WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT


5.1 WATER QUALITY MONITORING NETWORK

Water quality monitoring is an important exercise, which helps in evaluating the nature and extent of pollution control required, and effectiveness of pollution control measures already in existence. It also helps in drawing the water quality trends and prioritising pollution control efforts. Keeping this in view, the Central Pollution Control Board in collaboration with State Pollution Control Boards has established the water quality network comprising of 784 stations spread over the country. The monitoring is done on monthly or quarterly basis in surface waters and half yearly in case of groundwater.

Monitoring Results

The monitoring results obtained during 2002 indicate that organic pollution continues to be the predominant form of pollution at aquatic resources. The organic pollution measured in terms of bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) & coliform count gives the indication of extent of water quality degradation. It is observed that nearly 60% of the observations out of 5000 observations, are having BOD recording less than 3 mg/l, 20-25% between 3-6 mg/l & 15% above 6 mg/l. Similarly total & fecal coliform, which indicate presence of pathogens in water, are also of major concern. Nearly half of the observations are having coliform more than 500 Nos./100 ml.

Water Quality Trend

An attempt is made to plot trends of percentage of observations obtained during last 10 years in different levels of pollution with respect to BOD & coliform. The trend is presented in Fig.5.1.

It is clear from the Fig.5.1 that there is a increasing trend in percentage of observations having BOD below 3 mg/l & colform below 500 Nos./100 ml. This indicate that there is a gradual improvement in water quality. However the percentage of observations having BOD more than 6 mg/l & coliform more than 5000 Nos./100 ml is also increasing.

This is due to the shifting of moderately polluted water bodies to higher level of pollution as clear from the decreasing trend in the percentage of observations having BOD between 3-6 mg/l and coliform between 500-5000 Nos./100 ml.

5.2 POLLUTED RIVER STRETCHES IN INDIA

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in collaboration with concerned State Pollution Control Boards is carrying out water quality monitoring at 784 locations. The monitoring data are compiled, analysed and compared with desired water quality in different water bodies. The monitoring programme helps in prioritising pollution control efforts, establishing water quality trends and evaluating effectiveness of pollution control measures already in existence. In order to prioritise the pollution control efforts, CPCB identifies areas of high priority based on the severity of the problem. In 1988-89, CPCB identified 10 problem areas and 10 polluted river stretch to concentrate the pollution control efforts the list of polluted stretches formed the basis for formulation of River Action Plan of the National River Conservation Directorate. The list was further extended based on increasing pollution problem in our country. The water quality data of Year 2000 and 2001 analysed and 86 polluted water bodies are identified. Among these 71 are rivers and 15 lakes and tanks (Table 5.1). These water bodies are not meeting the desired level of water quality for defined uses with respect to Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand. In the present exercise, those water bodies having BOD more than 6 mg/l are identified as polluted water bodies.

The respective State Pollution Control Boards/ Pollution Control Committees were requested to take remedial measures and formulate action plans to restore the water quality of the water bodies.

5.3 WATER QUALITY OF MAJOR RIVERS

Water quality profiles of 14 major rivers as studied have been presented in Annexure V. For this purpose, the criteria parameters considered are DO, BOD and Total Coliforms. pH has not been plotted as it remained within desired levels at almost all monitored locations. The significant observations about the major rivers are presented below:

River Baitarni: DO values of this river stretch are meeting the desired class throughout the year. In case of BOD, the entire river stretch under monitoring is not meeting the desired class. Average values in first two locations are within the desired class for both BOD and Total Coliform, thereafter from Jajpur onwards it is never meeting the desired class for BOD. In case of Total Coliform, average values are beyond the desired class due to higher concentration up to 11,000 Nos./100ml in the stretch from Anandpur to Chandbali and at Dhamra, it has touched 21,000 Nos./100ml.

River Brahmani: DO values of this river stretch are meeting the desired class (3 mg/l) except one value in the month of July at Raurkela D/s. In case of BOD, there is much fluctuation in values. BOD values are observed violating the desired class at all the locations and touched 5 mg/l and 6 mg/l at D/s Pamposh and Kamalanga respectively. Total Coliform values are violating the desired class at D/s Pamposh, Rourkela D/s, Samal, Talcher U/s, Kamalanga, Dhamasala & Pattamundai. At other locations it is well within the limit of desired class

River Brahmaputra : DO values of water in this river stretch are meeting the desired class throughout the year. BOD values are meeting the desired class in the entire stretch except at Kherghat in the month of December (3.7 mg/l). Total coliform values were observed violating the desired class at all the locations.

