Introduction to Water Pollution

and
Water Quality Standards

By: Hem Raj Pandeya

(074BME616)
 Contents
• Definition
• Types of Water Pollution
• Causes of Water Pollution
• Impact of Water Pollution
• Water Quality Standards
Definition
• “Any alteration in the physical or chemical or biological properties of
water and the contamination with any unwanted foreign substances,
which would contribute a health hazard or otherwise decreases the
utility of water.”
Types of Water Pollution
• Surface water pollution
• Oxygen Depletion
• Ground water pollution
• Nutrients
• Microbiological
• Suspended matter
• Chemical pollution
Causes of Water Pollution
• Sewage and waste-water
• Marine Dumping
• Industrial Waste
• Insecticides and Fertilizer
• Radioactive Waste
• Oil Pollution
• Underground Storage Leakages
• Atmospheric Decomposition
• Global Warming
• Eutrophication
Impacts of Water Pollution
• Disease
• Destruction of Ecosystems
• Eutrophication
• Affects the food chain
Water Quality Standards
• Definition of water quality depends on the intended use of water which may be
consumptive (human consumption) and non consumptive (industries, agriculture,
power generation)
• Depending upon the proposed uses of water, certain quality criteria are
established and based on these criteria, quality standards are specified by health
and other regulating agencies to ensure quality of water for use.
• Different type of water requires different levels of water priority
• Drinking water requires highest standards of priority
 Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD) 
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved
oxygen (DO) needed (i.e. demanded) by aerobic biological
organisms to break down organic material present in a given water
sample at certain temperature over a specific time period.
Sources of Biochemical Oxygen Demand
• Topsoil
• Leaves and woody debris;
• Animal manure
• Effluents from pulp and paper mills 
• Wastewater treatment plants
• Feedlots, and food-processing plants 
• Failing septic systems and urban stormwater runoff.
How to measured BOD?
1. Measure the volume of sample of water in a dark bottle
2. Measure the oxygen level oxygen by meter/chemical metered
3. Incubate the water of 20 degree celsius in dark to prevent
photosynthesis for 5 days
4. Measure the oxygen level again
5. The difference between the two oxygen level is BOD
Fig : Overview of  Biochemical Oxygen Demand
 Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD) 

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is an indicative measure of the amount of oxygen that
can be consumed by reactions in a measured solution. It is commonly expressed in mass of
oxygen consumed over volume of solution which in SI units is milligrams per litre
(mg/L). COD is used to gauge the short-term impact wastewater effluents will have on the
oxygen levels of receiving waters.
Why Measure Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)?

• When treated wastewater is discharged into the environment, it can

introduce pollution in the form of organic content to receiving waters.
High levels of wastewater COD indicate concentrations of organics
that can deplete dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to negative
environmental and regulatory consequences. To help determine the
impact and ultimately limit the amount of organic pollution in water,
oxygen demand is an essential measurement.
 Processes Require Chemical Oxygen Demand Monitoring
Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment
• Influent waters entering wastewater plants are high in organics and the
wastewater plant must reduce the “organic loading” before discharging water to
a receiving body.
• Oxygen demand is useful for measuring waste loadings, evaluating the efficiency
of the treatment process, and ensuring compliance with regulations for the
oxygen demand of effluent.
Primary Treatment:
• Clarifiers, or sedimentation basins, slow the flow of the wastewater to allow
suspended solids to settle. Surface skimmers collect any floating fats, oils and
greases. With the use of this mechanical and physical means, approximately 30%
of organic matter is removed from the wastewater and is routed to the solids
management area of the plant.
Secondary Treatment:
This process uses living organisms to aid in reducing organics. In the aeration basin, bacteria and microorganisms
convert biodegradable organic matter to carbon dioxide and water. With this conversion, organics are reduced,
thereby reducing oxygen demand.
 Oxygen Sag Curve

• Oxygen sag or the oxygen sag curve refers to the reduction in

dissolved oxygen plotted over a distance along a water body from a
point at which sewage or other pollutants have been discharged. The
phenomenon of oxygen sag is usually related to the release of organic
pollutants or nutrient elements, which promote the growth of oxygen-
consuming micro-organisms. The curve obtained when the
concentration of dissolved oxygen in a river into which sewage or
some other pollutant has been discharged is plotted against the
distance downstream from the sewage outlet.
Fig : Oxygen Sag Curve
Advantages and Disadvantages of COD
• Advantages • Disadvantages
1. It takes Less time 1. It is inability to differentiate the
2. COD text oxidize a wide range biological oxidizable and
of chemical compound biologically inert organic
matter
2. Some organic compound aren't
oxidise completely which
contain carbon compound
Water Quality Standards in
Nepal
Prepared by:
Kishor Sapkota(074BME618)
Manish
Timsina(074BME619)
Nepal set off to the establishment of proper drinking water supply to the general public by the
enactment of Water Resource Act 1992. The Act was a milestone and established the general
guidelines and standards for the drinking water for the urban population. 
Since the enactment of the first guidelines various amendments and new laws have been passed
with:
o Water Resource Act 1992
o Water Resources Regulation 1993
o Water Supply Management Board Act 2006
o National Drinking Water Quality Standards 2005
o National Urban Supply and Sanitation Policy 
o Rural Water Supply and Sanitation National Policy 2004
o National Water Supply And Sanitation Policy 2014
 National Water Supply and Sanitation
Policy 2014

