Abstract
In the current study, heavy metals concentrations and physico-chemical parameters of a recognized Ramsar wetland of India in the state of Punjab were examined in the year 2023. The potential heavy metal risks to humans residing in this region were assessed by calculating various metrics viz., water quality index (WQI), hazard index, heavy metal pollution index, hazard quotient, and carcinogenic risk. The surface water was found to be non-saline, with most of the sample levels ranging from moderate to very hard. The Ropar wetland was found to have organic load in eight locations bringing the Dissolved Oxygen level below the acceptable limit and thus unfit for human drinking (6 mg L− 1). The WQI was ‘bad’ in four sites which were all close to the Wetland. The heavy metal pollution load of the surface water was found to be low as the HPI value for all the 12 sites ranged between 1.28-11.305 which might be due to the phytoextraction by the native plants. The vegetation samples of water hyacinth, vetiver grass, and Indian mustard collected from the region revealed extremely high concentrations of heavy metals being accumulated inside these species. Out of the three, wild mustard was shown to be the most efficient in accumulating heavy metals followed by vetiver grass and water hyacinth. For the majority of the sites, the Hazard Index for each of the 16 metals was higher than the acceptable limit of 1, indicating a possible risk of non-cancer hazards for adults and children through surface water consumption. The USEPA's acceptable risk limit for arsenic was exceeded thereby increasing the probability of cancer risk in both adults and children due to surface water intake, suggesting a significant risk of cancer from arsenic exposure. The findings emphasized the importance of monitoring and restoration of fragile polluted wetland ecosystems through low-cost phytoremediation techniques.