This research aims to develop two low-cost, eco-friendly bio-adsorbent materials derived from chitosan extracted from shrimp shells, for the removal of carcinogenic heavy elements (lead, Pb²⁺; nickel, Ni²⁺; and vanadium, V⁵⁺) from wastewater generated by power plants. Adsorption experiments were conducted using multi-metal synthetic aqueous solutions containing Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, and V⁵⁺ simultaneously, prepared in the laboratory to simulate the reported composition of Basrah power-plant wastewater. Chitosan was obtained from shrimp shells via demineralisa-tion, deproteinisation, and deacetylation, then crosslinked into two hydrogels: one using natural tannic acid and one using biogelatin, to enhance their mechanical and chemical properties. Both materials were characterised using FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET, and TGA techniques to assess chemical and crystalline structure, porosity, and thermal stability. Both hydrogels exhibited high adsorption efficiency under optimised conditions of pH = 5, contact time of 90 minutes, initial pollutant concentration of 100 mg/L, and temperature of 25°C. For the tannic acid-crosslinked chitosan hydrogel, the maximum removal efficiencies were as follows: lead 98.3%, nickel 91.4%, and vanadium 88.7%. The gelatin-crosslinked hydrogel achieved removal effi-ciencies of lead 88.6%, nickel 83.2%, and vanadium 79.4%, indicating a slight superiority of the tannic acid-crosslinked hydrogel. Removal efficiency declined above an initial concentra-tion of 150 mg/L but remained stable between pH 5 and 6. These findings demonstrate the po-tential of both materials, particularly the tannic acid-crosslinked hydrogel, as sustainable, low-cost filters for treating heavy-metal-contaminated water in Basrah Governorate, where deterio-rating water quality is linked to elevated pollution-related cancer incidence.