Water Pollution and Thier Effects

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Water pollution

Introduction

Water is one of the renewable resources essential for sustaining all forms of life, food production,
economic development, and for general well being. It is impossible to substitute for most of its uses,
difficult to de pollute, expensive to transport, and it is truly a unique gift to mankind from nature. Water
is also one of the most manageable natural resources as it is capable of diversion, transport, storage,
and recycling. All these properties impart to water its great utility for human beings. The surface water
and groundwater resources of the country play a major role in agriculture, hydropower generation,
livestock production, industrial activities, forestry, fisheries, navigation, recreational activities etc. The
freshwater ecosystems of the world comprise only about 0.5% of the earth’s surface and have a volume
of 2.84x105 Km3. Rivers constitute an insignificant amount (0.1%) of the land surface. Only 0.01% of the
waters of the earth occur in river channels. Inspite of these low quantities, running waters are of
enormous significance (Wetzel, 2001). India receives annual precipitation of about 4000 km3, including
snowfall. Out of this, monsoon rainfall is of the order of 3000 km3. Rainfall in India is dependent on the
south-west and north-east monsoons, on shallow cyclonic depressions and disturbances and on local
storms (Kumar et. al., 2005). Most of it takes place under the influence of south-west monsoon between
June and September except in Tamil Nadu, where it is under the influence of north-east monsoon during
October and November (Kumar et. al., 2005). India is gifted with river system comprising more than 20
major rivers with several tributaries. Many of these rivers are perennial and some of them are seasonal.
Although India occupies only 3.29 million km2 geographical area, constituting 2.4% of the world’s land
area, it supports over 15% of the world’s population. The population of India as on 1st March 2001
stood at 1,027,015,247

persons. Thus, India supports about 1/6th of world population, 1/50th of world’s land and 1/25th of
world’s water resources (Water Management Forum, 2003).

In the last few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the demand for freshwater due to
rapid growth of population and the accelerated pace of industrialization (Ramakrishnaiah et al., 2009).
Human health is threatened by most of the agricultural development activities particularly in relation to
excessive application of fertilizers and unsanitary conditions (Okeke and Igboanua, 2003). Anthropogenic
activities related to extensive urbanization, agricultural practices, industrialization, and population
expansion have led to water quality deterioration in many parts of the world (Baig et al. 2009, Mian et
al., 2010, Wang et al., 2010). In addition, deficient water resources have increasingly restrained water
pollution control and water quality improvement (Bu et al., 2010). Water pollution has been a research
focus for government and scientists. Therefore, protecting river water quality is extremely urgent
because of serious water pollution and global scarcity of water resources.

Sources of water pollution:

Water pollution can occur from two sources. 1. Point source and 2. Non-point source. Point sources of
pollution are those which have direct identifiable source. Example includes pipe attached to a factory, oil
spill from a tanker, effluents coming out from industries. Point sources of pollution include wastewater
effluent (both municipal and industrial) and storm sewer discharge and affect mostly the area near it.
Whereas non-point sources of pollution are those which arrive from different sources of origin and
number of ways by which contaminants enter into groundwater or surface water and arrive in the
environment from different non identifiable sources. Examples are runoff from agricultural fields, urban
waste etc. Sometimes pollution that enters the environment in one place has an effect hundreds or even
thousands of miles away. This is known as transboundary pollution. One example is the radioactive
waste that travels through the oceans from nuclear reprocessing plants to nearby countries. Water
pollutants may be i)Organic and ii)Inorganic water pollutant.

1. Organic water pollutants: They comprise of insecticides and herbicides, organohalides and other
forms of chemicals; bacteria from sewage and livestocks farming; food processing wastes; pathogens;
volatile organic compounds etc. 2. Inorganic water pollutants: They may arise from heavy metals from
acid mine drainage; silt from surface run-off, logging, slash and burning practices and land filling;
fertilizers from agricultural run-off which include nitrates and phosphates etc. and chemical waste from
industrial effluents. Table 1. Characteristics of point and nonpoint sources of chemical inputs to
receiving waters

Point Sources -

- Wastewater effluent (municipal and

industrial)

- Runoff and leachate from waste disposal sites

- Runoff and infiltration from animal feedlots

- Runoff from mines, oil fields, unsewered

industrial sites

Nonpoint Sources

- Storm sewer outfalls from cities with a

population >100,000

-Overflows of combined storm and sanitary

sewers

- Runoff from construction sites >2 ha

- Runoff from agriculture (including return

flow from irrigated agriculture)


