Wastewater Management

Wastewater is a combination of liquid waste removed from residences, commercial establishments,

industrial effluents, separately or combined with storm water reaching the surface or ground
water, further polluting the fresh water.

If the untreated water is allowed to accumulate, this further cause pollution in the freshwater as the
wastewater have numerous pathogens, toxic elements like zinc, cadmium, etc., which slowly
enter the food chain through plants, animals and destroy them. Wastewater also contains
nutrients, which can stimulate the growth of aquatic plants, destroying the entire closed
freshwater bodies like ponds, lakes, reservoirs, even rivers, etc.

In addition, wastewater affects the micro and macro climates of the earth, as it disturbs the water
cycle or Hydrological Cycle. The untreated wastewater enters the hydrological cycle.

There are different types of wastewater or sources of polluted water. Broadly, it is categorised as
Point Source Pollution: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines point source
pollution as any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged,
such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack. Factories and sewage are point source
pollution
Non-point Source Pollution: As per US EPA, Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution,
unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many
diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the
ground. Also, majority of NPS also comes from agricultural runoff, which is a major
contributor to the NPS pollution.