User:Everythingbutthebagel/Water pollution in India

Article Draft

Lead

(copied from water pollution in India)

Water pollution is a major environmental issue in India. The largest source of water pollution in India is untreated sewage. Other sources of pollution include agricultural runoff and unregulated small-scale industry waste. Most rivers, lakes and surface water in India are polluted due to run-off from industries, untreated sewage and solid wastes. While the government has made efforts to regulate water contamination levels,

Untreated sewage

There is a large gap between generation and treatment of domestic waste water in India. The problem is not only that India lacks sufficient treatment capacity but also that many of sewage treatment plants that exist do not operate and are not well maintained.

The majority of the government-owned sewage treatment plants remain closed most of the time due to improper design or poor maintenance or lack of reliable electricity supply to operate the plants, together with absentee employees and poor management. The waste water generated in these areas normally percolates into the soil or evaporates. The uncollected waste accumulates in the urban areas causing unhygienic conditions and releasing pollutants that leach into surface and groundwater.

Sewage discharged from cities, towns and some villages is the predominant cause of water pollution in India. Investment is needed to bridge the gap between the sewage India generates and its treatment capacity of sewage per day. Major cities of India produce 38,354 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, but the urban sewage treatment capacity is only 11,786 MLD. A large number of Indian rivers are severely polluted as a result of discharge of domestic sewage.

The scientific analysis of water samples from 1995 to 2008 indicates that the organic and bacterial contamination is severe in water bodies of India. This is mainly due to discharge of domestic waste water in untreated form, mostly from the urban centres of India.

Agricultural and Industrial Run-off

Pesticides are a major contaminant of water bodies in India. Several pesticides have been banned in India due to their environmental damage such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Aldrin and Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), but are still commonly used as a cheap and easily available alternative to other pesticides. (cite) India has used over 350,000 MT of DDT since 1985, even though DDT was banned in 1989. The introduction of agrochemicals like HCH and DDT into water bodies can cause bioaccumulation, since these chemicals are resistant to degradation. These chemicals are a part of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which are potential carcinogens and mutagens. The levels of POPs found in several Indian rivers are well above the WHO permissible limit. (cite)

The wastewater from many industries in India is discarded in rivers (cite). From 2016 to 2017, it is estimated that 7.17 million tonnes of hazardous waste was produced by industrial plants. The CPCB reported that as of 2016, there were 746 industries directly depositing wastewater into the Ganga river, which is the largest river in India. This wastewater contains heavy metals such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Zinc (Zn), and Arsenic (Ar), which negatively affect both aquatic life as well as human health. Bioaccumulation of these metals can cause several adverse effects on health such as impaired cognitive function, gastrointestinal damage, or renal damage.

The Ganga is considered one of the holy rivers in India, and it is common practice to bathe in the river as part of Hindu ritual. Extended exposure to the chemicals and heavy metals in the river can cause several diseases.

Quality Monitoring

The Central Pollution Control Board, a Ministry of Environment & Forests Government of India entity, has established a National Water Quality Monitoring Network comprising 1,429 monitoring stations in 28 states and 6 in Union Territories on various rivers and water bodies across the country. This effort monitors water quality year round. The monitoring network covers 293 rivers, 94 lakes, 9 tanks, 41 ponds, 8 creeks, 23 canals, 18 drains and 411 wells distributed across India. Water samples are routinely analysed for 28 parameters including dissolved oxygen, bacteriological and other internationally established parameters for water quality. Additionally 9 trace metals parameters and 28 pesticide residues are analysed. Biomonitoring is also carried out on specific locations.