Is the River Ganga a gigantic contributor to microplastic contamination in the groundwater ecosystem under the aegis of climatic extremes?

IF 4.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Journal of contaminant hydrology Pub Date : 2025-05-26 DOI:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2025.104623

Priyansha Gupta , Manish Kumar

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Abstract

This article examines how microplastics (MPs) may increasingly infiltrate the groundwater in the Indian Gangetic Floodplains (IGFP) due to rising pollution in the Ganga River. The study aims to clarify the connection between MPs and the use of agricultural plastics and their direct effects on groundwater quality. Explicit evidence indicates an increase in pollution loads, floods, and urbanization along the IGFP over time, correlating with a heightened likelihood of MPs accumulating in river waters, sediments, and eventually groundwater. Floodwaters can transport MPs downstream, posing a risk to major cities such as Patna and Kolkata along the IGFP. Despite the heavy reliance of the densely populated regions on groundwater for drinking, limited research is available on MPs' import through surface-groundwater interactions in India. Addressing this issue is both essential and urgent; immediate attention and mitigation strategies, such as improved waste management and urban planning, are needed.

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在极端气候的庇护下，恒河是地下水生态系统中微塑料污染的巨大贡献者吗？

本文研究了由于恒河污染加剧，微塑料（MPs）如何越来越多地渗入印度恒河洪泛平原（IGFP）的地下水。该研究旨在澄清MPs与农用塑料的使用之间的联系，以及它们对地下水质量的直接影响。明确的证据表明，随着时间的推移，IGFP沿线的污染负荷、洪水和城市化都在增加，这与MPs在河水、沉积物和最终地下水中积累的可能性增加有关。洪水可以将国会议员转移到下游，对沿IGFP的巴特那和加尔各答等主要城市构成威胁。尽管人口密集地区严重依赖地下水作为饮用水源，但在印度，通过地表水与地下水相互作用，对下院议员的进口进行的研究有限。解决这一问题既必要又紧迫；需要立即予以关注并采取缓解战略，例如改进废物管理和城市规划。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of contaminant hydrology 环境科学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

2.80%

发文量

129

审稿时长

68 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Contaminant Hydrology is an international journal publishing scientific articles pertaining to the contamination of subsurface water resources. Emphasis is placed on investigations of the physical, chemical, and biological processes influencing the behavior and fate of organic and inorganic contaminants in the unsaturated (vadose) and saturated (groundwater) zones, as well as at groundwater-surface water interfaces. The ecological impacts of contaminants transported both from and to aquifers are of interest. Articles on contamination of surface water only, without a link to groundwater, are out of the scope. Broad latitude is allowed in identifying contaminants of interest, and include legacy and emerging pollutants, nutrients, nanoparticles, pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, protozoa), microplastics, and various constituents associated with energy production (e.g., methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide). The journal''s scope embraces a wide range of topics including: experimental investigations of contaminant sorption, diffusion, transformation, volatilization and transport in the surface and subsurface; characterization of soil and aquifer properties only as they influence contaminant behavior; development and testing of mathematical models of contaminant behaviour; innovative techniques for restoration of contaminated sites; development of new tools or techniques for monitoring the extent of soil and groundwater contamination; transformation of contaminants in the hyporheic zone; effects of contaminants traversing the hyporheic zone on surface water and groundwater ecosystems; subsurface carbon sequestration and/or turnover; and migration of fluids associated with energy production into groundwater.