- Runoff from pasture and range

- Urban runoff unsewered and sewered areas

with a population <100,000

- Septic tank leachate and runoff from failed

septic systems

- Runoff from construction sites

- Runoff from abandoned mines

- Atmospheric deposition over a water surface

- Activities on land that generate contaminants,

such as logging, wetland conversion,

construction, and development of land or

waterways

Some of the important sources of water pollution are discussed below:

Urbanization: Urbanization generally leads to higher phosphorus concentrations in urban

catchments (Paul and Meyer, 2001). Increasing imperviousness, increased runoff from urbanized

surfaces, and increased municipal and industrial discharges all result in increased loadings of

nutrients to urban streams. This makes urbanization second only to agriculture as the major cause

of stream impairment.

Sewage and other Oxygen Demanding Wastes: Management of solid waste is not successful due to
huge volumes of organic and non-biodegradable wastes generated daily. As a consequence, garbage in
most parts of India is unscientifically disposed and ultimately leads to increase in the pollutant load of
surface and groundwater courses. Sewage can be a fertilizer as it releases important nutrients to the
environment such as nitrogen and phosphorus which plants and animals need for growth. Chemical
fertilizers used by farmers also add nutrients to the soil, which drain into rivers and seas and add to the
fertilizing effect of the sewage. Together, sewage and fertilizers can cause a massive increase in the
growth of algae or plankton that facilitate huge areas of oceans, lakes, or rivers creating a condition
known as algal bloom thereby reducing the dissolved oxygen content of water and killing other forms of
life like fish.
Industrial Wastes: Many of the industries are situated along the banks of river such as steel and paper
industries for their requirement of huge amounts of water in manufacturing processes and finally their
wastes containing acids, alkalies, dyes and other chemicals are dumped and poured down into rivers as
effluents. Chemical industries concerning with manufacture of Aluminium release large amount of
fluoride through their emissions to air and effluents to water bodies. Fertilizer industries generate huge
amount of ammonia whereas steel plants generate cyanide. Chromium salts are used in industrial
process for the production of sodium dichromate and other compounds containing chromium. All such
discharges finally arrive at water bodies in the form of effluents affecting human health and the
organism living there.

Agro-chemical Wastes: In the agricultural sector, water and electricity for irrigation are subsidized for
political reasons. This leads to wasteful flood irrigation rather than adoption of more optimal practices
such as sprinkler and drip irrigation. Cropping patterns and farming practices also do not necessarily
encourage the judicious use of water. There are losses of water due to breaches and seepage resulting
in water logging and salinity. Agro-chemical wastes include fertilizers, pesticides which may be
herbicides and insecticides widely used in crop fields to enhance productivity. Improper disposal of
pesticides from field farms and agricultural activities contributes a lot of pollutants to water bodies and
soils. Some of the pesticides are: DDT, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Malathion, Hexachloro Benzene etc. Pesticides
reach water bodies through surface runoff from agricultural fields, drifting from spraying, washing down
of precipitation and direct dusting and spraying of pesticides in low lying areas polluting the water
quality. Most of them are non-biodegradable and persistent in the environment for long period of time.
These chemicals may reach human through food chain leading to biomagnification. Nutrient
enrichment: The sources of nutrients in surface water can be divided broadly into natural and
anthropogenic types. Contribution to pollution by natural source is low due to balance established by
the natural system between the production and consumption of nutrients over the course of time.
Anthropogenic sources of contaminants are contributed from agriculture, domestic and industrial
wastes. Nutrient concentrations in streams and rivers have been strongly correlated with human land
use and disturbance gradients. Both N and P enrichment have links with the agricultural and urban land
uses in the watershed. Fluxes of total N in temperate-zone rivers surrounding the North Atlantic Ocean
are highly correlated with net anthropogenic input of N in their watersheds (Howarth et al., 1996).
Total N and nitrate fluxes and concentrations in rivers are also correlated with human population
density (Howarth et al., 1996). Nitrogen fertilization is the main source of N in streams and rivers
(Goolsby and Battaglin, 2001). Similarly, nutrient enrichment of aquatic systems from anthropogenic
sources includes point and nonpoint sources (Table 1. adapted from Carpenter et al., 1998). In contrast
to point sources of nutrients that are relatively easy to monitor and regulate, nonpoint sources such as
livestock, crop fertilizers, and urban runoff exhibit more spatial and temporal variability. Following
strong regulation of point source inputs in response to the Clean Water Act, nutrients from nonpoint
sources are now the major source of water pollution in the United States (Carpenter et al., 1998).

