Chiranjeev Kumar M. Sc., Environment Management, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun

1. WATER FOR SUSTENANCE OF
HUMAN HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT
Chiranjeev Kumar
M. Sc., Environment Management,
Forest Research Institute, Dehradun

2. Water is a precious resource gifted
by nature. But today it is
contaminated whether by chemical
or fecal or natural due to over
pumping, is a challenge for
accessing the safe drinking water. It
is a known fact that safe drinking
water is essential for healthy living
yet millions of people on the earth
are deprived of it.

3. Drinking Water Scarcity

4. • 40% of world’s
population (3B
people) will live in
countries
classified as water
stressed by
hydrologists by
2015
http://www.iucn.org

5. Deterioration of ground water
quality in recent years due to
various human as well as
geogenic activities is a threat to
humanity, as it is the only
available safe drinking water
source today.

6. Depletion of water table in many
areas resulting in emergence of
chemical impurities like Fluoride
and Arsenic in water is making it
unsafe.

7. Bihar one of the largest states of
Indian Republic with high
groundwater potential is facing a
serious water quality problem.

8. • Presence of high concentrations
of fluoride, nitrate, iron, arsenic,
total hardness and few toxic
metal ions,
• Like surface water pollution,
groundwater is also susceptible
to contamination from various
natural and man-made sources.

9. Fluoride

10. Fluoride in water is bad for our
health
• FLUORIDE is a toxic
• Fluoride causes fluorosis, a deformity of
the teeth
• Fluoride causes and/or aggravates bone
and joint diseases
• Fluoride aggravates diabetes & kidney
disease
• Fluoride damages the thyroid gland by
replacing necessary iodine
• Fluoride lowers IQ

11. FLUORIDE CAUSES AND/OR AGGRAVATES
BONE AND JOINT DISEASES

12. FLUORIDE AGGRAVATES DIABETES
AND KIDNEY DISEASE

13. FLUORIDE LOWERS IQ

14. • High Annual Mean Temperature
• Low Rainfall
• Low humidity
• F rich Natural subsoil rocks
• Vegetables from high F belts
• Fluoridated tooth paste particularly
when used by children
Environmental Factors

15. Arsenic

16. Introduction
• Arsenic is common in the environment
• Sources
– Groundwater
– Arsenic containing mineral ores
– Industrial processes
• Semiconductor manufacturing (gallium arsenide)
• Fossil fuels
• Wood treated with arsenic preservatives
• Metallurgy
• Smelting (copper, zinc, lead) and refining of metals and
ores
• Glass manufacturing

17. • Commercial products
– Wood preservatives
– Pesticides
– Herbicides
– Fungicides
• Food
– Seafood and fish
• Others
– Antiparasitic drugs
– Folk remedies

18. Bodily system affected Symptoms or signs Time of onset
Systemic Thirst
Hypovolemia, Hypotension
Minutes
Minutes to hours
Gastrointestinal Garlic or metallic taste
Burning mucosa
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Hematemesis
Hematochezia, melena
Rice-water stools
Immediate
Immediate
Minutes
Minutes to hours
Minutes to hours
Minutes to hours
Hours
Hours
Hematopoietic system Hemolysis
Hematuria
Lymphopenia
Pancytopenia
Minutes to hours
Minutes to hours
Several weeks
Several weeks
Pulmonary
(primarily in
inhalational exposures)
Cough
Dyspnea
Chest Pain
Pulmonary edema
Immediate
Minutes to hours
Minutes to hours
Minutes to hours
Liver Jaundice
Fatty degeneration
Central necrosis
Days
Days
Days
Kidneys Proteinuria
Hematuria
Acute renal failure
Hours to days
Hours to days
Hours to days
Manifestations of acute arsenic poisoning

20. Palmer Keratosis

21. Biological Monitoring
• Urinary arsenic measurement
– Spot sample (mcg/L)
– Timed urine collection (mcg/24 hours)
• Normal values
– Spot urine= ~10 mcg/L (10-150 mcg/L)
– 24 hours urine collection=<25 mcg/24 hours
– Whole blood= <1mcg/L (usually is elevated in acute
intoxication)

22. Treatment of acute poisoning
• Supportive care
• Chelation therapy should be instituted
promptly (minutes to hours)
– BAL (British anti-Lewisite)- IM
– Succimer (DMSA)- PO
– DMPS – PO, IV
– D-Penicillamine- less effective

23. NOW BACK TO OUR STORY…

24. .

25. The story of the Earth is
millions years old

26. Available Drinking waterAvailable Drinking water
Less than 1% of
the total water
on the Earth

27. Ground Water table in IndiaGround Water table in India
• In India and
particularly in
some parts of
the country, the
lowest depth for
water is 175 feet
and highest is
750 feet .

28. • Since the 1950s, global demand for water
has tripled.
• Groundwater quantity and quality are
declining due to over-pumping, runoff from
fertilizers and pesticides, and leaking of
industrial waste.
• Half a billion people live in countries defined
as water-stressed or water-scarce;
• By 2025, that figure is expected to surge to
between 2.4 billion and 3.4 billion.
- UNFPA

29. Water is precious - it's a miracle
Water is precious - it's life
Water is precious - let's keep it clean
Water is our most precious drink
Water is our treasure – Let’s preserve it
Water is healing
People use water in many different
ways, we need it to survive, and if it
wasn’t for the water cycle cycling
through, we probably wouldn’t exist.

30. Turn off tap while cleaning your
teeth, shaving or washing your face.
You can waste can up to 9 litres in a
minute.
Take a short shower rather than a bath
could save you up to 400 litres a week.
If you do have baths, just half fill them.
Only use the washing machine and
the dishwasher when you can put on
a full load. It wastes both water and
energy to run only a half full machine

31. Use a broom and bucket of water for
washing rather than a steady flow of water
from the storage.
Use a bucket of water to clean
your car or if you use the pipe,
ensure you use a shut off nozzle
so the water is not constantly
running.
Fix any dripping tap, you can waste 90 litres
a week

32. Use separate water for drinking and
washing
• The same water is
used for both
washing and
drinking. People
should be made
aware of the
importance of this
valuable resource.

33. HOW WE BEAT THIS
SITUATION?

34. Plant more Tree
• Deforestation has not only resulted in
irreversible damage to the natural
habitat of many wildlife species, but
has also resulted in loss of
biodiversity, increase in aridity and
also depletion of ground water (lower
down the water table).

35. Because
• Deforestation affects the water cycle
• Reduces soil quality and results in soil
erosion and flooding
• The land's capacity to hold ground water
shrinks with the depleting forest cover
• The absence of trees leads to increase
salinity in the soil cover and thus, affects
the agricultural activity

37. Roots of
trees save
33% of the
rain water
and
preserve
it after the
rains

38. Forest is the motherForest is the mother
of the Riverof the River
Forested hills
supply water
to the plains.

39. Is it possible?

40. We need to plantWe need to plant
for our future….for our future….

41. Steps to prevent Water Scarcity
• Save the rain water.
• Don’t waste in the drain.
• Build rainwater harvesting in every house
Water harvesting – a time-tested
technique
Our forefathers had a clear conception of
the above characteristics of the Indian
monsoon rainfall and in their wisdom
constructed numerous water-harvesting
structures in different states of India.

42. Please think …
Much water flowed down to the
sea making it unusable…

43. You are the
light in this
moment of
darkness..

44. It is time
to repent
to change,
to protect,
to stand by
and to Conserve