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Heavy Metal Pollution of Irrigated Soils by Mining Waste in a Catchment Area in the South of Tbilisi/Georgia
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| Coordinating organisation: | Center for International Development and Environment Research |
| Description: | South of Tbilisi the river Mashavera is polluted with suspended matters containing heavy metal which is rinsed off the slag heap of a precious metal mine. Those matters enter the soil in an agricultural area of 300 sq. km in size via the irrigation water. In the irrigation area crops, vegetables and fruit are grown. Due to the climatic aridness, the areas of irrigation in the river valleys make up only a small part of the total area. Therefore they are an important resource and have been used extensively throughout the last centuries. As a result of a decades-long incursion of water, which has been contaminated with potentially toxic heavy metals, a high pollution of the top soils is to be expected. As the dissemination, the extent and the ecological significance of this soil pollution has not been examined so far, the appropriate measures to make the irrigation area safe and to redevelop it have not been taken yet. It is the project's aim to examine the extent and the dissemination of the heavy metal pollution of irrigated and non-irrigated soils and of food plants and to subsequently arrive at an assessment of the eco-toxicological meaning for the food chain. |
| Internet: | Projects Link |
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| ARD-theme: | plant production soil water environment |
| Target country: | Georgia |
| Activity: | research |
| Last editing: | 2004-04-19 13:40:04 |