1. Faculty of Engineering & Technology,University of
Lucknow
Department of Civil Engineering
MINI PROJECT PRESENTATION
ON
GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION IN
INDIA

2. Under the guidance of
Er. Nidhi srivastava
Presented by :
• MUKESH KUMAR YADAV
• NISHKARSH PANDEY
• PRAVEEN KUMAR DUBEY
• UMAID IQBAL
• UMAR ISLAM
• ANSHUL RAJPUT

3. PROJECT OBJECTIVE
TO REDUCE THE GROUND
WATER CONTAMINATION IN
INDIA.

4. INTRODUCTION
• Living things require water. Without it, no living thing can
endure on the planet Earth.
• Earth's water supply is primarily made up of sea water,
which must first be processed by humans before being
utilized.
• Groundwater is the sole source of fresh water that is
readily accessible and fit for drinking. The amount of it,
however, is enough to meet the needs of living things if it
had been of a high caliber.
• Since each biological cell's physiological functions
depend on the quality of the water available to it, it is
crucial to our daily existence.

5. Ground Water
Contamination In India
Water is prime natural resource and basic human need it is necessary for both
human existence and environmental health. Almost 80% population of India
relies on groundwater for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes, making
it a critical resource but nowadays groundwater contamination is a very
common and significant environmental issue in India. The main sources of
groundwater contamination include various industrial effluents, agricultural
runoff, domestic sewage, and landfill leachate etc. Due to this, heavy metals
like Arsenic, Lead, Fluoride etc. get mixed in rivers and other crucial surface
water resources which further leach out to ground water resources and
contaminate them. The impacts of groundwater contamination in India are
significant, including serious health risks to humans and other species also.
The presence of harmful chemicals and heavy metals in groundwater can cause
severe health problems, including cancer, kidney damage, and neurological
disorders. In order to safeguard the water resources, management practises
should be implemented on a regular basis for the assessment of ground water.
This study gives a broad overview of the ground water contamination caused
by industrial, agricultural and anthropogenic activities as well as suitable
mitigation practices for its management.

7. Various sources of ground
water contamination
• Industrial Activities: Industrial waste can enter groundwater
through various pathways. Improper disposal of liquid waste,
such as wastewater and chemical spills, can infiltrate into the
soil and groundwater. Similarly, solid waste, such as sludge
and
landfill waste, can also contaminate
groundwater through leaching.
• Industries that produce chemicals,
metals and other hazardous materials
are particularly responsible for
groundwater contamination.
For example, industries that use solvents and chemicals
in their production processes can release them into the
environment, leading to groundwater contamination.

8. • Agriculture Activities: Agriculture is the leading
consumer of groundwater in India, and the use of
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides in
farming can result in groundwater contamination.
Additionally, the excessive use of groundwater for
irrigation can lower the water table, further
exacerbating contamination issues.

9. NO3 - in water supplies can cause ecological damage and
health risk. Several studies evidence adverse effects of high
NO3 - levels, most notably methemoglobinemia, stomach
cancer and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma especially in infants
less than six months of age.
 Livestock waste: Livestock waste contains nitrogen both in inorganic and
organic compounds. The inorganic fraction is equivalent to the N emitted in
urine and usually greater than organic one. Microbial action decomposes
wastes containing organic nitrogen into ammonia, which is then converted into
nitrite and nitrate. Nitrite is easily oxidized to nitrate, so nitrate is predominant
in decomposed wastes Nitrate-containing compounds in soil are generally
soluble and can readily migrate through soil layers .
 Pesticides: The role of pesticides is to kill the insect-pests, but this property of
pesticides makes them a poison to other organisms including different birds,
fish species, animals and humans. These pesticides are not target specific. The
constant exposure of pesticides to non-target species may lead to induce
toxicity once it crosses the threshold limit in the system.
 Fertilizers: Intensive use of artificial fertilizers in agricultural practices with
excessive and uncontrolled irrigation contributed the nitrate leaching through
the groundwater. Nitrate pollution of groundwater in Harran plain, is of
particular concern because of the large number of people in semi-arid plain
relying on groundwater for drinking.

