(Introduction to Environmental Studies)
B. Tech 3rd Semester
Chapter 4
WATER POLLUTION (Part 1)
Department: Chemistry
Subject: Environmental Studies (CHM2041)
Contents
Introduction to water pollution
Types of water pollutants
Sources of water pollution
Effect of water pollution
Eutrophication
Bio-magnification
Some common measures to control pollution
WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution means undesirable changes in physical, chemical or biological properties
of water that makes it unfit for use by human and other living beings.
There are certain symptoms of water pollution: changed colour, offensive smell, bad
taste, unchecked growth of aquatic weeds, oily material floating on surface, and death of
fish and other aquatic organisms.
Facts????
•Only about 3% surface water is fresh water
•One fifth of the world’s population lacks the access of clean water
•Over 2.6 billion people do not have adequate toilets.
•More than 2 million children are killed by diarrheal diseases each year
•Demand of water will double in next 30 years
Causes of Water Pollution?
•Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,”
•Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with
it, causing water pollution.
Water pollutants: Types
Organic pollutants: Mainly derivatives of living beings, while some are synthetic. They include
(a)Natural organic pollutants: faecal content, dead and decaying plant and animal,
(b)Sewage and industrial effluents,
(c) Synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs): Pesticide, herbicide, dioxin Polychlorinated biphenyl,
(d) Microbiological pollutants: bacteria, virus, fungi, etc
(e) Oils: marine pollution by spillage and leakage from ship carrying refinery oil .
Inorganic pollutants: example mineral acids, bases, salts, metals, heavy metals etc. They
come from natural sources (rocks) as well as man made sources (industries).
Example SO4, NO3, PO4, Cyanide, Fluoride, chloride etc, Heavy metal: Pb, Cr, Cd, Hg, As etc
Radioactive pollutants: Released into water from natural sources (rocks) as well as man
made sources (nuclear waste, weapons etc.) uranium , thorium etc
Suspended solids and sediments: These include insoluble impurities like soil, sand and
other solid particles which either remain as suspension in water or form sediments.
Sources of water pollution:
Heat or thermal pollution: Heated water from thermal power plants and industries. This
increases temperature of water and decreases dissolved oxygen.
Sources of water pollution
Major sources of water pollution include:
Nature (death and decay of plants and animals): Faecal content increase BOD and
COD level
Soil erosion due to deforestation, overgrazing etc
Agricultural run-off: Pesticide herbicide, fertilizer
Mining (acid mine drainage),
Municipal sewage,
Industrial effluents: Petrol chemical, paper pulp, pharmaceutical, coke oven plant
Accidental spillage etc.: during transport, storage and handling, Accident during
ship carrying refinery oil
Sources of water pollution
There are two types of sources of water pollution:
Point sources: Sources whose location can be
identified as single point. e.g., sewage and
industrial effluent
Non-point or diffused or area sources:
Sources that are scattered over a large area or
that can not be identified as single point. e.g.,
run-off from agricultural land, forests etc
Effects of water pollution
Physical effects: It includes increased temperature, turbidity, conductivity, depletion of
dissolved oxygen (DO), altered colour, oily surface etc. This results in reduced
photosynthesis and loss of aquatic life.
Oxidation effects: It includes biological and chemical oxidation. As a result of this different
impurities get oxidized (e.g., sulphides into sulphate, ammonia into nitrite and nitrates) at the
cost of dissolved oxygen.
Toxic chemical effects: Causes fatal diseases or deaths of living beings. e.g., toxic metals
like cadmium, mercury, chromium cause damage to liver, kidney and brain.
Similarly pesticides, acids, dioxins cause damage and cause cancer.
Micro-organism effects: Different micro-organisms (e.g., bacteria, virus) found in dirty water
cause a number of water borne diseases e.g., cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, dysentery etc.
.
Eutrophication
Agriculture run off excessive growth
of water weeds
(chiefly algae)on
the surface
Oxygen deplete
& Fish death
Deficient of O2
Fish death
Industrial Effluents
Neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury
poisoning. Symptoms include ataxia, (loss of full control
on body movement) numbness (Burning feeling) in the
hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of
the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech
ITAI-ITAI Disease: (Cd) Osteomylecia, sever bone pain renal dysfunction
Insecticide and Pesticides Biomagnification
Even Hg, Pb, Cd, As etc
Some common measures to control pollution
Domestic and industrial waste waters should be discharged into rivers only after proper
treatment through STPs and ETPs.
Solid wastes must not be mixed with liquid wastes and should not be thrown into to water
bodies. They should be separately managed.
Sources of drinking water should be protected from pollution. Polluting activities (e.g.,
industrial use, discharging effluents, bathing, washing, cattle rearing etc.) must be avoided in
vicinity of source of drinking water.
Water bodies should be regularly cleaned of aquatic weeds, plants and other crude
impurities like polythene, metals, garbage etc. Special breeds of fish, Gambusia fish which
feed on mosquito eggs and bacteria, can be cultured in water bodies.
Afforestation must be done for reducing soil erosion and improving local soil hydrology.
Use of agrochemicals need to be minimized.
Public awareness regarding water pollution and its control measures should be created.
