Heavy metals are natural constituents of the fresh water environment. Apart from nature sources, anthropogenic sources of heavy metals includes emissions from industries, untreated urban sewages, pesticides and fertilizers, atmospheric deposition in fresh water environment. Economic growths have affected the rivers in different ways and rivers have received increasingly large discharges of industrial effluents, fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural practices and domestic wastes. The concentrations of trace metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese were determined in Bhavani river in different locations from Sirumugai to Kalingarayanpalayam using Atomic absorption Spectrophotometer. These pollutants affect the aquatic environment and fishes. Fishes are used as bio-indicators playing an important role in monitoring heavy metals pollution. The pollution status and heavy metal contaminants level varies in water with reference to different locations and in seasonal variations.
