INTRODUCTION

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

The addition of harmful chemicals to natural water. Sources of water pollution in the United States include industrial waste, run-off from fields treated with chemical fertilizers, and run-off from areas that have been mined.

Water pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells). It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases,and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily. An estimated 700 million Indians have no access to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal sickness every day. Some 90% of China's cities suffer from some degree of water pollution,and nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. In addition to the acute problems of water pollution in developing countries, developed countries continue to struggle with pollution problems as well. In the most recent national report on water quality in the United States, 45 percent of assessed stream miles, 47 percent of assessed lake acres, and 32 percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.

Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, and/or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its constituent biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status of water.

SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

During recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of, and concern about, water pollution all over the world, and new approaches towards achieving sustainable exploitation of water resources have been developed internationally.

It is widely agreed that a properly developed policy framework is a key element in the sound management of water resources. With the rapid growth of population, industrialization and urbanisation, environmental pollution has greatly increased. The major sources of water pollution arise from many activities.

They include domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes. Domestic waste contains pathogenic organisms which are responsible for the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other gastrointestinal diseases.

These wastes also contain materials which are responsible for obnoxious conditions and irreparable damage to aesthetics of land and water environment. Industrial wastes contain a wide variety of organic substances and minerals including cyanides, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium, carcinogens which are toxic to human and plant life. Agricultural drainage carries dangerous pesticide residues and unused fertilizer ingredients.

The term 'water pollution' can be briefly defined as any alteration in physical, chemical or biological properties of water, rendering the water harmful to public health and safety. For

convenience, the sources of contamination of water can be classified as natural and anthropogenic (man-made).

NATURAL SOURCES Important natural sources are surface run-off, seepage from ground water and swamp drainage. In urban areas, rain water is reported to be acidic. This is due to reaction between water droplets and atmospheric oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The atmospheric sulphur dioxide (S02) is always accompanied by a little amount of sulphur tri-oxide (S03) which, under humid condition, reacts with water vapour to form sulphuric acid thus causing acid rain. The chemical reaction involved in this process is represented as follows:

Leachates from animal excreta, decaying bodies of animals and plants, solid waste landfill sites and the decay of large quantities of organic matter in swamps or deep ponds also introduce appreciable amounts of soluble organics and microorganisms which in turn contaminate the adjacent ground water.

ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCES

Anthropogenic sources are the result of industrial, domestic, agricultural and mining activities of man.

INDUSTRIAL SOURCES

Nowadays, industries are the major contributors of water pollution. Water is an essential raw material in almost all manufacturing plants. In India, industries such as tanneries, sugar mills, pulp and paper mills, distilleries, oil refineries, etc. generate a large quantity of wastewater which is discharged into natural waterways either without treatment or after partial treatment. The characteristics of industrial wastewater depend primarily on the type of industry and the chemicals used in various processes.

DOMESTIC SOURCES

In urban areas, municipal sewage is discharged into the nearby canal, thus polluting the canal and also deteriorating the ground water. Municipal sewage includes wastewater from houses, commercial buildings and institutions. The important pollutants present are biodegradable organic matter, coliforms and pathogens.

AGRICULTURAL SOURCES
Pollutants discharged into water courses due to agricultural activities include: 1. Soil and silt removed by erosion 2. Agricultural run-off 3. Synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides 4. Plant residue.

Receiving water bodies get fertilised with nutrients, thus resulting in Eutrophication. Some common insecticides in use are chlorinated hydrocarbons such as DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane), aldrin, heptachlor, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) etc. Most of the chlorinated hydrocarbons are persistent to degradation and hence remain in the environment for a very long time. Indiscriminate use of insecticides could make them an integral part of the biological, geological and chemical cycles of the earth. Measurable quantities of DDT residues may be found in air, soil and water several thousand kilometres away from the point where it originally entered the ecosystem.

MINING SOURCES
Natural or man-made geochemical alterations are also sources of wastewater pollution. Fines from ore washings disposed off in water suspension may be transferred to the natural water bodies to pollute them in due course. Mining operation also produces soluble toxic materials depending on the geological formation. Acid drainage from coal mines and arsenic residue from gold mines are some of the burning problems of environmental concern.

TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION

There are many types of water pollution because water comes from many sources. Here are a few types of water pollution:

1. Nutrients Pollution Some wastewater, fertilizers and sewage contain high levels of nutrients. If they end up in water bodies, they encourage algae and weed growth in the water. This will make the water undrinkable, and even clog filters. Too much algae will also use up all the oxygen in the water, and other water organisms in the water will die out of oxygen from starvation.

2. Surface water pollution Surface water includes natural water found on the earth's surface, like rivers, lakes, lagoons and oceans. Hazardous substances coming into contact with this surface water, dissolving or mixing physically with the water can be called surface water pollution.

