SYLLABUS SECTION: GS III (ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY)
WHY IN THE NEWS?
Recently, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has found Groundwater Contaminated in different places, beyond the permissible level for consumption.
Key Findings:
- Groundwater quality with the drinking water specifications reveals that parameters like pH, nitrate, fluoride, iron, total coliform, and fecal coliform at some quality monitoring stations do not conform to the prescribed limits.
- Fluoride is found in groundwater in Nuapada, Nayagarh, Angul, and Balasore districts.
- The groundwater is acidic beyond the permissible levels at Khandagiri, KalpanaÂLaxmisagar area, Samantarapur, Chandrasekharpur, Capital Hospital area, and Governor House.
- Iron content was also found to be high in Khandagiri, KalpanaÂLaxmisagar area, and Capital Hospital area.
Fluoride Contamination:
- Fluoride in groundwater above 1.5 mg/L is considered as not suitable for drinking purposes as recommended by (BIS & WHO).
- Fluoride concentration above permissible limits has been reported in 20 Indian states including, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Iron Contamination:
- A high concentration of Iron in groundwater has been observe in more than 1.1 lakh habitations in the country.
- Groundwater contaminated by iron has been reported from Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka.
- Localize pockets are observe in the states of Bihar, UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the North Eastern States.
- These bacteria themselves do not normally cause any serious illness, however, their presence is use to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present in water.
Nitrate Contamination:
- In India, a high concentration of nitrate (more than 45 mg/l) has been found in many districts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Orissa. Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
| Total Coliform:
·        Total coliforms are the bacteria that are found in the soil, in water that has been influence by surface water, and in human or animal waste. ·        The presence of fecal coliform in aquatic environments may indicate that the water has been contamination with the fecal material of humans or other animals.
Fecal Coliform: ·        The group of the total coliforms that are consider to be present specifically in the gut and feces of warm-blood animals. ·        Fecal coliform bacteria can enter rivers through the direct discharge of human sewage. |
Read more:Â UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS
Source: The Hindu