fertilizers, soft drinks, ferro alloys, tanneries, chemical manufacturing and paper
and pulp mills, electroplating, steel and aluminum manufacturing, and chromite and
coal mining have polluted water resources with similar potential life-threatening
repercussions. Reluctant to invest in wastewater treatment, some companies have
also engaged in reverse pumping of polluted water into the ground.
As per the Jal Shakti Ministry’s Web site, the National Rural Drinking Water
Program defines drinking water to be contaminated if the water is biologically
contaminated and contains chemical contamination exceeding permissible limits.
The list of water quality (chemical) parameters adopted includes pH, arsenic,
fluoride, total dissolved solids, E coli, nitrates, calcium, iron, magnesium, sulfate,
alkalinity and turbidity. These standards are also not mandatory. More importantly,
does this include the list of all poisons found in potable water sources?
Consumption of contaminated water has serious and often inter-generational
effects. Groundwater is a critical source of drinking water, especially in rural India.
Other quality issues already faced rural include excessive fluoride in groundwater in
20 states, which cause deformities in bones and teeth. Arsenic is found in seven
states of India—Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur
and Chhattisgarh. Harmful effects of arsenic consumption include bladder, lung,
liver and skin cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
According to estimates given by Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental
Research and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), industries will have
to spend around 2–5% of their capital investment on pollution control considering a
hypothetical situation when all the industries were complying with the existing
pollution standards. According to these estimates, the annual operating costs will be
between 15 and 20% of the investment made on the treatment facilities.
Clearly, water quality is a serious challenge facing the country today, with
implications on human health and the economy. Addressing this will require serious
commitment and a long-term vision and plan.
Tackling water pollution and addressing water quality-related challenges will
need to be a mix of prevention, technology, removal, community participation and
considerable resources—both human and financial. The legal framework and the
implementation of laws will need to be strengthened as will real-time monitoring
and subsequent action. Focus must be on prevention rather than treatment. Some
suggestions are given below.
1. Being proactive and preventing pollution: To prevent water pollution, steps
need to be taken to ensure that rivers and other water sources are not used as
receptacles of human waste. First polluting water and then using technology to
address it make little sense. The best way would be to prevent pollution from
taking place and using technologies that either do not pollute or are able to treat
the effluents, so that there is no toxic discharge. This cannot happen overnight,
but an implementable action plan could make this a reality.
In addition to preventive measures, steps need to be taken to revive rivers to
make these flowing. Currently, the status of most rivers is dry or there is limited
flow. This does not enable the existing pollutants to be diluted.
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I. Khurana and R. Sen
and pulp mills, electroplating, steel and aluminum manufacturing, and chromite and
coal mining have polluted water resources with similar potential life-threatening
repercussions. Reluctant to invest in wastewater treatment, some companies have
also engaged in reverse pumping of polluted water into the ground.
As per the Jal Shakti Ministry’s Web site, the National Rural Drinking Water
Program defines drinking water to be contaminated if the water is biologically
contaminated and contains chemical contamination exceeding permissible limits.
The list of water quality (chemical) parameters adopted includes pH, arsenic,
fluoride, total dissolved solids, E coli, nitrates, calcium, iron, magnesium, sulfate,
alkalinity and turbidity. These standards are also not mandatory. More importantly,
does this include the list of all poisons found in potable water sources?
Consumption of contaminated water has serious and often inter-generational
effects. Groundwater is a critical source of drinking water, especially in rural India.
Other quality issues already faced rural include excessive fluoride in groundwater in
20 states, which cause deformities in bones and teeth. Arsenic is found in seven
states of India—Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur
and Chhattisgarh. Harmful effects of arsenic consumption include bladder, lung,
liver and skin cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
According to estimates given by Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental
Research and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), industries will have
to spend around 2–5% of their capital investment on pollution control considering a
hypothetical situation when all the industries were complying with the existing
pollution standards. According to these estimates, the annual operating costs will be
between 15 and 20% of the investment made on the treatment facilities.
Clearly, water quality is a serious challenge facing the country today, with
implications on human health and the economy. Addressing this will require serious
commitment and a long-term vision and plan.
Tackling water pollution and addressing water quality-related challenges will
need to be a mix of prevention, technology, removal, community participation and
considerable resources—both human and financial. The legal framework and the
implementation of laws will need to be strengthened as will real-time monitoring
and subsequent action. Focus must be on prevention rather than treatment. Some
suggestions are given below.
1. Being proactive and preventing pollution: To prevent water pollution, steps
need to be taken to ensure that rivers and other water sources are not used as
receptacles of human waste. First polluting water and then using technology to
address it make little sense. The best way would be to prevent pollution from
taking place and using technologies that either do not pollute or are able to treat
the effluents, so that there is no toxic discharge. This cannot happen overnight,
but an implementable action plan could make this a reality.
In addition to preventive measures, steps need to be taken to revive rivers to
make these flowing. Currently, the status of most rivers is dry or there is limited
flow. This does not enable the existing pollutants to be diluted.
94
I. Khurana and R. Sen