WATER POLLUTION

Sources of Water
The chief sources of
water are:
Underground water

Surface water

Sea water

Rain water
Hydrological Cycle
 Utilisation of Water
Irrigation
The amount of water required for irrigation purposes varies with the
climate and type of crops
Industrial Water
Industry is much dependent on adequate water supplies.Major water
users are steel, pulp and paper, chemicals, textiles and petoleum
refining industry.
Power generation
More than 99% of water is used for condenser cooling in thermal
power generation
Domestic water supply
Water consumption for domestic use is 2%.With the growing
population , the demand for fresh water , is steadily increasing in
India. But the availability of high quality water is dwindling because
of misuse, waste and pollution.
 WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution may be defined as:
Alteration in physical , chemical and biological
characterisation of water which may cause harmful effects on man
and aquatic biota.
Water pollution is mainly caused by:

 Natural processes in which the

decomposed vegetable and animal matter
deteriorate the water resource

 Anthropogenic processes such as

industrial, agriculture, urban, domestic,
mining etc , pour pollutants constantly into
water bodies.
 CLASSIFICATION OF WATER POLLUTION
Water Pollution can be classified into four categories:

 Physical pollution of water

It brings about changes in water with regard to its colour , odour,
density, taste turbidity etc.

 Chemical Pollution of water

The chemical pollution of water causes changes in acidity, alkalinity or
pH and dissolved oxygen. It may be caused either by organic pollutants or
inorganic pollutants or by both.

 Biological pollution of water

Bacterial pollution in water is caused by the excretory products of
man, animals and birds. Biological pollution of water is also brought about
by bacteria, viruses, algae, etc.
 TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution may be divided into 5
categories on the basis of sources and storage of
water:
 Ground water pollution
 Surface water pollution
 Lake water pollution
 River water pollution
 Sea water pollution
 GROUND WATER POLLUTION
Factors affecting Ground water pollution
The extent of ground water pollution depends
on the following factors:

1. Rain fall pattern

2. Depth of water table
3. Distance from the source of
contamination
4. Soil properties such as texture,
structure and filtration rate
Sources of contamination in ground water

Ground water is threatened with

pollution from the following sources:

 Domestic wastes
 Industry effluents
 Agricultural discharges
 Soluble effluents
 Urban and rural garbages
 Mine spills
 Refuse dumps
 Ground water contamination
Mercury contamination in water

• Mercury is a toxic heavy metal, which, when

ingested, can cause serious neurological damage,
particularly to developing fetuses, infants and children.
Consequences of exposure to mercury include
permanent and irreversible developmental delaysin
learning to walk and talk, in coordination, visual loss,
cerebral palsy, mental retardation, abnormal heart
rhythms, abnormal reflexes, liver digestion and
gastrointinal disturbances. People most at risk include
women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing
mothers, and subsistence fisher people.
Fluoride contamination in Ground water

Fluoride is essential element for human life but is toxic at

higher at concentrations. It is the most abundant element in earths crust.
Fluoride in the drinking water causes diseases, namely fluorosis, mental
disorder and failure of reproductive system. The rise in fluoride content, is
caused by the industrial liquid waste , discharged by textile dyeing
industries.

Nitrate ion contamination in Ground water

The main source for the increase in nitrate level in the
ground water is due to excessive use of chemical fertilizer and in some areas
where high nitrate is detected may be contributed by point sources, such as
domestic sewage, industrial waste or a drain passing near by. The level of nitrate
in the drinking water may lead to methaemoglobinemia in infants and
gastrointestinal tract infections in human.
Protecting Ground water from Pollution

