CHAPTER VI

PRESENT STATE OF ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND COUNTER MEASURES

6.1       STATE OF ENVIRONMENT

Bangalore

Bangalore is the principal administrative, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the state of Karnataka. Situated at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level, the city, which is spread over an area of 152 square kilometers, enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. Its tree-lined streets and abundant greenery have led to it being called the 'Garden City' of India. However, since local entrepreneurs and the technology giant Texas Instruments discovered its potential as a high-tech city in the early 1980s, Bangalore has seen a major technology boom. It is now home to more than 250 high-tech companies, including homegrown giants like Wipro and Infosys. Consequently, Bangalore is now called the 'Silicon Valley' of India.

Bangalore, like many other cities in the country, has outgrown its infrastructure. It generates 2200 tonnes of garbage a day of which the Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority clear only approximately 60% garbage. Consequently, there is a huge backlog of un- cleared waste cluttering the city. The city has no official waste dumping sites and there is only one Government garbage treatment plant, which handles around 200 tonnes a day. In the absence of dumping sites, the garbage collected by the BMP and the private trucks get dumped along the highways, near the slums and the outskirts of the city.  Bio-medical waste in Bangalore amounts to 0.5% of the total waste generated in the city everyday.

For comprehensive assessment of State of Environment, drain monitoring were carried out at various drains in Bangalore at peak flow time and lean flow time. Flow measurements were carried out and wastewater samples were drawn from the drain. The salient observations are:

i) The high BOD & COD values in the drains indicate that the entire sewage does not lead to the existing sewage treatment plants, but significant fraction is discharged into three major storm water-carrying drains in three different directions.

ii) The invariability in the flow values at Bytarayanapura drain during peak & lean time indicates that the catchments area for the storm water drain is quite large that smoothens the peak and lean flows.

Lote-Parshuram Industrial Area

The comprehensive pollution assessment exercise was carried out at Lote industrial area in Maharashtra State, including air & water quality, monitoring at source and also in ambient bodies (apart from monitoring noise levels). The study carried out at this estate (covering around 200 units engaged in production of various organic/inorganic chemicals), reveal presence of water pollution in river Vashishti, a major center for fish production. To treat the effluents generated by the industries recently the CETP has been provided. The air emissions were not due to the common air pollutants (SO₂, NO_x, CO, HC, Acid Mist etc). The levels of carbon monoxide were found within limits prescribed for industrial area. There is no common solid/hazardous waste disposal facility provided at the estate. The on-site storage facilities provided at the individual industries are not adequate, Lote Parshuram industrial estate needs concerted efforts by the concerned agencies for improvement in the environmental scenario.

Diu

The Island of Diu has chaptered History, as it had been ruled by many kings and Dynasties, beginning with the Pauranic period and last being Portuguese from whom it was liberated along with Goa and Daman on 19^th December,1961. The Gazetteer states that the Diu history was started way back from Dwaparayug. Goa, Daman and Diu were in the possession of Portuguese which remained under their rule for nearly 450 years. They were liberated on 19^th December,1961 during operation Vijay and in the following year i.e. year 1962 they were constituted into a separate Union Territory admistered by a Lieutenant Governor and a popular Ministry. After Goa became a state, a Union Territory was formed on 30^th May, 1987, consisting of Daman and Diu.

Diu is a tiny island situated slightly off the coast of Kathiawar near the port of Veraval in Gujarat with a coastal length of 21 kms. and is located at a distance of about 768 kms. from Daman, the capital of the newly formed Union Territory of Daman and Diu. The island is bounded by Junagadh and Amreli Districts of Gujarat in the North and surrounded by the Arabian Sea from three other sides. The Diu island is connected by two bridges with the mainland and lies between North Longitude of 20⁰44’34” and 20⁰42’00^” and East Longitude of 71⁰52’26”. The Diu town of located at the east end of the island. 

The Diu island (Diu district) occupies an area of about 40 sq. kms, with maximum width of 4.6 kms from extreme North to South and 13.8 kms from East to West. The Island has one main town and 5 villages, which have one Municipal Council (B) type and two village Panchayats. 

As per 2001 census the total population of the island is 44,110. The population is distributed in five villages namely Ghogla, Fudam, Simbore, Bucharwada, Vanakbara and Diu town. The main occupation in Diu is tourism, fishing, agriculture etc.

The industrialization in Diu was rather slow and started in 1971 with 17 unit and in 1981 it has increased to 103 industries, which have been further increased tremendously. Most of the industries are located in Malala and some are scattered in Bucharwada, Vanakbara etc. The type of industries located is Oil, Ice & Soda, Engineering, Distilleries, Salt manufacturers, floor & Rice mills etc. As reported by DPCC, Daman most of the industries in Diu were under shutdown due to the prevailing market downfall. Two rounds of detailed survey for Ambient Air quality, Traffic census, Noise pollution survey and ground water quality monitoring for the selected locations were carried out.

