Evaluation of the heavy metal pollution index for surface and spring water near a limestone mining area of the lower Himalayas

Abstract.

Concentrations of seven heavy metals: copper, cadmium, iron, chromium, manganese, lead and zinc have been evaluated in nine spring water and eight surface water sampling locations near the limestone mining area of Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh, India, during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The concentrations of heavy metals have been found to be below the permissible levels of drinking water quality standards. The data have been used for the calculation of heavy metal pollution index (HPI). The HPI of spring water and surface water has been found to be far below the index limit of 100, pointing to the fact that the spring water and surface water is not polluted with respect to heavy metals despite the prolific growth of limestone mining in the region.