The increasing pace of industrialization in public and private sectors along with urbanization explosion and green revolution are reflected in varying degree of polluted water, soil and air. Water pollution is a major global problem. Among the pollutants, Heavy metals are the most dangerous type of chemical pollutants since they cause serious health hazard. Chromium and Copper are the most commonly occurring heavy metal pollutants and they are major constituents of industrial effluents. In order to solve the environmental problems with heavy metals, they have to either be removed completely from the contaminated soil or to be reliably immobilized. A very promising environmental-friendly and cost-effective alternative is plant based bioremediation (phytoremediation). Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants to bioaccumulate, degrade, or render harmless containments in soil, water, or air through the natural, biological, chemical or physical activities and processes of plants. Aquatic macrophytes such as Pistia stratiotes L. and Salvinia natans (L.) All. are ‘hyperaccumulators’ of high amounts of toxic metals and therefore they have great potential to accumulate heavy metals and can be effectively used in phytoremediation.The present investigation also reveals that Pistia stratiotes L. and Salvinia natans (L.) All. can be effectively used to cleanup aquatic ecosystems.
