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affects living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses can be
considered pollution.
a major global problem , leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases,
accounting for deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.
Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources
that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution
When water from rain and melting snow runs off roofs and roads into our
rivers, it picks up toxic chemicals, dirt, trash and disease-carrying organisms
along the way.
Surface water and groundwater have often been managed as separate
resources, although they are interrelated. Surface water seeps through the
soil and becomes groundwater. Conversely, groundwater can also feed
surface water sources.
Water is typically referred to as polluted:
when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants
does not support a human use, such as drinking water,
a marked shift in its ability to support its constituent biotic
communities, such as fish.
Cause of pollution : Natural and artificial
Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, storms, and earthquakes
also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological
status of water.
Artificial sources of pollution
generally grouped into two categories based on their origin.
Point source water pollution
Refers to contaminants that enter a waterway from a single, identifiable source,
such as a pipe or ditch.
Examples of sources in this category include discharges from a sewage
treatment plant, a factory, or a city storm drain.
Nonpoint source pollution
Refers to diffuse contamination that does not originate from a single discrete
source
often the cumulative effect of small amounts of contaminants gathered from a
large area.
example : leaching out of nitrogen compounds from fertilized agricultural
lands
Contaminated storm water washed off of parking lots, roads and highways(
urban runoff )
Effects in the environment
Specific contaminants leading to pollution and
changes such as elevated temperature
High concentrations of naturally occurring
substances can have negative impacts on aquatic
flora and fauna.
Other natural and anthropogenic substances may
cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and
disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some
fish species.
Many of the chemical substances are toxic.
Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in
either human or animal hosts.
Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes
(change in pH), electrical conductivity,
temperature, and eutrophication( increase in the
concentration of chemical nutrients in an resulting
negative environmental effects such
as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe
reductions in water quality may occur, affecting
fish and other animal populations.
The water that is fit for drinking safe and agreeable is
called potable water.
1. It should be free from bacteria
2. It should be colourless and sparkling
3. It should be tasty, odour free and cool
4. It should be free from objectionable matter
5. It should not corrode pipes
6. It should have dissolved oxygen and free from carbonic acid
so that it may remain fresh
PATHOGENS
Pathogens is the common name for disease-causing micro-organisms.
The first link in the chain of infection is the pathogen. A pathogen is anything
that causes a disease. Pathogens include:
Bacterium (example: bacterial meningitis or strep throat)
Virus (example: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C)
Fungus (example: athletes foot)
Waterborne pathogens are disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and protozoans that
are transmitted to people when they consume untreated or inadequately treated
water.
Although the vast majority of bacteria are harmless or beneficial, a few
pathogenic bacteria can cause infectious diseases.
Coliform bacteria are a commonly
used bacterial indicator of water pollution,
although not an actual cause of disease.
It is an organic pollution (biological hazard)
and occurs from fecal contaminations. Fecal
contaminations of water can introduce a
variety of pathogens into waterways, including
bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic
worms.
High levels of pathogens may result from inadequately
treated sewage discharges,this can be caused by a sewage plant designed
with less than secondary treatment (more typical in less-developed
countries).
In developed countries, older cities with aging infrastructure may have
leaky sewage collection systems (pipes, pumps, valves), which can
cause sanitary sewer overflows. Some cities also have combined sewers,
which may discharge untreated sewage during rain storms.
Pathogen discharges may also be caused by poorly managed livestock
operations.
Fecaloral route
Route of transmission of a disease,
when pathogens in fecal particles pass
from one host and introduced into
the oral cavity of another host
Some examples of routes of fecal-oral
transmission include:
water that has come in contact with
feces and is then
inadequately treated before drinking;
food that has been prepared in the
presence of fecal matter;
disease vectors, like houseflies,
spreading contamination from
inadequate fecal disposal;
poor or absent cleaning after handling
feces or anything that has been in
contact with it;
Summary
Any physical, biological, or chemical change in water quality that adversely affects
living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses can be considered
pollution.
Worldwide, the most serious water pollutants, in terms of human health, are
pathogenic organisms from human and animal wastes.
In industrialized nations, toxic chemical wastes have become an increasing problem.
Agricultural and industrial chemicals have been released or spilled into surface
waters and are seeping into groundwater supplies.
Major causes of ocean pollution are oil spills from tanker bilge pumping or accidents
and oil well blowouts.
Surface runoff and sewage outfalls discharge fertilizers, pesticides, organic nutrients,
and toxic chemicals that have a variety of deleterious effects on marine ecosystems.
Addition of salts and metals from industrial activities also damage water quality.
In some areas, drainage from mines deliver toxic materials to rivers and lakes.
Water pollution is a major source of human health problems.
Appropriate land-use practices and careful disposal of industrial, domestic, and
agricultural wastes are essential for control of water pollution.
