Biological Pollution

Featured Articles
August 11, 2022
India’s rivers in trouble due to high fertilizer load and heavy monsoons
This could lead to water quality crisis reinforcing the need for basin-specific management strategies
Around the world, more than a fifth of nitrogen released by human activity ends up in aquatic ecosystems (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
July 14, 2022
Ichamati: River of poetry is dying a slow death
The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
May 25, 2022
Transparent urban river pollution monitoring
A study develops a decision support tool to identify polluted river stretches
Ulhas river near Khandpe village (Image: Ganesh Dhamodkar, Wikimedia Commons)
November 12, 2021
Water can kill!
Mass fish deaths can pose a challenge to the environment, biodiversity and fisherfolk who depend on them for their livelihoods. Why do they happen?
Algal blooms in a pond in Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
August 4, 2021
Biodiversity - crucial for survival of freshwater ecosystems!
Detritivores, scavenger organisms inhabiting freshwater bodies such as streams are crucial for the survival of water bodies. However, anthropogenic changes are killing them!
View of a s stream in Kerala (Image Source: Firos AK via Wikimedia Commons)
June 24, 2021
East Kolkata Wetlands – fast turning death traps for aquatic ecosystems?
Freshwater ecosystems in India are known to harbour rich biodiversity, but their health is being increasingly challenged in recent years. And the East Kolkata Wetlands are no exception!
Fishermen use wastewater from Kolkata to rear fish (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Water quality index of surface water bodies of Gujarat, India - Paper published in the Asian Journal of Experimental Sciences
This paper discusses the findings of a study that assessed the physicochemical water quality parameters of surface water in Gujarat
M M Indurkar
N C Kankal
S K Gudadhe
S R Wate
Posted on 25 May, 2012 10:51 PM

This paper from the journal Asian Journal of Experimental Sciences presents the findings of a study that attempted to assess the physicochemical parameters of surface water in Gujarat state to explore the suitability of water

"Excreta Matters" - A profile of the water and sewage situation in 71 Indian cities - A report by the Centre for Science and Environment
The just released Citizens’ Seventh Report on the State of India’s Environment, “Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta” deals with where Indian urban centers get their water from and where their waste goes. The report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) calls for using correct technology, planning for cost recovery and resource sustainability, building and renewing local water resources and designing sewage systems differently. It also calls for a law on the right to clean water.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 May, 2012 12:24 PM

Guset post: Amita Bhaduri 

cover

Source: Excreta Matters, Centre for Science and Environment, 2012

People in National capital territory of Delhi are far away from safe drinking water: Role of governance and civil society
Dhobi Ghat, a slum area with a majority of Muslim population , is situated on the bank of river Yamuna, near Batla House, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi with around 150 families. These families are mostly deprived and poor, surviving with low literacy rate, malnutrition, hunger and lack of sanitation. This report by Ravi Nitesh deals with how people in Delhi do not have access to safe drinking water.
Ravi Nitesh
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 09:56 PM

Physicochemical assessment of water quality with respect to remote sensing and GIS techniques - Paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry
This paper published in the journal Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry, sheds light on the serious problem of the increasing levels of pollution of water bodies in India due to escalating populations, urbanisation and increasing economic activity and highlights the urgent need to conduct effective and efficient water quality assessment measures. The paper highlights the limitations associated with the conventional water quality assessment methods and discusses the recent advances in Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques and their relevance as promising alternatives for effective water quality assessment to the conventional water quality assessment methods.
Rajnee Naithani
Posted on 30 Apr, 2012 12:43 PM

The paper informs that current techniques normally used in the country for monitoring and assessment of the quality of water bodies involve in situ measurement and/or the collection of water samples for subsequent laboratory analysis of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water.
Depleting water resources in Thalassery, Kerala: Huge effort is required to address water supply and sewerage handling issues
By chance only I happened to see the IWP, and am very glad and impressed to see the efforts and dedication of the team involved, to help the nation to promote and achieve sustainable use of water. I wish I can also contribute to the portal in whatever way possible to serve this noble initiative, in order to be part spreading awareness and thereby ensuring excess to drinking water to our future generations.
Fazal Maliyakkal
Posted on 22 Apr, 2012 02:57 PM

Author : Fazal Maliyakkal
A framework for rural drinking water quality management, based on experiences from the voluntary sector - A learning document by Arghyam
Arghyam, Bangalore, a non-profit foundation focusing on domestic water and sanitation, has published a document highlighting a water quality management (WQM) framework for rural areas. The framework lays out a phased and process-driven approach to WQM in rural areas and is based on work done by 12 prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have been working on water quality (WQ), from across the country. Ayan Biswas of Arghyam writes about this.
Arghyam
Ayan Biswas
Posted on 20 Apr, 2012 04:33 PM


The phases that have been identified for a sustainable WQM programme are: 

(1) Assessment of baseline situation

(2) Participatory planning

(3) Water quality monitoring

(4) Implementation
People of Nuapada district in Odisha build a stop dam themselves - Roundup of audio updates from CGNet Swara (Sep 2011 to Feb 2012)
Article courtesy: CGNet Swara
CGNet Swara
Posted on 03 Apr, 2012 02:57 PM

People get together to build a stop dam themselves

The people of Khariar road town in Odisha have long requested a check dam across the river Jonk. Khuturam Sunani describes how they have now begun constructing it through shramadaan.

Quantitative data on water quality: A compilation of papers that present physico-chemical analyses of various water sources in India
This post presents five papers that were recently published on the physico-chemical properties of water. These papers present the water quality data and analyse these figures. Locations in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam and Gujarat are studied. Download the papers by clicking on the titles.
Bhabajit Bhuyan
DD mishra
Debajit Bhuyan
Hemant Pathak
IR Ustad
Kohinoor Arts Commerce and Science College Khuldabad
KR Aher
Krishna Vaidya
Milind Jadhav
Mohini Gadhia
Neelesh Srivastava
PK Mishra
Rafiullah Khan
Sir Sayyed College
SM Deshpande
SN Limaye
Posted on 24 Feb, 2012 08:31 AM

Assessment of physico-chemical quality of groundwater in rural area nearby Sagar city, Madhya Pradesh

This paper presents the results of forty groundwater samples collected from June 2007 to July 2010 in Gambhira and Baheria villages in Madhya Pradesh. The authors conclude that the ground water quality is degraded due to anthropogenic causes.
How valuable are environmental health interventions? - Evaluation of water and sanitation programmes in India - Paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation
This paper published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation presents the findings of a valuation study that estimated the economic value of the average “treatment effect” of a community demand driven water and sanitation programme. The study employed a unique combination of propensity-score “pre-matching” and large panel data to estimate the economic impacts of a multi-dimensional environmental health programme.
Christine Poulos
Jui Chen Yangb
Subhrendu K Pattanayak
Sumeet Patil
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 06:11 PM

The paper informs that a number of epidemiological studies on the benefits of water and sanitation interventions have shown that diarrhoea can be reduced by 30–50%.
An ecological quantification of the relationships between water, sanitation and infant, child, and maternal mortality - Paper published in the Journal Environmental Health
This paper discusses the findings of a study that aimed at quantifying the relationship between water and sanitation and infant, child, and maternal mortality.
Andrew Mente
Bruce K Newbold
Corinne J Schuster Wallace
June J Cheng
Susan Watt
Posted on 21 Feb, 2012 03:30 PM

A number of studies have made associations between prevention of disease burden among populations by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene and management of water resources and between poor water quality and disease burden.

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