In another incident that shows the poor state of the Musi river in Hyderabad, researchers from Osmania University, in a recent study, discovered high levels of heavy metals in vegetables cultivated with the river water.

The Environmental Toxicology division of the university found cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, iron, manganese and zinc in the spinach, okra, mint, coriander and tomato grown on the outskirts of the city, Deccan Chronicle reports.

The contamination was also found to exceed the limits set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the researchers claim that the main reason is the usage of Musi river water, which in turn, is highly contaminated with industrial effluents and municipal sewage.

The heavy metals are said to be toxic and can cause a long list of health issues as they are non-biodegradable and may accumulate in various parts of the body.

Leafy vegetables were found to have the highest concentration of heavy metals.