• The contaminant sources should be carefully

surveyed.
• Location of industrial and municipal disposal
sites should be decided keeping in view the
ground water level pattern in the area.
• Surrounding contaminants sources and flow
directions should be considered.
• In case of toxic industrial effluents, steps should
be taken for predisposal treatment by the
industry itself.
 Surface water pollution
Factors affecting Surface water pollution
(i) Vegetation, soil type and degree of
weathering rocks.
(ii) Waste water disposal system and techniques
for treatment of domestic and urban sewage.
(iii) Hygienic and health situation of the
communities residing near surface water.
(iv) Physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of waste water entering the
surface water.
Sources of surface water pollution
(i) Atmospheric gases
(ii) Surface run off
(iii) industrial and municipal wastes
(iv) Agricultural wastes
(v) Decomposed plant and animal matter
(vi) Radioactive material
 Lake water Pollution
Source of pollution in lake water
 The discharge of organic wastes from hills and toxic
effluents from urban areas.
 Waste sludges from factories as well as washings and
dumping of tailings.
 Toxic and hazardous effluents from industries.
 Siltation of lakes due to dumping of enormous quantities
of sediments is the major source of lake water pollution.
 Surface run off, and streams bring inorganic nutrients
from agricultural lands into lakes. These effluents
consists of excessive concentration of nitrates and
phosphates causing lake eutrophication disrupting the
whole aquatic environment.
 How excess of nutrients can kill a
lake (Eutrophication)
Nitrogen and phosphorous are the main nutrients species
which enter fresh and marine systems changing
oligotrophic water to intensely productive eutrophic
conditions. Nutrient enrichment can lead to blooms of
algae , which eventually die and decompose . Their
decomposition removes oxygen from the water ,
potentially leading to levels of DO that are insufficient to
sustain normal life forms.
Excess of nutrients accelerate eutrophication.
Deep lakes undergo seasonal stratification into
epilimnion, thermocline and bottom hypolimnion. In this
bottom layer biological decomposition of organic
materials consume all the O2 resulting in O2 depletion.
Hence the fish die due to lack of O2 in water, the lake
ecosystem is also damaged.
 River Water Pollution
Sources of River water pollution
• Industrial discharges
• Synthetic drugs
• Oil refineries
• Detergents
• Fertilizer
• Pesticides
 Water Pollutants and their effects
Inorganic pollutants

Inorganic pollutants may be categorized as follows:

(i) Acids and Alkalies
Industries manufacturing hydrochloric, nitric, sulphiric and
phosphoric acids, and bases of Na, K etc discharge enormous amount
of acids and alkalies in water system.

(ii) Soluble and insoluble salts

Some metalloids of iron, cadmium, lithium and silica in water
are extremely toxic to life.

(iii) Polyphosphates
Polyphosphates in detergents are major source of phosphorus
in water. They result in extreme eutrophic situation and serve as algal
nutrient.

(iv) Acid mine drainage

Coal mines discharge considerable quantities of sulphuric acid
and also ferric hydroxide into local streams through seepage.
 Detrimental effects of inorganic
pollutants
• Acidic pollutant destroy most invertebrates and micro-organisms at
PH < 4 which prevents self-purification of the stream.
• Acid mine drainage is the major cause of fish kill.
• High acidity and alkalinity of water damage agricultural fields.
• Acidic water having pH 4.0increases the solubility of Fe, Al, and Mg
salts . Excess of dissolved metals pose deleterious effect on aquatic
life.
• Water containing excessive salts become brackish and inhibit
penetration of sunlight in water.
• Excess of inorganic pollutants like carbonate, sulphate,
bicarbonates of Ca & Mg make the water hard and unsuitable for
boilers.
 Detrimental effects of trace metals
• Trace metals in water acts as cumulative poison
and accumulate in living organism causing
chronic diseases.
• Heavy metals have a great affinity to attack
sulphur bond, protein, carboxylic acid and amino
group thereby disrupting the cell metabolism.
• Metallic contaminants from the industrial wastes
get precipitated and settle down with sewage
sludge. It prevents the further use of water from
industrial and domestic purposes.
• Toxic material cause chromosome damage and
interfere with the process of heredity in man.
 Organic Pollutants
1. Oxygen demanding wastes
2. Pathogens
3. Plant nutrients
4. Synthetic organic compounds
5. Oil
Details from Environmental Engg & Science,
G.M. Masters
 Detrimental effects of organic
pollutants
• Organic compounds in water undergo
degradation and putrefaction by bacterial
activity. They consume dissolve oxygen which is
an essential requirements for aquatic plants and
animals life.
• Organic matter coming from domestic and
agricultural lands contain nutrients which
nourishes algal growth. There occurs a loss of
all DO content resulting in dead pool of water.
 Effects of oxygen demanding waste
Oxygen demanding wastes are substances that oxidize
in the receiving body of the water. These are organic
substances present in municipal waste water or in
effluents from some industries, such as food processing
and paper production.

