Risk Identification of Heavy Metals in Well Water surrounds Watershed Area of Pangkajene, Indonesia

Objective: Aims of the study are to evaluate heavy metals pollution and ecological risk level of well water in Pangkajene watershed area
Method: This present study is an analytic-observational study with cross-sectional study design. This research concern about the assessment of heavy metal pollution and the estimation of ecological risk. The total concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cr(VI), Pb and Ni) were determined using AAS. We used heavy metal pollution index (HPI), metal index (MI), hazard quotient (HQ) used to estimate metals pollution and ecological risk level. Pearson correlation analysis is executed to evaluate the relationship between all measured parameters.
Results: The concentration of Cd, Ni and Pb are below detection limit value. The range concentration Cr(VI) in the well water 0.0005 – 0.0031 mg L-1 , with a mean value of 0.0017 ± 0.0006 mg L-1 . The mean value of Cr(VI) does not exceed the standard value for drinking water. The mean of HPI and MI value are 3.06 and 0.06, respectively. It indicates that the water has good quality for domestic and agriculture purposes. HQ value of Pb is lower than 1, it indicates that lead exposures are unlikely possible to cause adverse effects. The upstream area of Pangkajene has HQ value for Cr(VI) is higher than 1, it indicates that exposure of Cr(VI) may cause adverse effects to the ecological system and human health. Conclusions The Cr(VI) is the main risk factor for well water contamination surrounds Pangkajene watershed area.