Microplastics abundance in major tributaries and distributaries of the river Ganga at lower estuarine stretch

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a growing concern in the river Ganga, yet few studies have explored their abundance in its tributaries and distributaries. The current study investigates the prevalence and characteristics of MPs in eight major tributaries and distributaries (Jalangi, Haldi, Matla, Ichamati, Adi Ganga, Rupnarayan, Churni, and Damodar) of the river Ganga at the lower estuarine stretch. Adi Ganga, Jalangi, Churni, and Rupnarayan rivers showed high MPs contamination in water (97.66, 35.8, 44.9, 35.4 items L^-1, respectively) and in sediment (369.2, 166.8, 166.2, 105.7 items kg^-1, respectively), correlating with industrial and urban waste discharge. Transparent fragments with polyethylene terephthalate (35 %) in water and polystyrene (38 %) in sediment were found as the most abundant MPs. Furthermore, the study estimates the annual MPs release in the river Ganga from the river Damodar, Churni, and Jalangi as 8.79 × 10¹³ items/year, 8.50 × 10¹³ items/year, and 6.77 × 10¹³ items/year, respectively. This pioneering study underscores the urgent need for targeted mitigation strategies to address MPs pollution in the Hooghly Basin, particularly in highly contaminated areas.

Keywords: Gangetic tributaries & distributaries; Microplastic pollution.