Water pollution and its impacts with mitigations

Dr. Mahesh Jayaweera

What is pollution?

Harm to living resources (e.g. Drinking) Hazards to human health Hindrance to aquatic activities such as contact & non-contact recreational activities Impairment of water quality with respect to agricultural and industrial activities Reduction of amenities

How to identify?

Physico-chemical parameters of water, particulate matter or biological tissues (pH, COD,NH3,NO3,etc.) Biochemical or biological tests (BOD or toxicity tests) Semi-quantitative and qualitative descriptions (biotic indices, visual aspects, species inventories, odor etc.)

Water Pollution

Surface (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals, or streams)

Ground (water found in shallow wells, bore holes or deep wells)

Both types are common in many areas Needs prior knowledge on water quality issues Sometimes not visible but result in adverse repercussions Combat of the issue needs investigation but for an emergency trial and error method may work Education and awareness campaigns are vital for all at work

Water quality issues

Issue
1. Faecal pollution

Description
Contamination of water with human or animal faeces; found in inhabited areas; no color, taste or odor Color due to suspended solids; apparent in rainy seasons; brown color

2. Turbid water

3. Eutrophication

Enriched with nutrients such as N & P; algae & aquatic vegetation are common; Green color Enriched with complex organic matters fallen leaves, litter in the water cause this pollution; smelly water Enriched with commercially available agro-chemicals, sometimes no colour Enriched with fertilizer, faeces or kitchen wastewater composed of high nitrate loads; no color or taste or smell

4. Organic pollution

5. Agro-chemical pollution 6. Nitrate pollution

Issue
7. Salinization

Description
High levels of chlorides or other halides; difficult to drink; apparent in coastal area High levels of Ca & Mg; tasty; soap could not be used; no color; common in north of Colombo and down south High levels of trace metals such as iron, manganese, cyanide; cause health hazards; sometimes carcinogenic; colors are sometime apparent; no taste; common in down south up to Galle Natural or anthropogenic; sour taste; corrosive environment Health hazards (usually irreparable losses); protective wearing needed; only prevention but no cure

8. Hardness

9. Heavy metal pollution

10. Acidification

11. Radioactive waste or explosives

Faecal pollution

Measured in terms of total and Feacal coliforms For drinking 0 F. C./100ml For secondary sports (boating, surfing)-1000 F.C./100ml For primary sports (swimming) 150 F.C./100ml Boil the water at 1000C before drinking Chlorinate water till the final chlorine concentration becomes 0.5-1 mg/l UV radiation is also possible Suffer from gastroenteritis and water borne diseases In an emergency, filter the water through a sand column or through wetland To lessen the pollution, design a correct septic tank system

Can you drink water with your own excreta consisting of bacteria, viruses?

UV Radiation

Chlorination

Ozonation

Turbid water

Measured in terms of total suspended solid contents (TSS) or NTU For drinking 10mg/l of TSS or less than 20NTU For recreation 20mg/l of TSS Sometimes illness or diseases apparent (acute vs chronic) Chemical precipitation with alum or FeCl3 is usual and then followed by sand filtering In an emergency, filter the water through a sand column or even through a cloth To obtain less turbid water, design a proper treatment plant

Do we prefer to drink turbid water?

Turbid water

Sand filters

Eutrophication

Measured in terms of algal counts For direct contact less than 15000-20000 cells/ml Usually characterized by green color Should not drink; because if toxins are present they are toxic Boiling never gives the good quality water Needs proper in lake technique to control algae In an emergency, try to avoid drinking or filter the water through charcoal ( activated carbon or burnt coconut shells) For long term control, lesson release of nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds

Can these be aesthetically pleasant?

Fish kills by poisons

Activated carbon filter

Agro-chemical pollution

Measured usually in terms of parent compounds But, intermediate compounds possible, which may be more toxic Usually characterized by strong smell Should not drink as they cause irreparable losses Usage seems to be on the rise hence chronic health impacts are very likely Needs proper management to control them In an emergency, try to avoid drinking or filter the water through charcoal ( activated carbon or burnt coconut shells) For long term control, lesson release of such compounds

Can these be acceptable?

Organic pollution

Measured in terms of total organic carbon (TOC) Water gets a color ,taste or odor Characterized by humic and fluvic acids; usually found in peat soils Do not drink the water with high contents of TOC Needs a full treatment plant In an emergency, pass the water through charcoal or activated carbon column

Can these be common sites in our water bodies?

Nitrate pollution

Measured in terms of NO3 N (mg/l) For drinking -10 mg/l For eutrophication 1 mg/l Very high in Kalpitiya and Jaffna mainly because of excessive fertilizer use Infants are affected in great deal Needs tertiary treatment In an emergency, filter the water through a column of burnt bricks or a wetland For long term solution, cut off excessive fertilizer usage, direct discharge of sewage, kitchen wastewater

Are we responsible for Nitrate pollution?

Treatment is expensive
Wetlands Ion exchange resins

Salinization

Measured in terms of salinity in ppt or conductivity in mircoS/cm Drinking water- 1 ppt or 500 microS/cm Sea water 34 ppt or 50000 microS/cm Excessive pumping or inherent water quality causes salinization Desalination plant (Reverse Osmosis Plant) is necessary For an emergency, heat and condensate For long term solution change the source of water or go deeper in the ground

Are we pumping too much?

Limited fresh water in the coastal belts

Drawdown in the well

RO units

Hardness

Measured in terms of hardness as CaCO3 (mg/l) Characterized by calcium and magnesium present in limestone For drinking -100mg/l Objectionable taste; pipelines get stuck with deposits of Ca and Mg; white in color Need quicklime (Ca(OH)2) and soda (NaHCO3) to be added (Soda lime process) If found in large quantities (more than 300mg/l) first soda lime process and followed by RO process or resins If drink, stones in the kidney are likely For an emergency, add quicklime or hydrated lime and get the supernatant water for drinking For long - term control, change the source of water or full treatment

Can we offer hard water for drinking?

Resins Scaling of pipes

Heavy Metal Pollution

Measured in terms of total metal levels individually Usually micro levels cause either health hazards or cancer No smell or taste; sometimes slight colors or taste (Iron) Treatment is expensive (usually use RO technique) In an emergency, pass the water through a constructed wetland made with metal hyper accumulators (eg water hyacinth) or pump it through burnt clay brick column or add sodium hyper chloride (Strong oxidant) For long term management, avoid the use of pesticides, ammunition and hazardous chemicals

Can we afford to neglect heavy metals?

Iron precipitation

Iron treatment

Acidification

Measured in terms of pH Usually ranging 3-6 Sources are rainfall, chemicals or soil No color, some taste Addition of alkalinity by quicklime or hydrated lime In an emergency, add lime Once exposed to high concentration, wash from the running water as immediately as possible

Are we drinking acid water?

Chemical mixing

Radioactive Waste or Explosives

Measured in radioactive units (Alfa, beta

or gamma) No treatment possible Avoid exposure Contact a medical practitioner as quickly as possible

Thank you