Presently, pollution of groundwater is a key issue of environmental concern throughout the Indian region, posing major risks to people’s health. Given below are the details of the assessment of the quality of drinking water carried out by the Central Ground Water Board, the official CGWB reports indicate very high levels of contamination from different parts of the country.
Nitrate Contamination
The concentration of nitrate is one of the worst contaminants of water in the region and it largely originates from agricultural practices in India. Ammonium nitrate and urea, nitrogen based fertilizers, cause nitrates to percolate into the groundwater supply. As per the data of CGWB, as many as 55.49 per cent of districts of the country have been found to have excessive nitrate concentrations in their water table which is above 45 mg/l The districts falling in Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been found to have the highest incidence of contaminated water blocks.
Other Chemical Contaminants
Besides nitrates, the other constituents of chemical potential pollutants include: Fluoride, Arsenic, Iron and Uranium. The problem of fluorides is acute in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh and tehsil of Telangana. Its high content can lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis that can cause many health complications. Water sampled from West Bengal and Assam revealed arsenic contamination, which has negative health implications including; skin lesion and cancer. Radiological contamination such as uranium in areas including Rajasthan and Punjab may cause kidney illnesses and numerous other diseases.
Causes of Contamination
Pollution of groundwater in India can be attributed both to natural factors and anthropogenic factors. Excessive use of groundwater in Irrigation and domestic purposes, rapid urbanization, and various industrial processes are some of the causes of deterioration of quality of ground water. The study also reveals that climate change and seasons have an effect on the changes in groundwater chemistry.
Physical Consequences for health and Environment
The social costs of contaminating water well are high due to illness generated by intake of such water mainly by the Excess nitrate intake causes methemoglobinemia which diminishes the Oxygen carrying capacity of the RBC. Other harm effects of include algal blooms in lakes and ponds, this affects the beneficial oxygen in water systems.
Practical ways that could be adopted to reduce the incidence of groundwater contamination in India embrace promoting the adoption of sustainable farming techniques, enhancing management of wastes and enforcing high standards of the industrial effluents. The government has started schemes such as Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Atal Bhujal Yojana to improve the commercialization of groundwater to increase its efficiency and conservation. Advertisement and participations of communities are also important in addressing the contamination issue.
Source of Water Pollution (Ground Water) in India
There exists a realization that the access to groundwater is very important for the country for the needs of agriculture, industries, and households. Nevertheless, water pollution in aquifer sources has turned out to be a serious environmental and health calamity. There are many causes of this contamination; however, it mostly emanates from activities such as agricultural and industrial ones. It is important to comprehend them in order that better approaches can be taken to solve it.
Agricultural Practices
Agriculture is the lifeblood of Indian economy, but it is equally responsible for the pollution of ground water resources. One of the major factors that has led to the extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticide is as follows: These chemicals if sprayed on the crops can amend the soil and pollute the water table. The most common of these is the nitrogen which is present in fertilizers like urea and ammonium nitrate which bring elevated levels of nitrate on the water. This contamination can predispose the affected to various affective health complications like methemoglobinemia which is also referred to as the “blue baby syndrome”.
Industrial Discharge
Industrialization in India has intensified very fast giving more emphasis to industries rather than their impact to the environment, and pollution control measures. A significant number of the industries emit their wastes directly into water bodies without adequate or any treatment at all for their effluents; this is especially common with textile, tannery, and chemical plants. These effluents contain often hazardous chemical substances, heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and organic pollutants that may pollute the ground water. The above contaminants are very dangerous as they can cause cancer, neurological disorders and developmental problems among others.
Excessive use
Over exploitation of water sources also helps to cause the pollution main cause include extraction of groundwater. Currently, India ranks very high in terms of depending on the ground water in the world mainly used in irrigation and domestic purpose. Some of the negative impacts are; Pulling out too much water from the aquifers causes the water table to go down and this gives way to pollutants. It can also lead to contamination of the surface water with the polluted water after mixing it with the ground water in a bid to avoid over extraction.
Urbanization and Unplanned development
High rate of expansion has by all means added to pollution and the increased demand for the groundwater supply. Metropolitan areas produce large quantities of waste, some of which include liquid waste such as sewage, environmental waste, industrial waste and also other types of waste such as the solid waste. Lack of proper waste disposal and management of waste enables hinder contaminant leaching into water sources. Thirdly, the construction of structures such as buildings and infrastructure develop over the natural recharge areas hence affecting water quality in aquifers.
