Green Algae as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Contamination in the Korba Industrial Region, Chhattisgarh, India

ABSTRACT Heavy metal contamination has become a critical environmental concern in rapidly industrializing regions, particularly in areas dominated by mining and thermal power activities. This review identifies the prospect of green algae (Chlorophyta) as credible bioindicators and sustainable bioremediation tools to detect the presence of heavy metal pollution, particularly in the Korba industrial region of Chhattisgarh in India. The emission produced by industries, mining, and improper dumping of waste has resulted in high levels of harmful toxic metals in the environment, which have caused serious ecological and health hazards to both the aquatic life and human beings. Green algae have special biological traits such as rapid growth, high surface‐area/volume ratio, and high metal‐binding capacity, which allow them to be used in biosorption and bioaccumulation of heavy metals. The further development of analytical, spectroscopic, and omics‐based imaging methods has made the approaches of algal biomonitoring more precise and advanced knowledge of the mechanisms of metal uptake. Algae‐based approaches are cost‐effective, eco‐friendly, and scalable in comparison to traditional physicochemical remediation approaches to pollution evaluation and remediation. Future studies ought to focus on the real‐time biosensing systems and built‐in biomonitoring systems to enhance the sensitivity of detection and remediation of highly industrialized landscapes.