3. Oxygen Depleting Water bodies have micro-organisms. These include aerobic and anaerobic organisms. When to much biodegradable matter (things that easily decay) end up in water, it encourages more microorganism growth, and they use up more oxygen in the water. If oxygen is depleted, aerobic organisms die, and anaerobic organism grow more to produce harmful toxins such as ammonia and sulfides stop water pollution.

4. Ground water pollution When humans apply pesticides and chemicals to soils, they are washed deep into the ground by rain water. This gets to underground water, causing pollution underground.

This means when we dig wells and bore holes to get water from underground, it needs to be checked for ground water pollution.

5. Microbiological In many communities in the world, people drink untreated water (straight from a river or stream). Sometimes there is natural pollution caused by microorganisms like viruses, bacteria and protozoa. This natural pollution can cause fishes and other water life to die. They can also cause serious illness to humans who drink from such waters.

6. Suspended Matter Some pollutants (substances, particles and chemicals) do not easily dissolve in water. This kind of material is called particulate matter. Some suspended pollutants later settle under the water body. This can harm and even kill aquatic life that live at the floor of water bodies.

7. Chemical Water Pollution Many industries and farmers work with chemicals that end up in water. These include chemicals that are used to control weeds, insects and pests. Metals and solvents from industries can pollute water bodies. These are poisonous to many forms of aquatic life and may slow their development, make them infertile and kill them.

8. Oil Spillage Oil spills usually have only a localized affect on wildlife but can spread for miles. The oil can cause the death of many fish and stick to the feathers of seabirds causing them to lose the ability to fly marine oil pollution Do you remember the BP Oil spill in 2010? (Read about it here) Over 1,000 animals (birds, turtles, mammals) were reported dead, including many already on the endangered species list. Of the animals affected by the spill that are still alive only about 6% have been reported cleaned, but many biologists and other scientists predict they will die too from the stress caused by the pollution.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

You will notice in the previous pages that water pollution is very harmful to humans, animals and water life. The effects can be catastrophic, depending on the kind of chemicals, concentrations of the pollutants and where there are polluted. Below, we shall see a summary of the effects of water pollution.

The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals are dumped and in what locations.

Many water bodies near urban areas (cities and towns) are highly polluted. This is the result of both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by manufacturing industries, health centers, schools and market places.

FACTS ON WATER POLLUTIONDEATH OF AQUATIC (WATER) ANIMALS

The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that depends on these water bodies. Dead fish, crabs, birds and sea gulls, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat (living environment).

FACTS ON WATER POLLUTIONDISRUPTION OF FOOD-CHAINS

Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.

POLLUTION DISEASES Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. In many poor nations, there is always outbreak of cholera and diseases as a result of poor drinking water treatment from contaminated waters.

DESTRUCTION OF ECOSYSTEMS

Ecosystems (the interaction of living things in a place, depending on each other for life) can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Many areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution is coming back to hurt humans in many ways.

WATER POLLUTION IN INDUSTRY

IN the United States industry is the greatest source of pollution, accounting for more than half the volume of all water pollution and for the most deadly pollutants. Some 370,000 manufacturing facilities use huge quantities of freshwater to carry away wastes of many kinds. The waste-bearing water, or effluent, is discharged into streams, lakes, or oceans, which in turn disperse the polluting substances. In its National Water Quality Inventory, reported to Congress in 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that approximately 40% of the nation's surveyed lakes, rivers, and estuaries were too polluted for such basic uses as drinking supply, fishing, and swimming. The pollutants include grit, asbestos, phosphates and nitrates, mercury, lead, caustic soda and other sodium compounds, sulfur and sulfuric acid, oils, and petrochemicals.

In addition, numerous manufacturing plants pour off undiluted corrosives, poisons, and other noxious byproducts. The construction industry discharges slurries of gypsum, cement, abrasives, metals, and poisonous solvents. Another pervasive group of contaminants entering food chains is the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, components of lubricants, plastic wrappers, and adhesives. In yet another instance of pollution, hot water discharged by factories and power plants causes so-called thermal pollution by increasing water temperatures. Such increases change the level of oxygen dissolved in a body of water, thereby disrupting the water's ecological balance, killing off some plant and animal species while encouraging the overgrowth of others.

WATER POLLUTION IN FOOD INDUSTRY

A food processing industry is involved with the total environment from the farm to the customer. It is dependent upon good quality water and therefore is aware of water as a commodity which must be used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Water is absolutely necessary for many steps in the food processing industry. At present, there is no economical substitute. Consequently, water conservation and water reuse are necessary and most of the industry practices this in order to conserve this vital natural resource and reduce operating costs. By practising conservation and reuse, the amount of liquid waste is reduced as is also the pollution potential from food pro- cessing operations.