River Cauvery : On an average DO & BOD values have been found meeting the desired class. But DO values were not within the desired level at Erode in the months of January (3.8 mg/l) & October (3.5 mg/l), at Mohanur in the month of August (0.5 mg/l), at Tiruchirappalli U/s in the month of May (4.8 mg/l), at Tiruchirappalli D/s in the months of January (3.8 mg/l), September (3.5 mg/l) and October (4.3 mg/l), at Trichy in the month of February (4.7 mg/l), at Pitchavaram all months except February & March and at Near Boarder in the month of March (1 mg/l). It is observed that BOD values was exceeding the desired limit at Erode, Mohanur, Thirumukkudal, Musiri, Tiruchirappalli U/s, Tiruchirappalli D/s, Trichy, Thanjavur, Pitchavaram and Near Boarder. Total Coliforms values were well within the desired class except at Napokulu Bridge. D/s in all months except June, at Kushal nagar U/s in all months, at Sri Rangapattanna all the months except January, Tiruchirappalli U/s in all the months except October, at Tiruchirappalli D/s in all the months except May & June and Trichy, Grand Anaicut in the months of March, April, June, August and September.

Eutrophication symptoms were observed at three locations Thirumukkudal, Musiri and Tiruchirappalli U/s. It seems that due to eutrophication, the oxygen concentration has risen upto 20 mg/l at Thirumukkudal, 17.9 mg/l at Musiri and 16.5 mg/l at Tiruchirappalli U/s, as the observations were taken during day time, when photosynthetic effects were prominent.

River Ganga : DO values have been meeting the desired level except at six locations (at Kanpur D/s, Varanasi U/s, Varanasi D/s, Trighat, Dakhineswar and Uluberia) in the river. In case of BOD, there is much fluctuation in values. Except at five locations (Buxar, Patna U/s, Khurji, Patna D/s, Rajmahal and Behrampur), BOD is exceeding the desired level at all other locations. Total Coliforms values were exceeding the desired level in the entire stretch and it is observed that concentrations were very high in the stretch from Behrampur to Palta (touched 3.5 million MPN/100ml at Behrampur in the month of September).

River Godavari : DO values have been observed meeting the desired class in the entire stretch except at Jayawadi dam in the month of June (4.2 mg/l) and at Nasik D/s in the months of January (4.2 mg/l), May (2.9 mg/l), June (4.3 mg/l), July (1.2 mg/l), October (4.9 mg/l) and November (2.1 mg/l). BOD values were violating the desired class at all the locations in the stretch. At Nasik D/s , it touched 66 mg/l in the month of July. Total Coliforms values were violating at all the monitoring stations except the two locations (Dhalegaon and Raher) in the stretch.

River Krishna : DO & Total Coliforms values were meeting the desired class except at Mahabaleshwar in the month of July (3.8 mg/l), at Rajapur weir in the months of January (4.6 mg/l), April (4.2 mg/l), at Kurundwad in the months of January (3.8 mg/l), April (3.9 mg/l) & Hamsala Deevi in the month of September (2.6 mg/l) and Total Coliforms at Rajapur Weir in the months of September (550 MPN/100ml), December (550 MPN/100ml) and at Tintini Bdg. in all the months except January, February, March, May touching the maximum value 500 MPN/100ml. BOD values were meeting the desired class after Kurundwad except at Thangadi for all the months having maximum of 3.6 mg/l and Hamsala Deevi in the months from May to September having maximum concentration of 10.5 mg/l. BOD values were not meeting the desired class in the stretch from Mahabaleswar to Kurundwad even in a single month monitored during the year.

River Mahanadi : In the entire stretch from Rudri U/s to Paradeep D/s, all DO values were meeting the desired class throughout the year. BOD values were observed violating (during certain months) at five locations at Hirakund Reservoir, Sambalpur U/s, Sambalpur D/s, Sonepur D/s and Cuttack D/s. At other locations it is meeting the desired class. Total Coliform values were not meeting the desired class in the stretch at Hirakud Reservoir, Sambalpur U/s, Sambalpur D/s, Cuttack U/s and Cuttack D/s. Total Coliforms values were meeting the desired class at other locations.

River Mahi : During the year, DO, BOD and Total Coliform values have been found meeting the desired class in the entire stretch from Badnawar to Vasad except BOD in the month of August (3.1 mg/l) at Sevalia.

River Narmada : DO values are meeting the desired class in the entire stretch except at Amarkantak in the months of February, April, May, June, August with minor deviations. In case of BOD & Total Coliforms, it is meeting the desired class in the stretch from D/s of Omkareshwar till end of the stretch upto Bharuch except Total Coliforms at Garudeshwar. In addition to this, all the values of Total Coliforms were meeting the desired class at Amarkantak, Mandla, Narsinghpur and Hoshangabad D/s.

River Penner : DO values are meeting the desired class at all the locations throughout the year. In case of BOD, minor violations (up to a maximum of 3.6 mg/l) in all the monitored locations were obsereved.

