Study on Aluminium (Al) bioaccumulation in water, sediment, and fishes (Labeo rohita, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and Oreochromis niloticus) collected from River Sutlej, Pakistan

Pollution of aquatic environment due to different heavy metals has become a global concern, raising health-related issues for humans, as well as aquatic floraand fauna.Many agricultural and industrial effluents are directly discharged into the rivers without any treatment. They deposit heavy metals in the sediments, water, and aquatic organisms. Keeping thisenvironmental contextin mind, the main goal ofthis study was to scrutinizethe level of aluminium (Al)in water, sediments, and three fish species (Labeo rohita, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix,and Oreochromis niloticus). These samples werecollected monthly from Sulemanki Headworks, River Sutlej, Punjab, Pakistan, from January to Marchin the year2019. Water andsediment samples were collected from substations (upstream and downstream). Results demonstrated that the highest aluminium concentration was observedin upstream water and sediment samples (223.83±3.45mg·L-1and 417.25±3.59μg·g-1)than in downstream samples (222.87±3.44mg·L-1and 416.31±3.65μg·g-1).Among all fish organs, the liver had the highest accumulation of Al compared to muscle and gills. The order of accumulation in Labeo rohitawas liver > gills > muscle, in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix theorder was liver > gills > muscle, and in the Oreochromis niloticus, the order was liver > muscle > gills.This study suggests that River Sutlej should be properly monitored to safeguard water quality and protect aquatic life, ensuring the river's long-term health.