Thermal pollution: Changes in water temperature adversely affect water quality and aquatic biota.
Majority of the thermal pollution in water is caused due to human activities. Some of the important
sources of thermal pollution are nuclear power and electric power plants, petroleum refineries, steel
melting factories, coal fire power plant, boiler from industries which release large amount of heat to the
water bodies leading to change in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the receiving
water bodies. High temperature declines the oxygen content of water; disturbs the reproductive cycles,
respiratory and digestive rates and other physiological changes causing difficulties for the aquatic life.

Oil spillage: Oil discharge into the surface of sea by way of accident or leakage from cargo tankers
carrying petrol, diesel and their derivatives pollute sea water to a great extent. Exploration of oil from
offshore also lead to oil pollution in water. The residual oil spreads over the water surface forming a thin
layer of water-in-oil emulsion.

The disruption of sediments: Construction of dams for hydroelectric power or water reservoirs can
reduce the sediment flow affecting adversely the formation of beaches, increases coastal erosion and
reduces the flow of nutrients from rivers into seas (potentially reducing coastal fish stocks). Increased
sediment flow can also create a problem. During construction work, soil, rock, and other fine powders
sometimes enter nearby rivers in large quantities, causing water to become turbid (muddy or silted).
The extra sediment can block the gills of fish, causing them suffocation.

Acid rain pollution: Water pollution that alters a plant’s surrounding pH level, such as due to acid rain,
can harm or kill the plant. Atmospheric Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emitted from natural and
human-made sources like volcanic activity and burning fossil fuels\interact with atmospheric chemicals,
including hydrogen and oxygen, to form sulfuric and nitric acids in the air. These acids fall down to earth
through precipitation in the form of rain or snow. Once acid rain reaches the ground, it flows into
waterways that carry its acidic compounds into water bodies. Acid rain that collects in aquatic
environments lowers water pH levels and affects the aquatic biota. Radioactive waste: Radioactive
pollution is caused by the presence of radioactive materials in water. They are classified as small doses
which temporary stimulate the metabolism and large

doses which gradually damage the organism causing genetic mutation. Source may be from radioactive
sediment, waters used in nuclear atomic plants, radioactive minerals exploitation, nuclear power plants
and use of radioisotopes in medical and research purposes.

Introduction of Alien species

In some parts of the world, alien species also known as invasive species are a major problem of water
pollution. Outside their normal environment, they have no natural predators, so they rapidly spread and
dominate the animals or plants that thrive there. Common examples of alien species include zebra
mussels in the Great Lakes of the USA, which were carried there from Europe by ballast water (waste
water flushed from ships). The Mediterranean Sea has been invaded by a kind of alien algae called
Caulerpa taxifolia. In the Black Sea, an alien jellyfish called Mnemiopsis leidyi reduced fish stocks by 90
percent after arriving in ballast water. In San Francisco Bay, Asian clams called Potamocorbula
amurensis, also introduced by ballast water, have dramatically altered the ecosystem.
Climate Change

Global warming has also an impact on water resources through enhanced evaporation, geographical
changes in precipitation intensity, duration and frequency (together affecting the average runoff), soil
moisture, and the frequency and severity of droughts and floods. Future projections using climate
models pointed out that there will be an increase in the monsoon rainfall in most parts of India, with
increasing greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols. Relatively small climatic changes can have huge
impact on water resources, particularly in arid and semiarid regions such as North-West India. This will
have impacts on agriculture, drinking water, and on generation of hydroelectric power, resulting in
limited water supply and land degradation. Apart from monsoon rains, India uses perennial rivers which
originate in the Hindukush and Himalayan ranges and depend on glacial melt-waters. Since the melting
season coincides with the summer monsoon season, any intensification of the monsoon is likely to
contribute to flood disasters in the Himalayan catchment. Rising temperatures will also contribute to a
rise in the snowline, reducing the capacity of these natural reservoirs, and increasing the risk of flash
floods

during the wet season. Increase in temperatures can lead to increased eutrophication in wetlands and
fresh water supplies (CPCB Report, 2013). Effects of water pollution: Polluted water has effects on both
human and aquatic life.

