MERCURY POLLUTION IN BATANGHARI RIVER

Written By: Badariah, Dori Fitria dan Dandy Firmansyah Rafli

River water quality has been studied quite a lot and deeply by the researcher because rivers have a very important role in human life and another organism. Over the last decade, rapid urbanization and industrial development have triggered several serious environmental problems. Heavy metal contamination in the river is one of the main quality problems in developing countries. Anthropogenic activities such as industrial activities, mining activities, farming activities, and domestic waste contribute to heavy metal pollution in river waters.

Mercury (Hg) is included in non-essential or poisonous heavy metals, but its benefit for the human body has not been known, or if it could be poisonous to the human body. These heavy metals could cause health issues for humans depending on how the heavy metal is bound inside the human body. If these metal densities os higher than usual, these metals would be a threat to human health if they enter the food chain. Mercury in the form of inorganic salt could cause liver and kidney damage. The most dangerous component of mercury is methyl-mercury (organic mercury), which could cause neurological disorders fatality that could not be repaired and genetic disorders. (Supriharyono, 2000).

There are currently limited studies that discuss mercury content in Batanghari river even though Batanghari river is the center of community activities and the main source of water supply for Jambi Province. Numerous industries such as Batik, rubber, palm, and even illegal gold mining that dispose of its waste to Batanghari river potentially affect Batanghari river water quality.

Badariah and Nissa Sukmawati (2021) research shows that the Batanghari river condition is polluted by mercury. Mercury content in the water sample and sediment is measured by using plasma mass spectrometry with inductive addition (ICP-MS Agilent 8800) (Chen et al., 2019). Contamination factor (CF) and Contamination Degree (CD) is calculated from ICP analysis to identify Batanghari river sediment contamination level with metal background value obtained from Turekian & Wedepohl, (1961). The conducted analysis is C/P Indeks for water with the comparison of river water quality standards according to PP. No. 22 the Year 2021 and Permenkes No. 32 Year 2017.

According to C/P index value, mercury metal is identified at all water sample location in the range of 0,0110 – 0,1005 mg/l concentration (0,3371 mg/l average). According to the C/P index calculation, these condition is included in very very polluted (33,71). Next from 10 sediment sample locations, the average mercury concentration is 0.138 ppm with 4,610 CF values and 46,10 CD values. Index CD analysis shows that mercury has a very high contamination level value on Batanghari river sediment.

The research result shows that heavy metal content in the Batanghari river is already very worrying. The river water is very very polluted with mercury (Hg) metal and contaminated with 18 other heavy metals.  In relation, highly anthropogenic activities such as mining industries and farming around or along the Batanghari river stream are suspected to cause high Mercury content in the Batanghari river. One of the many factors that allow mercury pollution is the many illegal gold mining activities along the Batanghari river water stream, especially in the upstream area where miners conduct all of their processing activities and mining material separation activities by utilizing mercury (Hg) chemical ingredient in the river. Even the processing waste is directly disposed into the river and the river water becomes the main mining waste dispersion track. River sediment become the place where the particle is accumulated that have to exist previously and continuously receive mercury waste from the process of Gold Mining Without License (PETI).

Reflecting the Minamata tragedy at Minamata bay, Japan causes more than 100 fatalities and other thousands have permanent paralysis because of consuming contaminated mercury fish (Kudo & Miyahara, 2018), thus mercury content in the Batanghari river has to be every party’s concern especially policymakers in managing and controlling Batanghari river pollution.

DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Chen, M., Li, F., Tao, M., Hu, L., Shi, Y., & Liu, Y. (2019). Distribution and ecological risks of heavy metals in river sediments and overlying water in typical mining areas of China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 146(March), 893–899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul. 2019.07.029

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