Application of Pollution Indices for the Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Flood Impacted Soil

The flood in 2012, which was recorded as the most devastating in the past 40 years in Nigeria, that caused colossal loss in material wealth, could also be a source of heavy metal pollution, especially at the lower reaches of the flood where deposition of flood transported materials occurs. Heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu and Pb) concentrations were determined in soil samples from two locations, an area submerged by the flood water (flooded) and an area at a higher elevation than the flood water (unflooded), which served as the control. The soil pH, texture, Total Organic Carbon, and Cation Exchange Capacity were also determined. Standard laboratory methods were employed for all the analyses. The soil in this study was characterized as sandy/clay/loam soil following the particle size analysis, with an average pH of 4.6 in the flooded soils and 6.5 in the unflooded soils. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) ranged from (0.936-1.989)% in the flooded soil and (0.663-0.939)% in the unflooded soil. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) was higher in the flooded soil (1.936-3.234) meq/100 g, than in the unflooded soil (1.164-1.722) meq/100 g. The results of