The ambient air quality was conducted at three locations (Vanakbara, Malala Industrial Estate, Central Bus Depot) for the parameters SO₂, NOx, SPM, RSPM and Lead, and the results of the parameters ranged as: RSPM 31 µg /m³ to 159 µg /m³, SPM 23.75 µg /m³ to 593.9 µg /m³, NOX 7.6 µg /m³ to 24.8 µg /m³, SO₂ all the time measured as below detection limit. Ground water samples were collected from different locations and analyzed for physico chemical parameters.

Tripura State

The study for preparation of status of Environment in Tripura has been carried out with aim to monitor environmental quality and updating the status report. Environment monitoring has been conducted with respect to air quality, water quality, bio-medical waste management, hazardous waste management at various part of Tripura.

Ground water samples were collected from 19 locations, distributed in four zones/district (North: 4, Dhalai:1, West: 11, and South: 3). Analyses have been carried out for physical characteristics, mineral constituent, toxic metals and organic pollutants. Analysis results indicate that TDS, TSS, chloride, Fluoride, sulfates are within permissible limits. Toxic heavy metals such as As, Pb, Cd and Cr have been found within permissible limit. No faecal coliform were found in any samples. Samples were collected from 12 points from 8 rivers namely, Howrah, Deo, Manu, Dhalai, Juri, Feni, Khowai and Muhri and from two lakes namely Amarsagar and Jagannathdihi. The water quality with respect to the parameters such as TDS, TSS , Chloride, Fluoride, Sulfate, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper and Lead were found within permissible water quality limits. Total coliform, Fecal coliform were observed higher at all the locations. Oil and Grease was higher in Howrah river and in Chandrapur stream at Chandrapur because of automobile Garages in the area. Bacteriological quality of ponds with respect to total coliform and fecal coliform were observed unsuitable for drinking.
The air quality monitoring have also been carried out at various locations. 

Table 6.1 presents number and capacity of major health establishments in Tripura. Considering specific waste generation factor, the quantity of bio-medical waste is estimated as 763 Kg/day. Presently, no appropriate system is available for treatment and disposal of bio-medical waste.

Leh & it's adjoining areas

Environmental status of Ladakh region was carried out. The areas surveyed was Leh town, the three  brackish lakes and the Nubra Valley. This region has three major rivers namely River Indus, River Zanskar and River Shyok. The region is bereft of any natural vegetation and the greenery visible are due to the effort of the Forest Department. The study included the assessment of present status of air and water quality in the region, present status of Solid and Bio-Medical waste management in the region. Detail study of Leh area was done, as it is the only `urban pocket’ in the Ladakh region and can be categorised as major source of pollution due to human activity. Semblance of water supply system is restricted only to Leh town which is catered exclusively by groundwater without any pre-treatment. High silt load in the surface water bodies is the major bottleneck for its utilisation as a source of water supply or any hydel  power projects. The Notified Area Committee (NAC) under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) supervises solid waste management. Use of polybags are banned, and refilling facility of mineral water bottles are common practice to reduce plastic waste. The entire Leh district has a formidable health care infrastructure. The health department is not aware of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules.  Other salient observations of the study are as below:

Digha

The Study has been undertaken for assessment of overall environmental status of Digha - presently an important coastal resort in West Bengal. Study included various aspects like geomorphology, land use, sewage and sanitation, waste management, economic activities, tourist facilities, quality of air, water etc.

Beach Erosion is the tremendous threats to the physiography of Digha. Protective measures has been taken from Digha to new Digha by laying laterite boulders to reduce the pace of erosion. Cyclonic Storms frequency in this zone of Bay of Bengal is nearly four times higher than of Arabian Sea. Disaster management plan should be implemented more effectively for saving lives and resources in the region. Sewage system is still very much unorganised and open surface dispersal of waste in some area particularly at old Digha site poses risk to public health. Frequent failure of power supply results in usage of large number of DG sets causing noise and air pollution.

Suspended Particulate matter (SPM), Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Sulfur-dioxide (as SO₂), Lead and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) content of the air were monitored for 24 hrs. at four locations to assess the ambient air quality at Digha. The observed values are presented in Table 6.2.

Table 6.2  Ambient Air Quality At Digha

Fig 6.1  Wastewater Quality at Digha

·            Development of Digha should be made as per MoEF Notification on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ),

Singrauli

Central Pollution Control Board has undertaken studies on environmental quality in Singrauli area, with the help of Banwasi Sewa Asram, an active NGO in Singrauli area. The project has been focussed on generating trends in air and water quality data in the area and also to suggest area specific measures of pollution control. The findings of the study are as under:

AMBIENT AIR QUALITY

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂)

At all the three impact monitoring stations viz. Beejpur, Murdhawa and  Dala, an appreciable impact is observed with relatively higher concentration of sulphur dioxide ranging between 12-46 µg/m³ at Beejpur, 7-48 µg/m³ at Murdhawa and 5-31 µg/m³ at Dala but confirm to prescribed standard (Fig 6.2). Sulphur dioxide and NOx concentration were found increasing in evening time at Beejpur while in night at Murdhawa and Dala.

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)

It has followed similar trend analogous to sulphur dioxide. The range of concentration recorded at different locations were 12-76 µg/m³ at Beejpur, 15-54 µg/m³ at Murdhawa and 14-48 µg/m³ at Dala. All the time concentration recorded, have conformed to prescribed standard (Fig 6.2).

