Paper Mill Effluents: Identification of Emerging Pollutants in Taranga Beel of Assam, India

The present research work deals with the study of some of the essential physicochemical parameters of water samples of “Taranga beel” (Beel is a local term which defines wetland) of Jagiroad, Assam, India. This study indicates a decline in the water quality of Taranga beel due to the paper industry’s influence in its vicinity. The collection of samples and the determination of various physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentration was done according to the standard protocol. The physicochemical parameters such as Total Solids (TS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, pH, conductivity, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Sulphate, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Fluoride, and heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni and Pb were analyzed thoroughly. Among all the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals, the concentration of TS, TDS, Turbidity, DO, COD, Cr, Pb, Mn, and Fe were above the permissible limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).