ASSESSMENT OF POLLUTION / CASE STUDIES

Status of Sewage Treatment in the Country

Disposal of domestic sewage from cities and towns is the biggest source of pollution of water bodies in India. There are 211 STPs in 112 of the 414 Class I cities and 31 STPs in 22 of the 489 Class II towns. Besides, 27 STPs are in 26 other smaller towns. In all there are 269 STPs, including 231 operational and 38 under construction. There remain 302 Class I cities and 467 Class II towns having no sewage treatment facilities. All Class I cities and Class II towns together generate an estimated 29129 MLD sewage (as per population in 2001 census). Against this, installed sewage treatment capacity is only 6190 MLD. There remains a gap of 22939 MLD between sewage generation and installed capacity. In percentage this gap is 78.7 %. Another 1742.6 MLD capacity is under planning or construction stage. If this is also added to existing capacity, even then there is a gap of 21196 MLD (equal to 72.7 %) in sewage treatment capacity.

Central Pollution Control Board studied performance of 115 STPs operating throughout the country. It was observed that 45 STPs were operating at sub optimal efficiency, largely due to improper operation and maintenance.

Sewage generation and treatment in Class I cities and Class II towns (2001 population basis)

Treatment of domestic sewage and subsequent utilization of treated sewage for irrigation can prevent pollution of water bodies, reduce the demand for fresh water in irrigation sector and result in huge savings in terms of nutritional value of sewage in irrigation. State governments are required to take immediate action for treatment and utilization of treated sewage. A status report on sewage treatment in India and performance of installed STPs has been finalized and published.

Sewage generation and treatment in Class I cities and Class II towns (2001 population basis)

Performance Status of Sewage Treatment Plants in Delhi

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) carried out surveillance of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Delhi to study the utilization of sewage treatment capacity and their performance during 2003, 2004 and 2005. Delhi. There are 30 sewage treatment plants (STPs) located at 17 locations in Delhi. Out of thirty STPs, three STPs were not in operation during 2003, 5 were not in operation in 2004,and 4 were not in operation in 2005. The total treatment capacity of the 30 STPs was observed as 2330 mld. The actual treatment of sewage during 2003 was found only 1478 mld (63%), in 2004 it was 1432 mld (61%) and in 2005 it was 1810 mld (78%). Most of the STPs (23 Nos) are based on activated sludge process except 7 STPs work on either extended aeration (2) or high rate bio-filters (3)/Trickling filters (1) and Oxidation ponds (1). Performance of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the last three years i.e. 2003, 2004 and 2005 is presented below.

Summary of Performance of STPs in Delhi

Performance Study of STPs in Central Zone

Performance study of STPs in MP and Rajasthan have been made and details of STPs are given in Table below:

Sewage Treatment Plants in MP and Rajasthan

STP at Jalmahal in Jaipur:

The sewage treatment plant (27 MLD) was commissioned for the treatment of domestic, and industrial waste of north zone of the city during 1979. The sewage treatment plant consists of screen, grit chambers, extended aeration tanks, secondary clarifier, sludge recirculation, sludge thickener, aerobic sludge digesters and sludge drying beds. Another STP of same capacity i.e. 27 MLD has been planned at Jasinghpur Khoh.

The BOD, TSS and COD of the final effluent were not conforming to the standards. The flow during the study was 3.5 MGD only and out of 46 aerators only 15 were found operating. The sewage treatment plant was in very bad shape, wherein most of the pumps attached to pumping of sewage after screening, attached to aerators were not working. Fifty percent of raw sewage was diverted without treatment to Jalmahal by closed pipelines, which flows by gravity. The garbage like paper plastic, etc were not removed manually in screen chambers and the grit was also not removed from grit chambers. There is no uniformity in operation of the unit leading to erroneous results after each treatment units. The plant is operated very unsatisfactorly. The sludge generation from the plant is around 40 m³/day and is sold to nearby farmers.

STP at South T.T Nagar, Bhopal:

The sewage treatment plant (capacity 1 MGD) was constructed during 1959 to cover the South T.T. Nagar of Bhopal city .The treatment unit consists of Screen Chamber, grit chamber, clari-digestor, trickling filter, final clarifier and sludge drying beds.

The sewerage system in Bhopal was laid in 1959, at present some of the pipelines are broken and sewage from these areas flows into nearby panchsheel nullah. The BOD, TSS and COD of the final effluent were not conforming to the standards. It was observed that the entire treatment unit is working as holding tank and there was no Bio-mass in the trickling filter. The sewage treatment plant is not being operated properly.

STP at Kabitkhedi, Indore:

The sewage treatment plant (78 mld capacity) located at Kabit Khedi, Indore is being operated at 50% capacity only basede on the study following are the recommendations.

• Untreated sewage should not be let out in to Khan River. 100% collection of sewage from Khan River should be accomplished.
• Concrete sewer lines should be constructed on Bhamori Nalla.
• Flow measuring devices should be installed at inlet & outlet of STPs to measure the flow.
• Uniform loading should be given to UASB reactor to prevent shock loads. Hydraulic loading should be given to reactor for 24 hrs not for 10-12 hours.
• Manual screen and grit chambers should be operated and grit / coarse material should be removed regularly. The collected grit / coarse material should be stored in a designated place.
• Separate holding tank should be constructed in between UASB reactor and aeration tank to convert anaerobic to aerobic condition to sustain bacteria in the aeration tank that may prevent foaming in aeration tank.
• The polishing ponds should be cleaned at least once in year for removing algae, floating materials and grass for improving the quality of effluent.
• Chlorine dose should be given for controlling coliforms in the effluent, which has been discharged into the khan river.