MEASURES AGAINST WATER POLLUTION IN FOOD INDUSTRY

Historically, little consideration was given to the reuse of water both because of its abundance and also because reuse was considered to be hazardous because of the problems of bacterial contamination with subse- quent spoilage of cans. An example of water use to maintain sanitary con- ditions is shown in Figure 1 where the relationship of water exchange to bacteriological conditions shows that unless 40 per cent of the water is exchanged each hour, the growth rate of bacteriological organisms is extremely high. Of course, in order to overcome this, other means of control must be used such as chlorination. By development of new techniques such as chlorination, reuse of water could be considered, but even so, quality is the most essential factor and therefore sanitary conditions of operation are the controlling criteria for the reuse of water. Much study and research are required to ascertain the limitations of chlorine as a benefit in order

to prevent bacterial problems in the final product. The National Canners Association has set up four principal conditions governing the use of re- claimed waters in contact with food products. They are as follows: (1) that the water be free of microorganisms of public health significance, (2) that the water contain no chemicals in concentrations toxic or otherwise harmful to man, (3) that the water be free of any materials or compounds which could impart discolouration, offflavour, or odours to the product or otherwise adversely affect its quality, and (4) that the appearance and content of the water be acceptable from an aesthetic viewpoint.

WASTE TREATMENT The National Canners Association developed Table 1 to show the different types of waste and how they can be treated. The asterisk indicates which of these methods have been studied under special research projects by the NCA. There is no simple rule of thumb to guide the food processor into the most practical and economical method of treatment. Each type of system and approach may have merit, depending upon the peculiarity of the local conditions or circumstances. The food processor, if he does not have his own sanitary engineering staff, has to depend upon consulting engineers and should be sure that those whom he calls upon to perform such services have wide-spread knowledge in the area of the characteristics of food processing wastes and how they can be treated in order that he can receive through this service the most economical system possible.

APPLE FACTORY IN CHINA PUNISHED BY WATER POLLUTION

RiTeng, an Apple supplier which makes iPad cases, was charged with pouring untreated metalcutting liquid and greasy, waste water into Shanghai's rain water drainage system which runs into the city's largest river, according to the local environment authority.

The Songjiang Environmental Protection Bureau fined the company, suspended production, and ordered it to stop the waste outlet from flowing into the drainage system.

Nearby residents said the river had been polluted long before the authority stepped in, but they had no choice but to continue using the polluted river water to irrigate crops.

"The water had a milky color and looked as if people used it to wash rice," said a local farmer. "It was very stinky, but we didn't know where the waste came from."

"The grass on the river banks is all dead," said another farmer.

The company insisted that the pollution was unintentional and claimed some workers "accidentally" discharged water that was used to wash the factory compound into the city's drainage system.

"We are not the only company around here, and what companies do not discharge waste water?" an unidentified source in RiTeng's management told local newspaper, National Business Daily.

"It is unfair to blame us for this incident. All of our production waste is treated before being discharged. This is not a production-related incident."

The source claimed that the company was equipped with imported waste water-treating facilities. He denied all requests for further information.

SUMMARY:- Apple supplier in Shanghai, which makes iPad cases, has been fined and its production suspended for allegedly pouring waste chemicals into a local river. The company denies any wrongdoing. By Liu Jiayi for View from China | February 28, 2013 -- 03:08 GMT (08:38 IST)

WATER POLLUTION IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

More than 6000 water pollution violations from apparel factories in China that is just one revelation in a stunning new account of water pollution from the Chinese textile industry, courtesy of noted Chinese environmentalist Ma Jun and his Green Alliance of activist partners. The violations included serious threats such as illegally dumping untreated toxic wastewater into rivers and streams. And these are the just violations we know about! Given the general lack of enforcement of environmental laws in China, there are likely many more violators out there that simply did not make the official record books. Retailers and brands can no longer realistically hope that problems at their manufacturing facilities around the world will remain quietly local; the curtain is rising on these operations, and the public is becoming savvier about linking international businesses to the environmental problems they are experiencing from these factories. .

After nearly five years of work on pollution problems in Chinas apparel industry through NRDCs Clean By Design initiative, it comes as no surprise to me that some of these polluting factories are making clothes for well-known international retailers and brands. Clean By Design is an NRDC effort to work with clothing retailers and brand to improve environment performance of their suppliers. While many companies, including ones weve worked with, have made very public efforts to improve sustainability in their operations, weve seen that their reach into their supply chains is often not as thorough as it needs to be to make real change.

To protect their brand reputations, (and to make truly sustainable products), international companies must take much more aggressive steps to ensure that the factories that make their goods are not polluting the communities where they are operating. Companies can start by

mapping out their full supply chain, and checking for compliance problems by making routine checks of Ma Jun's database of violations and other public sources of information. If the factories have problems, the retailers and brands should require them to inform the public and to work to resolve the problems quickly. Responsible companies need to walk away from places that are in chronic non-compliance with environmental laws. To move even further ahead, the companies need policies that give their suppliers business incentives to go beyond simple compliance, and adopt innovative and efficient ways to make clothes that use less water, have a smaller carbon footprint and use nontoxic dyes and materials.