1. Effect of water pollution on human health

-Chemicals in water that affect human health: Some of the chemicals affecting human health are the
presence of heavy metals such as Fluoride, Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, petrochemicals,
chlorinated solvents, pesticides and nitrates. Fluoride in water is essential for protection against dental
carries and weakening of the bones. Concentration below 0.5 mg/l causes dental carries and mottling of
teeth but exposure to higher levels above 0.5 mg/l for 5-6 years may lead to adverse effect on human
health leading to a condition called fluorosis. Arsenic is a very toxic chemical that reaches the water
naturally or from wastewater of tanneries, ceramic industry, chemical factories and from insecticides
such as lead arsenate, effluents from fertilizers factories and from fumes coming out from burning of
coal and petroleum. Arsenic is highly dangerous for human health causing respiratory cancer, arsenic
skin lesion from contaminated drinking water in some districts of West Bengal. Long exposure leads to
bladder and lungs cancer. Lead is contaminated in the drinking water source from pipes, fitting, solder,
household plumbing systems. In the human beings, it affects the blood, central nervous system and the
kidneys. Child and pregnant women are mostly prone to lead exposure. Mercury is used in industries
such as smelters, manufactures of batteries, thermometers, pesticides, fungicides etc. The best known
example of Mercury pollution in the oceans took place in 1938 when a Japanese factory discharged a
significant amount of mercury into Minamata Bay, by contaminating the fish stocks there. It took
several years to show its effects. By that time, many local people had eaten the fish and around 2000
were poisoned,hundreds of people were left dead and disabled (Akio, 1992) and the cause for death was
named as “Minamata disease” due to consumption of fish containing methyl mercury. It causes
chromosomal aberrations and neurological damages to human. Mercury shows biological magnification
in aquatic ecosystems. Cadmium reaches human body through food crop from soil irrigated by affected
effluents. Friberg et al. (1974) noted that long term consumption of rice from affected fields by the
people living in areas contaminated by cadmium in regions of Japan, resulted into many renal diseases
like “itai-itai disease”, nephritis and nephrosis.

-Water borne disease: Microorganisms play a major role in water quality and the microorganisms that
are concerned with water borne diseases are Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., Escherichia coli and Vibrio
cholera (Adetunde and Glover, 2010). All these cause typhoid fever, diarrhoea, dysentery,
gastroenteritis and cholera. The most dangerous form of water pollution occurs when faeces enter the
water supply. Many diseases are perpetuated by the faecal-oral route of transmission in which the
pathogens are shed only in human faeces (Adetunde and Glover, 2010). Presence of faecal coliforms of
E. coli is used as an indicator for the presence of any of these water borne pathogens (Adetunde and
Glover, 2010). Larry (2006) suggested that ground water contamination is the leading worldwide cause
of deaths and diseases, and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily, and the
majority of them being children under 5 years old. In recent years, the widespread reports of pollutants
in groundwater have increased public concern about the quality of groundwater. Children are generally
more vulnerable to intestinal pathogens and it has been reported that about 1.1 million children die
every year due to diarrhoeal diseases (Steiner and Gurrant, 2006).

2. Effect of water pollution on plants

The following are the effects of water pollution on plants:

i. Effects of acid deposition: Many of the gases from acid, aerosols and other acidic substances released
into the atmosphere from industrial or domestic sources of combustion from fossil fuels finally fall down
to ground and reach the water bodies along with run-off rainwater from polluted soil surfaces thereby
causing acidification of water bodies by lowering its pH . In many countries chemical substances like
sulphates, nitrates and chloride have been reported to make water bodies such as lakes, river and ponds
acidic. ii. Nutrient deficiency in aquatic ecosystem: Population of decomposing microorganisms like
bacteria and fungi decline in acidified water which in turn reduces the rate of decomposition of organic
matter affecting the nutrient cycling. The critical pH for most of the aquatic species is 6.0. The diversity
of species decline below this pH whereas the number and abundance of acid tolerant species increases.
Proliferation of filamentous algae rapidly forms a thick mat at the initial phase of the acidification of
water. Diatoms and green algae disappear below pH 5.8. Cladophora is highly acid tolerant species and
is