Performance studies of STPs in Gujarat & Maharashtra

There are about 11 sewage treatment plants located in various cities in Gujarat. CPCB has prepared a questionnaire for the collection of information on Oxidation pond / STPs and circulated to 12 Nagrpalikas, 04 Municipal Corporations in Gujarat State and 04 Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra State. In addition, 04 oxidation ponds were monitored in Mahesana district in Gujarat State. In Maharashtra state, 03 STPs were monitored in Nashik district. STPs located in Nashik are not meeting the prescribed standards with respect to physico chemical parameters

Performance of STP in Nasik, Maharashtra

Performance Evaluation of STPs at Mathura and Agra

Under Yamuna action plan 6 STPs (3 each in Mathura & Agra) are functioning. Except Dhandhupura (UASB) all the others are based on series of waste stabilization ponds. The Central Pollution Control Board monitored and evaluated the performance of these STPs in terms of percentage reduction in the concentration of TSS and BOD of the effluent. The STPs had not obtained the consent to operate nor were they complying with the discharge norms. Apart from this there was also no sign of improvement with respect to:

Review of Pollution Status at Problem Areas in West Zone

Central Pollution Control Board assessed the pollution potential and implementation status of the action plan and made quick assessment of the environmental pollution status in problem area. Status report was submitted to CPCB HQ with findings & recommendations. The Problem Areas at Vapi, Ankleshwar and Alang Ship Breaking Yard were reviewed to assess the implementation of time targeted Action Plans. The review of environmental management status was taken up at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in view of the growing domestic and international concern about the environmental effects of ship breaking operations. Some ships were also visited for the assessment and verification of measures taken for the management of various hazardous waste (including asbestos, oils, etc.) generated during ship breaking operations. The revised Action Plans were formulated to incorporate additional time-bound Action points.

Review of Pollution Status at Problem Area - Durgapur

Central Pollution Control Board had identified 24 Problem Areas in the country. Durgapur in west Bengal is one of the problem areas. The study was undertaken for Durgapur problem area to assess the problems existing in the area. The typical small-scale industries of the area are mainly the Sponge Iron Units, related pollution problems being the main environmental concern of the area. In order to assess current status of pollution due to the increasing industrial activities, various point sources of industrial pollution were identified. Automobile exhaust as mobile sources of pollution have been well recognised. There is a sharp increase in the number of vehicles, due to rapid industrialization and subsequent urbanization. Besides, dust nuisance has also increased due to ever increasing construction activities.

The Damodar river, Tamla nullah, ponds, groundwater and various industrial units were monitored and river water quality was found within the stipulated limits in context to the general parameters and also for the heavy metals. The Tamla nullah, which is the sink of all discharges was having the COD in the range of 40 - 80 mg/l; BOD 11 - 25 mg/l and TSS 50 - 160 mg/l. Sediment of the river in the downstream of confluence of Tamla nullah was having maximum iron content of about 21,000 mg/kg, zinc 45 mg/kg, copper 16 mg/kg, total chromium 28 mg/kg, nickel 17 mg/kg and lead as 5 mg/kg, whereas in Tamla nullah sediment having maximum iron content of about 22,000 mg/kg, zinc 121 mg/kg, copper 24 mg/kg, total chromium 18 mg/kg, nickel 14 mg/kg and lead as 33 mg/kg. The pond sediments were also monitored and found contaminated with metals.

The ambient air quality was monitored at four places in Durgapur and the SPM was found in the range of 300 - 1025 µg/m³. Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter in the range of 140 - 478 µg/m³ and oxides of nitrogen in the range of 30 - 95 µg/m³, where as Sulfur Dioxide was very low and sometimes below detection limits. The industrial effluent discharges at monitored major industrial units were also seen well within the consent limits. The major problems of Durgapur area are emissions from the sponge iron units and Thermal Power Plants.

Review of Pollution Status at Problem Areas Pali, Jodhpur, Korba, Ratlam-Nagda

To assess the status of pollution control and for the preparation of revised Action Plan of Korba area, CPCB officials alongwith officials of Chattisgarh Environment Conservation Board visited major industrial units such as BALCO, NTPC. The review of Action Plans for the Problem Areas of Pali, Jodhpur, Korba and Ratlam-Nagda of Central Zone was also undertaken in a meeting in which officials of CPCB, MPPCB, RSPCB and CECB participated.

Inventory of Pollution of Nandasari and Tarapur Industrial Estates

The inventory of pollution control status in Red Category industries has been undertaken through questionnaire at Nandasari & Ankeleswar in Gujarat and Tarapur & Taloja in Maharashtra

Nandesari Industrial Estate:

Energy conservation, Waste minimisation/ Pollution prevention are not adopted in the industrial estate. The high COD effluent is diluted with fresh water to meet the inlet norms of CETP. It was observed that the industries are not managing/handling the wastes such as storage drums, containers, bags and liners for hazardous wastes & chemicals, in appropriate manner. Drums & containers are normally sold to the scrap vendors without decontamination. Scrap vendors are storing, cutting, burning and reselling the drums & containers with no proper hazardous waste management practices. Air Pollution Control Devices specifically in size reduction equipments were also found inadequate or operating in unscientific manner. All the industries are sending their effluent to CETP through tankers. The arrangement for filling the tankers outside the industry premises is also inadequate in most of the industries. Consequently, spillage, spread of effluent on earthen surface and natural drain takes place at many areas in the industrial estate.

Tarapur Industrial Estate:

Industries located in Tarapur have problems of hazardous waste management and wastewater management. The effluent collection and treatment system of industrial estate is inadequate and acidic effluents were finding their way in drains and common collection sumps. The industrial estate does not have common secured landfill site for disposal of hazardous wastes. The transportation cost to Taloja waste management site is high, resulting into inadequate hazardous waste management as well as illegal dumping in the estate.

State of Environment at Silvassa

The monitoring study has been undertaken at Silvassa to assess state of environment. The study included monitoring of ambient air quality, noise pollution, groundwater, surface water and seawater quality monitoring. The air quality monitoring status reveals that the air quality is being deteriorated in Silvassa due to industrialization and urbanization. The groundwater also has impact due to discharge of industrial as well as domestic wastewater.

Ambient Air Quality in Silvassa

Noise Levels in Silvassa

Noise Pollution Monitoring during Navaratri & Deepavali Festivals at Vadodara

Navratri Festival

The monitoring for ambient air quality and noise pollution has been undertaken by CPCB Zonal Office Vadodara at 7 prominent locations. The ambient air quality and noise levels were observed exceeding the prescribed limits because of heavy vehicular movement and noise due to public audio systems used at Garba Venues.

