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Presence of emerging organic contaminants and microbial indicators in surface water and groundwater in urban India

Brauns, B and Chandra, S and Civil, W and Lapworth, DJ and MacDonald, AM and McKenzie, AA and Read, DS and Sekhar, M and Singer, AC and Thankachan, A and Tipper, HJ (2024) Presence of emerging organic contaminants and microbial indicators in surface water and groundwater in urban India. In: Environmental Pollution, 362 .

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124983

Abstract

This study presents a first combined assessment of emerging organic contaminants (EOC) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) indicators in the South Indian city of Bengaluru from multiple sources, addressing a knowledge gap on EOCs and AMR occurrences and relationships in different water sources in urban India. A unique approach in this study was to combine the detection of EOCs with an assessment of the AMR-indicating class 1 integron-integrase gene, intI1. Twenty-five samples collected from groundwater, local surface waters, and tap water imported from the Cauvery Basin were screened for 1499 EOCs. A total of 125 EOCs were detected at concentrations per compound of up to 314 μg/L. Concentrations for a range of contaminants were higher than those previously detected in Indian groundwaters. High concentrations of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected with up to 1.8 μg/L in surface water and up to 0.9 μg/L in groundwater. Calculated risk quotients indicated potential AMR development caused by high concentrations of azithromycin, fluconazole, and sulfanilamide in surface waters that have little protection against sewage inflows. Surface waters that have recently undergone environmental restoration (e.g., removing silted bottom layers and enhancing protection against encroachments and sewage inflows) had lower EOC detections and risk of AMR development. Specific EOC detections, e.g., the ubiquitous detection of the sweetener sucralose (in use since �2000), indicated recent groundwater recharge and a contribution of imported Cauvery River water for recharge. This study highlights the need for monitoring and water protection, the role of EOCs as potential drivers of AMR, and the success of surface water protection measures to improve freshwater quality. © 2024 British Geological Survey © UKRI 2024

Item Type: Journal Article
Publication: Environmental Pollution
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Additional Information: The copyright for this article belongs to the authors.
Keywords: Groundwater pollution; River pollution; Sewage, Antimicrobial resistances; Bengaluru; Contaminant detection; Emerging contaminant; Emerging organic contaminants; Inti1; Microbial indicators; Multiple source; Polyfluoroalkyl substances; Surface water and groundwaters, Geological surveys, acesulfame; agricultural chemical; azithromycin; carbamazepine; ciprofloxacin; clarithromycin; clindamycin; cotinine; fipronil; fluconazole; gentamicin; ground water; indicator; industrial chemical; integrase; lincomycin; metformin; ofloxacin; perflubutane; quinolone derivative; river water; RNA 16S; saccharin; sucralose; surface water; sweetening agent; triclosan; water, antibiotic resistance; bioindicator; concentration (composition); groundwater; microorganism; organic pollutant; organohalogen; surface water; urban area; water quality, Article; lifestyle; nonhuman; statistical analysis, Bengaluru; Cauvery Basin; India; Karnataka
Department/Centre: Division of Mechanical Sciences > Civil Engineering
Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2024 10:08
Last Modified: 09 Oct 2024 10:08
URI: http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/86320

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