VPE 511: Environment and Environmental Hygiene (2+1)

Sources for Contamination of Water

SOURCE FOR CONTAMINATION OF WATER

• Sewage from un-sewered area
• Faulty municipal sewerage system
• Storm water run off
• Industrial effluents
• Agricultural - Leachates from household and industrial solid wastes and infiltration of fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural  areas. 
• The house hold effluents are discharged into open sewers which often infiltrate into the surface water sources.   Deficiencies in the sewerage systems such as overflow of untreated sewage from deficient pumping stations and clogged sewerage pipelines. Leakages from badly maintained sewerage pipelines are major pollutant sources and clogging of sewers often occur due to uncontrolled dumping of solid wastes.
• In many places where sewers are connected to the storm drains. This results in contamination water sources. In general many drains are silted up and choked with vegetation. Thus large areas particularly the low lying areas are flooded during rainy seasons and water stagnates for several weeks after the rains. This may result in contamination of potential ground waters. Furthermore the washout of accumulated waste and debris from the storm drains during the rainy season results in pollution of sediments in the surface waters near the outfalls.    
• Non treated or poorly treated waste water from the textile   plants , tanneries, distilleries leachates from hazardous waste. eg fertilizer, petrochemical and caustic soda plants also contaminate the water  
• Agriculture: Due to uncontrolled use that significant amount of fertilizers and pesticides infiltrate to the surface water.