Groundwater Pollution : Emerging

Challenge In India
 CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Groundwater Hydrology
3. Groundwater pollution
4. Present status of Groundwater pollution in India
5. Attenuation of Groundwater pollution
6. Control measures
7. Institutions for groundwater management
8. Research paper
9. Conclusion
10. References
 INTRODUCTION
 Earth is called “WATER PLANET”.
 70% earth is made of water.
Water is an important vital energy
force driving all the physical ,
chemical and biological processes on
earth.
Earths atmosphere consists of 0.02-
4%.
 Sustainable development and efficient management
of water is an increasingly complex challenge in India.
 Increasing population, growing urbanization and
rapid industrialization combined with the need for
raising agricultural production generates competing
demands for water.
 Ground water has steadily emerged as the backbone
of India’s agriculture and drinking water security.
 Contribution of ground water is nearly 62% in
irrigation, 85% in rural water supply and 50% in
urban water supply.(World Bank ,March 2010)
 Groundwater
Utilization in India
9% 2%

89%

Irrigatio
n
Domestic
Industry

Source: Groundwater Scenario in India November

 At present India’s population is 1 Billion and is expected
to increase 1.7 Billion by 2050.
 India has over 30 million groundwater extraction points.

 15% of the Groundwater in India is overexploited.

 94% of the Indian population have access to improper

water resource.( CGWB 2017)

 75% of the Rural population depend on Groundwater for

drinking.
 If current trends continue, within 20 years 60% of all

aquifers in India will be in a critical condition,” according to

a 2012 World Bank report.
 Source: Manual on Artificial Recharge of Ground water CGWB(Sep 2007)
Per capita water availability in India dropped almost 15% over a decade from 1,816 cu.m
in 2001 to 1,545 cu.m in 2011
[ www.indiaspend.com]
GROUNDWATER
HYDROLOGY
 What is GROUNDWATER?
• Groundwater is the water contained beneath the surface in
rocks and soil, and is the water that accumulates underground in
aquifers.
• The top of ground water is called the water table.
• Between the water table and the land surface is the
unsaturated zone or vadose zone.
• The water table can be very close to the surface (within a
few feet), or very deep (up to several hundred feet).
India is occupied by a variety of hard and fissured formations, including
crystalline, trappean basalt and consolidated sedimentary (including
carbonate rocks), with patches of semiconsolidated sediments in narrow
intra- cratonic basins.
The central part of the country is occupied by alluvial formation
stretching from Rajasthan in the west to Brahmaputra valley in the east.
Rugged topography, compact and fissured nature of the rock formations
combine to give rise to discontinuous aquifers, with moderate to poor
yield potentials.
HOW ARE GROUND WATER AND SURFACE WATER
CONNECTED?
GROUNDWATE
R
POLLUTION
 Groundwater pollution?

When contaminants in groundwater exceed the levels

deemed safe for the use of a specific aquifer use the
ground- water is considered polluted. [ Environmental
encyclopedia]
Major Groundwater
Pollutants
SINO Pollutants Major species
1. Pathogens bacteria & viruses

2. Trace metals Lead, Mercury, Arsenic,

Cadmium, Copper,
Chromium & Nickel

3. Inorganics SO4, Chloride, Na, K,

NO3

4. Organics petroleum
derivatives,
pesticides
SI ACUTE CHRONIC
POLLUTANT NO
1. Nitrates Methenoglobinemia Carcinogenic as it
forms Nitrosamine
2. Fluoride Gastric pain, nausea, Dental Fluorosis
vomiting, and headaches Skeletal Fluorosis
3. Arsenic Nausea, vomiting, Carcinogenic
abdominal pain, and
severe diarrhea.
4. Iron Haemorrhagic necrosis genetic disorder
and sloughing of areas of
mucosa
4. Pathogens Diseases -
SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER
POLLUTION
1. Point sources: originates from a single location
example: storage tanks, landfills , pipeline releases
2. Non-point sources: Agricultural runoff ,
seepage.
 PRINCIPAL SOURCES

1. MUNICIPAL SOURCES
2. INDUSTRIAL SOURCES
3. AGRICULTURAL SOURCES
4. MISCELLANEOUS SOURCES
 1. MUNICIPAL
SOURCES

SI TYPES SOURCES EFFECTS

NO
1. SEWER Defective sewer pipe, breakage High concentration of BOD, COD,
LEAKAGE by tree roots, Rupture from Nitrate, Organic chemicals, Bacteria
heavy load, earthquakes, loss and Heavy metals.
of foundation support
2. LIQUID Domestic wastes , Runoff Bacteria, Viruses, Trace elements and
WASTE heavy metals, inorganic and organic
chemicals
3. Landfills Leachate-iron, manganese, nitrate,
SOLID trace elements
WASTE
S
 2.INDUSTRIAL SOURCES