River Sabarmati : DO Values are violating the desired class at Railway Bridge in the months of January (3.0 mg/l), June (0.4 mg/l), July (1.3 mg/l), August (1.2 mg/l), October (1.4 mg/l), November (4.0 mg/l) and December (3.0 mg/l). At the same time maximum values of 19 mg/l in the month of April and 13 mg/l in the month of March were also observed due to eutrophication effect. At other locations, it is well within the limit of desired class. BOD and Total Coliform values were violating the desired class at all the monitored locations. At V.N. Bridge, BOD is violating in all the months touching the level of 517mg/l in the month of March and Total Coliforms value is 4.6 million MPN/100ml in the month of March at Railway Bridge and at Miroli Taluka. The Sabarmati river is probably the heaviest polluted river.

River Subarnarekha : DO & BOD values are meeting the desired class except BOD in the months of February (3.2 mg/l), April (4.6 mg/l) and May (3.8 mg/l) at Tata Nagar. Total Coliforms values were not meeting the desired class at all locations except at Chandil Bridge and observed more than 24,000 MPN/100ml at Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Tata Nagar.

River Tapi : DO values were found meeting the desired class at all the locations except in the month of April (5.8 mg/l) at Ajnand Village. BOD values were observed violating at all the locations except at Nepanagar. In addition to this, BOD values are always observed violating throughout the year at Ajnand Village, Bhusawal U/s and Uphad Village. Total coliform values were found meeting desired class at two locations i.e. Bhuswal U/s and Uphad Village.

5.4 SEWAGE MANAGEMENT IN GANGA BASIN

The major source of organic pollution in fresh water bodies is sewage because the cities and towns did not have adequate sewage treatment facilities. Untreated or improperly treated human wastes disposed into aquatic resources. At downstream, other city’s draw water for its water requirements. This constitute a big public health hazard in terms of their potential for spreading water borne diseases.

As per the recent estimate, out of 22,900 MLD of wastewater generated in the Ganga basin, only about 5,900 MLD (26%) is treated while as much as 17,000 MLD is disposed untreated. Twenty-seven cities have only primary treatment facilities and forty-nine have primary and secondary treatment facilities. The level of treatment available in cities with existing treatment plant varies from 2.5% to 89% of the sewage generated.

The river Ganga is the largest river in the country having catchment area of 861,404 square kilometres, covering 26.2 percent of total geographical area of the country. The river watershed spread over ten States, namely:- Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

Urban population consisting of Class I Cities and Class II Towns in the Ganga basin is 57 million (as per 1991) which is projected to be over 72 million in 2002. There are 101 Class I cities and 122 Class II towns in the basin. The recent survey of Class I and Class II cities indicate that about 8,250 MLD wastewater is generated in the Ganga basin (Table 5.2), out of which treatment facilities are available only for 3,500 MLD of wastewater. Out of 3,500 MLD treatment capacity, 880 MLD has been created under Ganga Action Plan, 720 MLD under Yamuna Action Plan and about 2,189 MLD has been created by Delhi Government for restoration of water quality of river Yamuna. The treatment facilities at 48 additional towns along the Ganga and 23 towns on its tributaries/sub-tributaries are being created under Ganga Action Plan Phase-II and National River Action Plan. It is expected that after completion of these plans, an additional treatment capacity of about 1,500 MLD will be created. However, still there is a large gap between the wastewater generation (8,250 MLD) and treatment (3,500 MLD).

Sewage Treatment Plants under the Ganga Action Plan

Central Pollution Control Board carried out a detailed study of Ganga river basin in 1983-84 which was culminated into an action plan to restore its water quality. The action plan was accepted by the Government of India for implementation in 1985-86 and on 14^th June 1986 an ambitious plan called the Ganga Action Plan was launched with following objectives:

• Pollution abatement to improve the water quality, interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage entering into the river;
• Control of non-point pollution from agricultural run off, human defecation, cattle wallowing and throwing of unburned and half burnt bodies into the river;
• Research and development to conserve the biotic diversity of the river to augment its productivity; and,
• To act as trend setter for taking up similar action plans in other grossly polluted stretches in other rivers.

In order to achieve the objectives of improving the water quality, 261 scemes covering 25 class I cities of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal were taken up. It was targeted to intercept, divert and treat 873 million litres per day (MLD) of domestic wastewater, out of 1340 MLD being generated from the 25 class I cities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. For controlling industrial pollution, 68 grossly polluted units discharging 260 MLD industrial wastewater into the river were taken up for close monitoring and forcing the industries to set up effluent treatment plant.

The Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) were either upgraded or constructed to treat the domestic sewage by adopting treatment technologies, such as low cost waste stabilisation ponds, conventional Activated Sludge Process (ASP) Trickling Filter (TF) and Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) treatment systems (Table 5.3).