Ambient Air Quality during Navaratri Festival

Noise Levels during Navratri Festival at Vadodara

Deepavali Festival

Monitoring was also undertaken to assess ambient air quality (3 locations) and Noise pollution (7 locations). The ambient air quality has an impact due to heavy vehicular movement, while noise levels were high because of bursting of crackers.

Ambient Air Quality during Deepavali Festival (2005)

Noise Levels during Deepavali Festival (2005) at Vadodara

Sources of Pollution in Yamuna River upstream Wazirabad Barrage

These were several complaints regarding water quality degradation in the Yamuna river at Wazirabad water intake point. Since the problem can affect large population of Delhi, which consume Yamuna water, it was considered important to augment the situation on urgent basis since the stretch serve as raw water source to large population of Delhi. To identify the polluting sources and to assess magnitude of pollution load contribution from different sources, detailed survey of Yamuna River upstream of Delhi was undertaken.

It was observed that some polluting sources are discharging polluted effluent in drains joining the river or at some places directly while others store their polluted effluent then suddenly release the stored effluents. The episodal sources cause sudden degradation in the quality of water at water intake point in Delhi. The major contribution of pollution load into the Yamuna River was observed on the right bank from Yamunanagar, Panipat and Sonepat. Contributions of pollution from sources at left bank were less significant. The potential contributors of episodal pollution are alcohol-manufacturing distilleries. An increase in BOD and ammonia in River Yamuna was observed because of drain no. 2 outfall, which gradually recoveres by the time the river reaches Wazirabad. Water scarcity in the river further aggravates this situation. The longitudinal profile of NH₃-N indicated gradual decreasing pattern of ammonical nitrogen during its travel between Hathnikund and Wazirabad, Delhi.

It has been recommended that two-pronged approach may be adopted to solve the problem- (i) Allowing a minimum flow in Yamuna to provide some dilution to the discharges and (ii) Diverting sewage and industrial wastewater from cities for irrigation/on-land application and prohibit discharges in fresh water leading to river Yamuna through Maskhara, Dhanaura and Munak Escapes.

Wastewater Discharges into Water Bodies from Urban Areas of Delhi

Delhi is the biggest contributor of pollution in the river Yamuna. There are 22 major drains in the city but no flow was observed in the Moat drain and Drain No. 12A and these two drains remained almost dry. Out of remaining 20 drains, 16 join River Yamuna, 3 join Agra Canal and 1 joins Gurgaon Canal. Central Pollution Control Board is regularly monitoring these major drains on monthly basis. The discharge and pollution load in terms of Bio-chemical oxygen demand transported by these drains is presented in the Table below. There has been a gradual reduction in the pollution load contributed by these drains between years 2000 and 2004. However, the pollution load during the year 2005 was about 15 % higher than the previous year. Out of 277 tonnes per day BOD load of the wastewater of Delhi, Yamuna receives about 229 tonnes and the rest joins Agra and Gurgaon canals. Total discharge of all the drains during the year was around 42.65 m³/sec, which is 2.8% higher than the previous year. Najafgarh drain is biggest drain amongst the 20 major drains, both in terms of flow (contributes 48% of the flow) and BOD load (contributes 30% of the BOD load).

Flows and Pollution Loads of Drains joining River Yamuna and Canals in Delhi (Year 2005)

Trends in Total BOD load of major drains joining Yamuna River at Delhi

Flows and Pollution Loads contribution of drains joining River Yamuna and Canals in Delhi ( 2005)

Wastewater Management in Textiles Units at Tirupur, Tamilnadu and Pollution of River Noyyal

The River Noyyal

The river Noyyal, a seasonal tributary to the river Cauvery, originates from Vellingiri hills in the Western Ghats and flows due south through the districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Karur. It travels a distance of about 172km before joining the river Cauvery near Karur town. Although the city of Coimbatore, a major town located on the River Noyyal upstream of Tripur, has a sewage network according to the drainage pattern of the river Noyyal, but no water or wastewater is released from the city into the river unless the lake, located within the city limit of Coimbatore, overflows. Thus, the entire stretch of the river Noyyal remains dry until it receives the effluent at the downstream of Tirupur town.

Industrial Scenario at Tirupur

A large number of bleaching and dyeing units have come in to operation in last one decade along the dry stretch of river Noyyal-the rain shade area of Tirupur and Karur- primarily due to availability of raw materials, chemicals and skilled labour. Tirupur, a town on the banks of river Noyyal is a taluk of Coimbatore district. It is having a population of about 3 lakhs and is nesting approx. 729 units engaged in dyeing and/or bleaching operations in addition to approx. 2000 weaving units in the area. A total of 281 small and medium industrial units are discharging into 8 CETPs having a total design capacity of 42.05 MLD (Fig-2 & 3) whereas the rests are having their individual effluent treatment systems. Almost 75,000 m³/day of effluents are discharged into the river Noyyal from Textile units in and around Tirupur town.

Almost 16 km downstream of Tirupur, there exists an irrigation dam (Orathupalayam) to impound the flows of river Noyyal for irrigation purpose. In principle, the discharges from this dam are released to Muthur Barrage and thence to Athupalayam reservoir for irrigation purpose.

Tiruppur area has very high TDS in ground water (ranging between 358 and 13,630 mg/l) therefore, water demand of the industries are largely met through tankers from nearby areas having relatively low TDS ground water. This massive ground water extraction in the region is further elevating TDS levels in the ground water. The drains in the Tiruppur area carries untreated sewage and partially treated industrial wastewaters. These wastewaters ultimately reach Orathupalayam dam, from where water is utilized for irrigation use. The concentration of total dissolved solids in the river and ground water is being reported to the order of 5000-7000 mg/l, almost ten times higher than the drinking water standards.

Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs)

A total of eight Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP(s) are in operation at Tirupur town with design capacities ranging between 1.6 to 10 Mld which generally receive the waste water from medium and small scale industries. Almost all the CETP(s) are operating at their design capacities. The transport of wastewater to the CETPs is through the pipelines and no tankers are allowed to carry the wastewaters to CETPs. The CETPs have been designed on physico-chemical treatment process. As such the treatment systems have not been designed to contain total dissolved solids from the wastewaters. On the contrary, due to mixing of lime, ferrous sulphate, coagulant aids and polyelectrolite etc., TDS levels increase in the effluents leaving the CETPs. Similarly Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the raw effluent can not be treated to the desired BOD concentration for river disposal. Thus, CETPs are providing only partial treatment and require additional units for treatment of TDS and BOD.

The analysis of results at the outlet of CETPs clearly indicate that as against permissible TDS level of 2100 mg/l, the treated effluents carry total dissolved solids as high as 8000 mg/l and as such none of these CETPs comply with the stipulations. Similarly Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is not being treated to the permissible level of 30 mg/l for river disposal. Thus, CETPs are providing only partial treatment and require additional units for treatment of TDS and BOD.

It is observed that a large fraction of the TDS comprises of common salt (NaCl) and as high to very high levels of chlorides have also been observed in the effluents. Relatively the sulphates were observed on lower side indicating that a large number of units are using NaCl whereas only fewer units use Na2SO4.

Individual ETPs

As enforced by TNPCB large and medium industrial Units have to upgrade their treatment system to attain zero discharge. The scheme essentially warrants the need for segregation of wash water from dye bath water for maximising the efficiencies of the R.O. and Nano Systems. This, further demands the need for handling and management of rejects generated through installation of multi effect evaporator systems (MSES).

The existing ETPs of two industries, where R.O./Nano systems does not exist, were monitored and found grossly violating the norms in terms of TDS and BOD both. Similar scenario must be existing in all such Units that have adopted only physico-chemical treatment and are discharging into the river Noyyal without exercising any control on TDS levels through R.O./Nano systems and as such have not been able to attain zero discharge.

Reverse Osmosis cum Nano Filtration Systems

Few large and medium Units have adopted Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) and/or nano filtration systems to recover almost 85-90% of treated water with low hardness and low TDS. This treated water is much superior in quality when compared with tanker water quality in the area. The rejects 10-15% by volume usually carries TDS ranging between 20,000-40,000 mg/l are evaporated in a multiple stage evaporator system (MSES). The Nano filtration system is capable of recovering 50% of NaCl which is available for recycling in the dye house and shall reduce the NaCl input to that extent.

It is observed that two stage R.O. systems in addition to TDS, is capable of reducing hardness to a significantly lower levels and as such low hardness water is very much required by the textile units. Such water shall also help in reducing the use of chemicals towards softening of raw water.

Almost 50 to 70 % recovery of sodium chloride (common salt) through nano filtration and the reuse of the same in the dye house is certainly helpful in reducing the common salt requirement to that extent. As such nano filtration system towards the recovery of common salt (rejecting colour from the dye bath) from units using sodium chloride appears to be techno economically viable solution for reducing TDS levels in the waste waters to a significant extent.

As per the information supplied by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) almost 42 units have been identified for the installation of R.O.-cum evaporation systems. The units having flow 600 kld and above are identified as large (12 Nos.) and those having flows ranging 300-600 kld are identified as medium (30 Nos.). In the spree of attaining zero discharge a total of 20 such units have either installed the systems or they are in the process of installing the same while other units are providing only physico-chemical treatment and discharging the partially treated wastewaters into the drains leading to the River Noyyal. A total of 493 units filed affidavit to the hon’ble High Court indicating that they have deposited 25% cost of the Reverse Osmosis (RO) system and as such have been allowed to restart the operations. Others, which have not filed affidavits, remain closed. The industries, which have already attained zero discharge, were not affected by the closure Orders issued by the Hon’ble High Court.

The Central Pollution Control Board studied selected industries in the Tiruppur area, which implemented zero-discharge scheme, for the purpose of assessment of the feasibility of systems in-use. These units are using the reverse osmosis (RO) for the recovery of water, nano-filtration (NF) for the recovery of monovalent ions and Multiple Effect Evaporator (MEE) systems for evaporation of rejects from RO and/or NF. The Multiple effect evaporator (MEE) rejects contains mainly salts and requires proper storage and safe disposal. Different combinations of these are adopted in various textile units, as follow:

• Dye bath containing NaCl to nano-filtration and rejects to multiple effect evaporator; wash waters to physico-chemical treatment followed by RO and RO rejects to MEE

• Dye bath containing Na₂SO4 to multiple effect evaporator; wash waters to physico-chemical treatment followed by RO and RO rejects to MEE

• Combined effluent to RO directly followed by NF and rejects to solar evaporation ponds/enhanced natural evaporation. In this case, permeate requires degasifier.

Main findings and recommendations

The Central Pollution Control Board studied the area and prepared a detailed report which included following main findings and recommendations:

