Heavy metal pollution assessment in the groundwater of the Meghna Ghat industrial area, Bangladesh, by using water pollution indices approach

Abstract Heavy metal pollution in groundwater is a substantial environmental risk for Bangladesh. The Meghna Ghat industrial area in Bangladesh becomes a promising site for installing various industries for few decades. It was necessary to assess the heavy metal level in the groundwater of this area, and current study took the initiative. We collected 20 groundwater samples and tested pH, DO, TDS, EC, turbidity, COD, and DOC as well as four heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, and Ni) to calculate four water quality indices, i.e., water quality index (WQI), degree of contamination (DC), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), and heavy metal pollution index (HPI). Ni was too low to detect by the instrument, whereas the mean concentrations of Cr, Cd,…