Note:- RBRC : Rotating Biological Rope Contractor, OP : Oxidation pond

ASP : Activated sludge process, UASB : Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket

AL : Aerated lagoon, TF : Trickling Filter

• Out of 35 STPs planned under GAP Phase I (3 STPs in Uttaranchal, 10 STPs in Uttar Pradesh, 7 STPs in Bihar, and 15 STPs in West Bengal), 32 are commissioned and 29 were found functioning.

• Adequate fund allocation for Operation & Maintenance of STPs is not provided particularly in States of Bihar and U.P.

• A number of sewage treatment plants are under-loaded e.g. Jajmau, Kanpur; DLW, Varanasi; Naini, Allahabad and some are over-loaded e.g. Dinapur and Bhagwanpur at Varanasi.

• Several treatment plants (STPs) need upgradation. These include all the STPs of Bihar, Swargashram at Rishikesh; Kankhal, Haridwar; Jajmau in Uttar Pradesh and Bhatpara, Titagarh, Panihati in West Bengal.

• Out of 1345 MLD sewage joining river Ganga as estimated during 1985, the STPs were planned for treatment of only 875 MLD sewage. Since then, the volume of sewage has increased significantly.

• In Bihar, the treatment plants at Karmali Chak (Patna), and Munger are yet to be constructed. Similarly, STP at Chapra and Bhagalpur are under-designed as their capacity is 2 MLD & 11 MLD respectively against 8.74 and 28 MLD respectively. The Chapra STP is not receiving the sewage, as it is located far away (5 km) and there is siltation in the drain, which is supposed to carry sewage through gravity flow.

• None of the STPs have obtained consent from the concerned State Pollution Control Boards, although it is obligatory under the Water Act, 1974.

• Inadequacy of trained personnel for Operation & Maintenance work is a major shortcoming.

• Non-availability of uninterrupted power is another problem in most of the places. Since the STPs are biological in nature, their continuous operation is a must in order to maintain the biological growth at activated level.

• In most of the cities/towns included in GAP, proper sewerage system does not exist and the sewage flows in open drains causing several problems. In rainy season, the run-off water generally mixes with sewage. Since the diversion of drains through pumping is taken care of only dry weather flow, during rainy season it cannot pump the additional load of run-off water. Thus, such interception will not be effective in controlling pollution of the river during rainy season.

• In many cities, the sewage is not reaching the STPs due to non-existence or non-functioning of sewage transport system.

• There are 21 towns under Yamuna Action Plan, 3 under Gomti Action Plan, 12 under Damodar Action Plan, 3 under Betwa Action Plan, 3 under Chambal Action Plan and one each under river Shipra and Khan.

• There are 223 cities/ towns (Municipalities/Corporation) generating significant amount of sewage in the Ganga basin. These cities/ towns generate about 8,250 MLD ( million litre per day) of wastewater, out of which about 2,460 MLD is directly discharged into the Ganga river, about 4,570 MLD is discharged into its tributaries or sub-tributaries and about 1,220 MLD is disposed on land or in low-lying areas

• Out of 8,250 MLD of wastewater generated in the Ganga basin, the treatment facilities are available only for 3,500 MLD of wastewater. Out of 3,500 MLD treatment capacity, 880 MLD is created under the Ganga Action Plan, 720 MLD is created under the Yamuna Action Plan by NRCD, MoEF Govt of India and about 2,189 MLD treatment capacity is created by the Govt. of Delhi for restoration of water quality in Yamuna river.
  
  

5.5 MONITORING OF RIVER YAMUNA FOR ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY

Central Pollution Control Board is regularly monitoring river Yamuna at 19 locations from its origin at Yamunotri to its confluence with river Ganga, under National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) sponsored project & under National Water quality Monitoring programme. The frequency of monitoring at each location varies with the significance and approach of respective location. The frequency of monitoring is once in a year at 2 locations viz. Yamunotri and Shyama Chetti, four times a year at three locations viz. Lakhwar Dam, Dak Pathar & Allahabad, while monthly at 14 locations.

Based on the water quality characteristics, 1376 km long Yamuna river stretch can be segregated into five stretches i.e. Himalayan stretch, Upper stretch, Delhi stretch, Mixed stretch and Diluted stretch. The water quality characteristics of these stretches are depicted in Table 5.4.

As reflected from the water quality characteristics, the Delhi stretch of river Yamuna is critically polluted and having septic conditions. The mixed stretch is having both septic & eutrophic conditions. In this stretch the Agra city is the biggest contributor of pollution to the river. The water quality of river Yamuna at Agra is deteriorating because of construction of Gokul Barrage at upstream Agra, where the water is again blocked. During year 2002, the Bio-chemical oxygen demand at Agra downstream ranged between 8-42 mg/l, with annual average of 21 mg/l whereas Total coliforms varied from 4,60,000 to 24,30,00,000 Nos./100 ml. The major reason of pollution in river Yamuna is not only discharges from domestic and industrial sources but also over-exploitation of fresh water available in the river, which is essentially required to maintain self purification capacity of the river. In the entire stretch of Yamuna River, the water quality, specially in terms of Total coliform is not conforming with respective designated criteria.