1. Surface water quality of river Noyyal at Orathupalayam dam, Muthur barrage and Athupalayam reservoirs is beyond the acceptance level for the best designated use, i.e, irrigation. All the industrial Units including CETPs are responsible towards this deteriorated water quality in the region. The situation has been aggravated over a period of last 6-7 years due to the fact that the issue of TDS was ignored and the industries were allowed to continue production and release high TDS effluents into the river. Government of Tamil Nadu (TNPCB) as a nodal agency shall prepare a time bound action plan.
2. Many new units are being set up beyond 5.0 km of the embankment of river Noyyal in accordance to the order issued by the government of Tamil Nadu. This phenomenon, if continues, shall only result in shifting the problem and issue of high concentration of TDS from water to soil. No new units shall be allowed without R.O. and/or N.F. systems followed by forced evaporator like multi effect evaporator.
3. The industrial units shall be asked to install R.O. cum Nano filtration system and compulsorily recycle the permeate and NaCl and/or Na₂SO₄ in the dye bath house. Those who cannot afford evaporator system shall transfer the rejects to a common evaporator facility for further recovery of salts and condensate water.
4. All the common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) shall necessarily install R.O./Nano systems and make adequate arrangements to transfer the permeate back to the member units. The evaporator systems shall also directly receive R.O. rejects from the individual units on charge basis. The economic feasibility about the total number and sizes of the units shall have to be worked out at the time of preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPR).
5. Those units who are neither discharging their effluents into the CETP(s), nor having their own R.O./Nano systems in place shall have to either close down or shift operations within the reach of CETP(s).
6. It is also recommended that all the CETP(s) and other individual units jointly shall establish a TSDF site for safe disposal of the hazardous sludge accumulated in their premises. This activity shall be taken up at the earliest possible without waiting for the TSDF site as proposed by Govt. of Tamil Nadu.
7. All the on-going programmes towards cleaning (dredging) of Orathupalyam reservoir bed as directed by Hon’ble High Court and other strategies adopted by Govt. of Tamil Nadu in this regard shall continue with time bound targets towards execution of schemes.
8. The areas like ‘Thangam koil’, ‘Kodumandal’, Karaipudur, Kengeyampalayam, Anjur village and Athupalayam village where ground water quality is severely deteriorated, some scheme towards remediation shall be planned and executed for a fast recovery of ground water quality. The scheme shall also explore the feasibility of ground water recharging through low TDS waters.
9. A similar action plan for Karur shall also be kept in pipe line for its timely implementation as a preventive strategy.

Investigation on Soil & Water Contamination Near Mining Fields in Tinsukia District, Assam

Mining causes degredation of environment through land degradation, large-scale denudation of foest cover depletion of biodiversity, pollution of air, water, soil and degradation of agricultural land. "Makum coal field" located in the Tinsukia district of Assam is one of the oldest coalfield of India with history of mining activities since 1882. To assess the pollution dispersion patterns, emerging technology of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) integration have been found useful for environmental Management and land use & land cover pattern analysis. The mining managers and Pollution Control Authorities should have exposure to utilize these technologies for Environment Management. With these objectives, a project was undertaken in collaboration with Dept. of Mining Engineering, IIT, Kharagpur, at Makum Coal field areas of Tinsukia District Assam between April 2003 to April 2005.

Water soil and sediment samples were collected during June 2004 and February 2005 in and around Makum field at 12 locations and analysed for water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity, iron, chloride, sulphide, phenol, COD, oil & grease, TDS, total hardness, calcium, magnesium and relevant soil parameters.

It was observed that pH, turbidity, iron, phenol, RDS, total hardness, magnesium and calcium were exceeding the desirable limit of safe drinking water (IS: 10500:1991) in 75% of samples. High pH value indicated the high concentration of metals specifically near effluent nalla. Therefore, soil samples & sediment samples were also collected and analysed for heavy metals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr and Ni, which have been found in high concentration particularly near the effluent nalla. The mining activities have direct influence for spread of contamination. The location of coal stockyards and railway siding have contributed as route of release of pollutants to the neighbouring areas. These analysis results are integrated with the layout map prepared from remotely sensed data on GIS platform.

Assimilative Capacity of River Narmada at Hoshangabad

Narmada is the seventh largest river in India. It is an inter-state river having total length of 1312 km of which 1079 km in Madhya Pradesh, 35 km along the common border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, 39 km along Maharashtra and Gujarat and 166 km in Gujarat. The total basin area is approximately 99330 sqkm, out of which 85859 lie in Madhya Pradesh, 1538 in Maharashtra and 11933 in Gujarat. The river originates at the Amarkantak Plateau of Maikal range of at about 1057 meter above Mean Sea Level (MSL) and major part flows through narrow elongated trough running east to west with slight inclination towards the south, the river drains into the Arabian Sea at the Gulf of Khambat near Bharuch in Gujarat.

Urbanization has been going on at slow pace in this basin mainly because the river passes through hilly terrain, therefore it is inaccessible at most places. The major urbanization centers are Jabalpur and Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and Bharuch in Gujarat State. The industrial development in the basin is lower as compared to other river basins. The industrialized districts of the Narmada basin are Dhar, Jabalpur and Bharuch consisting of clusters of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes, distilleries, leather and fertilizer units. Paper mills at Hoshangabad are also contributing industrial pollution.

River Narmada at Hoshangabad comprise enormous quantity of flow, when compared with the wastewater joining from the sewage drains from the city and the industrial nullah from Security Paper Mills and is the major factor for dilution. The river water have pollution imopact at Sethani ghat by the city drain and the public taking bath at Sethani Ghat and Mangalawara Ghat may be affected therefore it has been recommended that the drain may be diverted through closed conduit to downstream side of these ghats and diffused in the middle of the river so that the sewage gets diluted and its impact on other activities remains insignificant.

Evaluation of the Powai Lake Conservation Project, Mumbai

The Powai Lake is an artificial lake formed by constructing a masonry dam between two hillocks across the Powai basin in the year 1891. The Powai Lake is located in the heart of the suburban area of Mumbai and surrounded by Vihar Lake, hills, Powai Park, L&T, IIT and residential complexes. The watershed area of the Powai Lake is 661 hectares. The lake is bestowed with varying rich flora and fauna. Under the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), the Powai Lake was identified for the revival and improvement during 1995 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India. The project was executed between 19 April 2002 and 19^th April 2003. The conservation works mainly included bio-Remediation for cleaning the water, de-weeding to remove the hyacinth, de-silting to remove the bottom sludge, fencing to restrict the unwanted entries, blocking of 4 major storm water drains to stop the entries of sewage water into the lake.

CPCB Zonal Office – Vadodara inspected Powai Lake Mumbai to assess the conservation work. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Environment & Forest, Government of India. Water quality monitoring was undertaken at various locations in Powai Lake for analysis of physico chemical and microbiological parameters to assess the status.