WATER POLLUTION IN GANGA RIVER

The Ganges is the largest river in India with an extraordinary religious importance for Hindus. Along its banks are some of the world's oldest inhabited places like Varanasi and Patna. It provides water to about 40% of India's population in 11 states. Today, it is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world.

An estimated 2.9 billion litres or more of human sewage is discharged into the Ganges daily (200 million litres daily in the city Varanasi alone), although the existing treatment plants have capacity to treat only 1.1 billion litres per day, leaving a huge deficit.

HUMAN WASTE

The Ganges river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated regions in the world and covers an area of 1,080,000 km2 (400,000 square miles). The river flows through 29 cities with population over 100,000; 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and about 48 towns. A large proportion of the waste in the Ganges is from this population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Countless tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated waste into it. Industrial effluents are about 12% of the total volume of effluent reaching the Ganges. Although a relatively low proportion, they are a cause for major concern because they are often toxic and nonbiodegradable.

RELIGIOUS EVENTS

During festival seasons, over 70 million people bathe in the Ganges over a few weeks to cleanse themselves from their sins. Some materials like food, waste or leaves are left in the Ganges for ritualistic reasons.

WATER POLLUTION IN YAMUNA

The Yamuna or Jamuna, is the largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) in northern India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres on the south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks in the Lower Himalayas or Shiwalik Range in Uttarakhand, it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometers (855 mi) and has a drainage system of 366,223 square kilometres (141,399 sq mi), 40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin, before merging with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, the site for the Kumbha Mela every twelve years.

It crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, and meets several of its tributaries on the way, including Tons, its largest and longest tributary in Uttarakhand, Chambal, which has its own large basin, followed by Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken. Most importantly it creates the highly fertile alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain. Nearly 57 million people depend on the Yamuna waters. With an annual flow of about 10,000 cubic billion metres (cbm) and usage of 4,400 cbm (of which irrigation constitutes 96 per cent), the river accounts for more than 70 per cent of Delhis water supplies. Just like the Ganges, the Yamuna too is highly venerated in Hinduism and worshipped as goddess Yamuna, throughout its course. In Hindu mythology, she is the daughter of Sun God, Surya, and sister of Yama, the God of Death, hence also known as Yami and according to popular legends, bathing in its sacred waters frees one from the torments of death.

The water of Yamuna is of "reasonably good quality" through its length from Yamunotri in the Himalayas to Wazirabad in Delhi, about 375 km, where the discharge of waste water through 15 drains between Wazirabad barrage and Okhla barrage renders the river severely polluted after

Wazirabad in Delhi. One official describes the river as a "sewage drain" with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values ranging from 14 to 28 mg/l and high coliform content. There are three main sources of pollution in the river, namely households and municipal disposal sites, soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites.

WATER POLLUTION IN GODAVARI

The second largest river in India, Godavari is often referred to as the Vriddh (Old) Ganga or the Dakshin (South) Ganga. The name may be apt in more ways than one, as the river follows the course of Ganga's tragedy: Pollution in this peninsular river is fast reaching unsafe levels. The Godavari originates near Triambak in the Nasik district of Maharashtra, and flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Although its point of origin is just 80 kms away from the Arabian Sea, it journeys 1,465 kms to fall into the Bay of Bengal. Some of its tributaries include Indravati, Manjira, Bindusara and Sarbari. Some important urban centers on its banks include Nasik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nizamabad, Rajahmundry, and Balaghat.

POLLUTION Like most other rivers, domestic pollution is the biggest polluter of the river Godavari, accounting for 82 per cent of total pollution, whereas industrial pollution accounts for about 18 percent. Over half of the river basin (18.6 million ha), is categorized as cultivable land. Most of the rivers water is drawn for irrigation purposes. Application of fertilizers is very high at 49.34 kg/hectares, almost double the countrys average. Pesticides are also applied at the high rates of 146.47 kgs/sq. km of which 79 per cent are organochlorines. However, the Central Pollution Control Board refuses to acknowledge the pollution created by such high levels of fertilizer and pesticideusage. But the story of pollution in the Godavari river evolves around the tiny Nakavaggu rivulet, which joins the Manjira, a tributary of the Godavari. The rivulet is dead and supports no life. Highly productive agricultural land surrounds the rivulet. More than 150 small and medium industries

and several large industries near the twin cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad release their effluents into the Nakavaggu rivulet.

However most of the blame lies with the 72 industries in the Patancheru Industrial area that have been dumping their effluents into the river. Bereft of treatment facilities, industrial effluents are let out into streams that collect in ponds. This overflow later reaches the Nakavaggu. A drain leading to Nakavaggu also carries effluents from BHEL, Asian Paints, and Voltas industries.

