Control of Water Pollution:

The following points may help in reducing water pollution from non-point sources.

(i) Judicious use of agrochemicals like pesticides and fertilizers which will reduce their
surface run-off and leaching. Use of these on sloped lands should be avoided.

(ii) Use of nitrogen fixing plants to supplement the use of fertilizers.

(iii) Adopting integrated pest management to reduce greater reliance on pesticides.

(iv) Prevent run-off of manure. Divert such run-off to basin for settlement. The nutrient rich
water can be used as fertilizer in the fields.

(v) Separate drainage of sewage and rain water should be provided to prevent overflow of
sewage with rain water.

(vi) Planting trees would reduce pollution by sediments and will also prevent soil erosion.

For controlling water pollution from point sources, treatment of waste waters is essential
before being discharged. Parameters which are considered for reduction in such water are:
Total solids, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrates
and phosphates, oil and grease, toxic metals etc. Waste waters should be properly treated by
primary and secondary treatments to reduce the BOD, COD levels up to the permissible
levels for discharge.

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing

contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff (effluents) and domestic.
It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and
biological contaminants. Its objective is to produce an environmentally-safe fluid waste
stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste (or treated sludge) suitable for disposal or reuse
(usually as farm fertilizer).

Sewage is created by residential, institutional, and commercial and industrial establishments

and includes household waste liquid from toilets, baths, showers, kitchens, sinks and so forth
that is disposed of via sewers. In many areas, sewage also includes liquid waste from
industry.
Sewage can be treated close to where it is created (in septic tanks, bio-fitter’s or aerobic
treatment systems), or collected and transported via a network of pipes and pump stations to a
municipal treatment plant.

Sewage collection and treatment is typically subject to local, state and federal regulations and
standards. Industrial sources of wastewater often require specialized treatment processes (see
Industrial wastewater treatment).

Conventional sewage treatment may involve three stages, called primary, secondary and
tertiary treatment. Primary treatment consists of temporarily holding the sewage in a
quiescent basin where heavy solids can settle to the bottom while oil, grease and lighter solids
float to the surface. The settled and floating materials are removed and the remaining liquid
may be discharged or subjected to secondary treatment.

Secondary treatment removes dissolved and suspended biological matter. Secondary

treatment is typically performed by indigenous, water-borne micro-organisms in a managed
habitat. Secondary treatment may require a separation process to remove the microorganisms
from the treated water prior to discharge or tertiary treatment.

Tertiary treatment is sometimes defined as anything more than primary and secondary
treatment. Treated water is sometimes disinfected chemically or physically (for example, by
lagoons and microfiltration) prior to discharge into a stream, river, bay, lagoon or wetland, or
it can be used for the irrigation of a golf course, green way or park. If it is sufficiently clean,
it can also be used for groundwater recharge or agricultural purposes.