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Baseline seasonal investigation of nutrients and trace metals in surface waters and sediments along the Saigon River basin impacted by the megacity of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

  • Fate and effect of pollutants in rivers: from analysis to modelling
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Abstract

The Saigon River, Southern Vietnam, crosses one of the most dynamic developing Megacity in Southeast Asia: Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The increased economic, industrial, and domestic developments may affect the environmental quality of water and halieutic resources. In this study, we evaluated the seasonal (dry and wet seasons) biogeochemical state of the Saigon River during two snapshot campaigns conducted along the river basin upstream from HCMC; the Saigon River was characterized by slightly acidic (pH 5.7–7.7) and oxygen-depleted water (dissolved oxygen (DO), 0.36–5.18 mg l−1). Nutrients (N–NH4 = 0.01–2.41, N–NO3 = 0.14–2.72, and P–PO4 = ~0–0.42 mg l−1), DOC (2.2–8.0 mg l−1), POC, and trace metal(oid) (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Hg) concentrations were low showing a good quality of the upstream river. In the urban center area, DO dropped to 0.03 mg l−1 accompanied with a rise of nutrient concentrations (e.g., N–NH4, up to 17.7 mg l−1) likely originating from wastewater discharges. Trace metal concentrations also rose sharply (e.g., Cr and Hg rose up to 10-fold higher) in both water and sediments but remained under the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vietnamese concentration guidelines. In the downstream estuarine area, the intrusion of marine waters diluted water flowing from HCMC, leading water quality to return close to the state observed upstream from HCMC. In general, levels of nutrient and metal contaminations along the Saigon River during both seasons appear moderate regarding to Vietnamese and WHO guidelines although the urban area is highlighted as the major contributor for metal(oid) emissions. Finally, we showed that apart from wastewater and industrial discharges that affect the river quality, metal(oid) partitioning between solid and solution is controlled by the change in water geochemistry along the continuum during both seasons, such as DO (e.g., for As and Cr) and pH (e.g., for Pb) which drives their sorption/dissolution dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been conducted under the framework of CARE-RESCIF initiative. The authors would like to thank the students for their help during sampling. This study was funded by incentive grants from Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IRD, by AGIR grants from Grenoble Alpes University, by grants from the Vietnam National University (grant number B2016-20-05), and by grants from Region Rhônes Alpes COOPERA “Take Care.” LTHE is part of Labex OSUG@2020 (ANR10 LABX56).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/IRD, LTHE UMR 5564, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Emilie Strady, Julien Némery & Hervé Denis

  2. CARE-HCMUT, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Emilie Strady & Quoc Tuc Dinh

  3. Faculty of Environment, HCMUT, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Vu Bich Hanh Dang, Quoc Tuc Dinh & Phuoc Dan Nguyen

  4. Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/IRD, LTHE UMR 5564, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Stéphane Guédron

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  1. Emilie Strady
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  2. Vu Bich Hanh Dang
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  3. Julien Némery
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  4. Stéphane Guédron
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Correspondence to Emilie Strady.

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Strady, E., Dang, V.B.H., Némery, J. et al. Baseline seasonal investigation of nutrients and trace metals in surface waters and sediments along the Saigon River basin impacted by the megacity of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam). Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 3226–3243 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7660-7

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