Water Quality Status of River Yamuna in Delhi

The water quality of river Yamuna from origin upto Delhi u/s Wazirabad remains fairly good most of the time, while the river stretch from downstream Wazirabad Delhi to upstream Chambal confluence carries deteriorated water quality mainly because of contribution and impact of urban centers located on its bank. Out of 341 km stretch, 22 km of Delhi segment is most polluted. The main reason of pollution in this segment is the discharge from domestic and industrial sources. The Central Pollution Control Board is regularly monitoring Yamuna on monthly basis in Delhi segment at three locations i.e. Palla, Nizamuddin barrage and Okhla barrage. In addition, monitoring of 22 drains being undertaken regularly (20 drains joining the River Yamuna directly while two drains joins the canals), which are the major source of pollution to the river. The total calculated discharge of these 22 drains is approx. 47.73 m³ /sec, which contribute 259.61 tonnes of BOD load per day. From the total discharge from these drains, Yamuna receives more than 90% wastewater, while the wastewater contributed by other two drains joins canals. Accordingly, out of total BOD load of 259.61 tonnes, Yamuna receives 231.20 tonnes of BOD load per day and rest received by the canals (Table 5.5).

The Delhi segment of river Yamuna has oligotrophic head and saprobic tail end and characterized by high bacterial load (except at Palla location its appearance is cloudy) having high BOD with strong disagreeable odour. There is significant contrast in the water quality status of the river between upstream Wazirabad barrage (Palla) and downstream Wazirabad (Nizamuddin bridge and Agra Canal) (Table 5.6). The anaerobic condition in river is frequently reflected by masses of gaseous sludge rising from the bottom and floating at the water surface.

Min = Minimum; Max = Maximum; Av = Average

5.6 SEWAGE TREATMENT STATUS IN THE YAMUNA BASIN

Delhi generates about 3,600 MLD of wastewater, out of which treatment facility is available for only 2,109 MLD. It is observed that there is continuous effort by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi to augment the treatment capacity. However, the exponential population growth is nullifying the results.

Twelve towns in Haryana and 8 Towns in Uttar Pradesh are included for setting up of sewage treatment plants under Yamuna Action Plan. Two sewage treatment plants in Delhi also been constructed under this plan at Sen Nursing Home Drain and Delhi Gate Drain with a design capacity of 10 MLD each. Under the plan 34 STP’s are commissioned with a treatment capacity of 743.25 MLD (Table 5.7).

Performance Monitoring of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP’s) under Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) (NRCD/MOEF Sponsored Project)

The National River Conservation Directorate, Ministry of Environment & Forests has assigned project to Central Pollution Control Board for Performance Monitoring of Sewage Treatment Plants under Yamuna Action Plan. The performance monitoring of five sewage treatment plants (four in Haryana and one in Delhi) is being continuously undertaken since May, 1999 on monthly basis (Table 5.8). 24 Hrs composite samples of STP influent and effluent (2 hourly interval) are being collected from influent and effluent channels and being analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters i.e. pH, Temperature, Suspended Solids, Volatile Suspended Solids, Dissolved Oxygen, BOD, COD, NO₃,-N, NH₃,-N, Phosphate, Total coliform, Faecal Coliform etc. In addition, the generated sewage sludge from STP is also being collected and analyzed for pH, Heavy metals (seven trace metals) and pesticides.

Performance Monitoring of Oxidation Pond based Sewage Treatment Plants in Uttar Pradesh under Yamuna Action Plan

The monitoring of Oxidation Ponds in Uttar Pradesh as identified by National River Conservation Directorate, Ministry of Environment & Forests being undertaken by Central Pollution Control Board Laboratories in addition to STP’s already being monitored. Seven Oxidation ponds, as identified by National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) are being monitored on monthly basis since January, 2002 (Table 5.9):

Grab Samples are collected on monthly basis from inlet and outlet of each Oxidation Pond and analyzed for flow (analyzed in field, temperature (Analyzed in field), pH, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen (Analyzed in the field) apart from bacteriological parameters viz. Total Coliforms and Faecal Coliforms.

5.7 WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT THROUGH BIO-MONITORING OF MAJOR WETLANDS IN WILDLIFE HABITATS OF INDIA

The wetlands are the richest and most biologically diverse ecosystem. Many wetlands in the country support spectacular diversity of wildlife. Some are centers of rare, threatened and endangered species. Many of them are home of rich variety of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. There is also a phenomenal diversity of insects associated with wetlands. In recent years, wetlands have been the focus of innumerable studies. This is also the only ecosystem type to have its own international convention, namely, the convention on wetlands of International importance especially as waterfowl habitats better known as the Ramsar convention to which India is a signatory.