abundant in acidic freshwater bodies. Macrophytes are generally absent in acidic water as their roots
are generally affected in such water resulting in poor plant growth. Potamogeton pectinalis is found in
acidified water. It is observed that plants with deep roots and rhizomes are less affected while plants
with short root systems are severely affected in acidic water. iii. Effects of organic matter deposition:
Organic matter from dead and decaying materials of plants and animals is deposited directly from
sewage discharges and washed along with rainwater into water bodies causing increase in
decomposers / microbes such as aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Rapid decomposition of organic matter
increase nutrient availability in water favouring the luxuriant growth of planktonic green and blue-green
algal bloom. In addition many of the macrophytes like Salvinia, Azolla, Eicchhornia etc. grow rapidly
causing reduced penetration of light into deeper layer of water body with gradual decline of the
submerged flora . This condition results in reducing the dissolved Oxygen and increase in the biological
oxygen demand (B.O.D). The B.O.D of unpolluted fresh water is usually below 1mg/l while that of
organic matter polluted water is more than 400 mg/l. iv. Effects of detergent deposition: Detergents
from domestic and industrial uses wash down into water bodies causing serious effects on plants.
Detergents contain high phosphates which results in phosphate-enrichment of water. Phosphates enter
the plants through roots or surface absorption causing retarded growth of plants, elongation of roots,
carbon dioxide fixation, photosynthesis, cation uptake, pollen germination and growth of pollen tubes,
destruction of chlorophylls and cell membranes and denaturation of proteins causing enzyme inhibition
in various metabolic processes. v. Effects of agricultural chemicals: Chemicals from fertilizers, pesticides,
insecticides, herbicides etc. applied to crops in excess are washed away with rainwater as runoff, then
enter into soil and finally arrive at the water bodies. Chemicals from fertilizers result in eutrophication
by enrichments of nutrients. Ammonium from fertilizers is acidic in nature causing acidification of
water. Similarly pesticides, herbicides and insecticides also cause change in pH of the water bodies.
Most common effect of these substances is the reduction in photosynthetic rate. Some may uncouple
oxidative phosphorylation or inhibit

nitrate reductase enzyme. The uptake and bioaccumulation capacities of these substances are great in
macrophytic plants due to their low solubility in water. vi. Effects of industrial wastes: Effluents from
industries contain various organic and inorganic waste products. Fly ash form thick floating cover over
the water thereby reducing the penetration of light into deeper layers of water bodies. Fly ash increases
the alkalinity of water and cause reduced uptake of essential bases leading to death of aquatic plants.
Liquid organic effluents change the pH of water and the specific toxicity effects on the aquatic plants
vary depending on their chemical composition. There may be synergistic, additive or antagonistic
interactions between metals with respect to their effects on plants however these effects are reduced
in hard and buffered freshwater bodies. vii. Effects of silt deposition: Deposition of silt in water bodies
occurs as a result of erosion carrying silt laden water and due to flood. It increases the turbidity of
water and reduces light penetration in deep water causing decline in abundance of submerged plants.
Siltation inhibits the growth of aquatic plants. Abundance of phytoplankton is affected due to reduction
in surface exchange of gases and nutrients. Plants that are tolerant to turbidity are abundant followed
by those that are intermediate and the least tolerant species. Plants such as Polygonum, Sagittaria etc.
are found to grow in dominance. viii. Effects of oil spillage: Oil pollution due to spillage of oil tankers and
storage containers prevents oxygenation of water and depletes the oxygen content of the water body by
reducing light transmission inhibiting the growth of planktons and photosynthesis in macrophytes. ix.
Effects of thermal pollution: The release of heated water into water bodies from the thermal power
plants has an adverse effect on the aquatic life. It reduces the activity of aerobic decomposers due to
oxygen depletion because of high temperature. With decreased organic matter decomposition , the
availability of nutrients in the water bodies is jeopardised. Aquatic plants show reduced
photosynthesis rate due to inhibition of enzyme activity with increased temperature. Primary
productivity and diversity of aquatic plant species decline because of increased temperature of water
bodies as a result of thermal pollution.
x. Effect of nutrient enrinchement: Nutrient enrichment in aquatic water bodies leads to eutrophication
which is a process whereby water bodies receive excess inorganic nutrients, especially N and P,
stimulating excessive growth of plants and algae. Eutrophication can happen naturally in the course of
normal succession of some freshwater ecosystems. However, when the nutrient enrichment is due to
the activities of humans, it is referred to as “cultural eutrophication”, where the rate of nutrient
enrichment is greatly intensified. Eutrophication was recognized as a pollution problem in North
American lakes and reservoirs in the mid 20th century (Rohde, 1969). Plants must take in nutrients from
the surrounding environment inorder to grow. Nitrogen and phosphorous, in particular, encourage
growth because they stimulate photosynthesis. This is why they are common ingredients in plant
fertilizers. When agricultural runoff pollutes waterways with nitrogen and phosphorous rich fertilizers,
the nutrient-enriched waters often paves way to algal bloom leading to eutrophication.The result is
oxygen depletion and dying of fishes due to suffocation. xi. Phytotoxicity effects on plants: When
chemical pollutants build up in aquatic or terrestrial environments, plants can absorb these chemicals
through their roots. Phytotoxicity occurs when toxic chemicals poison plants. The symptoms of
phytotoxicity on plants include poor growth, dying seedlings and dead spots on leaves. For example,
mercury poisoning which many people associate with fish can also affect aquatic plants, as mercury
compounds build up in plant roots and bodies result in bioaccumulation.As animals feed on polluted
food the increasing levels of mercury is built up through food chain.

