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Research
on heavy metal contamination of water in Lima wins
IDRC-Agropolis award for 2004
Henry
Juarez, GIS analyst/agronomist, is the second
researcher from the International Potato Center in
Lima to receive the IDRC-Agropolis (2004) award for
research related to urban and peri-urban
agriculture.
Henry's
research - which will be conducted within the
framework of the Urban Harvest project in Lima, Peru
- involves an
analysis of historical data of heavy metal pollution
in the Rímac river basin to determine its impact on
soil, water and the vegetable quality in the
locality of Carapongo, and to determine the
environmental risks this poses for producers and
consumers of vegetables in and around the city.
The Rímac river is the major river flowing through Lima city
with its 7.8 million inhabitants, and irrigates
several agricultural areas in its outer city limits
or peri-urban areas. The main crops grown in these
areas are vegetables and they are sold to the
markets in the city.
The Rímac river basin however also supports intensive mining
activity in the upper and middle part of the basin,
which creates a high risk of heavy metal pollution
and thereby a negative impact for the environment
and human health.
There are many studies about the impact of wastewater in
agriculture and health in terms of pathogen
pollution in Lima Metropolitan Area. However,
studies related to heavy metal pollution in water
and its impact on agriculture are limited and not
conclusive. The environmental risk of heavy metal
pollution depends on the kind of pollutants
upstream, the ability of the basin to precipitate
these pollutants, the ability of the soil to adsorb
heavy metals and the ability of the plant to uptake
this elements.
Read more about
the research and the specific questions it aims to
find an answer to (in Spanish)
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