Industrial discharge from such industries has severely affected public health, surface and ground water and agriculture in 22 villages in this area.

The river water is heavily used for agriculture, as it is the only available water source. However, the rivers water has turned the fertile soil toxic with heavy metals. The soil contains heavy metals like iron, nickel, zinc, copper, cobalt and cadmium.

Even the crop yield has suffered terribly. Before industrialization, the lands crop yield was 40 bags of paddy per acre and is now a mere 10 bags. Toxic metals in the soil have contaminated the crops, penetrated animal milk and affected human health.

Incidence of cancers has also sharply risen, including leukemia in young boys, lung cancer in non-smokers and liver cancer. Medical experts attribute these increased rates to high water pollution. The polluted water has also seeped underground, contaminating groundwater, and the surrounding soil is contaminated due to acidification.

GOVERNMENT ACTION In 1993, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court ordered two paper mills in Paithan to stop discharging effluents into the river and ordered the Beed Zilla Parishad to supply drinking water for the affected villages.

During the hearing the state government admitted that the river was polluted since 1984. After prolonged agitation by farmers and pressure from citizen bodies, the district administration got the courts to serve notice to 22 industries giving them till September 1987 to establish individual Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs). After the farmers filed a writ petition against 220 industries in the high court, the government held a number of public meetings to discuss short- and longterm solutions. Twelve units were served closure notices on May 7, 1989. However, the industrial units obtained stay orders from the court. With the court order going in favour of the industries, he farmers filed petitions in the Supreme Court. The apex court ruled in favour of the farmers and asked the state pollution board to serve notices to 56 polluting industries asking them to provide safe drinking water to the affected villages, restore cultivable land, and provide monetary relief, medical care to the victims, and ordered sustained vigilance of the industrial discharge.

In compliance with the court order, the Andhra Pradesh government decided to lay down a pipeline carrying industrial waste from Patancheru to the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Amberpet in 2001. The STP already discharged treated and untreated sewage into another river, the Musi. Instead of treating the waste, the government just diverted the waste to another river.

With these developments it is clear that the government is least interested in solving the problem; it just wants to circumvent the court order.

PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT What few steps taken to stop pollution in this river are the outcome of efforts by the citizens of Patancheru town and Hyderabad city. In 1986, citizens launched an awareness campaign against river pollution. Dr Kishan Rao, a medical practitioner from Patancheru and members of the Citizens Against Pollution (CAP) movement initiated the campaign. Combined with the affected communities, they formed the Patancheru Anti-Pollution Committee (PAPC) in 1986. Activists staged dharnas, relay hunger strikes and demanded that the state government end such pollution. Their protests also included a Patancheru bandh and a 40-km long march to the state assembly, where they presented a list of demands to the then chief minister, N T Rama Rao.

Their demands included that each industry construct an effluent treatment plant (ETP); that industries ensure adequate compensation for degraded agricultural land and that they supply safe drinking water to the affected villages. Farmers from the adjoining areas of Sultanpur, Gandigudem and Krishnareddypeta organized a rally as part of an awareness campaign in the Bollaram industrial area on August 18, 1986, blocking roads leading to the industrial area. Three days later, the PAPC held a dharna in front of the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Rangareddys office. The outcome was a promise to control pollution.

WATER POLLUTION THROUGH SEWAGE

Sewage is a water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains. In loose American English usage, the terms 'sewage' and 'sewerage' are sometimes interchanged. Both words are descended from Old French assewer, derived from the Latin exaquare, "to drain out (water)". Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage.

Classes of sewage include sanitary, commercial, industrial, agricultural and surface runoff. The wastewater from residences and institutions, carrying body wastes, washing water, food preparation wastes, laundry wastes, and other waste products of normal living, are classed as domestic or sanitary sewage. Liquid-carried wastes from stores and service establishments serving the immediate community, termed commercial wastes, are included in the sanitary or domestic sewage category if their characteristics are similar to household flows. Wastes that result from an industrial process or the production or manufacture of goods are classed as industrial wastewater. Their flows and strengths are usually more varied, intense, and concentrated than those of sanitary sewage. Surface runoff, also known as storm flow or overland flow, is that portion of precipitation that runs rapidly over the ground surface to a defined channel. Precipitation absorbs gases and particulates from the atmosphere, dissolves and leaches materials from vegetation and soil, suspends matter from the land, washes spills and debris from urban streets and highways, and carries all these pollutants as wastes in its flow to a collection point.

SEWAGE SERVICES
DISEASE POTENTIAL

All categories of sewage are likely to carry pathogenic organisms that can transmit disease to humans and other animals; contain organic matter that can cause odor and nuisance problems; hold nutrients that may cause eutrophication of receiving water bodies; and can lead to ecotoxicity. Proper collection and safe, nuisance-free disposal of the liquid wastes of a community are legally recognized as a necessity in an urbanized, industrialized society. The reality is, however, that around 90% of wastewater produced globally remains untreated causing widespread water pollution, especially in low-income countries.

