Water quality is affected by various pollutants from point and non-point sources. The key water quality parameters include physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. The major sources of water pollution are domestic and industrial sewage, agricultural runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides, and microbial contaminants from animal and human waste. Poor water quality can cause various water-borne diseases and negatively impact human health. Stringent treatment is required to ensure water is safe for drinking and other daily uses.

1. Water Quality, Pollution, Health
Effects, Treatment and
Management

2. Two thirds of our planet is
covered by water.
97% of the water is
saltwater.
The majority of freshwater is
beyond our reach, locked into
polar snow and ice.
Approximately 0.7% of water is
available for daily use

4. Water Quality
• Water is in its purest form when it is in vapors.
• Water vapors needs a surface for condensation,
impurities are imparted even at the moment of
condensation.
• Water absorbs atmospheric gases as it falls in the
form of rains.
• Additional impurities are imparted as it flows
through the water cycle.

5. Safe drinking water
• Free from pathogenic organisms
• Clear
• Not saline
• Free from offensive taste or smell
• Free from compounds that may have adverse effect
on human health
• Free from chemicals that cause corrosion of water
supply systems

6. 6
Water use in India
Sector Water use in
BCM
percent
Irrigation 541 85.33
Domestic 42 6.62
Industry 8 1.26
Energy 2 0.32
Other 41 6.47
Total 634 100.00

7. WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS
• Physical parameters
• Chemical
• Biological

8. Physical Parameters
• Suspended Solids
• Turbidity
• Colour
• Odour
• Taste
• Temperature

9. Chemical Parameters
• pH, Alkalinity, hardness, dissolved solids,
Cations, Anions, Toxic heavy metals,
persistant organic pollutants, organic matter,
etc.

10. Biological Parameters
• Disease causing bacteria and viruses
• It is impossible to test a water sample for millions of
pathogens as it is expensive and time consuming.
• Test for Coliform bacteria is done as its presence and
absence indicates the likely presence and absence of
pathogens.
• Test is simple and can be performed on a routine
basis

11. POLLUTION

12. What is pollution ?
• Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical
or biological characteristics of air, water and soil that may
affect the life or create a potential health hazard of any
living organism.
• Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or
products or contaminant into the environment.
• It is the activity of disturbing the natural system and balance
of an environment.
• It disturbs the ecosystem and is responsible for global
warming which is leading to the end of all the lives on earth.
• Over the years there is an extreme increase in the rate of
human diseases and death rate of various animals and
plants on earth and that is all because of the pollution
caused by man itself.

13. What are pollutants ?
• Any substance which causes pollution is called
pollutant.
• A pollutant may thus include any chemical or
geochemical (dust, sediment, grit etc.) substance,
biotic component or its product that is released by
man into the environment in such a concentration that
may have harmful or unpleasant effects.
• Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such
concentration as may be or tend to be injurious to the
environment.
• Pollutants are the residues of things we make, use and
throw away.

14. Classification of Pollutants
(1) Biodegradable pollutants
Biodegradable pollutants are broken down by the activity & enter
the biogeochemical cycles. They act as pollutants only when their
quantity is large & they aren't degraded at the right time . Examples
of such pollutants are domestic waste products, urine & faecal
matter, sewage , agricultural residue, paper, wood & cloth.
(2) Non-biodegradable pollutants
Non-biodegradable pollutants don't break down into simpler &
harmless products. These include, insecticides, pesticides, DDT,
mercury, lead, arsenic, aluminium, plastics, radioactive waste.
These pollutants may be in liquid-gaseous, or solid form. They may
enter into the food chain & harm the organisms.

15. Sources of pollutants
• Factors that contribute to water pollution can
be categorized into two different groups
-Point sources
-Non-point sources
• Point sources are the easiest to identify and
control
• Non point sources are ambiguously defined
and harder to control

16. Sources of pollutants
Point sources
• Industrial wastes
• Agrochemicals
• Automobile exhausts/ Vehicular load
• Sewage/ Municipal waste
• Thermal power plants
They are called point sources because they are
direct sources of pollution and can be reduced
and monitored

17. Example of a point source

18. Industrial wastes/ Industrial pollution
• Industrial effluents are discharged into the rivers. They
include both organic and inorganic matters like coal, dyes,
soaps, pesticides and fertilisers, plastic and rubber. These
are the major pollutants of water,
• Industrial water contains toxic metals that pollute land and
soil.

19. Non-point Sources
• The term non-point source encompasses a large range of
sources such as:
When rain or snow moves through the ground and picks
up pollutants as it moves towards a major body of water.
The runoff of fertilizers from farm animals and crop land.
Air pollutants getting washed or deposited to earth.
Storm water drainage from lawns, parking lots, and
streets .

20. Non-point source: Agricultural runoff

21. Common Water Borne Diseases
• Bacterial: Cholera, Typhoid, Bacterial
Dysentery
• Viral: Hepatitis A (jaundice), Polio
• Protozoa: Amoebic Dysentery, Diarrhea, etc

22. Global Stats & Facts
• The World Health Organization reports that
contaminated water contributes to 80% of all sickness
and disease worldwide.
• In the last decade, the number of children killed by
diarrhea exceeded the number of people killed in all
armed conflicts since the Second World War.
• Every eight seconds, a child dies from drinking dirty
water.

