Presentation on

WATER POLLUTION
&
WASTE WATER TREATMENT

INDIRA GANDHI CENTRE FOR HUMAN ECOLOGY,

ENVIRONMENT & POPULATION
STUDIES

Supervised By Submitted By
Dr. T.I. Khan AJAY KUMAR
PG DIPLOMA
Environmental studies
 INTRODUCTION

•Waterpollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers,

oceans, and groundwater).

•Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of

water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging either to individual
species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

•Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or

indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove
harmful compounds.
Water pollution categories

Surface water and groundwater have often been studied and

managed as separate resources, although they are interrelated.
Sources of surface water pollution are generally grouped into two
categories based on their origin.

 Point source pollution

 Non-point source pollution
 Groundwater pollution
Causes of water pollution

The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water

include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and
physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature
and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and
substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring
(calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.)
Pathogens

Coliform bacteriaare a commonly-used bacterial indicatorof water pollution,

although not an actual cause of disease. Other microorganismssometimes
found in surface waters which have caused human health problems include:
 Burkholderia pseudomallei
 Cryptosporidium parvum
 Giardia lamblia
 Salmonella
 Novovirus and other viruses
 Parasitic worms(helminths).
Chemical and other contaminants

1. Organic water pollutants

2. Inorganic water pollutants

Thermal pollution

Thermal pollution is the rise or fall in the temperature of a natural

body of water caused by human influence. A common cause of
thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants
and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decreases
oxygen levels (which can kill fish) and affects ecosystem
composition, such as invasion by new thermophilic species. Urban
runoff may also elevate temperature in surface waters.
Measurement of water pollution

 Sampling
 Physical testing
 Chemical testing
 Biological testing
Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the

process of removing contaminantsfrom wastewater and
household sewage, both runoff (effluents) and domestic. It
includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove
physical, chemical and biological contaminants. Its objective is
to produce a waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste
or sludge suitable for discharge or reuse back into the
environment. This material is often inadvertently contaminated
with many toxic organic and inorganic compounds.
Process overview
Pre-treatment

 Screening
 Grit removal
 Primary treatment
In the primary sedimentation stage, sewage flows through
large tanks, commonly called "primary clarifiers" or "primary
sedimentation tanks". The tanks are large enough that sludge
can settle and floating material such as grease and oils can
rise to the surface and be skimmed off.
Secondary treatment

Secondary treatment is designed to substantially degrade the

biological content of the sewage which is derived from human
waste, food waste, soaps and detergent. The majority of municipal
plants treat the settled sewage liquor using aerobic biological
processes.
Activated sludge
Surface-aerated basins
 Filter beds (oxidizing beds)
 Biological aerated filters
 Membrane bioreactors
 Secondary sedimentation
Rotating biological contactors
Tertiary treatment
The purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a final treatment stage to raise the effluent
quality before it is discharged to the receiving environment (sea, river, lake, ground, etc.).
More than one tertiary treatment process may be used at any treatment plant. If disinfection
is practiced, it is always the final process. It is also called "effluent polishing".
 Filtration
 Lagooning
 Constructed wetlands
 Nutrient removal
 Nitrogen removal
 Phosphorus removal
 Disinfection
 Odour removal
 Package plants and batch reactors

 Sludge treatment and disposal

 Anaerobic digestion

 Aerobic digestion

 Composting

 Incineration

 Sludge disposal
Treatment in the receiving environment

Many processes in a wastewater treatment plant are designed

to mimic the natural treatment processes that occur in the
environment, whether that environment is a natural water
body or the ground. If not overloaded, bacteria in the
environment will consume organic contaminants,
Sewage treatment in developing countries

Few reliable figures on the share of the wastewater collected in sewers that is being
treated in the world exist. In many developing countries the bulk of domestic and
industrial wastewater is discharged without any treatment or after primary
treatment only. In Latin America about 15% of collected wastewater passes
through treatment plants (with varying levels of actual treatment). In Venezuela, a
below average country in South America with respect to wastewater treatment, 97
percent of the country’s sewage is discharged raw into the environment. In a
relatively developed Middle Eastern country such as Iran, Tehran's majority of
population has totally untreated sewage injected to the city’s groundwater.
Thank you