 As DO drops ,fish and other aquatic lives are threatened

and in extreme cases are killed .
 As oxygen level falls, undesirable odors, tastes and
colors prevails which reduces the acceptability of the
water as a domestic supply.
DO is greatly affected by reaeration, photosynthesis,
respiration and oxidation wastes.
 Detrimental effects of Pathogens

The potable water contaminated with Pathogen diseases

municipal sewage and industrial
wastes is the root cause of dangerous
diseases in living beings. Salmonella Typhoid fever
 Eggs of nematodes , hook worms and typhosa
tape worms occur mostly in cride
sewage. When such sewage are Vibrio cholerae cholera
discharged into water bodies without
treatment , contamination occurs with
resultant danger to man and aquatic
life Anopheles Malaria
 The pathogens most frequently mosquito
transmitted through water cause
infections of intestinal tract like Hook worm Skin diseases
typhoid, dysentry, cholera, polio and
infectious hepatitis.
Detailed study from Environmental
engg & Sc, G.M.Masters S. Schottmulleri Gastroenteritis
 Detrimental effects of sewage
and Domestic wastes
• Domestic sewage, which is primarily composed
of faeces, soapy wastes, food materials and
paper makes the water extremely anaesthetic.
• Sewage containing oxidizable and fermentable
matter causes depletion of DO.
• Suspended matter present in sewage has a
tendency to blanket the stream thereby reducing
the aquatic biota.
 Radioactive Pollutant
Sources of radioactive pollutant
 Use of radioactive materials in nuclear weapons
 From nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors
 Radioactive fall out from nuclear bombs
 Use of radio-isotopes in medicine , industry,
agriculture and research operations
 Emission from industrial use of nuclear energy
 Detrimental effects of Radioactive
pollutants
 Radioactive contaminants deposit on surface and ground water .
This water consumed by plants during photosynthesis acts as a
medium for radioactivity in plants.

 In living organisms , radiation produces a whole host of extremely

hazardous species like H+, H2, H2O+, H2O2 etc.

 Ionizing radiation in water mainly result in cellular damage .

 Drinking water containing Rn-222 and Th-232 could accumulate

dangerously in man causing genetic disorders.

 Traces of radioactive materials present in water causes cancers,

leukemia, eye cataract, DNA breakage in man.
 Thermal Pollutants
Thermal pollution involves warming up of an
aquatic ecosystem to the point where
desirable organisms are adversely
affected.
Coal fired power plants , electric power
plants , chemical industries, and nuclear
energy plants discharge their heated
effluents into nearby lakes or rivers.
Detrimental effects of Thermal pollutants
 Reduction in DO
DO is decreased in warm water., which results in killing of marine life
.
 Interference with reproduction
The increased temperature triggers deposition of eggs by
female.

 Longevity
High temperature increases activities in aquatic animals , which
exhaust the organisms and shortens life.

 Destruction of aquatic animals

Power plants require enormous amount of stream water for
cooling purposes . So a large number of fish, plankton and insect
larvae may be sucked along with the cooling water and destroyed by
thermal shock , water velocity and pressure.