The estimated costs of ill health, medical treatment, lost time and opportunities caused by lack of
access to the basic services like safe drinking water accounts for an annual loss of around  $34
billion USD in the South Asia. The economic returns on water and sanitation investments in South
Asia are around 3.5 for water supply, 6.9 for sanitation and 6.6 for fully integrated projects.
Thus, the provision of safe drinking water to the general population is not only inherent rights of the
general public but is also a good economic incentive to boost the economy of the South Asia.
 Urban Water Supply:
• Water supply service delivery in most urban areas is poor and inadequate. In the cities and towns
water supply coverage is poor; supply pressure is low; supply is intermittent; water is not potable
without further measures at household level to make it potable; non-revenue water is high;
consumer satisfaction is low. All urban water supply services are in need of substantive
improvements. 
• Local sources, especially in hills areas, are soon found to be inadequate to meet the demand for
water supply for the rapidly and haphazardly growing towns and cities, The existing sources are
depleting by years. Transfer of water from higher or lower sources located at longer distances are
costly and poses a number of social and environmental problems and challenges. Storage of
abundantly available rain water locally for distribution in dry weather is difficult because of high
land prices and difficult terrains.
• Provisioning of basic water supply and sanitation services for squatters and slum dwellers, the
poor and marginalized groups has largely been neglected.4
 Rural Water Supply
• Though with the substantial investment in the rural water supply sub-sector a good coverage has
been achieved in the past decades, functionality of the completed schemes has been a major
issue. About half of the schemes are reported to be non-functioning in the need rehabilitation.
• Mostly rural water supplies in hills are designed and operated based on small surface and sub-
surface sources with very marginal dry weather discharges. While the sources flow at many times
higher discharge rates in most months in a year. Such small sources are prone to dry out for a
slightest change in climatic, geotechnical and vegetation of their catchment due to natural or
human causes.
• Source dispute is common among competing user community and competing use of water from
the source in absence of a scientific and comprehensive water resource planning at local levels. 
 Water Supply Services:

Service Indicators Service Levels

High Medium  Basic
Quantity (lpcd) >= 112 >= 65 >= 45
Quality Meets NDWQS Meets NDWQS Potable
Accessibility >= 75% consumers having >= 50% consumers having >= 75% consumers
private taps private taps  dependent on public taps
Duration of supply 24 (18-24) 24 (12-18) 24 (6-12)
(hrs./day)
National Drinking Water Quality
Standard

Source: National Drinking Water Quality Standards and Directives, 2005

Municipal waste water
treatment system

Prepared by Md Jaid Ahamad (074BME620)

What is Municipal Wastewater treatment system?

Municipal wastewater treatment system is a type of wastewater

treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage. Sewage
contains wastewater from households and businesses and possibly pre-
treated industrial wastewater.
What is Municipal Wastewater treatment system?

•  The pollutants are treated by various methods like Physical, Chemical,

and Biological process. 
• The practice of municipal wastewater treatment is best encouraged
these days.
• This treated resource is best for utilizing in raising the crops.
Treatment process steps:
• There are three major process in waste water treatment, explained by
the figure below:
Treatment process steps:
• Primary treatment of municipal wastewater treatment can be
followed by the first stage is the deposition stage. The excrement is
streamed through the large tanks; later these tanks are used to
skimming off the grease and oils from the sludge which are settled in
the tanks. The refined filths are collected at the base of the tank
where it is pumped to filth treatment facilities.
Primary wastewater treatment
• The secondary treatment of municipal wastewater treatment is
plotted to reduce the biological pollutants which are executed by
human’s waste, food, detergents, and soaps. The municipal plants
treat the filth liquid by the aerobic biological process.
Secondary wastewater treatment:
One of these process is usually done in this process:
(1). Biofiltration
Biofiltration uses sand filters, contact filters or trickling filters to ensure that any additional
sediment is removed from the wastewater.
(2). Aeration
Aeration is a lengthy process which increases oxygen saturation by introducing air to
wastewater. Typically, the aeration process can last for up to 30 hours, but it is very
effective.
(3). Oxidation ponds
Typically used in warmer climates, this method utilises natural bodies of water such as
lagoons, allowing wastewater to pass through for a set period before being retained for
two to three weeks.
Tertiary wastewater treatment
The aim of tertiary wastewater treatment is to raise the quality of the
water to domestic and industrial standards, or to meet specific
requirements around the safe discharge of water. In the case of water
treated by municipalities, tertiary treatment also involves the removal
of pathogens, which ensures that water is safe for drinking purposes.
Types of tertiary waste water treatment
• Filtration
• Ion Exchange
• Activated carbon adsorption
• Electro dialysis
• Nitrification
• Dentrification