quality in the country. Similarly, to conserve water bodies, the Ministry of Water
Resources (MoWR) launched the ‘Repair, Renovation, and Restoration of water
bodies’ scheme in 2009 with domestic support and external assistance. To cut short
the pollution levels in the Ganga river basin, World Bank has approved a loan of
$400 million to National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the period
2020–2025 and this is in addition to the already received $600 million for the project
until 2021. Government initiatives like the Clean Ganga project, 2009 will help the
government to overcome surface water pollution issues. In 2013, GoI launched Atal
Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) which focuses on interventions to improve groundwater
quality. Consequently, the project with the World Bank started in 2018, has been
planned until 2023. Studies have shown that there is a significant correlation
between non-availability of piped water, absence of flushed toilets, and morbidity
due to diarrhoea. National Urban Health Mission, 2013, provided a framework to
expand water and sanitation facilities to effectively address mortality and morbidity
associated with diarrhoea. But the implementation of these instruments has been
poor as they are non-binding in nature (Cullet and Bhullar 2015).
6 Coping Strategies
Even after enacting many instruments, the country is still not able to combat water
pollution levels. In particular, wastewater released into drains causes water pollution
which acts as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pathogens. These bacterial
microbes result in the heightened occurrence of diarrhoea whereas appropriate
hygiene behaviors can lessen the frequency of diarrhoeal diseases. Community
ownership, participation, education, and empowerment can induce collective behavioral change which is required to achieve better water quality management. Moreover, the integration of community water supply and sanitation programs is vital to
achieving safe water supplies and environmental sanitation. But there is a lack of
coordination between the departments concerned. Therefore, inter-sectoral cooperation should be strengthened amid all authorities and stakeholders. In a nation like
India, the cost of treating sewage waters is on the higher side which is beyond the
fiscal means of towns and municipal bodies. Economically viable and socially
acceptable resource recovery technology like biological wastewater treatment can
be adopted to negate financial constraints.
As intensive agriculture impacts the quality of water, optimum utilization of
fertilizers and insecticides should be encouraged to maintain the standard of water
quality. Encouraging bio-degradable pesticides and adopting organic farming will
result in the reduction of groundwater pollution from agricultural chemicals. Particular attention should be directed towards the management of river basins for the
maintenance of the ecosystem. Environmental awareness in the industrial sector has
increased but the enforcement and regulation of policy instruments is the issue to be
dealt with. Therefore, the emphasis is to be placed on facilitating common effluent
treatment plants to ensure the clustering of polluting industries. Taxes on polluting
400
J. V. Arun and A. Premkumar
Resources (MoWR) launched the ‘Repair, Renovation, and Restoration of water
bodies’ scheme in 2009 with domestic support and external assistance. To cut short
the pollution levels in the Ganga river basin, World Bank has approved a loan of
$400 million to National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the period
2020–2025 and this is in addition to the already received $600 million for the project
until 2021. Government initiatives like the Clean Ganga project, 2009 will help the
government to overcome surface water pollution issues. In 2013, GoI launched Atal
Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) which focuses on interventions to improve groundwater
quality. Consequently, the project with the World Bank started in 2018, has been
planned until 2023. Studies have shown that there is a significant correlation
between non-availability of piped water, absence of flushed toilets, and morbidity
due to diarrhoea. National Urban Health Mission, 2013, provided a framework to
expand water and sanitation facilities to effectively address mortality and morbidity
associated with diarrhoea. But the implementation of these instruments has been
poor as they are non-binding in nature (Cullet and Bhullar 2015).
6 Coping Strategies
Even after enacting many instruments, the country is still not able to combat water
pollution levels. In particular, wastewater released into drains causes water pollution
which acts as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pathogens. These bacterial
microbes result in the heightened occurrence of diarrhoea whereas appropriate
hygiene behaviors can lessen the frequency of diarrhoeal diseases. Community
ownership, participation, education, and empowerment can induce collective behavioral change which is required to achieve better water quality management. Moreover, the integration of community water supply and sanitation programs is vital to
achieving safe water supplies and environmental sanitation. But there is a lack of
coordination between the departments concerned. Therefore, inter-sectoral cooperation should be strengthened amid all authorities and stakeholders. In a nation like
India, the cost of treating sewage waters is on the higher side which is beyond the
fiscal means of towns and municipal bodies. Economically viable and socially
acceptable resource recovery technology like biological wastewater treatment can
be adopted to negate financial constraints.
As intensive agriculture impacts the quality of water, optimum utilization of
fertilizers and insecticides should be encouraged to maintain the standard of water
quality. Encouraging bio-degradable pesticides and adopting organic farming will
result in the reduction of groundwater pollution from agricultural chemicals. Particular attention should be directed towards the management of river basins for the
maintenance of the ecosystem. Environmental awareness in the industrial sector has
increased but the enforcement and regulation of policy instruments is the issue to be
dealt with. Therefore, the emphasis is to be placed on facilitating common effluent
treatment plants to ensure the clustering of polluting industries. Taxes on polluting
400
J. V. Arun and A. Premkumar