Natural processes and living organisms have a high capacity to remove or destroy
water pollutants, but these systems become overloaded and ineffective when
pollution levels are too high.
Water treatment
Raw water Primary
sedimentation
Screening
Secondary
sedimentation
Coagulation/Floculation
Filtration Disinfection
Supply
Aeration can be achieved through the infusion of air into the bottom of
the lake or pond or by surface agitation from a fountain or spray-like device to
allow for oxygen exchange at the surface and the release of noxious gasses such
as carbon dioxide, methane or hydrogen sulfide.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a major contributor to water quality. Not only do fish
and other aquatic animals need it, but oxygen breathing aerobic
bacteria decompose organic matter. When oxygen concentrations become low,
anoxic conditions may develop which can decrease the ability of the water body
to support life.
Any procedure by which oxygen is added to water can be considered a type of
water aeration.
Aeration removes odour and tastes
Aeration also oxidise iron and manganese
increases dissolved oxygen content in water,
removes CO2
reduces corrosion
removes methane and other flammable gases.
Types of Aerators
Gravity aerators
Fountain aerators
Diffused aerators
Mechanical aerators.
Gravity Aerators (Cascades):
In gravity aerators, water is allowed to fall by gravity such that a large area of
water is exposed to atmosphere, sometimes aided by turbulence
Fountain Aerators :
These are also known as spray aerators with
special nozzles to produce a fine spray.
Injection or Diffused Aerators :
It consists of a tank with perforated pipes, tubes or
diffuser plates, fixed at the bottom to release fine
air bubbles from compressor unit.
Mechanical Aerators :
Mixing paddles as in flocculation are used. Paddles may
be either submerged or at the surface.
SEDIMENTATION
It is the process in which the suspended solids are made to settle by gravity under
still water conditions .
Principle of Settling
Suspended solids present in water having specific gravity greater than that of
water tend to settle down by gravity as soon as the turbulence is retarded by
offering storage. Examples are settling of sand in filtration and the settling of
grits, and sandy and silty particles in pre-sedimentationtreatment.-plain
sedimentation
Basin in which the flow is retarded is called settling tank.
Theoretical average time for which the water is detained in the settling tank is
called the detention period.
Settling basins may be eitherlong rectangular or circular in plan.
Long narrow rectangular tanks with horizontal flow are generally preferred to the
circular tanks with radial or spiral flow.
Coagulation and Flocculation
Colloidal particles are difficult to separate from water because they do not settle by
gravity and are so small that they pass through the pores of filtration media.
To be removed, the individual colloids must aggregate and grow in size.
Certain chemicals are added to the water so as to remove such impurities which are
not removed by plain sedimentation.
The chemical form insoluble, gelatinous, flocculent precipitate absorbs and entagle
very fine suspended matter and colloidal impurities during its formation and
descent through water.
Coagulation in Water Treatment
Salts of Al(III) and Fe(III) are commonly used as coagulants in water and
wastewater treatment.
Filtration
The resultant water after sedimentation will not be pure, and may contain some
very fine suspended particles and bacteria in it.
To remove or to reduce the remaining impurities still further, the water is
filtered through the beds of fine granular material, such as sand, etc.
The process of passing the water through the beds of such granular materials is
known as Filtration.
In filtration, a multilayer lattice retains those particles that are unable to
follow the tortuous channels of the filte.
Oversize particles may form a cake
layer on top of the filter and may also block the filter lattice, preventing the
fluid phase from crossing the filter (blinding). Commercially, the term filter is
applied to membranes where the separation lattice is so thin that the surface
becomes the main zone of particle separation,
Rapid-sand filter:
consist of larger sand grains supported by
gravel and capture particles throughout
the bed.
They are cleaned by backwashing water
through the bed to 'lift out' the particles.
Types of Filter
Slow sand filter:
consist of fine sand, supported by
gravel.
capture particles near the surface of
the bed and are usually cleaned by
scraping away the top layer of sand
that contains the particles.
Treatment with Excess Lime:
Lime is used in water treatment plant for softening. But if excess lime is added to
the water, it can in addition, kill the bacteria also.
Lime when added raises the pH value of water making it extremely alkaline. This
extreme alkalinity has been found detrimental to the survival of bacteria.
This method needs the removal of excess lime from the water before it can be
supplied to the general public.
Chlorination: The germicidal action of chlorine is explained by the recent theory of
Enzymatic hypothesis, according to which the chlorine enters the cell walls of bacteria
and kill the enzymes which are essential for the metabolic processes of living
organisms.
Boiling:
The bacteria present in water can be destroyed by boiling it for a long time.
However it is not practically possible to boil huge amounts of water. Moreover it
cannot take care of future possible contaminations.
Disinfection
The filtered water may normally contain some harmful disease producing bacteria
in it.
These bacteria must be killed in order to make the water safe for drinking. The
process of killing these bacteria is known as Disinfection or Sterilization.