 Disruption in food chain

Heated water effluents disturb aquatic food chain
 Oxygen Sag curve
The simultaneous action of deoxygenation and reaeration
produces a typical pattern in the DO concentration of the
aquatic system. This pattern is known as the DO sag. The
sag curves initialy drops as the waste deplete the oxygen
faster than it can be replaced. The point where DO is
minimum, the rate of reaeration becomes equal to the rate
of deoxygenation. Beyond this point, the rate of reaeration
exceeds the rate of deoxygenation and hence the DO
increases.
The rate of increase of oxygen deficit = rate of deoxygenation
– rate of oxygenation
dD/dt = kdLo e-kdt – krD
Where, Kd = deoxygenation rate constant, Lo = BOD of the
mixture of stream water and waste water at the point of
discharge and t is the time.
 Eutrophication
When sewage and agricultural runoff
containing phosphates and other
nutrients enter natural water bodies,
they cause overnutrition, leading to
‘eutrophication’ i.e. the process of
providing the water body with excess
of nutrients for the aquatic life it
supports.
A lake starts its lifecycle as a oligotrophic
i.e. clear water body. With time,
nutrients flow into the lake, leading to
growth and decay of algae and other
aquatic life. Eventually, the lake gets
overburdened with nutrients i.e. it
becomes eutrophic. The excess
nutrients cause algal bloom, which
dies and their decay process depletes
the dissolved oxygen (DO) of the lake,
leading to perish of the aquatic
animals and eventually driving the lake
ecosystem anaerobic, thus turning it
into a marsh/debris.
 Types of eutrophication

Natural eutrophication:
The process of
lake aging
characterised by
nutrient enrichment
is called natural
eutrophication.
During this process
oligotrophic lake is
converted into an
eutrophic lake
 Cultural eutrophication

This process is
generally speeded
up by human
activities which are
responsible for the
addition of 80%
nitrogen and 75%
phosphorus to lakes
and streams. In
India, Nainital lake is
undergoing a rapid
eutrophication as a
result of sewage,
domestic waste and
detergent addition.
 Effects of Eutrophication
 During eutrophication, algal bloom release toxic
chemicals which kill fish, birds and other aquatic animals
causing the water to sink.

 Decomposition of algal bloom leads to oxygen

depletion in water. Thus in a poor oxygen supply aquatic
organisms begin to die and the clean water turns into a
stinking drain.

 Many pathogenic microbes , viruses, protozoa and

bacteria etc. grow on sewage products under anaerobic
condition. It results into spread of fatal water-borne
diseases such as polio, dysentery, typhoid etc.
 Control of Eutrophication
 The waste water must be treated before its
discharge into water streams
 Recycling of nutrients can be checked through
harvest
 Eutrophication can be minimized by removing
nitrogen and phosphorous at the source.
 Algal blooms should be removed upon their death
and decomposition.
 Physico-chemical methods can be adopted to
remove dissolved nutrients. Ex, Phosphorous can
be removed by precipitation and nitrogen by
denitrification, electrodialysis and ion-exchange
methods.
 Thermal Stratification
• Above 4C the density of water
decreases with temperature. In
summer a lake warmed by the
sun will have a layer of warm
water floating on the top of the
denser , colder water below.
Conversely in winter if the lake
surface drops below 4C , it will
create a layer of cold water that
floats on the top of the more
dense, 4C water below.
These density differencess
between surface water and the
water nearer to the bottom inhibit
vertical mixing in the lake ,
causing a very stable layering
effect known as thermal
stratification.
 In general , deep lakes and
marine environments undergoes
seasonal thermal stratification
into :
 A warm surface layer
(EPILIMNION)
 An underlying layer where
temperature drops fast with
depth (THERMOCLINE)
 A bottom layer of cool water of
higher density
(HYPOLIMNION)
The hypolimnitic zone
represents a condition where the
biological decomposition of
organic matter consumes all the
dissolved oxygen, which cannot
be made up since these layers are
cut off from the atmosphere .
Summer stratification:
In summer a lake warmed by the sun will
have a layer of warm water floating on the top of
the denser, colder water below creating two
separate lakes, a warm lake (epilimnion) floating
on top of a cold lake (hypolimnion). The
seperation is stable and increases as summer
progresses.
As the season progresses and winter
approaches, the temperature of the epiliminion
begins to drop and marked stratification of
summer disappears. The temperature becomes
uniform with depth and complete mixing of lake
occurs. This is called fall overturn.
Winter Stratification:
In winter, the lake surface drops below
4C , it will create a layer of cold water that
floats on the top of the more dense, 4C
water below.
As the season progresses and summer
approaches, the surface (epiliminion)
warms up and marked stratification of
winter disappears and complete mixing of
lake occurs. This is called spring overturn.
Effects on dissolved oxygen (DO) by
eutrophic stratified lake
Consider a eutrophic stratified lake . The water of
epilimnion layer is expected to have high DO . The
hypolimnion layer is cut off from the oxygen-rich
epilimnion by stratification.
Eutrophic lake is rich in nutrients & organic matter.
Algal blooms and die off and sinks to the bottom. Thus
there is less oxygen in hypolimnion and more demand
for oxygen due to decomposition. Once summer
stratification starts, DO of hypolimnion drops affecting
the whole aquatic biota. During fall and spring overturn,
nutrients from bottom are distributed throughout the lake
and oxygen from epilimnion mixes with hypolimnion
(oxygen poor).
 Effects of winter stratification

