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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Chandrappa, D. B. Das, Environmental Health - Theory and Practice,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64484-0_5
Chapter 5
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Abstract Water is essential for life and millions of plants and animals live in it. Our
food cannot grow without water. Similarly, humans cannot survive without water.
The human population has augmented enormously, and the freshwater species are
threatened by human activities. The decline in the abundance of freshwater species
itself is evidence that all is not well with respect to water quality and quantity.
Effluents discharged from wastewater treatment plants are probable sources of
pathogenic bacteria in the freshwater environment. Environmental protection
requires the use of suitable purification systems. As it is not possible for the composition of wastewater treatment plant effluent to match the water quality of the receiving system, effluent is likely to significantly impact the biological and chemical
characteristics of the receiving ecosystem. In addressing these issues, this chapter
discusses common engineering technologies for treating water and wastewater
along with theory of natural purification.
5.1 Introduction
Water is essential for life and millions of plants and animals live in it. Our food cannot grow without water. Similarly, humans cannot survive without water. The human
population has augmented enormously, and the freshwater species are threatened by
human activities (Chandrappa and Das 2014). On average, the proportion of population monitored in the freshwater system has reduced overall by 81% from 1970 to
2012 (WWF 2016).
The decline in the abundance of freshwater species itself is evidence that all is
not well with respect to water quality and quantity. Unlike humans, other species do
not treat water before consumption and so as many poor people. Intervention of
government and donor agencies is very much essential to ensure clean water of
potable quality for drinking and cooking. In the absence of desired water quality,
food would get contaminated with undesirable chemicals that would be biomagnified before it is consumed by humans.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Chandrappa, D. B. Das, Environmental Health - Theory and Practice,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64484-0_5
Chapter 5
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Abstract Water is essential for life and millions of plants and animals live in it. Our
food cannot grow without water. Similarly, humans cannot survive without water.
The human population has augmented enormously, and the freshwater species are
threatened by human activities. The decline in the abundance of freshwater species
itself is evidence that all is not well with respect to water quality and quantity.
Effluents discharged from wastewater treatment plants are probable sources of
pathogenic bacteria in the freshwater environment. Environmental protection
requires the use of suitable purification systems. As it is not possible for the composition of wastewater treatment plant effluent to match the water quality of the receiving system, effluent is likely to significantly impact the biological and chemical
characteristics of the receiving ecosystem. In addressing these issues, this chapter
discusses common engineering technologies for treating water and wastewater
along with theory of natural purification.
5.1 Introduction
Water is essential for life and millions of plants and animals live in it. Our food cannot grow without water. Similarly, humans cannot survive without water. The human
population has augmented enormously, and the freshwater species are threatened by
human activities (Chandrappa and Das 2014). On average, the proportion of population monitored in the freshwater system has reduced overall by 81% from 1970 to
2012 (WWF 2016).
The decline in the abundance of freshwater species itself is evidence that all is
not well with respect to water quality and quantity. Unlike humans, other species do
not treat water before consumption and so as many poor people. Intervention of
government and donor agencies is very much essential to ensure clean water of
potable quality for drinking and cooking. In the absence of desired water quality,
food would get contaminated with undesirable chemicals that would be biomagnified before it is consumed by humans.