CHAPTER 5

AIR, NOISE AND WATER POLLUTION

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 CONTENTS

Air Pollution

Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) status of different cities of Karnataka

Air Quality Index (AQI) and Contributory Factor

Major contributors of air pollution

Transportation – Air, land, water

Initiatives for curbing Air Pollution in Transportation sector

Industrial Air Pollution

Health impacts of air pollution

Best practices of controlling air pollution

Methods of control of air pollution

Recommendation to policy makers

Noise Pollution

Noise sources and levels at different zones

Best practices of controlling noise pollution

Recommendation to policy makers

Water Pollution

Water Resources

Consumption Pattern – At Regional level

Water Quality Status of Major Rivers of Karnataka

Ground Water Qualities Status in Major Cities

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Pollution Control Measures

Augmentation of water resource

Best practices of controlling water pollution

Recommendation to policy makers

References

TABLES

Table-1: Annual average values of air pollutants at 13 locations in Bangalore City during the
2015-16 (April-2015 to Mar-2016)

Table-2: Annual Average values of AAQ in other districts of Karnataka during 2015-16

Table-3: Status of Category-wise number of AQI in cities during March 2016

Table-4: Major sources of air pollution in Bengaluru City

Table-5: Consumption of major petroleum product in Karnataka

Table-6: Coal sold by KSSIDC

Table-7: Year wise Paddy cultivation in the State

Table-8: Livestock Population in Karnataka during 2003, 2007 and 2012

Table-9: Number of Fire spots of forest fire in Karnataka

Table-10: Details of forests burnt in the Protected Areas during the period 2011-12 to 2015-16

Table-11: Details of number of Fishing Boats

Table-12: Details of Road transport system in Karnataka

Table-13: Methods of Air Pollution control with example

Table-14: Ambient Air Quality Standard in Respect of Noise in India

Table-15: Noise levels monitored by KSPCB in 2015-16

Table-16: Methods of Noise Pollution Control with examples

Table-17: Consumption of Chemical Pesticides in Karnataka during 2010-11 To 2015-16As on

09.11.2016(Tech. Grade)

Table-18: Year-wise and nutrient-wise use of fertilizers in Karnataka State

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Table-19: Per capita Resource Demand and Waste generation of a citizen
Table-20: Water Samples Analyzed by Central Laboratory and Regional Laboratories

Table-21: Industrial waste water samples analyzed by Central Laboratory and Regional
Laboratories

Table-22: The revised sewage discharge standards for sewage treatment plant stipulated with
direction on 05.12.2015

Table-23: Trends in urban population and sewage generation

Table-24: Methods of Pollution control with examples

FIGURES

Fig. 1: Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) With Respect to PM10 in Bangalore

Fig. 2: Air Quality Status at Different Zones of Bangalore

Fig. 3: AAQ Status at Export Promotional Park, ITPL., Bangalore

Fig. 4: AAQ Status at KHB Industrial Area, Yelahanka, Bangalore

Fig. 5: AAQ Status at Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore

Fig. 6: AAQ Status at AMCO Batteries, Bangalore

Fig. 7: AAQ Status at Yeshwanthapur Police Station, Bangalore

Fig. 8: AAQ Status at Central Silk Board, Bangalore

Fig. 9: AAQ Status at DTDC Office, Victoria Road, Bangalore

Fig. 10: AAQ Status at Kajisonnenahalli, Bangalore

Fig. 11: AAQ Status at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore

Fig. 12: AAQ Status at Indira Gandhi Child Care Centre, NIHMANS

Fig. 13: Status of AAQ at Continuous AAQ Monitoring (CAAQM) Stations at Bangalore City

Fig. 14: Annual Average values of CO at CAAQM city Railway station for the year 2012-16

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Fig. 15: Annual average values of Air pollution at Saneguruvanahalli for the year 2012-16

Fig. 16: Annual average values of CO at Saneguruvanahalli for the year 2012-16

Fig. 17: Traffic increases Pollutants

Fig. 18: Narrow streets are good for air pollution trapping and bad for dispersion

Fig. 19: Dust suspension deposited on trees

Fig. 20: Typical lung of urban resident with pollutant trapped in alveoli of lungs

Fig. 21: Noise levels monitored by KSPCB in 2015-16

Fig. 22: Death of trees adjacent to waste dump due to infiltration of leachet into aquifer

Fig. 23: Classification of River Water Quality in Karnataka

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 AIR, NOISE AND WATER POLLUTION

Air Pollution
5.1. Increase in air pollution is one of the greatest menaces to the health of people, causing a
threat to their survival. Air pollution not only leads to deteriorating environmental conditions,
but also has adverse effects on the health of people. According to the World Development
Indicators report, 1.5 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution (World
Bank, 1997). According to Kapoor, S. (1997), about 15 to 18 million children in developing
countries are affected by high levels of lead in their blood, which could be the result of emissions
from vehicle exhaust and they suffer from respiratory/lung related illnesses. United Nations
Development Programme (1998) and World Health Organization (1997) estimated that air
pollution kills about 2.7 million to 3 million people every year- i.e. 6% of all deaths annually.

5.2. Air pollution kills an estimated 673,000 people in India, comprising of 589,000 deaths
from indoor pollution and the remaining 84,000 deaths from outdoor pollution. India is one of
the environmentally degraded countries and is paying heavy health and economic price for it.
According to a World Bank sponsored study (1999), estimated environmental damage in the year
1992 amounts to US $ 10 Billion or Rs 34,000 crore, which is 4.5 % of total GDP of the country.

Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) status of different cities of Karnataka

5.3. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is monitoring the Ambient Air
Quality (AAQ) in various places of Karnataka. Bangalore is a highly polluted city in Karnataka
due to increased concentration of particulate matter (PM) in the ambient air. It is monitored at 13
different locations (Table-1, Fig. 1). Figs. 2 to 16 provide bar charts for air quality in
Bangalore. Burden of diseases of the respiratory system in Karnataka is discussed in chapter 8:
Health.

Table-1: Annual average values of air pollutants at 13 locations in Bangalore City during
the 2015-16 (April-2015 to Mar-2016)

Sl. Name of the Station Zone SO2µg/ NO2µ PM10 PM10

No. m3 g/m3 µg/m3 exceeded
to the
1 Export promotional park Industrial 3.8 21.1 189.0 National
215.0 %
ITPL, White field, Standards
2 premises of Graphite
K.H.B Industrial Area,India Industrial 3.6 15.5 109.0 82.0 %
Ltd, Bangalore
Yelahanka
3 Peenya Industrial Area Industrial 3.9 20.2 127.0 112.0 %
4 (RO) Silk PeenyaIndl Area
Swan Industrial 2.0 36.0 117.0 95.0 %
5 Yeshwanthpura Police Mixed Urban zone 3.6 22.6 105.0 75.0 %
6 Station Batteries, Mysore
AMCO Mixed Urban zone 4.0 20.2 119.0 98.0 %
7 Road Silk Board , Hosur
Central Mixed Urban zone 3.9 21.1 165.0 175.0 %
Road
8 DTDC House Victoria Mixed Urban zone 3.7 17.5 135.0 125.0 %
Road

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 9 Kajisonnenahalli , Mixed Urban zone 3.6 12.6 75.0 25.0 %
10 Continuous Ambient Air Mixed Urban zone 9.0 45.6 104.0 73.0 %
Quality Management
System (CAAQMS) at
City Railway Station
11 CAAQMS at S,G,Halli Mixed Urban zone 3.7 25.7 72.0 20.0 %
12 Victoria Hospital Sensitive 4.0 23.0 99.5 66.0 %
13 Indira Gandhi Institute of Sensitive 3.8 17.5 113.0 88.0 %
child health
Standards/National limits 50.0 40.0 60.0
(Source: KSPCB, Bangalore, 2015-16)

Fig. 1: Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) With Respect to PM10 in Bangalore

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 Fig. 2: AAQ Status At Different Zones Of Bangalore

Fig. 3: AAQ Status at Export Promotional Park , ITPL., Bangalore

Fig. 4: AAQ Status at KHB Industrial Area, Yelahanka, Bangalore

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Fig. 5: AAQ Status at Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore

Fig. 6: AAQ Status at AMCO Batteries, Bangalore

Fig. 7: AAQ Status at Yeshwanthapur Police Station, Bangalore

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Fig. 8: AAQ Status at Central Silk Board, Bangalore

Fig. 9: AAQ Status at DTDC Office, Victoria Road, Bangalore

Fig. 10: AAQ Status at Kajisonnenahalli, Bangalore

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Fig.11: AAQ Status at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore

Fig. 12: AAQ status at Indira Gandhi Child Care Centre, NIHMANS

Fig. 13: AAQ status at Continuous AAQ Monitoring (CAAQM) Stations at Bangalore City

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Fig. 14: Annual Average values of CO at CAAQM city Railway station for the year 2012-16

Fig. 15: Annual average values of Air pollution at Saneguruvanahalli for the year 2012-16

Fig. 16: Annual average values of CO at Saneguruvanahalli for the year 2012-16

5.4. The salient features of AAQ status in Bangalore are:

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 The concentration of PM10 has exceeded the national AAQ standards for the years 2012-
2016.
 The concentration of NOx is within the national AAQ Standards for the year 2012-2015
except for the year 2015-16.
 The concentration of SO2 is well within the national AAQ Standard during the years from
2012-2016.
 The concentration of CO is well within the national AAQ standard during the year from
2012-2016.

5.5. The KSPCB is also monitoring the ambient air quality in other districts of the state at
different traffic junctions. The monitoring locations are selected based on the guidelines issued
by CPCB. Table-2 gives annual average values of AAQ in other districts of Karnataka during
2015-16. The results reveal that the PM10 concentration is exceeding the standards at some
locations. The increase of PM10 at some of the monitoring stations is mainly due to the large
scale construction activities and vehicular movement and the re-suspended road dust.

