Spectral characterization of sediment of two lake water bodies and its surrounding soil in Haryana, India

Abstract

The study presents the physico-chemical and spectral characterization of soil and sediments of two lakes and the surrounding fields of Haryana state in India. The sediment analysis was carried out to assess its general characteristics for utilization as a part in agriculture, landfills and earthworks as well as safety for dumping; the soil analysis was done to determine its suitability for agriculture as well as discerning the existing conditions of lake ecosystem and the nearby area. The study also focusses on morphological details of soil and sediments obtained using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The identification of the different elements was done using an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The elements and ions are liable to accumulate in the soil and sediments over long duration of time leading to bio accumulation in the ecosystem and hence is of utmost importance for study. The physico-chemical parameters for the soil and sediments of both the lakes were observed to be within permissible limits. The SEMand XRD results for soil and sediments showed clear differences in morphological properties. The elemental mapping of the soil and sediment along with its quantification done by EDS showed the interrelation amongst the elements of soil and sediments confirming the erosion from the watershed area being one of the major causes of high sedimentation rate in the lakes. The elements showed no serious threat to the environment from the existing data obtained and confirmed the safe utilization of sediments extracted from the lakes.