The high biological productivity and bio-diversity values of wetlands, and the sustenance that these habitats provide to communities, have long been realized. However, the contribution of wetlands in maintaining the food chain in open waters, and in providing a variety of services such as; water quality improvement, flood control, and ground water recharge, among others been emphasized in the context of conservation. With the increase in human population, pressure on land for agriculture, urban and industrial expansion, wetland habitats in India have been over exploited. In many cases, such human excesses have greatly reduced bio-diversity, thus upsetting the ecological balance decreasing the values of wetlands. The need and importance of wetlands in water quality management has been greatly realized for improving water quality and wetlands species as bio-indicators. The project studies are undertaken by Central Pollution Control Board at various wetlands in the country with following major objectives:

• Bio-monitoring of wetlands in wildlife ecosystem will help in prediction and detection of ecological effects to protect rare and endangered biotic species in cost-effective manner.

• Generate base line data on bio-monitoring of water bodies being used for propagation of wildlife habitats in India.

• Training / interaction to local authorities, NGO’s other institutions such as forest Department State Pollution Control Boards and other concerned organizations.

During the reporting year the bio-monitoring studies have been undertaken in vicinity of wetlands of important wildlife habitats in states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Meghalaya (Table 5.10).

Bio-mapping of Perennial Rivers of Meghalaya State – Case Study from North-east States

Meghalaya state is one of the important North-Eastern state, where the development is yet to be explored for agriculture and mineral based industries. Meghalaya state is bounded on the North by Goalpara, Kamrup, Nagaon, and Karbi Anglong district of Cachar and North Cachar Hills. The total area of state is 22429 km² with a population of 2,306,069. There are ten important perennial rivers in the state spread over East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and West Garo Hills districts. The resources (Table 5.11) and their water use status (Table 5.12) is as below. The biomonitoring results are presented in Table 5.13.

5.8 WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF RAW WATER INTAKE SOURCES AT WATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN NCT – DELHI

The estimated water availability at NCT – Delhi from surface water sources viz. Yamuna, Ganga & Western Yamuna Canal is about 1150.2 mcm. The Yamuna river contributes a substantial part to this. Of the total 724 mcm water available in Yamuna river, (NCT Delhi share) the flood water is about 580 mcm, of which more than 50% could not being utilized but flows out of Delhi during monsoon season. It will be a definite foresight to trap and store this water for use during lean summer season.

The installed capacity of water treatment plants to meet drinking water requirements of Delhi is 631 MGD as on 31.3.2001. To mitigate drinking water scarcity, the water supply is augmented through ground water abstraction from river bed of Yamuna through Ranny wells. A substantial quantity of ground water is being withdrawn by private houses, hotels, hospitals, etc. At the end of 9th five year plan, the installed capacity of water treatment is proposed to be augmented to 980 MGD. The major part of potable water was treated at two water treatment plants installed and commissioned during British period viz. Chandrawal and Wazirabad on River Yamuna till the year 1993. Later the water treatment was augmented by installation of Haiderpur and Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plant. The raw water at Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plant is drawn from Upper Ganga Canal, which originates from Har-Ki-Pouri at Haridwar. After travelling almost 160 km from Haridwar upto Murad Nagar, the water from Upper Ganga Canal is drawn into a by-pass to Muradnagar Head works and from there to the Water Works, Delhi through 25 km conduit pipes of 2800 mm dia and 3250 mm dia. The part of the raw water at Bhagirathi Water Works is also drawn from river Yamuna at Wazirabad. The water from river Yamuna and Upper Ganga Canal are collected separately and mixed together before treatment at Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plant.

Two more water treatment plants were commissioned at Haiderpur in 1993 and 1995 on tail tributary of Western Yamuna Canal. Okhla Water Works is based on biological treatment process in Delhi using Ranny well water from the river bed of Delhi stretch of Yamuna. The water treatment capacities of these treatment plants had been augmented from time to time. The water treatment plants, their installed water treatment capacities & raw water sources is presented in Table 5.14.

With ever increasing population and rapid industrialization, the demand of fresh water is increasing day by day and simultaneously there is a growing threat to water quality deterioration in surface water sources, which are being used as raw water source for drinking water supply. Looking into the seriousness of the problem, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has conducted regular studies on water quality at raw water sources in NCT - Delhi, River Yamuna, Western Yamuna Canal (WJC) and Upper Ganga Canal, which are the main surface water sources for drinking water supply in Delhi. The findings on physico-chemical quality of raw water are presented in Tables 5.15, 5.16 and 5.17 ahead:

5.9 GROUNDWATER SURVEY

Groundwater Survey for the Problem areas

In the 29th Conference of the Chairmen & Member Secretaries of Central Board and State Pollution Control Boards, it was decided that an integrated approach towards environmental management was necessary for pollution related matters in the problem areas. CPCB had initially identified 22 problem areas and subsequently two more problems areas were identified. CPCB had conducted a major groundwater quality monitoring program at 22 problem areas during year 1994 and the findings were brought out as CPCB publications series GWQS/1 to 4 / 1995-96.