Table-2 Annual Average values of AAQ in other districts of Karnataka during 2015-16
Sl. Location SO2 µg/M3 NO2 µg/M3 PM10 µg/M3
No.
1 Regional Officer (RO), Kolar 2.0 19.0 63.0
2 RO, Tumkur 2.0 21 118.0
3 RO, Mandya 8.4 21.2 40.0
4 K,R.Circle, Mysuru 9.2 22.2 53.0
5 RO, Mysuru 8.6 21.7 39.0
6 RO, Chamarajnagar 9.4 22.2 57.0
7 RO, Hassan. 5.8 19.4 25.0
8 RO, MangaluruIndl Area. 8.0 9.5 35.0
9 RO, Karwar 5.2 16.4 40.0
10 RO, Chitradurga 2.1 4.6 46.0
11 VISL Bhadravathi 2.2 4.6 38.0
12 HPF Intake Point, Davangere 3.2 5.9 46.0
13 Mothi Talkies, Davangere 5.7 10.7 216.0
14 RO, Davangere 2.3 4.6 59.0
15 RO, Dharwad 5.5 20.3 69.0
16 Gokul Road- Hubbali 5.5 21.1 80.0
17 RO, Belagavi 2.0 17.0 64.0
18 KalaburagiGovt.Hospital 2.2 13.0 76.0
19 RO, Raichur 5.9 11.1 87.0
20 RO, Ballari 5.0 11.1 57.0
21 RO, Bidar 6.7 11.9 57.0
NAAQ Standards µg/M3 50.0 40.0 60.0
(Source: KSPCB, Bangalore 2015-16)

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5.6. Karnataka has seen dramatic shift in terms of air quality during the period 2011-2015.
The PM10 has significantly increased over the years in certain locations due to use of old
vehicles, possible fuel adulteration, re-suspension of dust due to increased traffic, absence of
water spraying, emission from traffic jams, obstruction to movement of pollutants, use of DG
sets during power cuts, low wind velocity and inversions during winter and nights. Increase in
the number of high rise buildings is obstructing wind movement, thereby making pollutants
almost stagnant in the city.

5.7. An adult at rest breathes 15 - 18 respirations per minute (0.5 m3/h) while at harder work,
the rate is 3 to 6 times more (1.5 - 3 m3/h). These add up to 11,000 litres of air in a day. A human
being uses about 550 litres of pure oxygen (19 cubic feet) per day. But with increased
migration, vehicles, fuel combustion and reduced green cover, per capita availability of oxygen
has reduced and exposure to polluted air has increased.

5.8. Despite several control measures adopted and exercised by the Government of Karnataka
under precautionary principle, an increasing trend in air pollution has been observed. This trend
could possibly be linked to the factors such as sharp infiltration of IT/BT and other professionals
into the city that resulted in a boom in the real estate sector, transport and personal vehicles,
restaurants and eateries and other service sectors. It is also due to the fact that the purchasing
power of an average citizen has significantly increased.
5.9. Major policy interventions to control air pollution during the period in the country are1
1. Increase in supply of fossil fuel through pipeline into Karnataka, which reduced
transportation of petroleum products.
2. Introduction of Ethanol Blended Petrol (EPL)2, since 02.01.013 throughout the country.
3. Introduction of MS (Motor Spirit/Petrol) (BS-IV) and High Speed Diesel (HSD) (BS IV)
since 1.4.2016 in the whole of Karnataka.

5.10. The above ‘actions’ were in addition3 to,

1. Introduction of Biodiesel since 01.01.2006.

2. Introduction of MS (BS-IV) and High Speed Diesel (HSD) (BS IV) since 01.08.2010 in
Karnataka.
3. Introduction of MS (BS-III) and HSD (BS-III) since 31.07.2010 in Karnataka.

Air Quality Index (AQI) and Contributory Factor

5.11. An “Air Quality Index” is defined as a single number for reporting the air quality with
respect to its effects on the human health (Thom and Ott, 1976; Bortnicket al., 2002; Murena,
2004). For the AQI, a maximum operator system has been adopted which is free from ambiguity
and eclipsing, as shown below: AQI=Max (I1,I2,...,In)
1
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MPNG) 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
2
As per ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Gazette Notification No. G.S.R. 4(E ). Dated 02.01.2013,
Oil Marketing companies shall sell Ethanol-blended-petrol with percentage of ethanol up to 10 % and as
per the Bureau of Indian Standard specification to achieve 5 % ethanol blending across the Country as a
whole.
3
Ministry of Petroleum &Natural Gas - MPNG 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.

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5.12. Table-3 gives the status of category–wise number of AQI in cities during March 2016.
Among all the cities where AQI is documented, AQI at four locations in Bengaluru was poor,
alarming the situation and demanding immediate corrective action.
Table-3: Status of Category-wise number of AQI in cities during March 2016

City Total AQI Good (0-50) Satisfactory Moderate Poor (201- Very Poor Severe
numbers (51-100) (101-200) 300) (301-40) (401-500)
in cities
Hubli 19 0 18 1 0 0 0
Hassan 9 8 0 1 0 0 0
Raichur 6 0 0 6 0 0 0
Mangalore 8 0 6 2 0 0 0
Bengaluru 58 0 17 37 4 0 0
Kolar 9 0 9 0 0 0 0
Tumakuru 9 0 0 9 0 0 0
Vijayapur 9 1 4 4 0 0 0
Source: CPCB (2016)

5.13. According to the 2011 Census, Karnataka’s population has increased by 15.6 per cent to
touch 6.10 crore (6,10,95,297) during 2001-2011. The urban population has registered a growth
rate of 31.54 per cent, higher than the growth rate of 29.15 per cent recorded in 2001 Census.
The population in Bengaluru Urban District has witnessed the highest decennial growth rate of
47.18 per cent followed by Yadgir, with 22.81 per cent.

5.14. In terms of urbanization, the State has witnessed a rise of 4.68 per cent, in the proportion
of urban population in the last decade.

5.15. In addition to influx of people from different places, there has been alarming increase in
air pollutants (Fig. 17). The rise in construction activities has increased the dust re-suspension, in
addition to dust from dry earthen surface. Traffic congestion due to increase in number of
vehicular population and old narrow streets (Fig.18) have significantly contributed to
accumulation of pollutants in the ambient air environment of urban settlement.

Fig. 17: Traffic increases Pollutants

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 5.16. About 1,47,84,9614 vehicles were registered in the state as on 31.3.2015. Out of these, 55,59,7305
(total Transport +non-transport vehicles) vehicles are registered in Bengaluru Metropolitan city as on
31.03.2015 alone. Major sources of air pollution in Bengaluru City are tabulated in Table-4.

Fig. 18 Narrow streets are good for air

pollution trapping and bad for dispersion

Table-4: Major sources of air pollution in Bengaluru City

Sl. No. Source Source PM10 (TPD) % Contribution

1 Transport 22.4 42
2 Road dust 10.9 20
3 Domestic 1.8 3
4 DG Set 3.6 7
5 Industry 7.8 14
6 Hotel 0.1 -
7 Construction 7.7 14
Total 54.3 100
Source: Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring & Statistics, Government of Karnataka (2016a)

Major contributors of air pollution

Industries
5.17. Contribution to air pollution from the industry sector is discussed in detail in subsequent
paragraphs. It is observed that the contribution of industry to air pollution is only 14% compared
to 42% of contribution from Transport sector (Table-4).

Fossil Fuels
5.18. The 2011 census reveals that 64.33% of households in urban areas use LPG/PNG for
cooking purposes, followed by firewood (21.23%), kerosene (11.67%) and the remaining
households use other sources such as crop residue (0.91%), biogas (0.80%), electricity (0.21%),

4
Annual Report of Transport Department, GoK, 2015
5
Annual Report of Transport Department, GoK, 2015

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coal/lignite (0.11%), cowpat (0.10%) and other sources (0.11%). Table-5 shows the
consumption of major petroleum product in Karnataka. Table-6 gives details of sale of coal by
KSSIDC for household consumption.

Table-5: Consumption of major petroleum product in Karnataka

March March March March March
Description 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Consumption of
major petroleum
products ('000
Tonnes) 8075 8504 8931 9577 11051
Source: MPNG (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

Table-6: Coal sold by KSSIDC

Sl.No Year Achievements (MTs)
1 2008-09 16670
2 2009-10 39665
3 2010-11 36582
4 2011-12 31702
5 2012-13 40781
6 2013-14 35415
7 2014-15 26294
Source: Economic survey, GoK

5.19. Consumption patterns of coal by the energy sector are discussed in Chapter 9. Coal
consumption for Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) was 0.721 Kg/KWh and has shown
decreasing trend since the previous year. Coal consumption has also decreased in Bellary
Thermal Power Station (BTPS) during 2015-16 to 0.665 Kg/KWh and the plant availability
factor has improved as compared to the previous year. The power sector (electricity – 35.9%) is
the major contributor of GHGs emission followed by Agriculture (20.2%). The state with
well‐developed transportation sector has contributed 10.4% to the state’s total GHGs emission.
Except the agriculture sector which emits a major amount of CH4, most of the other sectors emit
CO2 as main GHG, mainly due to combustion of fossil fuels (coal and petroleum products)
(EMPRI & TERI, 2011).

Waste burning
5.20. Waste burning takes place in two ways: (a) controlled combustion inside incinerator/kiln
at prescribed temperature, and (b) open burning. Details of waste quantity have been dealt in
Chapter 10.

Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

5.21. Combustion, biodegradation, spraying agrochemicals, fumigation and tobacco curing are
the major activities which release air pollutants. Combustion of crop residues especially in sugar
cane fields is practiced widely to cut down labor cost. Further, most of the agro waste is used as
fuel for cooking. The state has extensive areas under paddy cultivation; as a result, considerable

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volumes of marsh gases comprising methane, a major GHG, are released from paddy fields
(Table-7).
Table-7: Year wise Paddy cultivation in the State
Sl.No. Year Area
1. 1960-61 10.28
2. 1970-71 11.7
3. 1980-81 11.14
4. 1990-91 11.73
5. 2000-01 14.84
6. 2010-11 15.39
7. 2011-12 14.16
8. 2012-13 12.79
9. 2013-14 13.40
10. 2014-15 13.26
Sources: (1) Government of Karnataka (2015), (2) State Department of Agriculture (2015),

5.22. Table-8 shows livestock population in Karnataka during the years 2003, 2007 and 2012.
The manure from factory farms can release Nitrous Oxide, Methane, Carbon Dioxide, Ammonia
and Hydrogen Sulphide (Onegreenplanet, 2017).

