DDT residues in the River Jamuna in Delhi, India

Abstract

DDT residues in water, bottom sediments and certain non-target organisms from four different sites of the river Jamuna in Delhi were monitored periodically from 1976 to 1978. All the samples contained DDT residues in varying concentrations. The concentrations of total DDT residues ranged from 0.04 to 3.42 μg L-1 in water, 0.007 to 5.63 mg kg-1 in bottom sediments, 0.05 to 15.24 mg kg-1 in various invertebrates and 0.54 to 56.31 mg kg-1 in different fish. The total DDT concentration was comparatively higher at the downstream Wazirabad site where there is a mixing of river water with the discharge from the Najafgarh drain which also carries effluents of a DDT factory along with that of other industries. No significant correlation was found between total DDT concentration obtained in water with those found in sediments collected from the same sites. Among the DDT residues, p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE were more predominant, being detected in most of the samples while p,p′-DDD and o,p′-DDT were detected in a lesser number of samples. © 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.