Increasingly, agriculture is using untreated wastewater for irrigation. Cities provide lucrative markets for fresh produce, so are attractive to farmers. However, because agriculture has to compete for increasingly scarce water resources with industry and municipal users, there is often no alternative for farmers but to use water polluted with urban waste, including sewage, directly to water their crops. There can be significant health hazards related to using water loaded with pathogens in this way, especially if people eat raw vegetables that have been irrigated with the polluted water.

The International Water Management Institute has worked in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mexico and other countries on various projects aimed at assessing and reducing risks of wastewater irrigation. They advocate a multiple-barrier approach to wastewater use, where farmers are encouraged to adopt various risk-reducing behaviours. These include ceasing irrigation a few days before harvesting to allow pathogens to die off in the sunlight, applying

water carefully so it does not contaminate leaves likely to be eaten raw, cleaning vegetables with disinfectant or allowing fecal sludge used in farming to dry before being used as a human manure. The World Health Organization has developed guidelines for safe water use.

A system of sewer pipes (sewers) collects sewage and takes it for treatment or disposal. The system of sewers is called sewerage or sewerage system (see London sewerage system) in British English and sewage system in American English. Where a main sewerage system has not been provided, sewage may be collected from homes by pipes into septic tanks or cesspits, where it may be treated or collected in vehicles and taken for treatment or disposal. Properly functioning septic tanks require emptying every 25 years depending on the load of the system.

Sewage and wastewater is also disposed of to rivers, streams, and the sea in many parts of the world. Doing so can lead to serious pollution of the receiving water. This is common in third world countries and may still occur in some developed countries, where septic tank systems are too expensive.

TREATMENT
Sewage treatment is the process of removing the contaminants from sewage to produce liquid and solid (sludge) suitable for discharge to the environment or for reuse. It is a form of waste management. A septic tank or other on-site wastewater treatment system such as biofilters can be used to treat sewage close to where it is created.

Sewage water is a complex matrix, with many distinctive chemical characteristics. These include high concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, high conductivity (due to high dissolved solids), high alkalinity, with pH typically ranging between 7 and 8. Trihalomethanes are also likely to be present as a result of past disinfection.

In developed countries sewage collection and treatment is typically subject to local, state and federal regulations and standards.

CONVERSION TO FERTILISER

Sewage sludge can be collected through a sludge processing plant that automatically heats the matter and converts it into fertiliser pellets (thereby removing possible contamination by chemical detergents, ...) This approach eliminates seawater pollution caused when the water is discharged directly to the sea without treatment (a practice which is still common in developing countries, despite environmental regulation). Sludge plants are useful in areas that have already set-up a sewage-system, but not in areas without such a system, as composting toilets are more efficient and do not require sewage pipes (which break over time).

Domestic households, industrial and agricultural practices produce wastewater that can cause pollution of many lakes and rivers.

Sewage is the term used for wastewater that often contains faeces, urine and laundry waste.

There are billions of people on Earth, so treating sewage is a big priority. Sewage disposal is a major problem in developing countries as many people in these areas dont have access to sanitary conditions and clean water.

Untreated sewage water in such areas can contaminate the environment and cause diseases such as diarrhoea.

Sewage in developed countries is carried away from the home quickly and hygienically through sewage pipes.

Sewage is treated in water treatment plants and the waste is often disposed into the sea. Sewage is mainly biodegradable and most of it is broken down in the environment. In developed countries, sewage often causes problems when people flush chemical and pharmaceutical substances down the toilet. When people are ill, sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacteria into the environment causing health problems.

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring (calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often the key in determining what is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts on aquatic flora and fauna.

Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter (e.g. leaves and grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species.

Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts. Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes acidity (change in pH), electrical conductivity, temperature, and eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in water quality may occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.

PATHOGENS
Coliform bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of water pollution, although not an actual cause of disease. Other microorganisms sometimes found in surface waters which have caused human health problems include:

Burkholderia pseudomallei Cryptosporidium parvum Giardia lamblia Salmonella Novovirus and other viruses Parasitic worms (helminths).

High levels of pathogens may result from inadequately treated sewage discharges. This can be caused by a sewage plant designed with less than secondary treatment (more typical in lessdeveloped countries). In developed countries, older cities with aging infrastructure may have leaky sewage collection systems (pipes, pumps, valves), which can cause sanitary sewer overflows. Some cities also have combined sewers, which may discharge untreated sewage during rain storms.

CHEMICAL AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS

Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances.

Organic water pollutants include:

Detergents Disinfection by-products found in chemically disinfected drinking water, such as chloroform

Food processing waste, which can include oxygen-demanding substances, fats and grease Insecticides and herbicides, a huge range of organohalides and other chemical compounds

Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, and fuel oil) and lubricants (motor oil), and fuel combustion byproducts, from stormwater runoff

Tree and bush debris from logging operations Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as industrial solvents, from improper storage. Chlorinated solvents, which are dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), may fall to the bottom of reservoirs, since they don't mix well with water and are denser.
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Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) Trichloroethylene

Perchlorate Various chemical compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products.