In the current programme, it is proposed to conduct another round of groundwater quality monitoring at all the identified problem areas through Zonal Offices of CPCB. The reports will be brought in a staggered manner and the first part is under finalisation, wherein the data will be interpreted along with data of surveys already available with the Central Ground Water Board. The participating agencies are listed in Table 5.18 below.

Durgapur, West Bengal

The sampling locations (Table 5.19) and groundwater resources of Durgapur (Table 5.20) are presented below. The salient observations for the problem area Durgapur are given below:

1. The groundwater quality of the two tubewells located at Ashishnagar and Mayabazar stand out prominently in both the rounds that were conducted both in 1994 and in 2001-2002. The following physico-chemical parameters exceeded the limits stipulated by BIS.
Table 5.19 Groundwater locations in Durgapur, West Bengal

Location	Approx. Depth(m)	Type	Current use
Mayabazar	25-30	Tubewell	Drinking & domestic purposes
Ashisnagar	25-30	Tubewell	-do-
Sagarbhanga	15-20	Dugwell	-do-
Ganatantra Colony	15-20	Dugwell	-do-
Palasdiha	15-20	Dugwell	-do-

2. Bacterial contamination was observed at all the five locations.
3. Fluoride levels were found quite low in most of the samples taken, about 65% of the samples in 2001-2002 reported values less than 0.5 mg/l. The data received from Central Ground Water Board for the year 1999-2000 indicated fluoride values from 0.18 to 0.45 mg/l at all the locations i.e. Piala, Bhiringi, Banscopa, Deshbandhunagar and Durgapur Barrage.
4. The concentrations of heavy metals were less than the stipulated values except for iron at the dugwell at Palasdiha .
5. The reported values for DDT were the most prominent, compared to other pesticides.

Vapi in Gujarat is one of the biggest industrial estates with 1,800 industrial units in about 1,140 hectares of land. The groundwater samples collected from this problem area reveal that the Total Dissolved Solids were exceeding the limit of 500 mg/l and total hardness values were within the limit. The values of sulphate and nitrite were within the limit, but the conductivity values were ranging between 1,880 to 1,940 µmhos/cm, indicating contamination from surface pollutants. The measured values of chloride and fluoride were within the limit at IOC Godown, but values were exceeding at Charwad Road Station. The counts of Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform were below detectable limit except at IOC Godown during first round. There is a possibility of sewage contamination at this point. The concentrations of magnesium and calcium were exceeding at IOC Godown. Groundwater quality of Vapi has been presented in Fig 5.2.

Ankleshwar, Gujarat

The groundwater samples collected from Ankleshwar, another problem area in Gujarat, reveal that the Total Dissolved Solids were high in concentration, and total hardness was exceeding the limits. The values of sulphate and chloride were exceeding the limits. The value of nitrite was observed within the limit near CETP and Bharuch Naka. The concentration of fluoride was within the limit. Total Coliform and Faecal Coliform were not detected at Piraman School, however, both were found at Bharuch Naka. Total coliform was present near CETP, but faecal coliform could not be detected. The measured sodium values were 67-400 mg/l near CETP, 490-610 mg/l at Piraman School and 790-870 mg/l at Bharuch Naka. The groundwater quality data has been depicted in Fig 5.3.

Najafgarh Drain Basin Area, Delhi 

Three rounds of Samplings were undertaken at 15 locations on the Najafargh drain Basin area. Analysis of around 40 physico-chemical parameters including Heavy Metals and Pesticides were completed .

North Arcot District (Vellore District), Tamil Nadu.

There are around 450 tanneries are located and functioning in Vellore District. 356 tanneries are connected to common effluent treatment plant. 95 tanneries are having individual treatment plant. Tannery treated/untreated effluent discharges into land, river etc. and contaminate the ground water and river water. To assess the impact of tannery effluent on ground water, 14 ground water samples were collected in Vellore District. The study revealed that salt content and heavy metal content, Total Coliform and Faecal Coliform content are high. This may be due to tannery industries and dyeing industry treated and untreated effluent discharges to the land and ground water source.

Manali - Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Many medium scale and large scale industries are located in Manali Industrial area in Chengalpet District. The Industrial area is 20 KM from Chennai. The industries discharging, treated/untreated effluent into Buckingham Canal and Bay of Bengal. In order to study the impact of industries on ground water quality, 6 sampling stations were selected for study. The ground water sampling were carried out in the month of September, 2001, January, 2002 and May, 2002. The study results indicates that the ground water of the area was polluted in respects with salinity of ground water, TDS, Total Hardness & Bacteriological parameters.

Bhadravathi, Karnataka.

