WATER POLLUTION

1. What is Water Pollution?

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (like oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, aquifers, and groundwater) usually
caused due to human activities. Water pollution is any change in the physical, chemical or biological properties of water
that will have a detrimental consequence of any living organism.
2. Sources of Water Pollution
Some of the most commonly occurring water pollutants are
• Domestic Waste
• Industrial effluents
• Insecticides and pesticides
• Detergents and Fertilizers
3. Effects of Pollution of Water
1. Diseases: In humans, drinking or consuming polluted water in any way has many disastrous effects on our health.
It causes typhoid, cholera, hepatitis and various other diseases.
2. Destruction of Ecosystems: Ecosystems are extremely dynamic and respond to even small changes in the
environment. Water pollution can cause an entire ecosystem to collapse if left unchecked.
3. Eutrophication: Chemicals in a water body, encourage the growth of algae. These algae form a layer on top of
the pond or lake. Bacteria feed on this algae and this decreases the amount of oxygen in the water body,
severely affecting the aquatic life there.
4. Effects the food chain: Disruption in food chains happens when toxins and pollutants in the water are consumed
by aquatic animals (fish, shellfish etc) which are then consumed by humans.
4. Prevention
The best way to prevent large-scale water pollution is to try and reduce its harmful effects. There are various small
changes we can make to protect ourselves from a scary future where water is scarce.
1. Save Water: Conserving water is our first aim. Water wastage is a major problem globally and we are only now
waking up to the issue. Simply small changes you can make domestically will make a huge difference.
2. Better treatment of sewage: So, treating waste products before disposing of it in a water body helps reduce water
pollution on a large scale. Agriculture or other industries can reuse this wastewater by reducing its toxic contents.
3. Use environmentally friendly products: By using soluble products that do not go on to become pollutants, we
can reduce the amount of water pollution caused by a household.
What are Water Quality Standards?
Water quality standards (WQS) are provisions of state, territorial, authorized tribal or federal law approved by
EPA(Environmental Protection Agency) that describe the desired condition of a water body and the means by which
that condition will be protected or achieved. Water bodies can be used for purposes such as recreation (e.g.
swimming and boating), scenic enjoyment, and fishing, and are the home to many aquatic organisms. To protect
human health and aquatic life in these waters, states, territories and authorized tribes establish WQS. WQS form a
legal basis for controlling pollutants entering the waters of the United States.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

When a water sample containing degradable organic matter is placed in a closed container and inoculated with
bacteria, the oxygen consumption typically follows the pattern shown in Figure 5-2. During the first few days the
rate of oxygen depletion is rapid because of the high concentration of organic matter present. As the concentration
of organic matter decreases, so does the rate of oxygen consumption. During the last part of the BOD curve, oxygen
consumption is mostly associated with the decay of the bacteria that grew during the early part of the test. It is
generally assumed that the rate at which oxygen is consumed is directly proportional to the concentration of
degradable organic matter remaining at any time.
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a second method of estimating how much oxygen would be depleted from a
body of receiving water as a result of bacterial action. While the BOD test is performed by using a population of
bacteria and other microorganisms to attempt to duplicate what would happen in a natural stream over a period of
five days, the COD test uses a strong chemical oxidizing agent (potassium dichromate or potassium permanganate)
to chemically oxidize the organic material in the sample of wastewater under conditions of heat and strong acid. The
COD test has the advantage of not being subject to interference from toxic materials, as well as requiring only two
or three hours for test completion, as opposed to five days for the BOD test. It has the disadvantage of being
completely artificial, but is nevertheless considered to yield a result that may be used as the basis upon which to
calculate a reasonably accurate and reproducible estimate of the oxygen-demanding properties of a wastewater. The
COD test is often used in conjunction with the BOD test to estimate the amount of nonbiodegradable organic material
in a wastewater. In the case of biodegradable organics, the COD is normally in the range of 1.3 to 1.5 times the
BOD. When the result of a COD test is more than twice that of the BOD test, there is good reason to suspect that a
significant portion of the organic material in the sample is not biodegradable by ordinary microorganisms. As a side
note, it is important to be aware that the sample vial resulting from a COD test can contain leachable mercury above
regulatory limits. If such is the case, the sample must be managed as a toxic hazardous waste.
Water quality standards of Nepal