HEAVY-METAL DISTRIBUTION IN SUBARNAREKHA RIVER, EAST-COAST OF INDIA

Water and sediment samples collected during three different periods we re analysed for the estimation of the natural and anthropogenic heavy metal fluxes from Subarnarekha river. Enrichment ratios, used as the t ool for quantification of contamination, were calculated for both wate r and sediment samples with respect to global and local background con centration values separately; It was-observed for water that the conta mination was mole when compared with global background and less when c ompared with local background values. However, the bed sediments were enriched more with reference to the local background than the global b ackground values. The above information helps in estimating the contri bution of heavy metals to the metal nux to the Bay of Bengal.