Table-8: Livestock Population in Karnataka during 2003, 2007 and 2012

Particular Livestock Census (No in Crore)
2003 2007 2012 Percentage change in 2012 over 2007
Cattle 0.95 1.05 0.95 -9.52
Buffalo 0.40 0.43 0.35 -18.60
Goat & Sheep 1.18 1.57 1.44 -8.28
Other Livestock 0.30 0.24 0.16 -33.33
Total Livestock 2.83 3.29 2.90 -11.85
Poultry 2.44 4.24 5.34 25.94

(Source: Onegreenplanet, 2017)

Forest fires and other anthropogenic fire accidents

5.23. Forest fire requires intense attention due to its effects on biodiversity. Inappropriate fire
regimes can lead to major changes in community structure, including substantial risk of
extinction. As per the National Institute of Disaster Management, 95 per cent of forest fires are
caused by human beings. Forest fires and fire management are therefore increasingly recognized
as important factors in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. Year-wise
details regarding the number of fire spots of forest fire detected in Karnataka are given in Table-
9 and details regarding the extents of forest burnt in the protected areas (PA) between 2011-12
and 2015-16 are given in Table-10.

Table-9: Number of Fire spots of forest fire in Karnataka

Year Number of fire spots

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2011-12 859

2012-13 505

2013-14 486

2014-15 316

2014-15 735

Source:Forest Survey of India http://117.239.115.44:81/smsalerts/index.php accessed on 14.11.2017

Table-10: Details of forests burnt in the Protected Areas during the period 2011-12 to 2015-
16

Protected Area 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Bandipur Tiger Reserve 650.00 972.62 548.500 216.460 219.360
Bhadra Tiger Reserve - - - 50.000 -
BRT Tiger Reserve 60.00 49.04 166.590 24.060 20.000
Cauvery Wildlife 1.75 262.40 570.000 386.000 -
Sanctuary
Dandeli-Anshi Tiger 1.70 3.50 0.704 0.600 -
Reserve
Kudremukh National Park 307.94 240.60 194.60 167.950 553.000
MM Wildlife Sanctuary 10.00 - - 50.000 2.020
Total 1,902.76 16664.04 1682.194 1110819 1265.006
Source: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (2017)
Re-suspension of dust
5.24. Re-suspension of dust from roads, agricultural fields, waste dump yard, wasteland, etc. is
a major concern considering the prolonged droughts in the states.

Fig.19: Dust suspension deposited on

trees

Others
5.25. Apart from the significant contributors to air pollution like vehicles, construction
activities, solid waste burning, etc, other sources of pollution which need attention are:

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• Emission from marshes;
• Emission from cattle;
• Tobacco curing;
• Emission from waste dumping/management;
• Emissions from cooking from fire wood and other fossil fuels;
• Emissions from pot making activity;
• Emissions from burning fields;
• Emissions from de-husking and grain separation processing;
• Spraying of agrochemicals;
• Pollen grains; and
• Re-suspension of Soil in tilled land.

Transportation – Air, land, water

Air Transport

5.26. Apart from defence air ports, the state has airports at Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Mysore,
Ballari, Hubli, Belgaum.

Water Transport
5.27. Karnataka has one major port, namely, the New Mangaluru Port and ten minor ports,
namely, Karwar, Belekeri, Tadri, Honnavara, Bhatkal, Kundapur,
Hangarkatta, Malpe, Padubidri and Old Mangaluru. Details regarding the number of fishing
boats are given in Table-11.

Table-11: Details of number of Fishing Boats

Mechanized Boats Motorised boats Traditional boats Total

Trawlers – 778 Gillnetters (OBM)-6978 8,119 18,877
Multiday trawlers – 2431
Purse seiners – 274
Others -297
Source: Economic survey 2015-16, GOK
Land Transport
5.28. The total length of Rail track has increased from 2,806 km in 1970-71 to 3,172 km in
2014-15, while the total road length has increased from 70,383 km to 2,31,767 km during this
period. But the most striking increase is in respect of the number of vehicles in the state, from
about 123, 000 in 1970-71 to 1,06,446,000 in 2014-15 (Table-12).

Table-12: Details of Road transport system in Karnataka

Particulars Unit 1970-71 1980-81 1990-91 2000-01 2010-11 2013-14 2014-15
Railway Route km
2806 2875 3093 3172 3172 3172 3172
Length
Total Road km
70,383 1,09,551 1,30,924 1,54,204 2,22,431 2,30,690 2,31,767
Length
Motor Vehicles ‘000s 123 400 1,433 3,691 9,930 13,335 106,446
Source: Economic survey, GoK

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5.29. A number of reforms have been introduced in the transportation sector since 1991 to
control air pollution control:

 1991 – Idle CO Limits for Petrol Vehicles and Free Acceleration Smoke for Diesel Vehicles,
Mass Emission Standards for Petrol Vehicles.
 1992 – Mass Emission Standards for Diesel Vehicles.
 1996 – Revision of Mass Emission Standards for Petrol and Diesel Vehicles, mandatory
fitment of Catalytic Converter for Cars in Metros & sale of Unleaded Petrol.
 1998 – Cold Start Norms Introduced.
 2000 - Unleaded Petrol mandate throughout India.
 2000 – India 2000 (Equivalent to Euro I) Norms, Modified IDC (Indian Driving Cycle),
Bharat Stage II Norms for Delhi.
 2001 – Bharat Stage II (Equivalent to Euro II) Norms for all the Metros, Emission Standards
for CNG & LPG Vehicles.
 2003 – Bharat Stage II (Equivalent to Euro II) Norms for 13 major cities.
 2005 – From 1 April Bharat Stage III (Equivalent to Euro III) Norms for 13 major cities.
 2010 – Bharat Stage III Emission Norms for 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers for the
entire country whereas Bharat Stage – IV (Equivalent to Euro IV) for 13 major cities for only
4-wheelers. Bharat Stage IV also has norms on OBD (similar to Euro III, but diluted)
 2013- Introduction of EPL throughout the country.
 2020 – Proposed date to adopt Bharat Stage VI norms for cars, Skipping Bharat Stage V
norms.

Analysis of Critical pollutants in Ambient air viz SO2, NO2, and breathing level Ozone

5.30. From the most recent (2015) analysis of the Global burden of Disease, exposure to PM2.5
was the 5th highest ranking risk factor for death, responsible for 4.2 million deaths due to heart
disease and stroke, lung cancer, chronic lung disease and respiratory infections. An additional
254,000 deaths were attributable to exposure to ozone and its effect on chronic lung disease
(Health Effect Institute, 2017). The SO2, NO2 concentrations have been indicated in paragraphs
5.3 and 5.4.

Initiatives for curbing Air Pollution in Transportation sector

5.31. Transportation has become an important element of modern development. Transportation

has deep impact on every economic activity, be it of an individual or an industrial unit.
Transportation is also very important determinant of land use patterns. Transportation sector
including road, air and waterways is also a major GHGs emitter in the state (10.4%). Most of the
petroleum products like ATF (aviation turbine fuel) HSD, (high speed diesel), LDO (light diesel
oil), etc. are used in transportation sector. In 2007‐08, emissions due to transportation were 8.35
million tons in Karnataka. The present emissions from the transportation sector, at state GDP
growth rate of 8%, are likely to be 23 million tons (EMPRI and TERI, (2011)).

5.32. Hence, it is necessary to evolve a strategy to combat air pollution from this sector. As a
part of administrative reforms and in order to provide better, timely and cost effective service,
Government has approved Effective Transport Management initiatives:

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 By amending Section 52 of Motor Vehicle Act 1988, provision has been made for use of
LPG in vehicles. The Department has already approved 38 LPG Kit models and given
permissions for 72 retro fitment centres in Bangalore City and 195 retro fitment centres in the
State.
 It is mandatory for owners and drivers to check their vehicles for air pollution at least once in
every six month and keep the Emission under Control Certificate, while using the vehicle on
road.
 To check the quality of fuel at fuel dispensing stations and to stop adulteration of fuel during
transportation; road side sale of fuel, unauthorized sale of naphtha, sale of low 24 class
lubricants, etc. have been prohibited.
 Joint checking team has been constituted, in association with the district administration, Food
and Civil Supply Department, checking squads of Oil companies and Police department. The
joint checking team will randomly make surprise inspection/checking at all the dispensing
stations for adulteration of fuel to ensure quality.
 The emission level is high in old vehicles compared to new vehicles and hence it is necessary
to identify the old transport vehicles with more than 15 years of service, which are emitting
excess smoke. A Red colour band is painted on such vehicles for easy identification for
inspections. At the time of inspections these vehicles are subjected to stricter check for
emission standards.
 With a view to reducing vehicular air pollution, vehicle manufacturers are introducing new
vehicles in the market with eco friendly alternative fuels like electricity, Battery operated
LPG &/ CNG fitted, etc. which has less or zero emission of pollutants.

Industrial Air Pollution

5.33. Industrial sector is a substantial contributor of pollutant emissions (22.5%) as well as a

large consumer of electricity (24%). This sector also has led to a lot of GHG emissions in the
form of reducing the capacity of natural carbon sinks i.e. land‐use change by demanding land
diversion from agriculture and forestry. Since it also demands a lot of water and minerals, the use
of all of which leads to emission of air pollutants, the need for responsible management of this
sector becomes paramount. Since the Industrial Revolution, concentrations of carbon dioxide
have increased by nearly thirty percent, concentrations of methane have more than doubled, and
nitrous oxide concentrations have risen by about fifteen percent. These gases are released
through the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal, which are used to operate
cars and trucks, heat homes and businesses, and run factories.

5.34. The KSPCB issues conditional consent to establish/operate water/air polluting industries
stipulating discharge standards. The KSPCB has set time schedule for inspection and monitoring
of industries/organizations falling under Red, Orange and Green Categories. The Red category
industry is inspected once in a month, Orange category is inspected once in six months and
Green category is inspected once in a year. KSPCB has set itself goals to meet the environmental
challenge through initiatives that will ensure cleaner air, safe water and ensure compliance by
stakeholders. Statistics about air pollution control status of industries is discussed in Chapter 11.