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)

Suspended Particulate Matter was highest at Dala 169-2757 µg/m³. It has shown significantly high concentration at all the three impact  stations, particularly at Dala it has always exceeded the prescribed standard, while at Beejpur and Murdhawa it exceeded in 50% and 72% observations. The range recorded at Beejpur & Murdhawa has been 99-358 µg/m³ and 148-684 µg/m³ respectively. The concentration of SPM increased during night at Beejpur, whereas during evening & morning time at Murdhawa and Dala respectively.

Fig 6.2  Ambient Air Quality with respect to SO₂/NOx at Singrauli

Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM)

The status of RSPM has been more or less analogous to SPM, while its highest concentration (95-660 µg/m³) has been recorded at Dala, where it exceeded the standards in 94% observations. In Beejpur and Murdhawa, the range of concentration has been 48-115 µg/m³ and 73-213 µg/m³ respectively. Moreover, it has exceeded in 38% and 45% observations at Beejpur and Murdhawa respectively. The concentration increased during evening at Beejpur & Murdhawa, whereas at Dala higher concentration were generally recorded during morning or night hours.

RSPM –SPM ratio : As regard ratio of RSPM and SPM, it is observed that at Baseline station (Kewal) RSPM values were 52% of SPM, whereas the percentage gradually decreased in the order  Beejpur (43%)> Murdhawa (35%) > Dala (31%) (Fig 6.3).

Fluoride

The status of fluoride was recorded at two locations viz. Murdhawa and Beejpur, where appreciable concentration was recorded. The concentration at Murdhawa was comparatively higher (max. 8 µg/m³) than Beejpur (max. concentration 3.3 µg/m³). Higher concentration of fluoride were recorded at Murdhawa during evening and night time (Fig 6.4).

Fig 6.3  Ambient air quality with respect to SPM/RSPM

Fig 6.4  Ambient air quality with respect to Fluoride

Mercury

The status of mercury has been quite high with exceptionally high concentration recorded at all the three locations. While highest concentration 1959 ng/m³ recorded at Dala the concentration range of 1.34-190 ng/m³ at Murdhawa and 1.24-1592 ng/m³ at Beejpur have not been of any reprieve either.

Physico-Chemical Status of Surface Water

Drains

The monitoring was concentrated for assessment of water quality in three drains viz: Murdhawa drain, Dongia drain and Ballia drain.

A serious anomaly of high fluoride (7.2 – 55 mg/l), high COD (max 1326 mg/l), high TSS (max 2500 mg/l) and occasional alkaline pH. Exceptionally high mercury  (50-180 µg/l), moderate concentration of COD (288-700 mg/l) and general absence of dissolved oxygen have been observed at Dongia drain. Ballia drain too has reported  high concentration of mercury (max 2.4 µg/l), fluoride (max 1.8 mg/l) and occasionally high COD (629 mg/l) and very low dissolved oxygen (2 mg/l)

River Rihand

Before confluence with the reservoir, the river has reported reasonably good water quality, except for marginally higher concentration of fluoride (1.2 mg/l). However in the course of the river downstream of the Rihand Dam and especially after the confluence of Murdhawa drain, there has been marginal increase in fluoride concentration (1.8 mg/l), which further increases to 2.0 mg/l, after the confluence of ash pond overflow from Obra, where high concentration of mercury (2.6 µg/l) has been reported.

Rihand reservoir

A significant observation has been an increasing anomaly of fluoride (1.2 to 1.8 mg/l) observed in the reservoir after the successive  confluence of Balia drain, Dongia drain and Murdhawa drain respectively. There has been an occasional drop in dissolved oxygen concentration (4.8 mg/l) after the confluence of Ballia drain. High concentration of  mercury has been particularly observed after confluence of Ballia drain and Dongia drain.

Surface Impoundments (Bawadis)

High concentration of fluoride (2.8 to 5.6 mg/l) has been a significant observation in all the  five Bawadis monitored, with maximum  concentration  reported in Bawadi at village Chetwa. The Bawadi at Govindpur has been of particular significance on account of high conductivity (720-1210 mg/l), high TDS (658-687 mg/l) and an occasional drop in dissolved oxygen (4.8 mg/l). High concentration of mercury (3.1 µg/l) has been observed in Bawadi at village Bakulia.

Western Coal Fields (Madhya Pradesh)

The Western Coalfields contributes about 11% of the national coal production (35 mt/yr). It has mining operation spread over the states of Maharashtra (in Nagpur, Chandrapur & Yeotmal Districts) and Madhya Pradesh (in Betul and Chhindawara Districts). The coal mining operations in M.P. are done in three agglomerations – Pench, Kanhan and Pathakhera Areas. Most of the mines are located under-ground, except a few in Pench and Kanhan areas. These mining operations result into new mine water discharge points, dust generating sources and transportation. The coal transportation is both, by road and rail. 

The ambient air quality in some of the residential areas and some of the villages located on the transportation networks can be improved by improvement in traffic management and popularizing the use of LPG. Extensive tree plantation will help in protecting the residential areas from high air pollution and also the noise.