Pollution Problems in Mithi River, Mumbai

The Mithi River is a 17 km long stretch originated from the hillocks near the Aarey Colony and Vihar lake areas of Mumbai, which flows from northeast to west direction and meets the Arabian Sea near Mahim Creek. Flow in the river, which is mainly due to the over flow of water from the dams of the Powai and Vihar lakes, can be observed mainly during monsoon season only. The river passes through the areas of Powai, Kurla, Chandivili, Bale bazaar, Kalina Air Port, Sakinaka, Safed Pool, Santa Cruz air strip, Old air port, Khalina CST Road, Vakola, Dharvi, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mahim and enters the Arabian Sea near Mahim through Mahim creek. The river serves as a combined sewer for these areas carrying the sewage and storm water to the Arabian Sea. The river is observed to be narrow (about 10 m wide) in the initial stretch. However, near the Bandra Kurla Complex area the river is much wider. A survey on Mithi River was undertaken jointly by Central Pollution Control Board and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Mumbai as per the direction of Hon’ble Court to assess the various activities undergoing on the banks of Mithi river, which is ultimately contributing the pollution load in the river and also to suggest preventive measures to be adopted to revive the river from this precarious situation. The river passes through congested residential colonies including hutments that let out the raw sewage into the river and also dispose the domestic garbage turning the riverbed filled with sludge and garbage. The cattle sheds located in Bali Bazar, Jarimari, Andheri Kurla road etc also contributing the pollution load in the river. There are many unauthorized industries like oil refineries, Barrel Cleaners, Scrap dealers etc. located on the road from Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg (LBS Marg) to Santacruz air port and about 3000 small scale units which are dumping their effluent and the oily waste in the river. In Mahim bay area, where the river meets the Arabian Sea is reportedly identified as "Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary" where flocks of migratory birds arrive for nesting and make the area their habitat. This area is bestowed with mangroves and considered ecologically fragile. The tidal influence of the Arabian Sea on the river is up to Mahim and Kurla areas only.

The Mithi river receives domestic wastewater from areas like Sakinaka to Kurla, Chunabhatti, Mahim, nearby hutments through various nallahs, estimated approximately 5 MLD. The river also receives pollution from the illegal activities of the oil /grease processors, drum washings, cleanings etc. in the form of oily waste and effluent from Kurla to Mahim area. It is suggested that the revival of the Mithi River may be undertaken in phased manner as below:

• Initial action tneeded is the removal of sludge/sediment accumulated in the river by way of de-silting or dredging and also widening of river bed for free flow of the water.

• Immediate removal of all illegal industries and waste oil recycling units from the banks of the river. Necessary steps to be taken to discourage the illegal encroachment of the river bed for any purpose and the strict action may be initiated for non compliance.

• There should be proper collection, treatment and disposal of sewage from the catchment areas and sewage should not enter into the Mithi river to maintain the aesthetic condition of the river.

• The local Government should ensure the proper collection, treatment and disposal of solid/hazardous/Bio Medical waste.

• Relocation of the cattle sheds located along the Mithi river banks.

• The local Authority may under take the construction of the walls for the bank protection, encouraging the mangrove vegetation and preventing the unauthorized occupation of the land under CRZ.

• Time bound Action Plan needs to be developed by involving various Government, Institutes and Non Government organisations.

Status Report on Pollution in Mini River, Nandesari, Gujarat

Mini River is a minor river carrying mainly rainwater during monsoon season and meets river Mahi, which is a major source of drinking as well as irrigation water. It is observed that industries located on the riverbanks discharge untreated effluent into the Mini river which finally joins Mahi River. There are illegal discharges of untreated effluent from some of the industries. There are inadequate checks on industrial estate to ensure disposal of effluent by industries in CETP without bypassing it. A proper water balance for all the industries has not been carried out and hence untreated effluent is finding its way into the natural drains and polluting the river Mini and river Mahi.

Environmental Problems of Aravali Hills at Chittorgarh and Udaipur Districts

Ministry of Environment & Forests vide its notification, the 7^th May 1992 has restricted certain activities in specified area of Aravalli Range, which are causing environmental degradation in the region. During the earlier study two districts (Gurgaon and Alwar) have already been covered. Further studies at another two districts viz. Chittorgarh and Udaipur of Rajasthan falls in the Aravalli Hills region have been undertaken. Draft report has been prepared and presentation made before the representatives from State Board, mining sector and various associations. Central Mine Planning & Design Institute, Ranchi has been requested to incorporate the issues/amendments discussed in the meeting.

Status of Coal Mines of SECL in Chhattisgarh State

South Eastern Coalfields Limited is the largest coal producing public sector undertaking in the country. The coal deposits of SECL spread in five districts i.e., Bilaspur, Raigarh, Surguja and Korea in Chhattisgarh and Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh. The total geological coal reserve is 44.838 billion tonnes spreading in an area of 956.41 sq.km. The study has been undertaken to assess the mining and related activities at the coalfields.

Mercury Release into Environment by Caustic Soda Industries

The caustic soda industry at Nagda, Amlai and Kota were visited to assess the initiative taken by the industries for controlling mercury release into the environment. Isotope studies indicated that mercury consumption per tonne of caustic soda has been reduced gradually during past few years. However, substantial amount of mercury is still unaccounted. Industries have initiated regular monitoring of air, water and solid waste inorder to quantify mercury release from each stream. The comparative quantity of unaccounted mercury has been depicted below.

Year-wise Comparison of Unaccounted Losses of Mercury

Inventorization and Assessment of Pollution in Industrial Town Dewas

Dewas is one of the industrialized towns in M.P. Total 40% of the land area has been delineated for the industrial activities. Various kinds of industries such as bank-note printing, steel rolling mills, engineering units for gear and tools making, textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, chemicals, solvent extraction plants etc. are operating in industrial area at Dewas. Total 84729 MTA of coal, 30630 KLA of diesel, 7278 KLA furnace oil, 1.2 KLA kerosene, 2735 KLA of LDO and 15.15 MTA of wood were being used as fuel for various industrial processes in the industrial area. The Central Pollution Control Board has undertaken study during which it has been observed that the organic/inorganic water pollutants carried away by various nullahs i.e. Dewas nullah, Nag Dhamman nullah and Kalisindh river into the river Kshipra. Total pollution loads being contributed by various industrial activities/urbanization into the river Kshipra in terms of BOD, COD, TSS are 1691 kg/day, 4766 kg/day, 5482 kg/day, respectively. Addition of these pollutants into the river Kshipra is limited to 8 to 9 months in a year because some of these drains get dried up in the beginning of summer season. Pollution load joining river Kshipra through various drains is presented below.