SI TYPES SOURCES EFFECTS

NO
1. LIQUID Industrial waste water discharge into pits, Hazardous and toxic industrial
WASTES ponds, lagoons, deep wells injection. wastes
2. TANK Gasoline stations, Fuel oil tanks Petroleum Immiscible liquids like oil ,
AND products from pipelines and tanks Liquid radioactive wastes
PIPELINE
LEAKAGE
3. MINING Coal, Phosphate and Uranium mines Low pH, Iron
ACTIVITI Stone, Sand and Gravel quarries
ES
 3.AGRICULTURAL SOURCES

SI TYPES SOURCES EFFECTS

NO
1. AGRICULTURAL surface channels or joins the Salinity, Bicarbonate, Sulphate,
RUNOFF underlying water Chlorides, Nitrates
2. ANIMAL WASTES Waste from slaughter houses Salts, organic loads ,bacteria , Nitrate

3. FERTILIZER AND • Leachate of Phosphate and Increases salinity of soil

SOIL Potassium fertilizers
AMENDMENTS • Leachate of soil amendments
like lime, gypsum, Sulphur
4. PESTICIDES, Leachate of pesticides, insecticides Affects portability of water
INSECTICIDES and herbicides
AND HERBICIDES
 4.
MISCELLANEOUS

SI EFFECTS
SOURCES NO
1. SPILLS AND • Dumping of fluids on ground, flushing hazardous and
SURFACE flammable liquids into water.
DISCHARGE • Washing aircraft with solvents and spills of fuel at airports
can form a layer of hydrocarbons floating on the water
table.
2. SURFACE WATER Polluted surface water bodies that contributes to groundwater
recharge.
3. SALT WATER Salinity of groundwater
INTRUSION
Present status of groundwater
pollution in India
• IWT’s 632 groundwater quality districts, only 59 are above
BIS limits.
• Fluoride concentration in groundwater exceeds the permissible
limit across the country from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar
to Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
 The yellow and red areas
below indicate places where
chlorine, fluoride, iron,
arsenic, nitrate, and/or
electrical conductivity exceed
national standards.(2013)
Geogenic Number of Number %
contaminants affected of affected Effected
states districts districts
Arsenic 10 68 10.6%
Fluoride 20 276 43.1%
Nitrate 21 387 60.4%
Iron 24 297 46.4%

Source: Central Groundwater Board, July 2014

 Arsenic Poisoning

• Millions of people in Bihar are showing symptoms of arsenic

poisoning, which is linked to cancer, due to consumption of
contaminated drinking water
• 17 of Bihar's 38 districts have groundwater with arsenic concentrations
above the permissible limit.
• Hand pumps in some parts, have been found to have severe arsenic
poisoning with concentrations above 1,500 parts per billion.

• According to the international agency for research on cancer,

its presence in inorganic compounds is highly toxic and
carcinogenic.
 WHY
NOW?
• The cause of the upsurge in arsenic concentration is the
overuse of groundwater for irrigation and drinking,
which happens when withdrawal rates exceed recharge
rate.
• There is no law to check excessive groundwater
withdrawal.
• Overuse changes the chemistry of the aquifer.
• Arsenic chemistry –Arsenic is harmless when it forms
insoluble conjugate with iron called arsenopyrite. It
splits due to overuse, contaminating the groundwater
with a soluble ionic form of arsenic that has since been
consumed by millions of people for decades.
• In India, arsenic concentration is particularly high in and
around the Ganges delta in eastern and northeastern
India, affecting the states of Bihar, West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and
Chhattisgarh.
• This is due to silt from the Himalayas
containing arsenopyrite.
Attenuation Of
Groundwater
Pollution
• Pollutants in groundwater tend to be removed or
reduced in concentration with time and with
distance travelled.
• The rate of pollution attenuation depends on the
type of pollutant and on the local
hydrogeologic situation.
 Mechanisms
involved
a) FILTRATION
b) SORPTION
c) CHEMICAL PROCESSES
d) MICROBIOLOGICAL
DECOMPOSITION
e) DILUTION
f) DIFFUSION
Control Measures
1. Artificial Groundwater recharge
2. Rainwater Harvesting
3. Reverse Osmosis (RO)
4. Following recommended dosage of fertilizers, crop rotation,
proper timing of fertilizer application, and use of organic manure
instead of chemical fertilizers.
5. Household arsenic treatment methods are the ferric
chloride coagulation system
Institutions for Ground
Water Management
SI
NO INSTITUTIONS ROLES