INORGANIC WATER POLLUTANTS INCLUDE:

Acidity caused by industrial discharges (especially sulfur dioxide from power plants) Ammonia from food processing waste Chemical waste as industrial by-products Fertilizers containing nutrients--nitrates and phosphateswhich are found in stormwater runoff from agriculture, as well as commercial and residential use

Heavy metals from motor vehicles (via urban stormwater runoff) and acid mine drainage Silt (sediment) in runoff from construction sites, logging, slash and burn practices or land clearing sites.

Macroscopic pollutionlarge visible items polluting the watermay be termed "floatables" in an urban stormwater context, or marine debris when found on the open seas, and can include such items as:

Trash or garbage (e.g. paper, plastic, or food waste) discarded by people on the ground, along with accidental or intentional dumping of rubbish, that are washed by rainfall into storm drains and eventually discharged into surface waters

Nurdles, small ubiquitous waterborne plastic pellets Shipwrecks, large derelict ships.

THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution is the rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of water caused by human influence. Thermal pollution, unlike chemical pollution, results in a change in the physical properties of water. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decreases oxygen levels, which can kill fish, and can alter food chain composition, reduce species biodiversity, and foster invasion by new thermophilic species. Urban runoff may also elevate temperature in surface waters.

Thermal pollution can also be caused by the release of very cold water from the base of reservoirs into warmer rivers.

TRANSPORT AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF WATER POLLUTANTS

Most water pollutants are eventually carried by rivers into the oceans. In some areas of the world the influence can be traced hundred miles from the mouth by studies using hydrology transport models. Advanced computer models such as SWMM or the DSSAM Model have been used in many locations worldwide to examine the fate of pollutants in aquatic systems. Indicator filter feeding species such as copepods have also been used to study pollutant fates in the New York Bight, for example. The highest toxin loads are not directly at the mouth of the Hudson River, but 100 kilometers south, since several days are required for incorporation into planktonic tissue. The Hudson discharge flows south along the coast due to coriolis force. Further south then are areas of oxygen depletion, caused by chemicals using up oxygen and by algae blooms, caused by excess nutrients from algal cell death and decomposition. Fish and shellfish kills have been

reported, because toxins climb the food chain after small fish consume copepods, then large fish eat smaller fish, etc. Each successive step up the food chain causes a stepwise concentration of pollutants such as heavy metals (e.g. mercury) and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. This is known as biomagnification, which is occasionally used interchangeably with bioaccumulation.

WATER POLLUTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

by Anonymous on News April 12th has no comments yet!

Different reports of some UN agencies warn on increasing scarcity of water per capita in many parts of the developing countries. This crises is happening due to population growth which has the highest rate in those countries, as well as the absence of proper sanitation systems and infrastructures. Than, there are also changes in climate, and the pollution factor that brought us were we are now.

As far as water quality, the poor are still under the strongest attack: 50% of the population in developing countries are exposed to polluted water sources. Asia has the most contaminated rivers in the world, that have three times more bacteria than average human waste. Moreover, these rivers also have larger amount of heavy metals than rivers in industrialized countries.

Urban areas without proper infrastructures for water and sanitation are the most dangerous environment for human survival in these countries. According to the survey covering 116 cities, urban areas in Africa are in the worst position, where only 18% of households are connected to savage systems. In Asia that number is 40%, witch is still alarming figure.

Naturally, poor people in these cities are the first victims of diseases related to absence of infrastructure and sewage systems, floods and decontaminated water. As a result, we have a typical example of this issue- Malaria, which is today one of the major causes of illness and death in many urban areas in Africa. Another example in South Asia is this disease transmittermosquito Anopheles Stephensi, that adapted its reproductive cycle for many water conditions there.

These facts tell us, how important are the sanitation conditions and proper waste management today. One liter of waste water is polluting 7 liters of fresh water, and the amount of waste water in the world is high above reasonable levels (12,000 km3).

There are several reasons why cities and urban areas should have higher priority from rural parts when it comes to water supply and protection of natural sources. First of all, unit cost of infrastructure in urban areas are lower due to smaller distances and a large number of users. Second, most cities have a better economic base, that provides greater opportunities for the special funds for infrastructure development. Third, in urban areas are concentrated not only the people and industries, but also waste.

Nowadays, the industry takes 22% of the total water consumption (59% is in developed, and 8% in developing countries). This percentage will rise up to 24% in 2025. Each year 300-500 million tons of heavy metals, toxic and other dangerous substances from industrial plants go into water catchments and rivers. More than 80% of hazardous waste in the world is produced in the US and other industrialized countries.

