice, E.W.; Baird, R.B.; Eaton, A.D. (1999). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th ed.; American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, Water Environment Federation, Washington DC, USA.

Awa, S.H.; Hadibarata, T. (2020). Removal of Heavy Metals in Contaminated Soil by Phytoremediation Mechanism: a Review. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 231, 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-4426-0.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia (2014). National water quality standards for Malaysia. http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/law/malaysia/eq_surface.htm.

Nargund S.; Qiu J.; Goudar C.T. (2015). Elucidating the role of copper in CHO cell energy metabolism using 13C metabolic flux analysis. Biotechnology Progress, 31, 1179–1186. https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.2131.

Dalecki A.G.; Crawford C.L.; Wolschendorf F. (2017). Copper and antibiotics: Discovery, modes of action, and opportunities for medicinal applications, 1st ed., Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ampbs.2017.01.007.

Pontin K.P.; Borges K.A.; Furian T.Q.; Carvalho D.; Wilsmann D.E.; Cardoso H.R.P.; Alves A.K.; Chitolina G.Z.; Salle C.T.P.; Moraes H.L. de S.; do Nascimento V.P. (2021). Antimicrobial activity of copper surfaces against biofilm formation by Salmonella Enteritidis and its potential application in the poultry industry. Food Microbiology, 94, 103645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2020.103645.

Zhang R.; Gu J.; Wang X.; Li Y.; Liu J.; Lu C.; Qiu L. (2019). Response of antibiotic resistance genes abundance by graphene oxide during the anaerobic digestion of swine manure with copper pollution. Science and Total Environment, 654, 292–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.094.

Zhang Y.; Zhou J.; Dong Z.; Li G.; Wang J.; Li Y.; Wan D.; Yang H.; Yin Y. (2019). Effect of dietary copper on intestinal microbiota and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli in weaned piglets. Frontier in Microbiology, 10, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02808.

USEPA (2007). Aquatic life ambient freshwater quality criteria - copper. R https://www.epa.gov/wqc/aquatic-life-criteria-copper.

Ong C.; Ibrahim S.; Sen Gupta B. (2007). A survey of tap water quality in Kuala Lumpur. Urban Water Journal, 4, 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15730620601145923.

Del Olmo G.; Ahmad A.; Jensen H.; Karunakaran E.; Rosales E.; Calero Preciado C.; Gaskin P.; Douterelo I. (2020). Influence of phosphate dosing on biofilms development on lead in chlorinated drinking water bioreactors. Biofilms and Microbiomes, 6, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-020-00152-w.

Wogu M.D.; Okaka C.E. (2011). Pollution studies on Nigerian rivers: Heavy metals in surface water of Warri river, Delta State. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Science, 1, 7–12.

Shanbehzadeh S.; Vahid Dastjerdi M.; Hassanzadeh A.; Kiyanizadeh T. (2014). Heavy metals in water and sediment: A case study of Tembi River. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2014, 858720. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/858720.

Hadibarata, T.; Kristanti, R.A.; Mahmoud, A.H. (2020). Occurrence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in river water and sediment of the Mahakam River. Journal of Water and Health, 18, 38-47, https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2019.100.

Kaushik A.; Kansal A.; Santosh; Meena; Kumari S.; Kaushik C.P. (2009). Heavy metal contamination of river Yamuna, Haryana, India: Assessment by metal enrichment factor of the sediments. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 164, 265–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.08.031.

Dippong T.; Mihali C.; Goga F.; Cical E. (2017). Seasonal evolution and depth variability of heavy metal concentrations in the water of Firiza-Strimtori Lake, NW of Romania. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Chemia, 62, 213–228. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2017.1.19.

Purnaini R.; Sudarmadji; Purwono S. (2018). Tidal influence on water quality of Kapuas Kecil River downstream. E3S Web Conference, 31, 04006. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20183104006.

Fu J.; Zhao C.; Luo Y.; Liu C.; Kyzas G.Z.; Luo Y.; Zhao D.; An S.; Zhu H. (2014). Heavy metals in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China: Their relations to environmental factors. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 270, 102–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.01.044.

Bartoli G.; Papa S.; Sagnella E.; Fioretto A. (2012). Heavy metal content in sediments along the Calore river: Relationships with physical-chemical characteristics. Journal of Environmental Management, 95, S9–S14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.02.013.

Kadhum S.A.; Ishak M.Y.; Zulkifli S.Z.; Hashim R.B. (2017). Investigating geochemical factors affecting heavy metal bioaccessibility in surface sediment from Bernam River, Malaysia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24, 12991–13003. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8833-8.

Zhang W.; Feng H.; Chang J.; Qu J.; Xie H.; Yu L. (2009). Heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Yangtze River intertidal zone: An assessment from different indexes. Environmental Pollution, 157, 1533–1543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2009.01.007.

Li H.; Shi A.; Li M.; Zhang X. (2013). Effect of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and flow rate of overlying water on heavy metals release from storm sewer sediments. Journal of Chemistry, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/434012.

Read Full-Text
About this article

SUBMITTED: 22 July 2021
ACCEPTED: 01 September 2021
PUBLISHED: 25 October 2021
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 41 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/tasp.v1i2.20

Cite this article
Maharjan, A. K., Wong, D. R. E., & Rubiyatno, R. (2021). Level and Distribution of Heavy Metals in Miri River, Malaysia. Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution, 1(2), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.53623/tasp.v1i2.20
Keywords
Heavy metals rainwater roof-collected seasonal physicochemical analysis
Accessed
2168
Citations
0
Share this article