Impact of Sugar Mill Effluent
on the Quality of Groundwater
in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India
A. Arivoli, X. Agnello J. Naveen, and Sathiamoorthi Thangavelu
Abstract The sugar mill is the backbone of rural, agricultural, and socio-economic
development in India. Many industries are directly or indirectly dependent on the
sugar industry which in turn is responsible for the overall development of the state.
The discharge of this effluent into water bodies or on the soil causes serious problem
of water pollution resulting in severe damage to the flora and fauna and further environmental degradation. The study focuses on the impact of sugar mill effluent on
groundwater used for domestic purpose. The quality of groundwater was studied
for the period January–December 2019. In this analysis, the parameters such as
pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, total solids,
total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen
demand were studied in the closest proximity of 1–1.5 km from the sugar mill as
per Environmental Impact Assessment guidelines (Central pollution control board).
The results reveal a significant variation in samples of the same parameters. The
study shows that water quality parameters nearby the sugar industry exceeds the
permissible limits.
Keywords Groundwater quality · Physico-chemical · Sugar industry effluents
1 Introduction
The sugar industry plays an important role in the economic development of the
Indian subcontinent, however the released effluents produce a high degree of organic
pollution in both the aquatic and terrestrial environments (Solomon 2005a; Roy
A. Arivoli (B)
Department of Environmental Science, Government Arts College, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, India
e-mail: arivoli82@gmail.com
X. A. J. Naveen
Department of Environmental Science, Thanthai Roever Institute of Agriculture and Rural
Development (TRIARD), Perambalur, India
S. Thangavelu
Department of Microbiology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Prashanthi et al. (eds.), Bioremediation and Green Technologies, Environmental
Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64122-1_4
41
on the Quality of Groundwater
in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India
A. Arivoli, X. Agnello J. Naveen, and Sathiamoorthi Thangavelu
Abstract The sugar mill is the backbone of rural, agricultural, and socio-economic
development in India. Many industries are directly or indirectly dependent on the
sugar industry which in turn is responsible for the overall development of the state.
The discharge of this effluent into water bodies or on the soil causes serious problem
of water pollution resulting in severe damage to the flora and fauna and further environmental degradation. The study focuses on the impact of sugar mill effluent on
groundwater used for domestic purpose. The quality of groundwater was studied
for the period January–December 2019. In this analysis, the parameters such as
pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, total solids,
total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen
demand were studied in the closest proximity of 1–1.5 km from the sugar mill as
per Environmental Impact Assessment guidelines (Central pollution control board).
The results reveal a significant variation in samples of the same parameters. The
study shows that water quality parameters nearby the sugar industry exceeds the
permissible limits.
Keywords Groundwater quality · Physico-chemical · Sugar industry effluents
1 Introduction
The sugar industry plays an important role in the economic development of the
Indian subcontinent, however the released effluents produce a high degree of organic
pollution in both the aquatic and terrestrial environments (Solomon 2005a; Roy
A. Arivoli (B)
Department of Environmental Science, Government Arts College, Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, India
e-mail: arivoli82@gmail.com
X. A. J. Naveen
Department of Environmental Science, Thanthai Roever Institute of Agriculture and Rural
Development (TRIARD), Perambalur, India
S. Thangavelu
Department of Microbiology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Prashanthi et al. (eds.), Bioremediation and Green Technologies, Environmental
Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64122-1_4
41