The air pollution load due to vehicles in the city/industrial area was quantified. Particulate matter, SO₂, NO_x, Hydrocarbons, and CO emissions from the vehicles was 135 MT/day, 102 MT/day, 1130 MT/day, 2701 MT/day and 5779 MT/day respectively. It was observed that most of the three wheelers were using adulterated fuel, which emit high concentrations of particulate matter, NOx, and hydrocarbons.

Ground water monitoring at Dewas and nearby area

Pollution Load in various drains traversing Dewas and meeting River Kshipra.

* Values are considered for calculation of pollution load because these are the point located before confluence to river Kshipra

Ground Water Quality around CETPs and Land Fill Sites in Gujarat & Maharashtra

Central Pollution Control Board monitored ground water quality in Ankeleswar, Nandesari and Vapi in Gujarat and Tarapur in Maharashtra to assess the contamination of ground water due to presence of Land Fill Sites and CETPs. The monitoring results show that TDS, Conductivity, Total Hardness, and COD exceeded the prescribed standards at some places.

Note: Except pH and Conductivity, all other results are in mg/L. Conductivity is in Micromhos/cm ; *BDL-Below detectable limit

Ground Water Quality in Tarapur Industrial Estate (Maharashtra)

Ground Water Quality in Vapi Industrial Estate (Gujrat)

Monitoring of Aquaculture Ponds located in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Aquaculture has become an integral part of national fisheries and economy, almost 59% of the shrimp export is contributed from aquaculture. India is placed fifth among the major aquaculture shrimp (prawn) producers in the world, contributing about 8.59% of the total world production (1999). At present the total area under coastal aquaculture is around 1,52,080 hectares. The shrimp farming have both positive and negative implications on the environment and social sector. On one hand it has been converting unproductive or marginally productive land into productive land and creating employment in rural coastal areas. On the contrary, the unplanned and irregular growth of coastal aquaculture has created environmental, technical and social issues. A large number of farms have come up in coastal areas by converting agricultural land, saltpans and wetlands, including ecologically sensitive areas into aqua farms. The effluents discharged during harvesting and pond cleaning have much pollution potential since the effluent contains high organic and nutrient loads.

An extensive study is being carried out for assessment of the pollution potential from aquaculture farms and monitoring of 68 ponds from 15 shrimp farms located in Gujarat and Maharashtra has been completed. The study reveals that the effluent discharged from the aquaculture ponds carry a good amount of organic as well as nutrient load to the receiving water bodies. The effluent discharged during harvesting indicated BOD 78 mg/l, Total Phosphorous 1.14 mg/l, Total Nitrogen 14.6 mg/l and Total Suspended Solids 368 mg/l in effluent.

Pollution Potential from Coastal Aquaculture in West Bengal

The Central Pollution Control Board has initiated the study of harvest water discharged form the coastal aquafarms, especially the traditional aquafarms in West Bengal and Orissa. With the advent of scientific farming, the traditional farmers have also resorted to selective stocking with improvement in production levels. 15 such coastal aquaculture farms from North 24 Parganas and Midnapore districts in West Bengal were studied. The characteristic of wastewater (discharge water) has been found as below:

Characteristics of Effluent from Improved Traditional Aquafarms Harvest in West Bengal

Environmental Aspects of Fish Processing Industries in Orissa

Studies of effluent generated by fish processing industries located at Bhubaneswar, Puri and Paradeep in the state of Orissa were conducted. It was observed that most of the industries have installed effluent treatment plants, however, many were found non-operational. Even the operational ETPs were not achieving the prescribed standards. As the effluent is having high nutrient contents, it can be better utilised for irrigation after proper treatment, rather than discharging it to the drains, rivers, creeks, coastal waters, other water bodies etc. The solid waste generated during processing may be collected and used for composting as well as for fishmeal preparation.

Inspection of Port Trust of India and ICD depot– Southern Zone

Inspections were carried out at Chennai, Tuticorin Port Trust and ICD Depot at Bangalore as per Directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The details of consignments cleared by such authorities during last two years was verified in addition to the sample analysis reports which should have been a decision making tool towards clearing such consignments. The gaps observed in the system were highlighted and based on the recommendations made by all the Zonal Offices, a meeting for the Port and Customs authorities at the National level was organized at Delhi. All the Port and Customs authorities were intimated about the necessary do’s and don’ts to overcome the shortcomings noticed till date.

Review of environmental management at Alang Ship Breaking Yard

A full status review of environmental management was taken up at Alang Ship Breaking yard in view of the growing domestic and international concern about the environmental effects of ship breaking operations. Apart from this, some Ships have been visited for the assessment and verification of measures taken for the management of various hazardous waste (including asbestos, oils, etc.) generated during ship breaking operations. The status of ambient air /water quality, as monitored during the year at the Problem areas – Vapi & Ankleshwar, were discussed among the senior officials of CPCB and concerned SPCBs. The existing Action Plans, prepared by CPCB long back, were found complied with. However, the Plans were reviewed critically in the present context and the revised Action Plans were formulated to incorporate some more time-bound Action points

Management of Silt at BSL Project of Bhakhra Beas Management Board (BBMB)

A Committee under the Chairmanship of Sh. Paritosh C. Tyagi, former Chairman, CPCB and members from IIT, Roorkee, NIH, CWC, MoEF, etc. was constituted to suggest the measures for management of silt at BSL Project of BBMB. The Committee recommended that interim measure of discharging of silt through Suketi Khad to River Beas should be continued for another 3 to 5 years and problems, if any, arising should be addressed to make this interim measure as a long-term measure. The trial run during the monsoon period has been successful, as neither problem of silting was observed nor any complaint regarding deterioration of water quality in river Beas was received. BBMB should also continue monitoring of water quality in the Suketi Khad as well as in the River Beas alongwith recording of bed profile of Suketi Khad. Following Action Plan for management of silt was suggested:

• To minimize generation of silt in the catchment of river Beas upstream of Pandoh Dam, Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plan should be got prepared by the State Govt. The concerned stakeholders like BBMB, HPSEB, NHPC, etc. should share the cost as per the area of the catchment under their projects.
• To minimize entry of silt-load in the Balancing Reservoir through PBT, BBMB should resort to at least two flushing operations at Pandoh Dam in the monsoon season every year.
• BBMB should optimize the operation of Silt Ejector at Baggi to minimize further silt load entry into the Balancing Reservoir.

