Water and Soil pollution

As the population has grown alarmingly, the magnitude of pollution and contamination have also increased. As a consequence, the environment has been diversely affected leading to hazards to health and the landscape in one or the other way. In small quantities (mg l ! milligrams per litre" common gases such as coarbon dio#ide, nitrogen and nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates are useful materials. $ut, when their proportion rises beyond certain limits, the ecosystems get imbalanced, and thus inhospitable. %eavy metals li&e lead, zinc, mercury, cadmium etc., measurable in parts per million (ppm" or billion (ppb" are harmful. 'ifferent living beings have different levels of sensitivity or tolerance to the presence of these materials in the ecosystems. (herefore addition of these hazardous metals or gases more than the tolerance levels is &nown as pollution or contamination. Sources of contamination) Water and soil pollution sources are many. Among them the principal ones are* +" 'ischarge of domestic and municipal sewage. ," -ffluents from industries. ." /se of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. 0" Accidental and or delieberate release of oil chemicals in the ocean river water. (hen there is natural pollution of groundwater due to salts and minerals derived from roc&s and soils. 1roundwater and Soil contamination) 2atural pollution) 3any a times, the water flows in mineral ore body zones, which are some times to#ic when the level of contamination in water is ghigh, such as lead and zinc, uranium, zircon, sulphur, apatite, arsenic, magnesium etc. In some areas, the ground water contamination is due to a high content (4+.5 ppm" of fluorine. (his leads to mottling and pitting of teeth, decay of bones causing deformation of the body frame etc., in addition to abdominal colic, constipation, anemia and insomnia. (his contamination is &nown as fluorosis. (he use of lime and alum added to water has been found effective in controlling this contamination. Similarly if molybdenum contaminated water, the molybdenum replaces copper in the body and seriously aggravates the fluorosis. 3anganese (3n" content leads to manganism a disease resembling 6ar&inson7s disease. (he chief sources of fluorine being the minerals fluorite and flour apatite occurring in pegmatites, granites and dolomites. Similarly, Arsenic, 8ead 9 :admium contaminate the water and soil leading to severe diseases. Induced 6ollution) In many parts, the groundwater contains more than ,;; mg l of nitrate (the safe limit being 05*5; mg l". (his is attributed to e#cessive use of nitrogen fertilizers. (he result is a strange infant disease causing blue coloring of the s&in, and the incidence of goiter. (he chemical pollutants including trace elements more quite freely far and deep and can thus cause serious underground water contamination. Some municipal or domestic sewage finds its way to aquifers as a result of infiltration.

Sources of 1roundwater pollution) 1roundwater quality problems that originate on the land surface) +. Infiltration of contaminated surface water. ,. 8and disposal of solid and liquid waste materials. .. Stoc&piles, tailings and spoil 0. 'umps 5. Animal feeds <. =. ?. @. Salt spreading >ertilizers and pesticides Accidentals spills particulate matter from airborne source +;. :omposing of leaves and other wastes.

1roundwater Auality problems that originate above the water table)

+. Septic tan&s, cesspools and privies. ,. Surface impoundments .. 8and fills 0. Waste disposals in e#cavations 5. 8ea&age from underground

storage tan&s <. 8ea&age from underground pipelines =. Artificial recharge ?. Sumps and dry wells @. 1raveyards

1roundwater quality problems that originate below the water table) +. Waste disposal in wet e#cavations. ,. Agricultural drainage wells and canals .. /nderground storage 0. Secondary recovery 5. 3ines <. -#ploratory wells and test holes =. Abandoned wells ?. Water supply wells or pipe lea&age @. 1roundwater development