Control of Water Pollution

The key challenges to better management of the water quality in India comprise of temporal and spatial
variation of rainfall, uneven geographic distribution of surface water resources, persistent droughts,
overuse of ground water and contamination, drainage and salinisation and water quality problems due
to treated, partially treated and untreated wastewater from urban settlements, industrial
establishments and runoff from irrigation sector besides poor management of municipal solid waste and
animal dung in rural areas (CPCB Report, 2013). Some of the control measures are given below:

1. The Ganga Action Plan and the National River Action Plan are being implemented for addressing the
task of trapping, diversion and treatment of municipal wastewater. 2. In most parts of the country,
waste water from domestic sources is hardly treated, due to inadequate sanitation facilities. This waste
water, containing highly organic pollutant load, finds its way into surface and groundwater courses near
the vicinity of human habitation from where further water is drawn for use. Considerable investments
should be done to install the treatment systems. 3. With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the
water requirement for energy and industrial use is estimated to rise to about 18 per cent (191 bcm) of
the total requirements in 2025 (CPCB Report, 2013). Poor environmental management systems,
especially in industries such as thermal power stations, chemicals, metals and minerals, leather
processing and sugar mills, have led to discharge of highly toxic and organic wastewater. This has
resulted in pollution of the surface and groundwater sources from which water is also drawn for
irrigation and domestic purpose. The enforcement of regulations regarding discharge of industrial
wastewater and limits to extraction of groundwater needs to be considerably strengthened, while more
incentives are required for promoting waste water reuse and recycling. 4. For the agricultural sector,
water and electricity for irrigation are subsidized for political reasons. This leads to wasteful flood
irrigation rather than adoption of more optimal practices such as sprinkler and drip irrigation. Optimized
irrigation, cropping patterns and farming practices should be encouragde for judicious use of water. 5.
The water quality management in India is accomplished under the provision of Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 that was amended in 1988. The basic objective of this Act is to maintain
and restore the wholesomeness of national aquatic resources by prevention and control of pollution.
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act was enacted in 1977, to provide for the levy
and collection of a cess on water consumed by persons operating and carrying on certain types of
industrial activities. 6. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has established a network of
monitoring stations on aquatic resources across the country. The water quality monitoring and its
management are governed at state/union territory level in India. The network covers 28 states

and 6 Union Territories (CPCB Report, 2013). Water quality monitoring is therefore an imperative
prerequisite in order to assess the extent of maintenance and restoration of water bodies. 7. There
should be ban on washing of clothes and laundry alongside the river bank. 8. Industries should install
Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to control the pollution at source. 9. All towns and cities must have
Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) that clean up the sewage effluents. 10. Improper use of fertilizers,
herbicides and pesticides in farming should be stopped and organic methods of farming should be
adoped. Cropping practices in riparian zone should be banned to protect the riparian vegetation
growing there. 11. Religious practices that pollute river water by dumping colourful paints of idols
containing harmful synthetic chemicals should be stopped. 12. Rain water harvesting should be
practiced to prevent the depletion of water table. 13. Making people aware of the problem is the first
step to prevent water pollution. Hence, importance of water and pollution prevention measures should
be a part of awareness and education programme. 14. Polluter pays principle should be adopted so
that the polluters will be the first people to suffer by way of paying the cost for the pollution.
Ultimately, the polluter pays principle should be designed to prevent people from polluting and making
them behave in an environmentally responsible manner. 15. As riparian vegetation helps in making the
river water clean because of the multiple functions, to prevent people from felling and clearing down
of riparian forest zones for road construction, agricultural practices, recreational and tourism , sand
mining, quarrying and clay mining etc. community should play a regulatory role.

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