22
Stack monitoring analysis sector wise
5.35. KSPCB monitored 1,609 industrial stacks during the year 2015-16 (KSPCB, 2016).
Generally air pollutants like PM and SO2 are being monitored based on the industrial sectors.
The Chimneys established at Cement Plant, Thermal Power Plant, Sugar Plants, Distilleries,
Pharmaceutical industries, incinerators, etc are being monitored regularly by the Board.
5.36. Air pollution is a complicated issue and is most often a symptom of inadequate planning.
Lack of power supply leads to the use of diesel generator sets; lack of buses to support the public
transport leads to higher use of personal vehicles; lack of infrastructure to promote walking and
cycling leads to more motorized transport; lack of road maintenance and traffic management by
allowing on-road parking leads to congestion; lack of an adequate waste management system
leads to garbage being left behind and often burnt in residential areas; and lack of paved or
covered roads leads to re-suspension of dust, when vehicles are passing by.

5.37. The fact that air pollution is an externality from multiple sectors implies that it needs to
be addressed by multiple ministries that are willing to coordinate with one another. Technical
solutions alone, like introducing CNG or changing standards for vehicles and industries, will not
be sufficient to control air pollution in Indian cities. We need a change in the institutional setup
in ways that will allow Departments and Ministries to work together and in sync.

5.38. Air pollution damages health of human, animal and plants. It also impacts on agricultural
production as well as forests, causing yield losses. The emission of mercury from solid waste,
and medical activity needs further in depth monitoring and documentation; so is the emission
from incineration/crematorium.

Health impacts of air pollution

5.39. Air pollution is one of the serious environmental problems faced by the people globally,
especially in urban areas of developing countries. Air pollution is associated with short-term and
long-term increase in ill-health and mortality, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory
diseases, upper and lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer (Cohen et al 2004). New
epidemiological studies conducted over the last decade have identified adverse health effects
caused by air pollution, even at low ambient concentrations that generally prevail in cities in
North America and Western Europe (Health Effects Institute 2004).

Fig. 20: Typical lung of urban resident with pollutant trapped in alveoli of lungs
23
5.40. Apart from pollutants monitored, there are innumerable numbers of chemicals that are
discovered all over the world. As on 22nd May 2017 more than 130 million organic and
inorganic substances and 67 million sequences were registered in Chemical Abstracts
Service (CAS) which is a division of the American Chemical Society (CAS, 2017). These
chemicals which are part of various products would obviously escape to environment in different
quantities, whose impact on environment is little or hardly understood.

Change in Lung spaces/land use on air Environment

5.41. The Land use and its changes can significantly contribute to overall climate change.
Vegetation and soils typically act as a carbon sink, storing carbon dioxide that is absorbed
through photosynthesis. When the land is disturbed, the stored carbon dioxide along with
methane and nitrous oxide is emitted, re-entering the atmosphere. The clearing of land can result
in soil degradation, erosion and the leaching of nutrients, which can also possibly reduce its
ability to act as a carbon sink. This reduction in the ability to store carbon can result in additional
carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the total amount of GHGs. The
WHO has recommended a minimum green space of 9.5 M2/person considering the services like
Oxygen, moderation of micro-climate, etc, and goods of an urban environment. Estimates
indicate that about six tons of carbon is sequestered by one ha of forest annually, and this
averages out as the carbon sequestration of 6 kg/tree/year. Per capita respiratory carbon ranges
from 192 – 328 kg/year depending on the physiology of human. Generally, the carbon dissipated
through respiration varies from 525 – 900 gm/day/person.
Impact on AAQ
5.42. There are two types of land use change: direct anthropogenic (human-caused) changes
and indirect changes. Average temperatures in city centers can increase even more due to the
high density of construction materials such as pavement and roofing materials, since they tend to
absorb, rather than reflect, sunlight. The phenomenon of higher urban temperatures, compared to
lower temperature in the surrounding area is known as urban heat island.
5.43. Many lung spaces, which were part of urban landscape, vanished due to real estate boom
and migration. Open spaces like lakes, parks, playgrounds, unoccupied government/private
lands, etc. became slums, make shift market, parking lot, dump yard or gated communities.
Reduction in the green cover due to cutting of trees for infrastructure development also
contributes to increase in dust concentration in the ambient air.

Best practices of controlling air pollution

5.44. Air pollution is a complicated issue and is most often a symptom of inadequate urban
planning. The cities across the globe adopt combination of different strategies, which include
spraying of water on roads, development and protection of green spaces, congestion tax, proper
parking policy, imposing heavy fine for owning 2nd car, encouragement of green fuel, usage of
solar energy, electric vehicles, preference to green taxies, green procurement by government
agencies, etc.

Industrial Sector
5.45. The best practices to control air pollution from industrial sector across the globe include:
adoption of green technologies, adoption of 5R strategy, shifting of polluting industries to less
populated and less sensitive area, control of emission by required air pollution control equipment
and development of green belt over larger area.

24
Transportation sector
5.46. Optimized profile descent (OPD) or Continuous descent approach (CDA) has been
used in many airports to reduce noise and air pollution. In this method, an aircraft approaches
the airport in a smooth, constant-angle descent during landing instead of a stair step fashion
requesting permission to move down to each new altitude. In-flight operations cover climb-out to
about 914 m above ground and descend from 914 m to ground. The 914 m elevation is assumed
to be the top of the temperature inversion below which atmosphere dispersion would be poor.
The pollutants below this level would most likely affect the community near the airport, whereas
above 914 m the pollutants are dispersed more thoroughly (John, 1977). Good practices in road
transportation sector include:
 Motor vehicle restraints
 Creation of Automobile-free zones;
 Ban of inefficient vehicles;
 Encouraging non-motorized transport (animal driven, bicycle, walking, push/pull
cart);
 Regulation of office/business timings;
 Regulation of school timings;
 Restriction on delivery times; and
 Selective vehicle entry permits.
 Control of fuel
 Ensure zero fuel adulteration;
 Increase number of electric vehicles;
 Increasing cost of fuels;
 Restrict the amount of fuel per vehicle/person for vehicles used by private
transports.
 Reduce sulphur content from fuel; and
 Phase out leaded fuel with un-leaded fuel.
 Motor vehicle emission reduction
 Changing or improving the technology;
 Interdiction of Gasoline vapour control;
 Idling limitations; and
 Inspection and maintenance.
 Improvement of mass transportation
 Bus lanes on city streets, as well as freeways;
 Introduction of trams, metros, rapid transportation system;
 Improving service of public transportation;
 Creating One way streets to buses only; and
 Reducing cost of public transportation.
 Regulation
 Banning old vehicles;
 Introduce Bicycle lanes;
 Proper Land-use/urban planning;
 Introduce Parking policy;
 Introduce Parking surcharge;
 Increase minimum age requirement for obtaining driving licence;
 Relocating industry/university/government offices to reduce population;
 Introduce Road user tax; and

25
  Incorporate proper urban planning.
 Voluntary approaches
 Car-pooling;
 Car-pooling and ride-sharing; and
 Use of video conferencing rather than physical meeting.
 Traffic flow improvements
 Congestion tax;
 Loading regulation;
 One way street operation; and
 Parking restriction.

Methods of control of air pollution

5.47. The strategies for controlling point sources of pollution can be categorized in terms of
legislative regulation, management improvement (including economic incentives) and
technology applications. Setting laws, regulations and standards has proved the most successful
control strategy in most countries around the world. Management improvement is attracting
increasingly wide attention, and is often found to be a very cost-effective supplement to law
enforcement. There are a substantial number of technologies available for reducing pollution
loads from point sources, but the emphasis has largely shifted from “end-of-pipe” treatment to
cleaner production and efficient industrial ecology. These approaches have shown significant
potential for preventing air pollution, and need more continuous development effort. Table-13
gives the methods of air pollution control with examples.
Table-13: Methods of Air Pollution control with example

Type of Level Mode of Example

pollution control

Air 1 Engineering Change in fuel, Change in composition of fuel,

Improvement in engine technology, improvement in road,
Improvement in manufacturing technology, improvement
in pollution control equipment

2 Administrative Legislation, financial instrument (tax, fine, subsidy, tax

rebate, awards and rewards), issuing directions, case
against defaulters, disconnection of power/water supply,
imprisonment, migration policy, changing investors
destination, Change in age limit for driving license,
increase in number of enforcing officers, build capacity of
enforcing institutions, awareness, increase in trees, urban
planning, proper solid waste management

3 Personal Protective clothing, respirator, goggles, face shield

protective
equipment

5.48. Curbing air pollution needs long-term and short-term planning. Short-term planning
includes spraying water in urban areas, either by vehicle mounted water tanks or by fixed pipes

26
using treated sewage. Spraying not only reduces the re-suspension, but it also reduces urban heat
island effect.

5.49. Long-term planning includes counter-urbanization by reducing influx of people and moving jobs
outside the polluted cities. Reducing influx of people can be done by stopping establishment/expansion of
industries and educational institutions. Jobs can be moved outside the city by providing incentives to
industries, shifting government authorities, research institutions and universities. The 1946 New Towns
Act in England established an ambitious programme for building new towns. It gave the government
power to designate areas of land for new town development. It was intended to accommodate the
overspill of population from London. Since 1950, counter-urbanization has been occurring in Most
Economic Developed Countries (MEDCs), as urban areas are becoming unpleasant place to live due o
pollution, crime and traffic.

5.50. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had in 2016 directed Delhi Government to sprinkle water on
roads to contain dust, an initiative which can be adopted in Bengaluru using treated wastewater which is
mostly unutilized.

Recommendation to policy makers

5.51. The ambient air quality analysis has revealed that in many commercial (even in some
residential area) and in many industrial areas the RSPM values have exceeded the national
ambient air quality standard. The overall pollution issue cannot be said to be fully under
control. In view of the fact that the state has been encouraging setting up of more industries, the
need for additional land, water, raw materials and energy has to be carefully considered in a
holistic manner. Keeping in view the issue of dealing with industrial wastes and contribution to
Global Warming, very high levels of diligence are required in determining how much more
industrialisation, what type of industrialisation and in which parts of the state, is in the interest of
the state. Various stake holders in such a policy making should be effectively involved. Based
on the above discussions following policy interventions are recommended to policy makers:

 Arresting the exponential growth of vehicle population.

 Restrict/rationing the sale of fuel to the private vehicles.
 Green tax can be imposed on fuel and electricity usage as well which can be used for
growing trees.
 Issues of affordable price in public transport and attractiveness of fares and services
should be addressed urgently to reduce vehicular pollution.
 Resolve slow traffic issues in urban areas contributing to huge quantities of GHG
emissions, and also in wastage of petroleum products.
 Modify transportation systems on scientific basis.
 Impose proper limit on the operating life of vehicles or link it to certain efficiencies.
 Enforce compulsory greening around factories and in buffer zones.
 Pollution control at source should gain much higher importance and
 Emission controls in unorganized sectors.