23. Major Factors Responsible for WQ Degradation
Domestic: 423 class I cities and 499 class II towns
harboring population of 20 Crore generate about 26254
mld (Million liters per day) of wastewater of which only
6955 mld is treated.
Industrial: About 57,000 polluting industries in India
generate about 13,468 mld of wastewater out of which
nearly 60% (generated from large & medium industries) is
treated.
Non-point sources also contribute significant pollution
loads mainly in rainy season. Pesticides consumption is
about 1,00,000 tonnes/year of which AP, Haryana, Punjab,
TN, WB, Gujarat, UP and Maharashtra are principal
consumers.

24. Major Factors Responsible for WQ Degradation
Domestic sewage is the major source of pollution in India in
surface water which contribute pathogens, the main source
of water borne diseases along with depletion of oxygen in
water bodies.
Sewage along with agricultural run-off and industrial
effluents also contributes large amount of nutrients in
surface water causing eutrophication
A large part of the domestic sewage is not even collected.
This results in stagnation of sewage within city, a good
breeding ground for mosquitoes and contaminate the
groundwater, the only source of drinking water in many
cities.

25. Problems with Using Groundwater
 Water table lowering
 Depletion
 Subsidence
 Saltwater intrusion
 Chemical contamination

26. Groundwater Pollution
• >70,000 chemicals are used; effects of many are not
known
• Each year another 700-800 new chemicals are
produced
• 55 million tons of hazardous chemical wastes are
produced in the US each year
• The 20 most abundant compounds in groundwater at
industrial waste disposal sites include TCE, benzene,
vinyl chloride…all are carcinogens, and also affect
liver, brain, and nervous system

30. NITRATE
• Increasing level of nitrate is due to Agricultural
fertilizers, manure, animal dung, nitrogenous
material ,sewage pollution
• Causes blue baby diseases to infants
• Maximum permissible limit 45 mg / l

31. FLOURIDE
• Occurs naturally
• Long term consumption above permissible level can cause –
• dental flurosis (mottling of teeth)
• Skeletal flurosis
• Acceptable limit – 1 mg / l
• Maximum permissible limit – 1.5 mg / l
• Remedy – 1) Deflouridation
2) Mixing Fluride free water
3) Intake of vitamin C,D, calcium, antioxidants

32. FLOURIDE CAUSES
Three types of Fluorosis
1. Dental Fluorosis
2. Skeletal Fluorosis
3. Non-skeletal Fluorosis

33. ARSENIC
• Occur in ground water from arseniferous belt
• Industrial waste, agricultural insecticide
• High arsenic causes 1) various type of
dermatological lesions, muscular weakness,
paralysis of lower limbs, can also cause skin and
lung cancer
• Acceptable limit – 0.05 mg / l
• WHO has reduced the permissible limit to 0.02
mg/L

34. Heavy Metals
• Present as mineral in soil and rocks of earth
• Human activities
Battery – Lead & Nickel
Textile - Copper
Photography – Silver
Electroplating Industry
Most of the heavy metal are Carcinogenic and are toxic
at very low levels

35. Persistent Organic Pollutants
 Persistent organic pollutants are the chemical
substances that are toxic, persist in the environment
for long periods of time, bioaccumulate through the
food web and are prone to long range transport and
deposition far away from their source of origin.
 Today, POPs are found almost everywhere---in our
food, soil, air and water.

36. Continued
• Wild life and humans around the world carry
amounts of POPs in their bodies that are at or near
levels that can cause harm
• People are mainly exposed to POPs through
contaminated foods. Less common exposure routes
include drinking contaminated water and direct
contact with the chemicals
• In humans and other mammals alike, POPs can be
transferred through the placenta and breast milk to
developing offspring.

37. Characteristics of POPs:
• Toxic
• Persistent
• Bioaccumulative in nature
• Long range transport through air &
water currents.

38. Hazards:
• Damage of the nervous system,
• Diseases of the immune system,
• Reproduction and the developmental
disorders,
• Cancer.
• Most of them are Endocrine Disruptors

39. The "Dirty Dozen”:
1.Pesticides(8)
• aldrin
• chlordane
• mirex
• DDT
• toxaphene
• dieldrin
• endrin
• Heptachlor
2.Industrial chemicals(2):
• Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs)
• Hexachlorobenzene.
3. Byproducts
• Dioxins and Furans

40. Dioxins & Furans:
Production:
• Through the production of pesticides & other
chlorine containing substances.
• From the incineration of hospital waste,
municipal waste, hazardous waste, car
emissions.
• From the combustion of wood, coal & peat
etc.

41. Effects of POPs on Humans
POP Immune
System
Harmones Reproduction Cancer
DDT * * * *
Aldrin * *
Dieldrin * *
Endrin * *
Chlordane * *
Heptachlor * *
Mirex * *
Toxaphene * *
PCB * * * *
Hexachlorobenzene * * *
Dioxins * * *
Furans * *