Effects of winter stratification is less severe

in comparison to summer stratification
because
 In winter demand for oxygen decreases
as metabolic rate decreases.
 In winter, the ability of water to hold
oxygen increases
 Potability of water
 Water should be obtained from a source purified by
natural agencies.
 Water should be colourless and odourles.
 Turbidity should be les than 10 ppm
 Water should be free from objectionable dissolved
gases like hydrogen sulphide
 Water should be free from minerals such as lead,
arsenic, chromium and manganese salt
 Its alkalinity should not be high
 Total dissolved solid should be less than 500 ppm
 All kinds micro-organisms should be absent
 Schematic representation of
municipal water treatment plant
Refer to Environmental engineering &
science, chapter 6.
G.M. Masters
Details of each step involved- my notes.
 Purification of water for domestic use
Removal of suspended impurities
(a) Screening: The raw water is passed through screens , having large
number of holes , where floating matters are retained.

(b) Sedimentation: It is a process of allowing water to stand for 2-6 hours

undisturbed in big tanks , about 5m deep, where most of the suspended particles
settle down at the bottom, due to force of gravity. The clear supernatant water is then
drawn from tank with the help of pumps.
When water contains fine particles and colloidal matter , it becomes
necessary to apply sedimentation with coagulation for removing such impurities.
Sedimentation with coagulation: It is the process of removing
fine suspended and colloidal impurities by the addition of requisite amount chemicals
(called coagulants) to water before sedimentation.
Coagulant when added to water , forms an insoluble gelatinous ,
flocculant precipitate , which adsorbs and entangles very fine suspended impurities
forming bigger flocs, which settles down. Ex : Alum[K2SO4. Al2(SO4)3.24H2O],
sodium aluminate [NaAlO2 ] etc.

( C) Filtration : It is the process of removing colloidal matter and most of

the bacteria , micro-organisms etc. by passing water through a bed of fine sand and
other proper–sized granular particles. Filtration is carried out using sand filter
.
Sand Filter:
It consists of a tank containing beds
of fine sand (top layer), coarse
sand, fine gravel and coarse
gravel (bottom layer). The tank is
provided with inlet for
sedimented water and an
underdrain channel at the bottom
for exit of filtered water.
Sedimented water entering the
sand filter is distributed uniformly
over the entire fine sand bed and
it flows through the entire beds
slowly due to gravity. Due to
retention of impurities in the
pores, the sand pores get
SAND FILTER
clogged and the rate of filtration
decreases. The bed is cleaned
by scraping small layer of sand
bed & replacing it with clean
sand.
Disinfection:
Refer to Environmental engineering &
science, chapter 6.
G.M. Masters
 Breakpoint Chlorination
When the dosage of applied chlorine to water rich in organic compound or
ammonia is gradually increased , the result obtained can be depicted
graphically, in which appearance of of four stages occurs:

Destruction
Oxidation of of chloro-
formation of Free
reducing organic &
chloro-organic residual
compounds chloroamin
compounds & chlorine
by chlorine es d
chloroamines
b

c Break-point
a

Applied chlorine dose

Break point –chlorination curve
 Advantages of break point chlorination
 It oxidises completely organic compound , ammonia and
other reducing compounds
 It removes both odour & taste from the water
 It destroys completely all the disease producing bacteria
 It removes colour in water
Over chlorination after break point produces unpleasant
taste & odour in water.These objectionable qualities can be
removed by filtering the over-chlorinated water through a
bed of molecular carbon.
It can also be removed by addition of small % of sulphur
dioxide or sodium sulphite.