So as we see, the developed countries also have to make smart actions in future to protect water sources and their pollution. In near future water crisis will be felt in all countries around the world with consequences on the health of children, and the opportunity to secure food supplies for everyone. The precise predictions depend on factors such as population growth and political measures, while climate change will be responsible for 20% increase in the level of global water scarcity.

The crisis has occurred because there is no political commitment or adequate measures for prevention of current trends, despite the countless evidences of deterioration in everyday situations. Although many goals and objectives were set in the past years for fresh water supply, sanitation and waste control, practically non of them were achieved so far.

We hope that all the governments will put this on their list of priorities, before its to late to react.

CONTROL ON WATER POLLUTION

DOMESTIC SEWAGE

Domestic sewage is typically 99.9 percent water with 0.1 percent pollutants. Although found in low concentrations, these pollutants pose risk on a large scale. In urban areas, domestic sewage is typically treated by centralized sewage treatment plants. Well-designed and operated systems (i.e., secondary treatment or better) can remove 90 percent or more of these pollutants. Some plants have additional systems to remove nutrients and pathogens. Most municipal plants are not specifically designed to treat toxic pollutants found in industrial wastewater.

Cities with sanitary sewer overflows or combined sewer overflows employ one or more engineering approaches to reduce discharges of untreated sewage, including:

utilizing a green infrastructure approach to improve stormwater management capacity throughout the system, and reduce the hydraulic overloading of the treatment plant

repair and replacement of leaking and malfunctioning equipment increasing overall hydraulic capacity of the sewage collection system (often a very expensive option).

A household or business not served by a municipal treatment plant may have an individual septic tank, which treats the wastewater on site and discharges into the soil. Alternatively, domestic wastewater may be sent to a nearby privately owned treatment system (e.g. in a rural community).

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER

Some industrial facilities generate ordinary domestic sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities. Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of conventional pollutants (e.g. oil and grease), toxic pollutants (e.g. heavy metals, volatile organic compounds) or other nonconventional pollutants such as ammonia, need specialized treatment systems. Some of these facilities can install a pre-treatment system to remove the toxic components, and then send the partially treated wastewater to the municipal system. Industries generating large volumes of wastewater typically operate their own complete on-site treatment systems.

Some industries have been successful at redesigning their manufacturing processes to reduce or eliminate pollutants, through a process called pollution prevention.

Heated water generated by power plants or manufacturing plants may be controlled with:

cooling ponds, man-made bodies of water designed for cooling by evaporation, convection, and radiation

cooling towers, which transfer waste heat to the atmosphere through evaporation and/or heat transfer

cogeneration, a process where waste heat is recycled for domestic and/or industrial heating purposes.

AGRICULTURAL WASTEWATER
Nonpoint source controls Sediment (loose soil) washed off fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the United States. Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields. Common techniques include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and installing riparian buffers.

Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are typically applied to farmland as commercial fertilizer; animal manure; or spraying of municipal or industrial wastewater (effluent) or sludge. Nutrients may also enter runoff from crop residues, irrigation water, wildlife, and atmospheric deposition. Farmers can develop and implement nutrient management plans to reduce excess application of nutrients and reduce the potential for nutrient pollution.

To minimize pesticide impacts, farmers may use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques (which can include biological pest control) to maintain control over pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and protect water quality.

Feedlot in the United States

Point source waste water treatment Farms with large livestock and poultry operations, such as factory farms, are called concentrated animal feeding operations or feedlots in the US and are being subject to increasing government regulation. Animal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland. Constructed wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes. Some animal slurries are treated by mixing with straw and composted at high temperature to produce a bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil improvement.

CONCLUSION
Water pollution has many forms, all of which are damaging and none of which are less important than the other. Whether it be oil pollution, which is a largely silent (excluding the occasional large spill) but deadly polluter or the widely encompassing chemical pollution which can include Persistant Organic Pollutants (including PCB's and DDT), all water pollution have unimaginable consequences. Some of these effects, which can also be considered further pollutants, are Acid Mine Drainage and Eutrophication. These effects effectively choke out the water they pollute and have the ability to devastate entire ecosystems centered on a water supply.

The most obvious, not to mention hard to admit, conclusion at which we can arrive is that this is overwhelmingly a product of human consumption and laziness. Oil pollution is mainly caused by the improper drainage of everyday human activities. Chemical pollution, including POP, PCB, and DDT, is created from our desire for excellent pesticides that will do the work and thinking for us, and from our ever growing demand for more electricity. Acid Mine Drainage is caused when careless mining companies disrupt pyrite deposits underground without taking the time to first test the ground or the effort to neutralize any acidity initially caused from pollution. Eutrophication is an excellent example of what can happen from chemical pollution, as it is caused when excess nutrients enter the water system and promote the excessive growth of invasive species which effectively removes the oxygen from water and chokes the life out of an ecosystem

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