10. • Mining Activities: Over the past few years, the scarcity
of clean and safe drinking water has become a critical
developmental challenge in various regions of India,
including West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Western Uttar
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab,
largely due to mining activities. Water contamination in
mining areas can occur in two basic ways physically and
chemically. Physical impact mainly results from silting in
the surface water bodies. Deterioration in drinking water
quality is a serious human health issue.
• Mining activity in India started decades back, since then
the groundwater is getting affected with coal mining,
leachates generated from large number of industrial
waste and overburden dumps that are in abundance
around the mining areas, reach the groundwater and
adversely affect its quality.

11.  Acid Mine Drainage: AMD is a significant pollution problem for
current and future generations due to its low pH and high
concentrations of potentially toxic dissolved metals, metalloids, and
sulphate. . Among the dissolved metals, Fe(II) is the most abundant in
most AMD. When Fe(II) reacts with dissolved oxygen, it forms iron
oxide precipitates, which are commonly known as "yellow boy.
 Treatment: Preventive measures, such as implementing best practices
for mining and mineral processing, utilizing advanced treatment
technologies, and restoring ecosystems affected by AMD, are crucial
to minimize the environmental impact of this pollution. Furthermore,
raising awareness among stakeholders about the risks of AMD and
the importance of mitigating its effects is essential.
 Heavy Metals Leaching: Groundwater contamination is one of the
most important environmental problems in the present world where
metals (Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper etc.) contamination
has major concern due to its high toxicity even at low concentration.
Mining activities are known to release both major and trace elements
into the environment.

13. • Landfills: Landfills are widely used as an inexpensive and
dependable waste disposal method in many countries,
particularly in developing nations, but poor management and
operation can lead to significant environmental
consequences. One of the main concerns associated with
landfills is their impact on groundwater resources, as the
waste they contain can be infiltrated by precipitation or liquid
and sludge co-disposed with municipal solid waste, leading to
contamination. Landfill leachate typically contains heavy
metals like cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper, and lead, which are
present at moderate concentration levels. For example,
typical values for municipal landfill leachate are in the range of
5-10 µg l-1 for Cd, 100-200 µg l-1 for Ni, 500-2000 µg l-1 for
Zn, 50100 µg l-1 for Cu, and 50-100 µg l-1 for Pb. This
contamination of groundwater resources poses a significant
risk
• to both local resource users and the natural environment.

15. • Microbial Contaminants: Microbial pollution of groundwater
is caused by the discharge of wastewater from human and
animal sources. Sewage contains a wide range of pathogens,
including harmful bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, which can
pose a serious threat to public health if they are present in
drinking water. There are various ways in which
microbiological contaminants can enter the groundwater
system, such as through sewage leaks, septic tank overflow,
landfills, and fertilizer runoff. Treating ground water is more
complicated process as the aquifers are interconnected. In-
situ bioremediation is a technique that can be used to clean
up groundwater contaminated with nitrate, perchlorate, and
sulfate.
 Sewer, Soak ways and Septic Tanks: Sewer, Soak ways and Septic Tanks can
cause contamination of ground water as result of the discharge of waste water
of sewage directly to the sub-surface environment. Septic tanks and sewers are
responsible for unintentional discharge via leaks of large volume of ground
water below cities and lesser urbanized areas from which the sewage is
initially derived. The most common contaminants found in the ground water
below these systems are including bacteria, viruses and nitrates

18. FUTURE
ENHANCEMENT
In the future, several enhancements may be
developed to address groundwater
contamination more effectively. Here are some
potential advancements
Advanced detection technologies
Nano- and Micro-scale remediation
Bioremediation techniques
Enhanced pump and Treat Systems
Integrated remediation approaches
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Policy and Regulations

19. CONCLUSION
Ground water pollution is becoming a greater threat to the
Environment, especially as populations and industrial
economies expand the toxic elements and chemicals enter
the body mainly through water, food and air. The first step
towards evolving measures to prevent and cure groundwater
quality deterioration is generating reliable and accurate
information through water quality monitoring to understand
the actual source or cause, type and level of contamination.
However, there are several challenges to control ground
water pollutions but awareness should be needed and to
install various water purifications systems.

20. THANK
YOU