bed of microbes in activated sludge.

Then the solids are

removed after sedimentation. Finally the liquid effluent is
subjected to chlorination for destroying pathogenic microorganisms.
Now this effluent is fairly clean and suitable for
domestic use.
3.2.2 Drinking Water Supply
Treatment of drinking water supply is a matter of public
health concern. The water treatment plants, in general, are
simpler than sewage treatment plants. They operate in three
steps
(i) Aeration to settle suspended matter.
(ii) Coagulation of small particles and suspended matter
by lime and ferric chloride.
(iii) Disinfection by chlorination to kill viruses, bacteria,
etc. The purified water is then supplied by municipalities
through pipes for domestic uses.
72 Environment and Ecology
3.3 LAND POLLUTION
Land or soil is polluted by indiscriminate discharge of
wastedomestic, commercial, municipal and industrial.
Liquid waste is partly absorbed by soil, partly seeps into
underground water and the rest joins waterbodies in the
locality. It is solid waste which, when dumped into land,
accumulates on it and causes pollution.
3.4 NOISE POLLUTION
Noise is part of our environment. With progress in
industrialisation, the noise level has been rising continuously.
In the 19th century the development of the steam engines,
petrol engines and machines in factories resulted in increasingly
noisy environment. In the 20th century this was further
accelerated by introduction of diesel engine, jet engines,
turboprop, high-tech machineries, construction site machineries
and automobile traffic. Noise has been recognised as
one of the dimensions of pollution which brings about degradation
of the environment and creates health and communication
hazards.
3.4.1 Sound and Human Acoustics
Sound consists of wave motion in an elastic medium such
as air, water or solids (e.g., metals, plastics, wood, bricks,
etc.). Sound waves travel through the medium from the
source to the recipient or listener. The rate of the oscillation
of the medium is known as the frequency of the sound, the
unit being hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. The frequency is a
measure of the pitch of the sound received by the listener.
High frequencies mean high-pitched sounds which are more
irritating to the individual than low frequencies. The second
parameter of sound is sound pressure which is measured in
newtons per sq. metre (N/m2). The third parameter on sound
is its intensity, expressed in watts per sq. metre, i.e., the
quantum of sound energy that flows through unit area of
the medium in unit time.
Environmental Pollution 73
The human ear receives sound waves which set up
oscillations in the ear drum (tympanic membrane). These
oscillations cause movement of three small bones in the
middle ear behind the ear drum. These then pass through
the fluid in the inner ear to the auditory nerve and finally