River Pollution

IIM-L

Saikat Mondal
pgp24277@iiml.ac.in
9005529332
River Pollution in India
Major Sources of River Pollution in India
Domestic waste water: A major portion of a town’s wastewater
reaches the river directly due to overload, shock loads, rains, power
cuts, chocking of drains, failure of pumps and other factors.
Industrial waste water: Toxic wastes from industries flow into the open
drains towards the river while polluting the river and groundwater
through seepage.
Pollutants from agricultural activities: Commercial fertilizers and
pesticides applied for agriculture is washed down into the river.
Solid wastes: Solid waste disposal (both domestic and industrial) are a
major nuisance and causes pollution to a large extent.
Dumping of holy materials: Poly bags filled with different kinds of
holy material viz. defiled photos, flowers, puja (worship) samagree
(material) etc. is immersed into the river by the devotees thus
increasing the suspended and floating materials in it.
Mass bathing by devotees: Mass bathing at the time of different
festivals and other religious occasions causes pollution to a large
extent.
Other Sources: Siltation and bank erosion, overexploitation of fresh
water.
 Cleaning the rivers: A myth or a reality?
Ways to go about it:
Ganga Action Plans and Yamuna Action Plans
Legislation of fines for polluting industries.
Waste treatment and Management
Public-Private Partnership Model
But will these solve the problem?
Won’t it hamper industrial growth?
Shall people below poverty line and living near river banks, think
beyond their survival and start thinking about quality of life and
health?
Shall the commitments at all levels of the society be the same?
Shall not culture create a huge hindrance in this regard?
 A Different Approach!!!
Basically two types of strategies to start with:
Eco-Efficient Approach (reducing the concentration of the pollutants)
Eco-Effective Approach (augmenting the river’s ability to assimilate
higher amounts of the pollutants at higher rates)
Our current eco-efficient model sees materials (pollutants) flowing in
one direction, from input to output. Eco-efficient techniques can
minimize the volume, velocity and toxicity of material but cannot alter
its linear flow.
But what we need is Eco-Effective model
In eco-effective model, waste produced from different sources are
irrelevant as long as, it is self decomposing and is assimilated by third
party without causing any harmful effects to the external environment.
This approach is likely to go well with all segments of the society
 My idea…….
Increasing the river’s waste assimilative capacity
Adopting a scientific effluent distribution policy and considering the
redistribution of effluents in time and space, Through this method the
river’s assimilative capacity can be put to better use.
To reiterate; the spacing's and flow rates of effluent outfalls should be
designed in compatibility with the stream’s self-purification coefficients
and abilities, such that the desired river quality is maintained at its various
points.
This can be done by proper spacing of industrial waste outputs through
out the path of the river.
A river’s waste assimilative capacities could be enhanced by modifying
the pattern of the river flow.
Self purifying abilities of the stream can be enhanced by altering the
parameters of self-purification which are affected by the stream’s bed
slope, velocity, flow rate and surface area to depth ratio. Artificial ways
to manipulate them at specific points will prove beneficial.
Biological parks can also be developed for this effect. They would enable
the conservation of turtles, freshwater sponges and other aquatic species,
which can be helpful in in-stream cleaning of the river.
Increasing the river’s waste assimilative capacity (contd)
Artificial and in–stream aeration
Diffused aerators placed in the bottom of the stream and pumping air or
oxygen which diffuses from a compressed state to a free state can be
installed at regions were pollutant concentration is more.
Mechanical surface aerators which circulate and splash the surface water
into the air such that the falling droplets would get saturated with more
dissolved oxygen and thus have more assimilative waste capacity.
Creating cascades in the stream such that the water flows in thin sheets
and get sufficiently aerated.
Improving the dilution ratio of the river
River flow speed in flat land could be augmented by impounding the river
so that the water can be stored during the monsoon period and released
during the dry periods
Dilution of the river through inter basin links and tributaries.
Most of our rivers get flooded during rainy season, dilution ratio can be
increased by creating a lake where excess flood water could be stored.
During lean flow times, water of this lake could be made to flow back into
the river thus flushing out pollutants
 Making it sustainable
Creation of awareness amongst the masses
The Indian public is mostly unaware of pollution related matters and
implications. The ignorant type of Indian public need taming and be made
to realize that they have a duty as much as a right for the protection of the
environment in which they live in. This would create a 4S strategy : Self
Supported Sustainable System. People would become more aware and
would reduce passing pollutants ( waste paper, vegetable skins, metal
pieces ) into big drains which flows into rivers.
Follow a Eco-Efficient strategy:
Though our fundamental strategy is to rely more on eco-effectiveness, but
for sustainability, one also needs to see that the entire model is devoid of
features, which hinders the primary model to attend the required efficacy.
So features and facilities should be in place so as to check the total amount
of pollutants discharged in rivers. Ways like turning towards green
manufacturing models which create less wastes for industries and getting
into service oriented business models; a strategic shift from
manufacturing, are some of the ways to go about it.
 Ground work before Implementation
Places requiring special attention can be identified by the following ways
Water Quality Index (WQI): Places with WQI between 20-35 (“0” for
being extremely polluted. Scale {0-100}) should be subject to artificial
and in-stream aeration. Places below 20 as WQI is ideal for effluent
distribution, dilution and change of river pattern techniques.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): Portions of the river with BOD
value between 10-20mg/L should be ideal for effluent distribution
techniques, areas with BOD values of less than 10mg/L can be subject to
aeration techniques.
Multi-objective Problem and Pareto Optimality:
Efficient solutions for cleaning of rivers will lie on the Pareto–efficient
frontier in the pollution control space, but multiple pollutants present in
river water may prevent from optimizing on one cost effective solution by
either (a.) Controlling cost without increasing any of the pollutant’s
loading or (b.) By reducing concentration of one pollutant without
increasing cost.
Multi-objective optimization evolutionary algorithms (MOEA)
can identify the entire set of cost-efficient pollutant reduction
strategies that can be employed.
Implementing the project (The Financial Perspective)
Multiple Objectives to Focus during implementation (MOEA model)
Reduction of average annual nitrate-nitrogen loadings in river water.
Reduction of average annual phosphorus loadings in river water.
Reduction in cost for optimum controlling of in-stream nutrient pollution.
The efficient frontier corresponding to cost-nitrate-phosphorus loadings
will be as shown in the graph. Any further reduction of one will lead to
increase in the other two.

So implementation
strategy should be
fixed, only after
due consideration
of alternatives and
needs.
Some additional hygiene factors needed for implementation

The defensive strategies that need to be in place to the extent possible

Scientific collection, treatment and disposal of all waste waters originating
in the vicinity of the river.
Industrial wastewater management within industrial areas.
Controlled use of chemical fertilizers
Punish excessive polluters through mechanisms similar to carbon credit
policy ( May be nitrogen or phosphorus credit mechanisms)
Create tax structures in a way to give incentives to less pollutant
producing industries.