Noise Pollution
5.52. Noise pollution is a physical form of pollution. Noise pollution is the result of modern
industrialized urban life and congestion due to over population. Repeated exposure to noise
reduces the sleeping hours and productivity or efficiency of a human being. It affects the peace
of mind and invades the privacy of a human being.

27
5.53. The Central Government notified the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules,
2000, as published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II –section 3(ii), vide S.O 123 (E)
dated 14.2.2000. The Ambient Air Quality Standards in Respect of Noise are notified under
Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.The enforcing authority for noise pollution
control includes any authority or officer authorized by the central government or by the state
government in accordance with the laws in force, and includes District Magistrate, Police
Commissioner, or any other officer designated for the maintenance of the ambient air quality
standards in respect of noise under any law for the time being in force. The Noise Standards are
given in the Table-14.

Table-14: Ambient Air Quality Standard in Respect of Noise in India

Area Code Category of Area /Zone Limit in dB(A) Leq*

Day Time Night Time

A Industrial Area 75 70

B Commercial Area 65 55

C Residential Area 55 45

D Silence Zone 50 40

5.54. Noise pollution continues to cause serious health impacts, particularly in urban areas.
Road traffic is the greatest contributor to noise exposure in Karnataka, apart from music/sports
/marriage/rallies/crackers/construction/demolition/drilling bore well. Whilst its potential to
contribute to dangerous impacts is clear, tackling noise pollution is challenging.

5.55. The urban population is exposed to high levels of road traffic noise above prescribed
limit. In addition, many people are also exposed to rail, aircraft and industrial noise. The average
exposure to noise in urban agglomerations increases with increase in population in the urban
agglomeration. Environmental noise is a source of annoyance and has been linked with increased
risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke (WHO, 2009; JRC, 2013).

Noise sources and levels at different zones

5.56. The KSPCB monitors the noise levels whenever complaints are received and the data is
shared with the police for further regulation. The KSPCB has established 10 continuous ambient
noise monitoring stations in Bengaluru city with help of CPCB. These monitoring stations
represent commercial, industrial, residential and sensitive areas. The results of noise level
monitored in 2015-16, through these continuous monitoring stations are presented in Table-15
and Fig. 21.

Table-15: Noise levels monitored by KSPCB in 2015-16

Sl. Name of the Limit Day Time % Limits Night Time % Increase
station dB increase dB(A)
No. (Bengaluru) (A) Leq L L Leq Lmin Lmax
Leq min max Leq

28
1 Peenya 75 58.8 50.0 71.9 Within 70 55.6 49.9 73.1 Within
Industrial Area Limit Limit

2 White field 75 65.9 58.4 83.9 Within 70 60.6 50.7 74.1 Within
Industrial Area Limit Limit

3 ParisaraBhavan, 65 66.2 54.7 76.7 1.9% 55 59.1 49.2 72.9 7.6%

Chirch Street

4 Yeshwanthpur 65 71.3 64.7 82.4 9.7% 55 63.4 54.4 73.8 15.3%

Police Station

5 Marathahalli 65 58.2 52.8 71.7 Within 55 56.7 52.6 66.6 3.1%

Limit

6 NisargaBhavan 55 58.2 47.3 81.3 5.8% 45 49.7 41.2 71.4 10.4%

KSPCB Office

7 TERI Office, 55 63.2 48 81.6 14.9% 45 54.8 38.9 71.9 21.7%

Domlur

8 BTM Layout 55 65.8 57.0 86.4 19.6% 45 58.9 46.9 72.4 30.8%

9 NIMHANS IGH 50 60.9 48.8 87.2 21.8% 40 54.4 40.8 78.8 36.0%
Care

10 RVCE, Mysore 50 59.7 53.2 78.1 19.4% 10 53.9 47.6 67.6 34.8%
Road

(Source: KSPCB annual report, 2015-16)

Note: Day time shall mean from 6.00 AM to 10.00 PM; Night time shall mean from 10.00 PM to
6.00 AM; Silence zone is an area comprising not less than 100 meters around Hospitals,
Educational Institutions, Courts, Religious places or any other which is declared as such by the
competent authority.

29
 Fig. 21: Noise levels monitored by KSPCB in 2015-16

5.57. Noise quality monitoring was carried out on 20-09-2012 when Bharat Bandh was
observed, and it was revealed that there was a reduction by 4 to 10 percent indicating
contribution of noise from transportation/industries/commercial activity is marginal (KSPCB,
2012). The background level of noise itself is near to national standards, making it difficult to
curb noise through engineering and administrative methods, leaving behind the use of personal
protective equipment, as the only option to overcome long term hearing problems.
Industrial Area
5.58. Noise monitoring has been made compulsory for large scale industries. The noise levels
monitored by KSPCB in Peenya Industrial area and Whitefield industrial area are within the
limits of prescribed Noise standards.
Residential Area
5.59. As indicated in Table-15, the residential areas have seen marginal increase in noise level
mainly due to vehicular traffic.
Commercial Area
5.60. As indicated in Table-15, the commercial areas have also shown increase in noise level
mainly due to vehicular traffic.

Silence Zone
5.61. As indicated in Table-15, the silence zone where the noise is measured saw increase in
noise level, mainly due to vehicular traffic. But the data is site specific, as they are located
adjacent to busy roads, where vehicular traffic has witnessed increase in the total flow of
vehicles.

Best practices of controlling noise pollution

30
5.62. Multifunctional green infrastructure plays a role in temperature regulation, adaptation to
climate change, increased biodiversity, protection against noise, reduction of air pollution,
prevention of soil erosion, as well as prevention of flooding.

Industrial Sector
5.63. Apart from improvement in design of machineries, operation and installation of noise
barriers, green areas can also help in reducing urban noise levels to great extent. Hence green
area needs to be protected by the concerned authority, which is otherwise being encroached for
slums and illegal use by private occupants.

Residential area
5.64. Public awareness and citizen engagement would benefit in reduction of noise level. The
most effective actions are those that reduce noise at source, for example by not bursting crackers,
avoiding noise in public/private events, decreasing noise emissions of individual vehicles by
regular servicing and introducing quieter tyres.
Commercial area
5.65. Reduction of exposure to noise is an important public health issue that must be addressed
by both state and local measures. Examples of local measures include setting up of road or rail
noise barriers, where appropriate, or managing flight movements around airport locations.

Silence Zone
5.66. Silence zones are no more silent due to migration and increase in urban population
around silent zones. Further visit of rural population to health care establishment also makes the
area busy and noisy. The state has continuously enhanced the health and education infrastructure
in rural areas which has had positive impact on environment as unnecessary travelling to urban
area has been reduced and as a result, the connected pollution issues have been contained to
some extent.

Recommendation to policy makers

5.67. Noise pollution can be controlled by the following methods:

 Admission of different types of vehicles on various roads;

 Imposition of restrictions of traffic hours;
 Imposing restrictions of operation hours for various urban functional zones;
 Establishment of suitable buffer zones around residential areas in order to insulate from
noise emanating areas such as industrial, commercial, road, railway traffic, etc.

5.68. Table-16 illustrates the methods of Noise Pollution Control with examples:

Table-16: Methods of Noise Pollution Control with examples

Type of Level Mode of Example

pollution control

31
Noise 1 Engineering Improvement in engine technology, improvement in road
condition, Improvement in manufacturing technology,
providing noise barrier, providing in built noise control
equipment like Silencer, Mufflers etc.

2 Administrative Legislation, financial instrument (tax, fine, subsidy, tax

rebate, awards and rewards), issuing directions, case
against defaulters, disconnection of power/water supply,
imprisonment, migration policy, changing investors
destination, Change in age limit for driving license,
increase in number of enforcing officers, capacity
building of enforcing institutions, awareness, increase in
trees, urban planning

3 Personal Ear plug

protective
equipment

Water Pollution

5.69. Water pollution is presence in water of harmful and objectionable material in sufficient
concentrations to make it unfit for use. Pollution of freshwater (drinking water) is a problem for
about half of the world's population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-related
diseases, with roughly 5 to 10 million deaths. Diseases caused by the ingestion of water
contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites include cholera, typhoid,
schistosomiasis, dysentery and other diarrheal diseases.

Water Resources
5.70. "Water is an important natural resource to touch all aspects of human civilization from
agricultural and industrial development to the cultural and religious values embedded in society."
(Koichiro Matsuura, 2008).
5.71. Developed countries are using comparatively less water for agriculture and more for
industrial and domestic purposes, while the developing countries in Asia and Africa use 80-90%
of the water for agriculture and only 5-12% of the water for industrial use. This is reflecting on
inefficient use of water in agriculture and poor investments in industrial development. With the
urbanization and industrial development, the usage of water is likely to increase in the coming
years. The per capita water consumption in India will increase from the current level of 99 litres
per day to 167 litres per day in 2050.

Surface Water
5.72. Karnataka is endowed with limited water resources that are already stressed and fast
depleting. Water resources are considered to be under severe threat in Karnataka. The state has
seven river basins and receives a total of 236 billion m3 of water every year, 92% of it through
rainfall. Around 47% are ‘lost’ through evapo-transpiration and another 46 % flow into the

32
Arabian Sea, into Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The state meets its requirement from the
remainder of about 7.5% paired with ground water. There are nearly 37,000 tanks and lakes with
a water spread area of 6.9 lakh hectares and more than 20,000 irrigation tanks.

5.73. The sectoral demands for water are growing rapidly on account of increase in population,
urbanization, rapid industrialization and rising incomes. About 77% of the total geographical
area of the state is arid or semi‐arid; drought is a threat, as two thirds of the state receive less than
750 mm rainfall per annum. Karnataka ranks second in India, next only to Rajasthan, in terms of
total geographical area prone to drought. Fifty-four (54) % of total geographical area of the state
is drought prone, affecting 88 out of 177 taluks and 18 of 30 districts.

Ground Water

5.74. Karnataka state has a total geographical area of 1,91,791 square kilometres. The Central
Ground Water Board (CGWB) is monitoring water levels in the state through 1,936 monitoring
stations, as a part of ‘Ground Water Monitoring’ program. The state is divided into 10 agro-
climatic zones on the basis of climate, soil, topography, cropping pattern and availability of
water resources.