1. Central Water Initiating and coordinating schemes for the

Commission conservation and utilization of water resources in
collaboration with state government and monitoring
water quality.
2. Central Ground Developing and disseminating technology related to
Water Board sustainable use of groundwater, monitoring and
implementing policies for the sustainable
management of groundwater resources.
 SI INSTITUTIONS ROLES NO

3. Central Ground Constituted under Section 3(3) of the

Water Authority Environment(Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate
and control development and management of
groundwater resources, can resort penal
actions and issue necessary regulatory
directives.
4. Central Pollution Implementation of the Water( Prevention and
Control Board Control of Pollution ) Act, 1974 which seeks
to restore water quality

Source : Ministry of Water Resources; Lok Sabha Question 2157, March 10, 2015; PRS
 OBJECTIVE
1. To develop eco-friendly and low cost technique to mitigate the
arsenic contamination.
2. Stimulation of the indigenous groundwater bacteria for
bioremediation of arsenic toxicity.
3. Evaluate isolated bacteria for resistance of other heavy metals
such as Cr(IV), Ni(II), Co(II), Pb (II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Ag(I) and
Cd(II).
 Materials and methods

1. Sample collection
2. Evaluation of total arsenic in water samples
3.Isolation of arsenic resistant bacteria
4.Evaluation of the MIC value
5.Cellular and morphological
characterization
6. Biochemical analysis of the isolated strain.
7. Physiological characterization of the isolated strains
8. pH and temperature optimization
9.Screening of arsenic transforming bacteria by microplate
screening assay
10. Molecular characterization
11. Effect of As on the growth of isolates.
12. Heavy metal tests.
 RESULT
SINO Parameters S AK1 AK9
1. MIC value 13mM 15mM
2. Morphology Gram negative Gram negative
coccus bacillus
3. pH 7 7
4. Temperature (max growth) 30ºC 30ºC

5. Nucleic acid concentration 60ng/µl 160ng/µl

6. Phylogeny Psuedomonas extremorientalis

(99% similarity)
7. Doubling time Absence 1.56h 1.176h
of As
Presence 2.02h 1.447h
of As
 CONCLUSION
1. Two prominent arsenic oxidizing bacterial strains AK1 and AK9 belong to genus
Pseudomonas has been reported and isolated from middle gangetic plain and
both isolates AK1 and AK9 were able to transform As(V) to As(III).
2. They showed complete aerobic reduction of As(V) after 48 h of incubation.
3. AK1 and AK9, show optimum growth at pH 7.0 and temperature 30ºC.
4. The doubling time of the AK1 decreases while it increases in case of AK9 in the
presence of As(III) which indicates that AK9 was more resistant to As(III) than
AK1.
5. AK1and AK9, were also resistance to Pb(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Cr(IV) within range
of 4–8 mm.
Conclusion
1. Need for Scientific data- Chemistry of
Pollutants in groundwater.
2. Water quality analysis data which includes fertilizers,
pesticides and other organic pollutants.
3. Health impact assessment.
4. Formulation and implementation of laws for
protections and conservation of groundwater.
5. Providing safe drinking water .
 REFERENCES

Bureau of Indian Standards. Drinking Water Specification (Second Revision of IS 10500 2012) Doc: FAD
25(2047) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Government of India: New Delhi, India, 2012.
Central Ground Water Board website, FAQs, (http://www.cgwb.gov.in/faq.html)
Deep Wells and Prudence: Towards Pragmatic Action for Addressing Ground water Overexploitation in
India, The World Bank, (March 2010) (http
://siteresources.worldbank.org/INDIAEXTN/Resources/295583-
1268190137195/DeepWellsGroundWaterMarch2010.pdf.)
Dipankar, Chakraborti ., K, Sushant Singh., Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman., Rathindra Nath
Dutta., Subhas Chandra Mukherjee., Shyamapada Pati ., Probir Bijoy., (2018) Groundwater Arsenic
Contamination in the Ganga River Basin: A Future Health Danger,, Rev Int. J. Environ. Res. Public
Health 15, 180
Dynamic groundwater resources of India (as on 31 March 2013): Central Groundwater Board
Ghanshyam kumar., Satyapala., B, Santosh Kumar Mishra., Amrita Srivastava.,
Rajesh Kumar., Ranjanc., Krishna Prakasha., Rizwanul Haquea., Nitish Kumara.,
(2018) Possible bioremediation of arsenic toxicity by isolating indigenousbacteria from the
middle Gangetic plain of Bihar, India , Elsevier Biotechnology reports Vol.17, pp.117-125
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