Marine water quality studies at Tuticorin harbour coastal area

943-946Rapid population growth and increasing industrial activities including marine activities have resulted in increasing water pollution, which is considered as one of the primary issues of environmental pollution in coastal region of developing countries including coastal area of Tuticorin harbour in Tamilnadu, India. Seawater samples were collected from three different sampling points in Tuticorin coastal area to study the physical and chemical characteristics, using various analytical techniques. The studies reveal that the physical and chemical composition of all the samples collected from the sites mainly depend on the discharge from the sources of pollutants and all the physico-chemical parameters are within the permissible limits

Externality Of Water Pollution And Its Impact On Human Health

Water is one of the natural resources which is essential to sustain life. Water pollution is any chemicals, physical or biological that changes the quality of water and has harmful effects on any living organism that uses it. When humans drink polluted water, it often has serious affects on their health. The objective of the study is 1) to evaluate the nature of the ground water in study area, 2) to study the Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, 3) to examine the awareness of the respondents about the water pollution, and to find out the methods to control the ill effects of water pollution on human health. The present study was conducted to assess the ill effects of water pollution on human health in Erumapalayam village in Salem District. Salem is the fifth largest city in Tamil Nadu State. A sample of 50 respondents was selected through simple random sampling techniques. The data was collected through well structured interviewing schedule. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The physical and chemical analysis conducted the water sample, it is found that the appearance of samples is slight-brownish color and they have objectionable odour and taste, Turbidity of the samples is found to be not in the range of permissible limit, I.e., 36 mg/L. As per the standard of Central Public Health Engineering Environmental Organization (CPHEEO) water sample is physically and chemically not potable due to appearance of odour and TDS, ALK, TH, FE, NO3 and C1 value exceeds the maximum permissible limits

Assessment of the efficiency of sewage treatment plants: a comparative study between Nagasandra and Mailasandra sewage treatment plants

Bangalore city hosts two Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (UWTPs) towards the periphery of Vrishabhavathi valley, located in Nellakedaranahalli village of Nagasandra and Mailasandra Village, Karnataka, India. These plants are designed and constructed with an aim to manage wastewater so as to minimize and/or remove organic matter, solids, nutrients, disease-causing organisms and other pollutants, before it reenters a water body. It was revealed from the performance study that efficiency of the two treatment plants was poor with respect to removal of total dissolved solids in contrast to the removal/reduction in other parameters like total suspended solids, BOD and COD. In Mailasandra STP, TDS, TSS, BOD, and COD removal efficiency was 20.01, 94.51, 94.98 and 76.26 % and respectively, while in Nagasandra STP, TDS, TSS, BOD, and COD removal efficiency was 28.45, 99.0, 97.6 and 91.60 % respectively. The order of reduction efficiency was TDS < COD < TSS < BOD and TDS < COD < BOD < TSS respectively in Mailasandra and Nagasandra STPs. Additionally, the problems associated with the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants is discussed. Keywords: Total dissolved solids; Chemical oxygen demand; Biochemical oxygen demand; Aeration tank; Mixed liquor suspended solids; Sludge volume index DOI: 10.3126/kuset.v6i2.4020 Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology Vol.6. No II, November, 2010, pp.115-12

Water quality index for assessment of water quality of river ravi at Madhopur (India)

Water quality of River Ravi, a tributary of Indus River System was evaluated by Water Quality Index (WQI) technique. A water quality index provides a single number that expresses overall water quality at a certain location and time based on several water quality parameters. The objective of an index is to turn complex water quality data into information that is understandable and useable by the public. Eight most important parameters such as pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, calcium(Ca), magnesium (Mg), total alkalinity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and electrical conductivity (EC) were taken for the calculation of WQI. The WQI values for the River Ravi ranged from 54.8 to 97.88. The values of WQI showed that the water was free of any impurities at the sampling site except for 2-3 months where its values were less than 70. Whenever there are human activities e.g., dam operations, water gets polluted to some extent, so the value of WQI decreases. It was found that the parameter which is required in least amount contributes a high statistical value to the index. It is concluded that WQI can be used as a tool in comparing the water quality of different sources. It gives the public a general idea of the possible problems with water in a particular region. The indices are  among the most effective ways to communicate the information on water quality trends to the public or to the policy makers and water quality management.KEYWORDS: WQI, River Ravi, Madhopur, Indi

EVALUATION AND CONVERSION OF TEMPLE WASTE FLOWERS INTO INCENSE STICKS IN TUMAKURU DISTRICT OF KARNATAKA, INDIA

In any waste management process, the 3 R’s, i.e., Recycling, Reuse and Recover play a very important role. The present work focuses on collection, handling, and usage of waste flowers. A large volume of flower waste generated daily at Tumakuru is improperly disposed of in open places or in dust bins and finally reaches landfill along with the other municipal solid wastes. As a part of India’s Swachh Bharat programme, this paper gives an idea of reducing the flower waste quantity and converting them into incense sticks. The various types of flowers were analysed and compared based on the results obtained from physicochemical properties. SEM and EDS were used to determine the surface morphology and chemical compositions of crushed flowers, respectively. From the SEM study, it can be seen that filament type, cave type and stripelike textures were observed on the surfaces of crushed flowers, and the EDS analysis has shown that the rose flower powder has a rich amount of carbon (66.98 %) and yellow chrysanthemum flower contains less carbon (37.68 %) compared to other crushed flowers. Also, this paper demonstrates the practical aspects in making incense sticks from flower waste. It was suggested that dumping process must be managed with flexibility, following strict implementation of the applicable legislation, and awareness programs are needed to collect and reuse flower waste from different sources