5.75. The depth to water level recorded in the state during May 2015 is ranging from 0.05 mbgl
to 30.0 mbgl. The results of the monitoring reveal that 11 % of wells have water level less than 2
mbgl, 27% of wells have water level in the range of 2 to 5 mbgl and 40 % of wells have water
level in the range of 5 to 10 mbgl. Thus, about 77% of the analyzed wells have water level within
10 mbgl. Moderately deep water levels of 10 to 20 mbgl are seen in 22% of wells and deep water
levels of > 20 mbgl is found in about 1% of the analyzed wells. A total of 148 stations were
found to be dry during the period. The map shows that the depth to water levels in the range of 5
to 10 mbgl is recorded in entire Karnataka state. Depth to water level in the range of <2 mbgl is
observed in isolated patches in Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga,
Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Haveri, Kodagu, Koppala, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Shimoga,
Tumkur, Yadgiri, Udupi and Chamrajanagar districts. Depth to water level in the range of 2-5
mbgl and 10-20 mbgl is noticed in almost all parts of the state. Depth to water level of more than
20 mbgl is observed in Bidar, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppala, Hassan, Kodagu and Mysore districts.

5.76. The chemical quality of ground water collected from 1,110 National Hydrograph Network
(NHN) stations representing the shallow aquifers during May 2014 indicated that 80 % of the
samples in the state were in the ‘desirable limits for drinking. About 97 % samples show
‘permissible limit’ for drinking water. About 3% of the samples show more than ‘permissible
limit’ which is not considered for drinking purpose. In respect of chloride, 99% samples are
within ‘permissible’ limits for drinking and about 1 % samples are unsuitable for drinking
purpose. Nitrate concentration in ground water indicated that 80% of the samples in the state are
found to be under ‘desirable limit’ and 20% samples are beyond permissible limits. Similarly
fluoride analysis indicates that 87 % of the samples contained fluoride concentration in the
‘permissible’ (1.5 mg/l) range. Thus, about 13 % of the samples are in the ‘unsuitable’ range of
drinking water standards.

Consumption Pattern – At Regional level

33
5.77. The total demand for domestic consumption of water in urban areas is projected to
increase from 46 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) per year in 2011 to about 84 TMC by 20306.
An additional supply of about 49 TMC annually would be needed to close the demand-supply
gap. The Greater Bangalore region will account for two-thirds of the additional water
requirement and hence it requires significant attention from the policy makers.

Domestic
5.78. Out of the above gap of 49 TMC in 2030 (vis-à-vis existing supply levels), 33 TMC is
likely to be in the Greater Bangalore area alone. An additional 16 TMC of demand would be split
between the remaining 210+ cities and towns with the majority of growth concentrated in the 51
largest cities. There are several implications for this demand – supply situation:
1. Bangalore is likely to account for about two-thirds of urban water demand by 2030 and hence
needs highest attention of policy-makers;
2. Consumptive demand for water is only about 20%;
3. Wastewater management is also critical from the perspective of sustainability; and
4. There are significant variations in water supply, availability across urban areas, reflecting the
need to focus attention on selected medium and small cities facing acute water scarcity

Industrial
5.79. The total demand of water in the industrial sector increases more than three times, from
about 26 TMC/year in 2011 to 85 TMC in 2030. The power sector accounts for about half of this
water demand with a potential increased requirement of 34 TMC. In terms of regional
distribution, close to 90 percent of industrial water demand is in the Krishna basin. This fact
reflects the need to focus on industrial water availability in this basin. Ensuring water availability
in the dry season is especially crucial for continuous operation of power plants and other
industrial activities.
5.80. The steel sector witnessed slowing down of activity due to a recent mining restrictions
imposed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. It is reasonable to assume that activity will significantly
rise once these restrictions are removed. The overall increase in water requirement from steel
sector is expected to rise from about 2.7 TMC to 10 TMC in a Business-As-Usual scenario.
Other key sectors consuming water in Karnataka are sugar, cement and textiles. Information
Technology (IT) and Information technology enabled services (ITES) sectors are largely located
in Bangalore and their water demand is largely met through allocations to the city. Some key
considerations related to the pattern of demand growth in the industrial sector are as follows:

 Consumptive use of water in industry is lower than the freshwater withdrawals; however it
may not be as low as 2.5 percent due to increasing focus on re-use and Zero Liquid
Discharge; and
 Ensuring water availability in lean season is very important, which is proving to be
increasingly challenging.

Agriculture
5.81. Agriculture and associated activities including animal husbandry, fish/prawn/crab
cultivation, sericulture, mushroom cultivation, floriculture, horticulture, etc. demand huge
quantities of water. Many modern practices demand huge quantities of agro chemicals (Table-

6
Based on water requirement norms prevalent in the State (norm of 150 lpcd (litres per capita per day) for Bangalore
Metropolitan area, 135 lpcd for other Municipal Corporations and 100 lpcd for other towns).

34
17 and 18) which enter soil, air and water in its original form or after modification due to series
of chemical reactions.
Table-17: Consumption of Chemical Pesticides in Karnataka during 2010-11 to 2015-16
as on 09.11.2016(Tech. Grade)

Year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Consumption in MT 1858 1412 1615 1735 1793
(Source: Department of Agriculture, GOK)
5.82. Per hectare consumption of fertilizer, which was more than double in the year 2008-09
compared to the year 1991-92, reached its peak in the year 2011-12 and decreased afterwards.
The biggest issue facing the use of chemical fertilizers is water contamination, which includes
both surface water and groundwater. Nitrogen fertilizers break down into Nitrates and travel
easily through the soil and remain in groundwater for decades. Addition of more Nitrogen and
depletion of groundwater over the years has cumulative effect. Effects of chemical fertilizers are
compounded with use of pesticides and are not fully understood both in terms of nature of
reaction and effect of health of humans. Urea produces Ammonia emanation, contributing to acid
rain, groundwater contamination, as well as Ozone depletion due to release of Nitrous Oxide by
de-nitrification process.

Fig. 22: Death of trees adjacent to waste dump

due to infiltration of leachet into aquifer

35
 Table-18: Year-wise and nutrient-wise use of fertilizers in Karnataka State

Sl. Year Fertilizers used per hectare Ratio of fertilizers used Nutrient wise consumption
No. N P K Total N P K N P K Total
1. 1991-92 30.1 23.6 13.4 67.1 2.20 1.80 1 4.50 2.90 1.70 9.10
2. 1992-93 35.4 20.9 10.1 66.4 3.50 2.10 1 4.30 2.60 1.20 8.10
3. 1993-94 38 17.4 9.4 64.8 4.00 1.90 1 4.70 2.20 1.20 8.10
4. 1994-95 41.2 16.9 10.5 68.5 3.90 1.60 1 5.00 2.00 1.30 8.20
5. 1995-96 44.9 20.5 13 78.3 3.50 1.60 1 5.00 2.00 1.30 8.20
6. 1996-97 43.3 16 9.8 69.1 4.40 1.60 1 5.00 2.00 1.30 8.20
7. 1997-98 50.6 26.3 15.8 92.8 3.20 1.70 1 6.10 3.20 1.90 11.10
8. 1998-99 51.9 27.3 14.1 90.2 3.70 1.90 1 6.40 3.40 1.70 11.50
9. 1999-2000 55.3 30.4 17.5 103.2 3.2 1.7 1 6.80 3.70 2.20 12.70
10. 2000-01 60.5 31.7 19.2 111.4 3.10 1.70 1 6.80 3.70 2.20 12.70
11. 2001-02 57 31 19 107 3.07 1.65 1 6.71 3.60 2.18 1.25
12. 2002-03 52 26 17 95 3.08 1.56 1 6.01 3.04 1.95 11.00
13. 2003-04 43 21 16 80 2.65 1.29 1 4.93 2.40 1.87 9.20
14. 2004-05 51 28 21 101 2.40 1.33 1 7.54 4.35 3.35 15.25
15. 2005-06 58 33 26 117 2.25 1.30 1 7.54 4.35 3.35 15.25
16. 2006-07 61 35 23 119 2.60 1.50 1 7.56 4.38 2.91 14.86
17. 2007-08 61 31 27 119 2.31 1.15 1 7.92 3.93 2.43 15.28
18. 2008-09 70 45 33 148 2.11 1.37 1 8.64 5.59 4.09 18.32
19. 2009-10 75 49 36 160 2.07 1.35 1 9.63 6.30 4.66 20.58
20. 2010-11 78 53 30 162 2.55 1.75 1 10.16 6.96 3.98 21.10
21. 2011-12 92 65 28 184 3.32 2.36 1 11.04 7.87 3.33 22.23
22. 2012-13 76 33 21 130 3.57 1.56 1 8.92 3.86 2.50 15.27
23. 2013-14 80 38 22 140 3.73 1.75 1 9.45 4.42 2.57 17.57
24. 2014-15 85 42 28 156 3.01 1.50 1 10.01 4.98 3.32 18.32
25. 2015-16 79 42 25 146 3.23 1.71 1 9.30 4.93 2.88 17.11
[Source: Karnataka State Department of Agriculture (2015)]

36
Others
5.83. Karnataka exemplifies the problems with respect to significant regional and temporal
disparities in water availability. The total water availability of Karnataka is 3,200 TMC, which is
1,500 cubic metres per person per year for all water uses including food production. As per the
Falkenmark 7 indicator, which is widely used to measure water scarcity, Karnataka would be
classified as experiencing “Water Stress”. However, closer examination of regional distribution
of water resources reveals that more than 2,000 TMC of water is available in West Flowing
Rivers, emanating from the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats Region. There are rivers that
travel very short distances and rapidly discharge in the Arabian Sea, and are presently not
utilizable except for a small percentage due to limited potential for use. This situation implies
that the total freshwater availability is increasingly insufficient to meet the needs of all
stakeholders dependent on water.
5.84. In addition, water quality issues are further reducing the effective availability of water.
Surface water bodies are polluted due to increasing discharge from untreated municipal sewage
and industrial effluents. The Bio-Mapping report on major rivers of Karnataka by KSPCB has
indicated changes in environmental quality of water sources especially in the industrialized
regions. While the state is facing severe depletion of ground water table due to over-exploitation,
it is also facing rapidly growing ground water pollution in many parts of the state. About 64 of
the 234 watersheds have serious water quality problems in the state as per the recent analysis of
ground water samples by the Department of Mines and Geology. Ground water is polluted with
excess concentration of fluoride, arsenic, iron, nitrate and salinity due to both anthropogenic and
geogenic factors in parts of the state.
5.85. As per 2011 census, out of 6,10,95,297 people who reside in Karnataka, 2,36,25,962
people live in urban areas and out of the urban population, 32,91,434 live in slums. This means
that ‘polluter pays principle’ can not be imposed on 13.95% of the urban population in addition
to the rural population. Further the slums are not planned during development or expansion of
any city, but they emerge slowly or un-noticed and become part of cities posing fresh demand for
urban space, water, fresh air, etc. Many times they are established in lung spaces and in natural
water drainage meant for flow of excess water during flooding.
5.86. Table-19 shows per capita resource demand and waste generation of a citizen.
Table-19: Per capita Resource Demand and Waste generation of a citizen
Sl. Particular Quantity
No.
1. Waste generation Solid waste 0.12 to 5.1 kg per person per day
2. Sewage 100 lpcd
3. Resource consumption Water 120 lpcd
4. Fresh Air 10 l/s or 864000 l/d (864 m3/d)
5. Cereals* 396 g/d
6. Pulses* 43 g/d
7. Leafy Vegetables* 58 g/d
8. Other Vegetables* 45 g/d
9. Roots & tubers 40 g/d
10. Milk* 200 g/d

7
“A Review of Water Scarcity Indices and Methodologies” by Sustainability Consortium – April, 2011.

