ABSTRACT

Fuel-based vehicular emission has been recognised as a potential contributor to the declining air quality and heavy metal contamination of soils. The present study investigated heavy metal contamination in roadside soil along national highway (NH)-21 and a link road in hilly terrain of the Kullu district, north-western Himalaya, India. The soil samples were analysed for pH, EC and heavy metals, viz., Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Ar and Cr. The heavy metal concentrations were evaluated as per the guidelines provided by competent authorities. The spatial distribution of heavy metal contaminants was depicted in maps using the GIS platform. The pH of the soil was slightly acidic to neutral. The reference sites from the rural area represent the lower heavy metals contamination comparison to the locations along the highway. The heavy metal concentrations decreased with the increasing distance from the edge of the road, while their distribution and mobility were influenced by natural as well human-induced sources. The present study provides the baseline data to optimise the scale of sampling in the hilly terrains that is capable of capturing the effect of the diffuse source for efficient pollution abatement strategies.

摘要

基于燃料的车辆排放已被认为是导致空气质量下降和土壤重金属污染的潜在因素。本研究调查了沿国道 (NH)-21 和印度喜马拉雅西北部库鲁地区丘陵地带的一条连接道路的路边土壤中的重金属污染。对土壤样品进行了 pH、EC 和重金属分析，即 Zn、Fe、Mn、Cu、Pb、Ar 和 Cr。重金属浓度按照主管部门提供的指南进行评估。使用GIS平台在地图中描绘了重金属污染物的空间分布。土壤的pH值呈微酸性至中性。与公路沿线位置相比，农村地区的参考地点代表较低的重金属污染。重金属浓度随着距道路边缘距离的增加而降低，而其分布和流动性受到自然和人为来源的影响。本研究提供了基线数据，以优化丘陵地带的采样规模，能够捕捉扩散源对有效减少污染策略的影响。