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wt and 3.8±1.3 mg g -1 dry wt after 15days of exposure. Anabaena, Nostoc and

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Westiellopsis accumulated cadmium to the tune of 5.1±1.1mg g dry wt; 4.2±0.8mg g dry
wt and 4.6±1.1mg g -1 dry wt after 15days of exposure (Table-3). After 15days of
exposure, the total chlorophyll content of Anabaena sp. decreased by75%, total phaeophytin
content decreased by70.7% and carotene content decreased by 79.8% when compared to its

respective control value. The impact was severe and significant. The total chlorophyll
content of Nostoc sp. decreased by 64.7%, total phaeophytin content decreased 72.1%

and carotene content decreased by 89.5%. The impact was drastic and significant. The total

chlorophyll content of Westiellopsis sp decreased by 73.2%, total phaeophytin content
decreased by 72.3% and carotene content decreased by 83.9% compared to control value.

The impact was hard and significant (Table-3). From the laboratory experimental data, it

is very clear that the effluent of the paper mill is deadly toxic and should be carefully handled
in natural environments. Highly significant changes were noted in pigment analysis in all

the three selected algae exposed to paper mill effluent when compared to respective
control values (Table-3).

DISCUSSION

The Pulp and Paper industry was considered as one of the best 20 polluting
industries of India declared by Department of Environment and Forest, Government of India

as reported by Singh et al (2016). The information available from the literature is sick and
dangerous and can have different ecological implications. Significant levels of pollutants

were reported by different authors in the effluent of Paper Mills situated at different parts of

the country. Our data is in agreement with other workers and differs from the report
submitted by the J.K.Paper Mills at Jaykaypur to Pollution Control Board.

Medhi et al., (2011) reported that the observed physico-chemical characteristics of
paper mill industry effluent were much more than the permissible limits prescribed by Indian

Irrigation Water Standards and contained heavy metal like lead and copper. The same
authors investigated the impact of paper mill effluent at different dilutions on growth

and production of rice, mustard, and pea for three years and found interesting results. These

authors reported better growth and production at lower effluent concentrations and reported
deleterious effects at higher concentrations of the effluent. Interestingly the effluent report

did not say anything about the status of heavy metals like mercury, cadmium and many more

chemicals like fluorides etc. In absence of above data or information, such type opinion is
questionable beyond doubt. In the present study, it was observed that the crop plants

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