Contamination, Pollution and Quality

About the course:

This course on Water Quality Management (WQM) is being organized by INREM Foundation along with Water Quality Network. The course is aimed at equipping participants towards the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) programme of Govt of India. The course is executed in English and Hindi languages.

On June 8, Yale University's Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network released a report of the Environmental Performance Index 2022. India ranked lowest among the 180 countries considered, lagging behind Myanmar at 179, Vietnam (178), Bangladesh (177) and Pakistan (176).

Freshwater is a rare and critical resource and its availability is declining worldover with urbanisation, industrialisation, climate change and rising temperatures, and a marked decrease in rainfall.

Nature has bestowed Kashmir valley with abundant water resources on which its vast population depends in myriad ways since time immemorial. People derive their livelihoods from the numerous direct and indirect activities related to these water bodies. In spite of their immense benefits, the water bodies and wetlands are treated as wastelands in Kashmir.

Nearly 85 percent of the Indian population consumes groundwater and this groundwater can get polluted because of a number of contaminants - with fluoride being an important one.

Fluoride contamination of groundwater - a grave risk to health

Pune has been a water rich city and the Mula and the Mutha rivers that flow through the city are tributaries that join to form the Mula Mutha river in the city that joins the Bhima and then later, the Krishna river.

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Freshwater ecosystems are a basis of life and a precious resource, not only because freshwater is limited, but also because of the rich biodiversity they support and the valuable ecosystem services they provide.

Unprecedented expansion and anthropic activities amongst other reasons lead to choking of urban rivers with municipal and industrial sewage. Around 63% of the total 62 million litres/ day generated sewage is dumped in Indian urban rivers without treatment, as per a Central Pollution Control Board report submitted to National Green Tribunal, India.

Ponds are increasingly getting polluted mainly due to the discharge of wastewater from residential areas, sewage outlets, solid waste dump sites, livestock rearing sites (e.g., dairy, poultry), and fertilizers and pesticides from farmers’ fields.