Natural Factors
Another contribution to the contamination of water table is contributed by natural factors as well. The possibility of finding danger elements in the water supply of certain zones in India is affected by the geology of the ground layers and qualities of the soil. For instance, high levels of Fluoride are available in ground water in some states like Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, and results in dental and skeletal fluorosis. Likewise, arsenic contamination is raw water in the Ganges area and influence the state of West Bengal, and Bihar. These natural interfering particles present severe adverse effects on health and, therefore, demand specific interventions.
Climate Change
It has also become established that climate change is an emerging source of contamination of groundwater. Climate variability alters the recharge rates and quality of water in aquifers. It is very disastrous during flood and drought episodes whereby the contaminant gets mobilized from the surface to the water table. Further, increase in sea levels makes the water table in coastal areas to contain saline water thus increasing the effects of water pollution in coastal aquifers.
Inadequate regulation and enforcement
Lack of enforcement of the environmental laws also encourages and hampers effective regulation of groundwater contamination. India has a number of laws that can be seen today to protect water resources and their implementation and enforcement are often poor. Various Sectors and farming methods remain to contaminate the water through inadequate policies and legal actions mostly because of laxity in enforcing the laws regarded to pollution of water. Thus, enhancement of the regulating legislation and proper verification of its fulfilment is the major step in the elimination of the contamination problem.
Measures to cheque groundwater contamination in India
Contamination of groundwater in India is a major concern to human and livestock health, crop irrigation and the environment. Overcoming this problem requires the integration of environmental management by upholding sustainable principles, legislation, technological interventions, and members of the society. Here are some possible solutions to mitigate groundwater contamination in India:
Sustainable Agriculture Practice
This is an essential industry contributing to pollution because of widespread utilization of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To a large extent, sustainable farming practices will help prevent this problem. Some strategies include:
- Organic Farming: Promoting the sale of organic fertilizers and pesticides means that there will be little evidence of chemicals seeping into the water table.
- Crop Rotation and Diversification: They can help improve the status of the soil and decrease the usage of chemicals required for soil treatment, as well as stop water pollution.
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the use of biological, cultural and mechanical methods to manage the pests rather than relying in the chemical control methods.
Improved Waste Management
Industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastes disposed off in the wrong way pollute the water sources most commonly ground water. Effective waste management practices can help mitigate this issue:
- Treatment of Industrial Effluents: There is need for industries to be legally required to remove dangerous chemicals from their effluents prior to discharge. Establishing common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) for industrial clusters can facilitate this process.
- Solid Waste Management: The flows of solid waste, including segregation, collection and disposal reduce chances of leachate formation that pollutes groundwater. Educating people to recycle and compost will also help to lessen the amounts of wastes that is put out for disposal.
- Sewage Treatment: Prohibition of discharge of wastewater without treatment could be complemented by the creation of more treatment plants to contain contamination from sewage.
Regulation and Enforcement
Stringent regulations and robust enforcement are crucial to prevent groundwater contamination:
- Strengthening Environmental Laws: The enhancement of the environmental standards and the reinforcement of punitive measures towards pollutions in regards to new pollutants and higher penalties for offenses, can help prevent pollution.
- Regular Monitoring and Reporting: Setting up the whole system for monitoring the groundwater condition also involves ways on how to effectively monitor the level of contamination and possible source of pollution. Making monitoring data available to the masses can help make organizations more open and honest.
Technological Innovations
Adopting advanced technologies can offer effective solutions for groundwater contamination:
- Bioremediation: Bioremediation is a remediation process where microorganisms that are used to disintegrate contaminants in the groundwater.
- Phytoremediation: Some plants have different properties to adsorb and neutralize pollute substances in soils and water. These species, if planted in water polluted regions, support water purification of the groundwater.
- Nanotechnology: Use of nano-scale materials was considered in removal of contaminants in water with great efficacy at the nano-scale level.
Community Involvement and Awareness
Engaging communities and raising awareness about groundwater contamination is essential for long-term solutions:
- Education and Outreach Programs: Organizing workshops, seminars and campaigns to increase awareness of farmers, industries and the public about how and why groundwater gets contaminated and how it can be prevented will help.
- Participatory Groundwater Management: This can make conservation and sustainable use of groundwater resources. Community-based strategies for the supervision and protection of groundwater are often possible.
Conservation and Recharge
It can help maintain the quality and quantity of groundwater:
- Rainwater Harvesting: Rainwater harvesting and especially harvesting of rainwater and storing it will definitely decrease water demand for ground work and water recharge will be boosted. The use of rain water harvesting structures in the urban and the rural areas can cause positive changes in the water table.
- Artificial Recharge Techniques: Some techniques including percolation tanks recharge wells and check dams can be used to replenish the aquifers through the infiltration of the surface water.