Institutional structure of governance of municipal solid waste management in India

Rapid urbanization, economic growth and growing consumerism have resulted in increased solid waste generation across the globe and especially in South Asia. In this paper we try to address the issues surrounding the governance of municipal solid waste management by mapping the governance institutions associated with MSWM and studying their interactions in order to better understand the governance of MSWM in India. This study primarily maps the institutional structure of governance of MSWM, unpacks the mandates of the ministries involved and identifies the conflicts among the stakeholders involved in MSWM at the national (central government) level, state (Kerala) and local (Thiruvananthapuram city corporation) level. The study was done by conducting literature review of academic papers and official government websites and documents. Semistructured interviews of government officials, practitioners and local representatives of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation were also conducted. At the central level, it could be observed that conflicts stem from the differing approaches of various ministries towards the problem of MSWM and discrepancies in data pertaining to waste. At the state level, we could identify overlaps between the two of the government’s missions pertaining to MSWM. A clash between the central government and state government with regard to handling of MSWM at an urban local body has also been discussed in the paper. It could be observed that the reason for the clash is the insistence that the state has to follow central government norms, despite it being less suitable to local needs

Water Management in Arkavathy basin: a situation analysis

The Arkavathy sub-basin, which is part of the Cauvery basin, is a highly stressed, rapidly urbanising watershed on the outskirts of the city of Bengaluru. The purpose of this situation analysis document is to summarise the current state of knowledge on water management in the Arkavathy sub-basin and identify critical knowledge gaps to inform future researchers in the basin. It is hoped that such an analysis will help those studying or working on water issues in the basin itself, and also provide useful insights for other such urbanising basins. The Arkavathy sub-basin is located in the state of Karnataka in India (see Figure 1). It covers an area of 4,253 km2, and is part of the inter-state Cauvery River basin. The sub-basin covers parts of eight taluka – Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Magadi, Bangalore North, Bangalore South, Ramanagara, Anekal and Kanakapura within three districts – Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara. The total population in the sub-basin was 72 lakhs in 2001 and is estimated to be approximately 86 lakhs in 2011. This is distributed approximately 50:50 between urban and rural settlements (although the urban share is growing rapidly), with 33 lakhs from Bengaluru city (more than one-third of Bengaluru’s total population). There are also four major Class II towns: Doddaballapur, Nelamangala, Ramanagara, and Kanakapura with populations ranging from 35,000 to 95,000. In spite of rapid urbanisation, there are still 1,107 revenue villages with populations ranging from less than 10 to 6,0001, and agriculture continues to be the mainstay of a large number of them

Recycling and reuse of treated wastewater in urban India

Recycling and reuse of treated wastewater are an important part of the sanitation cycle and critical in an environment such as urban India with decreasing freshwater availability and increasing costs for delivering acceptable quality water, often from far distance. This report has been developed as a possible guidance document for the Indian government and gives substantial focus to the financial and economic benefits of wastewater recycling from the perspective of public spending. The report presents possible strategies for city and state planners and policymakers in view of the sanitation situation and the role of wastewater recycling in the larger cities in India (class I and II cities and towns with populations above 50,000), and focuses on recycling at the end of sewerage systems after treatment at sewage treatment plants

Approaches to Capital Financing and Cost Recovery in Sewerage Schemes Implemented in India: Lessons Learned and Approaches for Future Schemes

This report aims to highlight some of the successful financial management practices adopted by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India when implementing sewerage schemes. The findings are presented in two parts, the first part of the report discusses the approach adopted for capital financing of sewerage schemes in the state of Tamil Nadu, and the second part presents the findings from a review of the operational expenditure and revenue generation of various ULBs across the country. The aim of the report is to share successful capital financing and cost recovery practices adopted by ULBs in India and enable improvement in provisioning of sewerage systems (only where feasible and economically viable, typically only in larger towns with a population greater than 50,000) and ensure availability of sufficient funds for proper Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the schemes implemented

Intermittent vs. Continuous Water Supply: What benefits do households actually receive? Evidence from two cities in India

Almost all urban water systems in South Asia provide intermittent water supply. Intermittent supply can impair water quality and cause users to adopt costly coping mechanisms. In 2009, Nagpur and Amravati, two cities in Maharashtra, India, began offering continuous water supply to pilot areas, hoping to improve water access, water quality and reduce household storage, treatment, and collection of water from alternate sources. Using a mixed-methods approach that used a billing panel dataset from Amravati and as well as utility staff and household interviews in both cities, continuous water supply was found to increase water demand compared to intermittent supply, especially among slum households, although storage and treatment practices fort he most part remained unchanged while other water collection activities were not eliminated. The results indicate that many of the purported benefits of continuous water supply do not accrue automatically to the consumer.Master of City and Regional Plannin