46
K. Amrutha et al.
the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial wastewater, and riverine input of
plastic wastes can be the significant sources of land-based microplastics. Sharma and
Chatterjee [113] did a review on global microplastic pollution in the marine environment in which they discussed the different aspects of microplastic pollution—their
abundance, distribution, transfer, and effects. They emphasized the importance of
regulating the use of plastics and the need for stringent rules and regulations in the
production of plastics.
3.2 Riverine Environment
Most of the studies emphasize the importance of rivers as carrier systems of Mps to the
ocean. Unfortunately, only a few studies have been reported on riverine microplastic
pollution from India. Sarkaret al. [105] have studied the spatial distribution of mesoplastics and microplastics in the sediments along the lower reaches of the Ganges
River. They also carried out the textural analysis, measured pH and specific conductivity, calculated organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, and available
phosphate. They observed a strong correlation between the abundance of microplastics and pollution traits. The river Ganga is heavily polluted with plastic debris,
either in the form of films or fibres. The major reason attributed to this is the direct
discharge of plastic waste into the river sewage. They emphasized the urgency of
implementing measures to mitigate the pollution. As the river input of plastics is a
crucial factor in microplastic pollution studies, the present scenario has to be changed.
More researches on microplastic distribution along and across the whole river stretch
should be conducted. Microplastic investigation in India should take a new dimension to attain a sustainable environment. Amrutha and Warrier [1] investigated the
extent of microplastics contamination in the Netravathi River—an important westflowing river draining the Western Ghats. The team has investigated the distribution
of microplastics of the river from its source to its sink, and they have collected surface
water, sediments, and soil samples. They observed a higher abundance of Mps in the
water samples collected from the sampling station closer to the Arabian Sea. They
reported a large amount of polyethylene terephthalate fibres in the samples collected
from the river which are mainly derived from clothes. Discarding of cloth wastes
and the removal of fibres from clothes during washing is a possible source of this.
Ram and Kumar [94] have collected river samples from four stations in the Sabarmati
River for the analysis of microplastics in it. A higher abundance of Mps was observed
near a landfill site, and therefore they inferred that the major source of Mps in the
river is illegal dumping. Besides, washing machine effluent was also a significant
source of microplastic here. Their study showed higher microplastic abundance in
the area which displayed higher antibiotic resistance.
K. Amrutha et al.
the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial wastewater, and riverine input of
plastic wastes can be the significant sources of land-based microplastics. Sharma and
Chatterjee [113] did a review on global microplastic pollution in the marine environment in which they discussed the different aspects of microplastic pollution—their
abundance, distribution, transfer, and effects. They emphasized the importance of
regulating the use of plastics and the need for stringent rules and regulations in the
production of plastics.
3.2 Riverine Environment
Most of the studies emphasize the importance of rivers as carrier systems of Mps to the
ocean. Unfortunately, only a few studies have been reported on riverine microplastic
pollution from India. Sarkaret al. [105] have studied the spatial distribution of mesoplastics and microplastics in the sediments along the lower reaches of the Ganges
River. They also carried out the textural analysis, measured pH and specific conductivity, calculated organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, and available
phosphate. They observed a strong correlation between the abundance of microplastics and pollution traits. The river Ganga is heavily polluted with plastic debris,
either in the form of films or fibres. The major reason attributed to this is the direct
discharge of plastic waste into the river sewage. They emphasized the urgency of
implementing measures to mitigate the pollution. As the river input of plastics is a
crucial factor in microplastic pollution studies, the present scenario has to be changed.
More researches on microplastic distribution along and across the whole river stretch
should be conducted. Microplastic investigation in India should take a new dimension to attain a sustainable environment. Amrutha and Warrier [1] investigated the
extent of microplastics contamination in the Netravathi River—an important westflowing river draining the Western Ghats. The team has investigated the distribution
of microplastics of the river from its source to its sink, and they have collected surface
water, sediments, and soil samples. They observed a higher abundance of Mps in the
water samples collected from the sampling station closer to the Arabian Sea. They
reported a large amount of polyethylene terephthalate fibres in the samples collected
from the river which are mainly derived from clothes. Discarding of cloth wastes
and the removal of fibres from clothes during washing is a possible source of this.
Ram and Kumar [94] have collected river samples from four stations in the Sabarmati
River for the analysis of microplastics in it. A higher abundance of Mps was observed
near a landfill site, and therefore they inferred that the major source of Mps in the
river is illegal dumping. Besides, washing machine effluent was also a significant
source of microplastic here. Their study showed higher microplastic abundance in
the area which displayed higher antibiotic resistance.