Study finds localised heavy-metal pollution hotspots in Alappuzha coastal aquifers

A study published in Scientific Reports analysed groundwater from coastal aquifers in Alappuzha district, Kerala, before and after the monsoon and found that 32% (pre-monsoon) and 34% (post-monsoon) of samples fell into medium-to-high pollution categories for selected heavy metals. It reported localised exceedances and hotspots for arsenic, aluminium and iron, while noting most samples were within permissible limits overall.