37
 11. Fats & Oils* 31 g/d
12. Sugar/Jaggery* 31 g/d
13. Energy** 17731 Mega Joules

*FAO(2017)
**Per capita Energy demand in 2014-15 (Source: Central Statistics Office (2016))
*** World Bank (2012)

5.87. Increase in population also means increase in agricultural products. The vegetables
consumed would impose 322 l/kg of vegetable produced whereas fruits demand 962 l/kg of
water and Bovine meat demand 14,414 l/kg of water (Mkonnen and Hoekstr, 2010)

5.88. As per the information published by Directorate of plant protection, quarantine and
storage (Dppqs, 2017), the Technical Grade pesticide consumption decreased from 1,858 t in
2010-11 to 1434 t in 2015-16. But considering the life of these chemicals, they may become
airborne, get into soil, enter bodies of water, or be taken up by plants and animals leading to
biomagnifications at each level of food chain.

5.89. As per Rose et al (2015), results showed that the median fecal wet mass production was
128 g/cap/day, with a median dry mass of 29 g/cap/day. Fecal output in healthy individuals was
1.20 defecations per 24 hr period and the main factor affecting fecal mass was the fiber intake of
the population. Median urine generation rates were 1.42 L/cap/day with a dry solids content of
59 g/cap/day. Apart from human excreta per capita values of solid waste generate in south Asia
range from 0.12 to 5.1 kg per person per day and an average of 0.45 kg/capita/day (World Bank,
2012).
5.90. Karnataka is India’s 7th most urbanized State in India with 271 Urban Local Bodies
(ULBs):

 BBMP and other 10 City Corporations

 City Municipal Council– 57
 Town Municipal Council- 113
 Town Panchayats- 90
5.91. In the 2001 census, 16.2 million persons out of total population of 52.8 million in
Karnataka were migrants. This number increased from 9.1 million in 1971 to 11.7 million in
1981 to 13.3 million in 199l and 16.2 million in 2001.The states of Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra
as well as Karnataka receive 64.1 percent of the intra state migrant workers in the age group 15-
32 years whereas Bihar and Uttar Pradesh account for 59 percent of migrant workers who leave
their place of usual residence (Chandrasekar and Ajay, 2014). Migration into Karnataka from
outside has posed demand on water resources and increased environmental burden.

Water Quality Status of Major Rivers of Karnataka

5.92. The abstract of number of water samples (river, lake, ground water) analyzed during
2015-16 in KSPCB given in Table-20:

38
Table-20: Water Samples Analyzed by Central Laboratory and Regional Laboratories

Sl.
Type of sample No of samples
No
1. River Water 422
2. Ground water 3214
3. Lake/tank water 1212
4. NWMP – Rivers, Tributaries, Lakes and Tanks, 2079
Source: Annual Report of KSPCB for the year 2015-2016

5.93. In Karnataka, there are seven River systems, namely, Godhavari, Krishna, Cauvery,
North Pennar, South Pennar, Palar and West flowing Rivers. Major Rivers in the State are
Krishna and Cauvery which cover 78.47% of total drainage area and west flowing Rivers such as
Mahadayi, Kali, Bedthi (Gangavali), Aghanashini, Sharavathi, Chakra, Varahi, Netravathi,
Barpole, etc. cover 12.73%. The KSPCB is monitoring water quality of Rivers including
tributaries, drains at 84 stations in the state under National Water Quality Monitoring
Programme, which also includes the monitoring of 120 lakes.
5.94. The CPCB has specified Primary Water Quality Criteria depending on the designated
best use and activities in the river. The classifications are:

Class ‘A’ – Drinking water source without conventional treatment but after disinfection.
Class ‘B’ – Out door bathing (organized).
Class ‘C’ – Drinking water source with conventional treatment followed by disinfection.
Class ‘D’ – Propagation of wild life, fisheries.
Class ‘E’ – Irrigation, Industrial Cooling, Controlled Waste disposal.

39
 Fig. 23: Classification of River Water Quality in Karnataka

5.95. The Monitoring results reveal that the quality of River water is affected due to the
discharge of sewage. By and large, most of the River stretches fall under "C" category which
means that the water is fit for domestic use after physio-chemical treatment and disinfection.

40
5.96. At the following three locations, the treated industrial effluents are permitted for
discharge into the Rivers. The water quality at these locations about 100 meters downstream of
the treated effluent discharge point are as under;

 Mysore Paper Mill’s treated effluent into Bhadra River near Bhadravathi, Shivamogga
district. Bhadra river water quality downstream of Bhadravathi conforms to ‘D’ Class.

 Harihara Poly Fibres-Grasilene Division treated combined effluent into Tungabhadra River
near Harihar, Haveri district. Tungabhadra river water quality downstream of Harihara
Polyfibres conforms to ‘E’ Class.

 West Coast Paper Mills Ltd treated effluent into Kali River near Bangur Nagar near
Dandeli, Uttara Kannada district. Kali river water quality, monitored indicates that at the
downstream of the industry, it conforms to ‘C’ Class throughout the year except in December
when it conforms to ‘D’ Class.

Ground Water Qualities Status in Major Cities

5.97. Nitrate is a problem in drinking water due to its harmful biological effects. High
concentration can cause Methemoglobinemia and is cited as a risk factor in developing gastric
and intestinal cancer. The distribution of nitrate in the state indicated that the values are in the
range of 0.001 to 360 mg/l. Nitrate in drinking water should not exceed 45 mg/l as per BIS (ISO:
10500: 2012) standard and the highest value 360 mg/l was recorded in the sample collected from
Hulgur, Haveri district. The data indicated that, 80% of the samples in the state are found to be
falling under ‘Acceptable’ classes of BIS Standards. A significant percentage of samples
collected from Bagalkot, Bellary, Belgaum, Bangalore Rural, Gulbarga, Bijapur,
Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Dharwar, Gadag, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore,
Shimoga, Raichur, Koppal, Kodagu, Haveri and Tumkur districts showed Nitrate concentration
greater than 45 mg/l, rendering them unsuitable for drinking. The contamination of ground water
by Nitrates is mainly due to anthropogenic causes, owing its origin to septic systems, fertilizers
and livestock wastes.
5.98. One of the essential elements for maintaining normal development of healthy teeth and
bones is Fluoride. Lower concentrations of Fluoride below 0.6mg/l may contribute to dental
caries (cavity formation). However, continuing consumption of higher concentrations, above
1.2mg/l, causes dental Flourosis and in extreme cases even skeletal Flourosis. Most of the
Fluoride found in groundwater is of geogenic origin. The occurrence of Fluoride in ground water
in the state exhibited wide variations from 0.01 mg/l to 6.70 mg/l. The sample collected from
Chadachan, Bijapur district recorded the highest value of 6.7 mg/l. In the state, 87 % of the
samples collected were found to contain Fluoride concentration in the ‘permissible’ (1.5 mg/l)
range. Thus, about 13 % of the analyzed samples are in the ‘unsuitable’ range. The data shows
that a considerable percentage of samples collected from Bagalkot, Bijapur, Bellary, Bangalore
(Urban, Rural) Raichur, Koppala, Gadag, Yadgiri, Chitradurga, Chickballapur, C.R.Nagar,
Davanagere, Gulbarga, Haveri, Kolar, Mandya, Uttara Kannada and Tumkur districts showed
Fluoride concentration beyond 1.5 mg/l rendering them unsuitable for drinking purpose (CGWB,
2016).
5.99. Ground water in terms of quality and quantity is the main problem in Bangalore
compared to other major cities due to:

41
 a) Sewage and Industrial pollution;
b) High Nitrate concentration in ground water; and
c) Over exploitation of ground water resources.
5.100. This is due to urbanization which has increased rapidly in the last two decades. The green
cover, tanks and lakes have also diminished leading to depletion in water level. Rapid
urbanization, migration, IT boom, related economic activities, trade and commerce have exerted
enormous pressure and this has increased the discharge of sewage into the lakes. Improper
environmental planning has resulted in establishment of new residential layouts without proper
sewerage system. Even if such systems have been provided, the same have not been connected to
trunk sewers of BWSSB (CGWB, 2012).
5.101. As per CGWB (2012) studies, most of the open wells/bore wells situated in the vicinity
of Vrishbhavathi river are polluted due to discharge of sewage into the river. However, impact
assessment of artificial recharge structures in Bangalore University has revealed that there is
improvement in the quality of ground water in and around Vrishabhavathi valley.
5.102. Further study by CGWB (2012) shows that in Industrial belt of Rajajinagar, Peenya and
Hoskote area, Ground water is slightly alkaline and indicated high concentration of chloride and
magnesium and high Nitrate in all the industrial belts of Hoskeote, Peenya, Rajajinagar and
Kanakapura road. Major part of the shallow ground water ie., 45 % of the area is affected by
high Nitrate content, which may be due to natural sewage and point source pollution whereas,
deeper aquifer is not affected to that extent by high Nitrate content. Due to over exploitation of
ground water resources, water level has gone deeper, thereby leaving the only solution of
building up of ground water resource through artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting
(CGWB, 2012).

