India's environment is becoming fragile and environmental pollution is one of the undesirable side effects of industrialization, urbanization, population growth and careless attitude towards the environment. This in turn leads to water pollution. Almost every water body is polluted to an alarming level. Detailed evaluation of quality of water is extremely important for proper assessment of the associated hazards. Water pollution is a serious problem in India as almost 70% of its surface water resources and a growing number of its groundwater reserves are already contaminated by biological, toxic organic and inorganic pollutants. The high incidence of severe contamination near urban areas indicates that the industrial and domestic sector contribution to water pollution is much higher than their relative importance to the Indian economy. The government has called for the establishment of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) in industrial areas but implementation has been slow, and most industries are not connected to CETPs or only partially treat their wastewater before disposal. For instance, over 50% of the urban organic load in some cities originates from industrial effluent, and heavy metal contamination from thermal power, tannery and mining activities has occurred in several locations. This presentation will describe in detail the water quality issues in India. It will also describe about the educational and networking activities of GCNC to create awareness about water pollution and remedial measures. This presentation will also describe the efforts of Delhi Jal Board for improving Delhi Water Quality in India. In addition to this, details of some recent projects awarded to GCNC by Government of India will be discussed.

Water quality issues in India due to environmental pollution: Part I

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.