Water quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in surface water at Punjnad Headworks, Punjab, Pakistan.

Pollution of the aquatic ecosystem due to different trace elements has become a global concern which has raised health-related issues for both aquatic and human life. Industrial and agricultural water run-off drained into the rivers and deposit trace elements in water, sediments and planktons. This study was designed to calculate the burden of trace elements such as aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), and lead (Pb) in the river water of Punjnad Headworks, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Samples were collected from surface water, bed sediments and planktons during autumn, winter and spring seasons (September 2018 to May 2019). The results showed that the concentration of Pb was highest in surface water (453.87 mg L), while that of Al was highest in sediments (370.24 µg g) and plankton (315.05 µg g). A significant difference was found in metal concentrations among surface water, bed sediments and plankton at different sampling stations during various seasons. Importantly, the Exp (0.71, 1.23, 0.34, 0.02 for Pb, As, Al, and Ba, respectively) and Exp (7.09, 1.23, 3.42, and 2.48 for Pb, As, Al, and Ba, respectively) for trace elements were below 1.0 suggesting non-significant adverse effects of trace elements on human health. This study provided better understanding of various pollutants and their concentrations in water sources at the studied location.