Sewage
5.103. As per KSPCB (2016), 3777 MLD of sewage and sullage is generated in Karnataka. The
state is having 53 Sewage Treatment Plants, with cumulative treatment capacity of 1304 MLD
capable of treating of sewage and sullage generated in local bodies all over Karnataka. Around
2473 MLD of waste water is discharged without treatment.
5.104. About 495 Water Supply Schemes are commissioned in the state as on 2016, providing
assured drinking water supply in 196 urban areas, apart from Bangalore. Under Ground Drainage
program, 52 schemes have been commissioned in 49 urban areas, apart from Bangalore
(Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring & Statistics, Government of Karnataka,
2016a).
Trade effluent
5.105. The Board is monitoring treated/untreated waste water from industries for different
quality parameters to verify compliance to consents. The abstract of number of waste water
(trade & sewage), bacteriological and Bio assay water samples analyzed during 2015-16 in all
the laboratories of the Board is illustrated in the Table-21:

42
 Table-21: Industrial waste water samples analyzed by Central Laboratory and Regional
Laboratories

No of
Sl. No. Type of sample
samples
1. Waste water- trade &sewage(samples as per Act & routine samples) 7,110
2. Bacteriological 2,996
3. Bio-assay 111
Source: Annual Report of KSPCB for the year 2015-2016
5.106. As per Annual Report of KSPCB for the year 2015-2016, only 8,038 industries
contributed to trade effluent. The effluents pose greater challenge as different industries will
have different characteristics and need different treatment.
Status of Common effluent treatment plant (CETP)
5.107. As on March 2016, nine Common Effluent Treatment Plants were operating in
Karnataka, one unit was not in operation and another unit was yet to be commissioned. CETPs
are catering mainly to small and medium scale industries such as metal finishing, textile dyeing,
rice mills, fish mills, etc.

Critical Pollutant Analysis of Effluent from Industries and Domestic sewage

5.108. Environmental pollution has many facets and result in diseases in almost all organ
systems. The quality of both surface and ground water is continuously deteriorating. Flooding
and drought due to climate change may result in more water and health-related issues. Emerging
pollutants like pharmaceuticals and personal care products may be a future concern due to algal
blooms as well as pathogenic microorganisms.

Impact of Water Pollution on Flora, Fauna and Human beings

5.109. The quantitative, ecological and chemical status of water can significantly affect human
health as well as well-being. Their impacts on flora, fauna and human beings can be felt directly,
through lack of access to good quality drinking water, exposure to contaminated water,
inadequate sanitation, as well as consumption of contaminated freshwater and seafood. They can
also be felt, when the ability of ecosystems to provide essential services for human well-being is
damaged.

5.110. Most people in urban Karnataka receive treated drinking water from municipal supply
systems. Nutrients, pesticides, industrial chemicals and household chemicals continue to affect
the quality of surface, ground as well as marine waters. This threatens aquatic ecosystems and
raises concern about potential human health impacts. Chemicals from pharmaceuticals, personal
care products, insecticides, pesticides, toilet cleaners and other consumer products can have
adverse effects on the environment and on human health. Unfortunately, the environmental
pathways and potential human health impacts of these chemicals are not fully understood,
especially when people are exposed to multiple of chemicals.

Pollution Control Measures

For Trade Effluent Treatment

43
5.111. Among the total of 8,038 orange and red industries 6,034 industries had ETP while 839
handed over their effluent to CETPs.

For Domestic Sewage Treatment

5.112. Considering the serious situation, KSPCB issued directions to all urban local bodies of
Karnataka on 05.12.2015 to: (1) comply with revised standards from the date of issuance of
direction; (2) Local bodies without consent shall obtain consent within 60 days; (3) Secondary
treated effluent should be mandatorily sold for use for non-potable purpose. Non potable water to
be allowed for such activities; (4) shall enforce dual piping system in new housing constructions
for use of treated sewage for flushing purpose; (5) submit a time bound action plan for setting up
sewerage system covering proper collection, treatment and disposal of sewage generated in
urban local body within 90 days; (6) new STPs shall be designed to treat and achieve new
standards. The revised sewage discharge standards for sewage treatment plant stipulated with
direction on 05.12.2015 are given in Table-22.

Table-22: The revised sewage discharge standards for sewage treatment plant stipulated
with direction on 05.12.2015
Sl. No. Parameters Parameters Limit
1 pH 6.5-9.0
2 BOD (mg/l) Not more than 10
3 COD (mg/l) Not more than 50
4 TSS (mg/l) Not more than 20
5 NH4-N (mg/l) Not more than 5
6 N-Total (mg/l) Not more than 10
7 Fecal Coliform (MPN/100 ml) Less than 100

Quantum of treated waste water

5.113. Table-23 shows trends in urban population and sewage generation. Rural population does
not have sewers and many households still do not have sanitation. But the situation is changing
as most of the households are providing latrine with septic tank and soak pit.

44
 Table-23: Trends in urban population and sewage generation
Water demand from Sewage generation 80% Ex-filtration in cum/d Sewage reaching surface
Urban population in of water demand (15-50%) water (50-85%)
Populati % urban cum/d considering
on (in populatio water demand of 120 reaching ground water
Year Lakhs) n lpcd
1951 194 22.95 534.28 427.42 64.11-213.17 123.17-363.31
1961 236 22.23 629.55 503.64 75.55-251.82 251.82-428.10
1971 293 24.31 854.74 683.79 102.57-341.90 341.90-581.22
1981 371 28.29 1259.47 1007.58 151.14-503.79 503.79-856.44
1991 448 30.91 1661.72 1329.38 199.41-664.69 664.69-1129.97
2001 527 33.98 2148.90 1719.12 257.87-859.56 859.56-1461.25
2011 611 38.57 2827.95 2262.36 339.35-1131.18 1131.18-1923.01
Source of population: Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring & Statistics, Government of Karnataka (2016a)
5.114. Table-24 below gives the methods of pollution control with some examples.
Table-24: Methods of Pollution control with examples

Type of Level Mode of Example

pollution control

Water 1 Engineering Reduction in water/raw material consumption,

Improvement in manufacturing/pollution control
technology, water treatment at point of consumption,
packaged drinking water, proper solid/liquid waste
management

2 Administrative Legislation, financial instrument (tax, fine, subsidy, tax

rebate, awards and rewards), issuing directions, case
against defaulters, disconnection of power/water supply,
imprisonment, migration policy, changing investors
destination, increase in number of enforcing officers,

45
 capacity building of enforcing institutions, awareness

3 Personal Protective clothing, face shield, umbrella

protective
equipment

46
Augmentation of water resource

Using treated water

5.115. Reuse of treated wastewater has been practiced in most of the industries in Karnataka.
Even though reuse of treated wastewater is practiced in stray cases in the domestic sector, there
is need to enhance this practice, as the entire state is having only 53 STPS in urban local bodies.
Rain water harvesting
5.116. At an average rainfall of 750mm per year, the total available rain water will be 33TMC in
1250 sq.km area of Greater Bengaluru. The BWSSB can utilize 5 to 10 TMC of rain water that
falls in and around the city by utilizing the benefits of the complete remodeled storm water
drains by BBMP, ensuring collection of all the sewage in the sewerage network so that all the
sewage is taken to the treatment plants.

Best practices of controlling water pollution

Industrial Sector
5.117. Control of industrial pollution should start with proper location of industries. Industry
may be encouraged to provide complete recycle/reuse system for water conservation, preferably
by adopting Zero Liquid Discharge facility. The protection of existing water holding reservoir is
one of the good practices, which can be replicated. It is also essential to consider groundwater
availability for next 20-30 years considering immigration and industrialization in the state.
Domestic Sector
5.118. The Domestic sector is one of the most challenging as the responsibility of treating the
sewage from residences is conventionally with the local bodies. The explosion of population in
many cases made it difficult to carry increased waste quantity due to improper forecasting of
sewage. Apart from local bodies, the sewage is treated in septic tanks and soak-pits, wherever
sewers are not laid. The regulatory authority insists upon the gated community and large
apartments to treat the sewage generated by them. But such practice needs skilled manpower,
energy and disposal of sludge. Efficient scientific sewage treatment system and proper
recycle/reuse facility can reduce the fresh water consumption by 70 % in urban centers.
Others
5.119. Other sectors like vehicle service centers and meat shops pose a challenge, since they are
scattered all over the city and wastewater generated by them is not treated. The characteristics of
these units are challenging and they need to be discouraged in residential area, so that the sewers
and sewage treatment plant, if any are not burdened and water resources are not polluted. They
should also be encouraged to have minimum treatment system, before discharging the
wastewater in to sewers for final treatment. Vehicle service should be encouraged with no or
little water usage to conserve the water resource.

Recommendation to policy makers

5.120. The control of water pollution in all situations is based on the principles of control, avoid,
mitigate, recycle/reuse, adapt and restore. Established environmental as well as economic
policies need to focus on efficiency improvements in terms of avoiding pollution sources,

47
mitigating pollution at source, adapting pollution control strategy, adoption of recycle/reuse
facility and restoring environment (European Environmental Agency(EEA), 2015) and the same
is explained below:

Avoid: Policies based on the precautionary principle can facilitate to avoid potential harm in
highly complex as well as uncertain situations. There has been dominant situation in terms of
migration and subsequent pollution, even before urban area is ready to accept people and their
business. For example, the people are migrating to urban areas in spite of the fact that the urban
local body can not accept sewage load from migrants and their business.

Mitigate: Policies that mitigate environmental degradation focus on reducing environmental

pressures or offsetting the harmful effects of pollution at high expenditure towards construction
of infrastructure or adopting green manufacturing.

Adapt: Policies focused on adapting strategy are used when environmental change is inevitable.
The adaption policy means expenditure towards health of citizens, flora and fauna.

Restore: Policies that aim to restore focus on remedying degraded environment which is costly
and burden on states anywhere in the world.

Reuse/Recycle: Policies focused on Reuse/Recycle strategy are used to reduce the

environmental burden caused due to use of water for different purposes. This also helps the
nature to regain regeneration capacity of producing water through its bio-geo-chemical cycles.

48