• BBMB should restrict the dredging operation in Balancing Reservoir and disposal of silt through Suketi Khad only during monsoon season. In the month of September, dredging should only be resorted to if the flow/discharge in Suketi Khad is more than 250 cusecs. However, BBMB can supplement the shortfall of this mandatory flow of 250 cusecs during September month from Balancing Reservoir by pumping / siphoning to utilize the full month period for dredging operations.
• During non-monsoon period, BBMB may dredge & dispose the finer silt through Sundernagar Satluj Tunnel/Dehar Power House i.e. their own water conductor system to river Satluj provided the suspended solids in river water of Satluj are higher than in the water carrying silt through Dehar Power House.

C. Monitoring Requirement

BBMB shall strictly monitor flow discharge and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) at following locations for 3 to 5 years to have realistic/actual observed data of Suketi Khad & River Beas for analyzing and recommending long-term option of silt disposal.

1. All other sites of Suketi & Kansa - Once in a day

d. L-Section of Suketi Khad & X-Sections at each identified location - Two Times

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Water of Yamuna and Major Drains in Delhi Region

Samples from three locations of river Yamuna and six major drains in Delhi region were collected, processed and analyzed for 16 Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) by GC-MS using SIM mode of data acquisition. Analysis results have shown that PAHs in drain samples and River Yamuna at Nizamuddin have similar profiles. However, PAHs in the river at Palla, a point upstream of drains, have different profiles compared to drains. PAHs in the river at Mazawali, a point downstream of drains, have mixed profile influenced by the compounds carried down from upstream Delhi and additions by the drains.

To assess the levels of PAHs in drinking water supply in Delhi, second phase of study has been initiated with sample collection for PAHs at water intake points and treated water at various potable water treatment plants in Delhi.

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Analysis in Extracts of Particulate Matter

Toluene extracts of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) samples collected on glass fibre filter papers from various locations in Delhi were analyzed for 18 Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) by GC-MS using SIM mode of data acquisition to assess the trend of PAH’s contamination in ambient air at Delhi.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) Analysis in Extracts of Waste Oil samples

The oil samples (crude oil, used / waste oil and transformer oil) collected from various Petroleum Refineries and Port Trusts collected by Hazardous Waste Management Division (HWMD) in association with the Zonal Offices of CPCB were analyzed for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) as Aroclor mixtures to assess the contamination level in order to ensure safe disposal of oil waste. The samples analyzed have not depicted PCBs contamination as Aroclor (Detection Limit 5 ppm as Aroclor).

Aerosol Characteristics during Diwali in Kolkata

Air pollution has been the focus of recent research to determine which chemical constituents of ambient air may pose a significant health risk to the human being. The studies on aerosol characteristics with reference to Diwali, when firecrackers are burnt extensively covering city, urban and rural areas are not reported in details. Central Pollution Control Board Zonal Office - Kolkata conducted a study to assess the concentration of RSPM, SO₂, NO₂, metals and PAH in ambient air in Kolkata (metro city), Asansol (urban) and Moutorh (village) in West Bengal to assess the impact of bursting crackers on the environment. The results revealed the prevalence of most poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and several ions in ambient air during Diwali.

Geoaccumulation and Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals and Pesticides on Soil and Crop Vegetation During Wastewater Irrigation

The sewage generation from urban areas has been constantly increasing, while the wastewater treatment capacity is not increasing at the same pace. As the fresh water is getting limited, as well as because of easy availability of sewage without any expenditure, the sewage is being increasingly utilized for irrigation of vegetation, crops etc. Land application of untreated sewage results in direct addition of heavy metals and pesticides in soil and crop vegetation. In addition to metals and pesticides, other pollutants such as sulphates, nitrates, nitrites, fluorides, sodium, potassium etc. are also added to the soil and these pollutants may be deposited in vegetables tissues.

To study the geo-accumulation and bioaccumulation impacts on irrigated soil and crop vegetation in Delhi due to land application of wastewater, several rounds of sampling and analysis of vegetable tissue grown using wastewater and vegetable tissue grown using tube well water, as control, were conducted to determine the corresponding levels of trace metals and pesticides in sewage irrigated vegetable.

Size Reduction Equipment & Emission Control Aspects In Nandesari Industrial Estate

The study has been undertaken to understand the nuances of the Size Reduction Equipment, its control equipment and the effect in polluting the surroundings by various industries. There are some basic issues, which need to be addressed.

• The industry loses a great deal of material into the atmosphere and polluting the surroundings.

• The industry ends up paying higher electricity bill by not providing properly designed emission control system. The driving motor gets overloaded due to the pressure being built up as no sufficient vent is provided. There is also a probability of the material getting choked leading to frequent breakdowns.

Water Quality Assesment of Raw Water and Treated Water at Water Treatment Plants in Delhi

Surface and sub-surface water are utilized as raw water sources for supply of drinking water after conventional treatment in NCT – Delhi. The treatment of raw water is undertaken at five major water treatment plants (WTPs) namely Chandrawal I & II, Wazirabad, Haiderpur, Bhagirathi, Nangloi and Okhla. These treatment plants are operated and managed by Delhi Jal Board.

Central Pollution Control Board has been undertaking monitoring of raw water and treated water at these plants. The biological assessment by using benthic macro-invertebrates as bio indicators are also being undertaken at raw water intake points at Wazirabad, Haiderpur and Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plants. The physico-chemical, bacteriological, pesticide and trace metal residue analysis have been undertaken at raw water intake and treated water. The water quality status at these water treatment plants has been continuously monitored during the year 2005 at various stages of treatment, from raw water intake point to storage reservoirs.