Evaluation of Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Beach Sediments with Special Reference to Heavy Metals of Vizhinjam Coast, South India

The Vizhinjam coastal area is a natural port located close to international shipping routes in Kerala, South India. The major sources of pollution in this coastal area include sewage, solid wastes, industrial emission and fish wastes. The major objective of the present study is to assess the physico-chemical quality of beach sediments in the coastal stretch of Vizhinjam beach area. The surface sediment samples were collected from the beach area near shore during the premonsoon season and the selected physico-chemical parameters including heavy metals were determined following standard procedures. The average pH of beach sediments shows it alkaline nature. The beach area sediments are sandy loam in nature. The sodium content is higher than that of potassium. The calcium, magnesium content were also high in sediments. This will adversely affect the water holding capacity of the soils and causes growth reduction of the plants in coastal areas. The nitrates, sulphates and phosphate contents in beach sediments are low compared to other nutrients. Some of the heavy metals (Zn, Fe, and Cu) detected in the beach sediments play a vital role as micro nutrients while the presence of Pb, Cr and Cd are toxic to plants and fishes. The study revealed that the heavy metal content in the beach sediments are in the order: Fe > Cr > Pb > Zn > Cu > Cd.