International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—The main contributors to the contamination of rivers with heavy metals include industrial manufacturing, domestic practices, and aquaculture. Based on contemporary research, it has been identified that three primary mechanisms of surface flow facilitate the transportation of pollutants, specifically heavy metals. These mechanisms include dissolved flow, Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), and bottom flow, which is associated with sediment movement. The primary objective of this study was to assess the spatial distribution and levels of heavy metals in the downstream region of the Thi Vai River. This investigation encompassed the examination of heavy metal concentrations in the dissolved, suspended, and sedimentary fractions. LogKd distribution coefficients and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used in this study to show how heavy metals were spread out in space along the three sections of the Thi Vai River that flow downstream, which included a total of 19 monitoring sites. The average concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd were 0.193, 0.06, 0.092, 0.056, 0.0095, 0.0028 mg/L respectively in the dissolved phase; 405.7, 269.6, 225.1, 72.2, 61.1, 35.2, 4.7 mg/kg respectively in the suspended phase and 9.8.9, 266.3, 152.7, 79.3, 44.6, 42.2, 3.3 mg/kg respectively in the sediment phase which achieved the national standard averages, except for Cd exceed. It is crucial to acknowledge that heavy metals tend to concentrate predominantly in the suspended phase, resulting in the presence of varied distribution coefficients. Research has shown that anthropogenic activities located along the river are mainly responsible for the presence of heavy metals. The effects of natural processes such as river hydrodynamics on the dispersion and transport of these pollutants remain unknown.

Keywords—heavy metals, Distribution coefficient, GIS, Thi Vai river

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Cite: Au Tinh Thi Nguyen and Au Hai Nguyen, "Assessment of Heavy Metal Distribution and Development of a Pollution Map for the Downstream Thi Vai River," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 49-57, 2025.

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