Ecological Risk Assessment of Oil & Grease (OG) and Heavy Metals in the Surface Water of Naf River, Bangladesh

This study aims to fill the gap in our understanding of the distribution and ecological risk of oil and grease (OG) and toxic heavy metals in the surface water of the Naf River, a major transportation route connecting Teknaf to Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh. Altogether, 6 sampling stations in this river were assessed for OG and heavy metal pollution, revealing the presence of both at each station. The OG concentration is found ranging from 3.6 to 23.6 mg/L and the average concentration is 8.13 mg/L. On the other hand, the contamination factor (Cf) of the toxic heavy metals follows the descending order of Pb (63.97) > Cd (23.94) > Mn (0.94) > Ni (0.64) > Zn (0.22) > Cr (0.09) > Cu (0.04) > As (0.04) in the water samples. Heavy metal pollution index (HPI), Heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), and Nemerow pollution index (PN) indicate that the surface water of the study area includes high levels of pollution category due to the elevated levels of Pb, Cd, and Ni concentrations. The mean values of the single factor pollution index (Pi) for Pi(Pb), Pi(Cd) and Pi(Ni) are found 45.69, 39.41, and 6.43, which exceed the threshold limit. The ecological risk index indicates that around 25% of the total heavy metals show a very high ecological risk and 75% exhibit a lower ecological risk. Notably, within the very high ecological risk, Cd is responsible for 53% of this risk, while Pb contributes the remaining 47%. Increased OG and heavy metal concentrations in the Naf River are likely due to human activities like waste discharge from municipalities, solar power plants, pesticide use, and fishing trawlers. This research offers insights into the current state of the Naf River and guides policymakers toward more effective initiatives.