The ground water quality at Bhadravathi, critically polluted area in Karnataka state was monitored for the months of September, 2001, January, 2002 and may, 2002 at different locations namely Amirjan Colloy, Baba Halli and Machenahalli. These all three stations ground water bore well is mainly used for drinking and domestic purposes. The Bhadravathi ground water was found with high TDS, Total Hardness, Chlorides and Microbial presence and shows that the ground water has become polluted and not fit for potable use.

Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

There were 7 Nos. ground water samples stations selected. Ground water samples were collected in the months of September, February, 2002 and October, 2002 by CPCB, South Zonal Office, Bangalore and analysed by Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board Laboratory. Most of the ground water stations were found polluted by Total Coliform. Mindi, Pedchantya, R.K. Puram station are highly polluted area and Nitrate, Sulphate were very high. Vishakapatnam do not have adequate sewage treatment plant to completely treat their municipal sewage.

Bollaram Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh.

The Patancheru and Bollaram is one of the problem area identified in the Country to monitor the ground water quality. Seven stations in different villages were selected. The CPCB, South Zonal Office, Bangalore carried out the monitoring in the months of September, 2001, January, 2002 and October, 2002. The samples were analysed for 35 parameters by Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board Laboratory. The industries located at Bollaram-Patancheru area are falling into a broad category from leather and slaughter houses for manufacturing/formulating pesticides and bulk drugs. Treated/untreated effluent is being discharged out side the industrial premise. Lakadaram, Kistyareddy peta, Bollaram, Isakabavi were highly polluted area, Kardoor, Kardanoor, Inale, Bachupalli by stations were moderately polluted. In ground water samples TDS, Total Hardness, sulphate were high Heavy metals and Total Coliform and Faecal Coliform were present in some of the monitoring stations.

Cochin, Kerala.

The Cochin ground water quality monitoring was carried out by CPCB in the month of September, 2001, January, 2002 and May, 2002. The samples were analysed by Kerala Pollution Control Board Lab. In cochin organised sewage systems does not extend beyond the corporation limit. Most of the houses have individual soak pit and septic tanks. There are about 15 major industries in this area medium and small scale industries spread through out the study area. Most of ground water pH were acidic. This may be due to soil condition/industrial pollution. Heavy metals and fecal coliform. Total Coliform was found in most of the ground water. Pesticide, phosphate and cyanide were not traceable. Many of the monitoring points surrounded by the industries are reported to be unfit for drinking purpose.

Nagda & Ratlam (M.P.)

Ratlam is emerging as a big commercial and industrial city. A number of small and large industries, producing wide range of products, are located in the industrial area near the city. About 20 odd industries are also running in the Nagda including Grasim Industries. Three locations at Nagda and seven locations at Ratlam were selected for the evaluation of groundwater quality. The groundwater sources were handpumps, dugwells and tubewells and use of these groundwater sources are mostly for the domestic and irrigation purposes. Approximate depth of these wells varies from 20 feet from 400 feet.

Most of the samples were collected from the villages. Villagers consume groundwater as such for drinking, agriculture and cattle feeding purposes. Groundwater samples from the Ratlam areas was of dark brown colour in appearance particularly from the areas viz., Dosigaon, Bhatuni and Jadwasa may be because of leaching of industrial wastewater into the ground water stream. However, there is no surface flow of industrial wastewater in Dosigaon industrial nallah (drain). Water for drinking purpose in these areas is being supplied by District Administration. Pesticides were detected in some samples of Ratlam region, which may be due to industrial influences or/and agricultural activities. Estimation of certain heavy metals and physico-chemical parameters like TDS,. Sulphates, chlorides etc., may be due to industrial influences. Bacterial contamination in the groundwater may be due to anthropogenic activities. It is proposed to stop the use of groundwater particularly from Dosigaon, Ghatla, Bhajan kheda, Bhatuni and Jadwasa immediately and treated water should be supplied for human consumption and agricultural purposes in these areas.

Korba (Chhattisgarh)

Korba is an integral part of the Mahanadi river basin and is located over either the bank of river Hasdeo, also known as the powerhouse of Chhatisgarh State. The total population of the city is around 11.00 lakh. Due to the abundance of the natural resources, Korba area has been developed as an industrial centre. Total 3650 MW power is being generated from four numbers of power plants i.e. M/s. National Thermal Power Corporation, M/s. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (East) & (West) and M/s. Balco Captive Power Plant in this area. In addition to the power plant generation, aluminium metal is also being produced by M/s. Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd., at Korba. M/s. Indo Burma explosive plant is also being operated in this area where the nitrogen salt based explosives are being produced. Total 11 numbers of coal mines (open cast/underground) of SECL are also being operated in the area. Topography is undulating with elevation ranging from 9-332 meter above mean sea level. For the study of groundwater quality, the samples were collected during May, 2002, September, 2002 and January, 2003. The details of the sampling locations are presented in Table 5.21.