Module-3
Dr. Neeta Kumari
CEE, BIT,
Mesra
Water Resources
• Surface water Resource includes
Freshwater sources (Lotic and Lentic),
marine water sources (Sea) and Estuarine water
sources
• Groundwater Resources
Water quality and Water Pollution
• Quality means the standards that meet the
requirements of the customers. It is the attribute of a
particular thing. Water quality is the minimum
standards of water that are needed to be possessed
by a sample to meet usage requirements. The quality
of water is determined according to its use—drinking,
irrigation, animal feeding, washing and cleaning,
sanitation etc.
• Water Pollution is “any undesirable change in physical,
chemical and biological properties of water which will
adversely affect plants, animals, Micro-organisms,
human being and any desirable species”.
Basic water quality parameters
The basic parameters that matter in the determination of water quality are its
physical, chemical and biological characteristics. These parameters are
• Physical parameters: These are the physical characteristics of water
taken into consideration are Color, odour, temperature, taste,
turbidity, Specific conductivity, Total solids and suspended solids of
water etc. These can be analyzed visibly and with the help of simple
physical tests.
• Chemical parameters: These characteristics of water are determined by
the presence, absence or extent of the presence of chemicals and/or
ions in the water. These are pH, Alkalinity, acidity, Dissolved Oxygen,
metal Ions like Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Chromium, lead, zinc,
copper, etc., while negatively charged ions like Nitrates, carbonates,
chlorides, fluorides, sulphates, phosphates, etc. These have to be
tested chemically qualitatively as well as quantitatively.
• Biological parameters: These refer to the presence of microorganisms,
protozoa and other small insects which are not usually visible to the
naked eye. These can be tested for by using many techniques like
microscopic organism count, biochemical tests etc.
Types of water pollution
• Surface water pollution-
surface water pollution can occur both naturally, accidentally and
intentionally. Accidental oil spills and negligent industries emptying
waste into water bodies are also key contributors. Improperly discarded
waste, such as fragments of plastic, rubber or other manmade
materials, can find themselves into water sources and persist for a long
time. Because they are too robust to dissolve in the water and too big to
mix effectively with the molecules, they simply float on its surface and
prevent oxygen and sunlight from penetrating below.
• Nutrient pollution, microbiological pollution, Chemical pollution,
oxygen –depleting pollution.
• Groundwater pollution:
Agriculture is a key source of water pollution, especially for groundwater.
Fertilisers and pesticides applied to crops can seep into the ground and contaminate
underwater rivers and waterbeds, thus compromising the quality of wells, boreholes
and other places from which groundwater is extracted for human use
• The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses,
parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical
products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal
waste and even radioactive substances.
• Sources of pollutants may be point, non-point and
trans boundary
• Type of sources
1. Sewage and other waste
2. Industrial effluents
3. Agricultural discharges
4. Industrial waste like radioactive and thermal
waste
Effects of water pollution
Eutrophicati
on (Nutrient
enrichment
Biomagnification
Monitoring of water pollutants
• Water quality can be measured by collecting water
samples for laboratory analysis or by using probes
which can record data at a single point in time, or
logged at regular intervals over an extended period.
• Water quality monitoring is important for
environmental protection, managing waterways and
their catchments, identifying pollution events and
community education.
• Monitoring consists of making observations and taking
measurements that are analysed and reported to
provide information and knowledge about
catchments and waterways.
Purpose & procedure of monitoring
• The purpose of monitoring is to provide data for local
action planning or catchment-wide decision making
• The first step in designing a water quality monitoring
program is to determine the purpose of the monitoring. This
will help you select which parameters to monitor.
• The program steering committee should make this decision
based on factors such as:
– Types of water quality problems and pollution sources that will
likely be encountered
– Cost of available monitoring equipment
– Precision and accuracy of available monitoring equipment
– Capabilities of the volunteers
Source Common Associated Chemical
Pollutants Sources and associated pollutants
Cropland Turbidity, phosphorus, nitrates, total A volunteer water quality monitoring
solids program should be geared to the types
of watershed land uses most often
Forestry harvest Turbidity, temperature, total solids
encountered.
Grazing land Faecal bacteria, turbidity, phosphorus,
nitrates, temperature
Industrial discharge Temperature, conductivity, total solids,
toxics, pH
Mining pH, alkalinity, total dissolved solids
Septic systems Fecal bacteria (i.e., Escherichia coli,
Enterococcis), nitrates, phosphorus,
dissolved oxygen
/biochemical oxygen demand,
conductivity, temperature
Sewage treatment plants Dissolved oxygen and biochemical
oxygen demand, turbidity, conductivity,
phosphorus, nitrates, faecal bacteria,
temperature, total solids, pH
Construction Turbidity, temperature, dissolved
oxygen and biochemical oxygen
demand, total solids, and toxics
Urban runoff Turbidity, phosphorus, nitrates,
temperature, conductivity, dissolved
oxygen and biochemical oxygen
demand
Monitoring parameters
• The parameters most commonly monitored in
streams are stream flow, dissolved oxygen
and biochemical oxygen demand,
temperature, pH, turbidity, phosphorus,
nitrates, total solids, conductivity, total
alkalinity, and fecal bacteria.
• Of these, the first five are the most basic and
should form the foundation of almost any
water quality monitoring program.
Suitable Uses of water
Designated-Best-Use Class of water Criteria
Drinking WaterSource without A •Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 50 or less
conventional treatment but after •pH between 6.5 and 8.5
disinfection •Dissolved Oxygen 6mg/l or more
•Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20C 2mg/l or less
Outdoor bathing (Organised) B •Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 500 or
less pH between 6.5 and 8.5 Dissolved Oxygen 5mg/l or
more
•Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20C 3mg/l or less
Drinking water source after C •Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 5000 or
conventional treatment and less pH between 6 to 9 Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or more
disinfection •Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20C 3mg/l or less
Propagation of Wild life and Fisheries D •pH between 6.5 to 8.5 Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or more
•Free Ammonia (as N) 1.2 mg/l or less
Irrigation, Industrial Cooling, Controlled E •pH between 6.0 to 8.5
Waste disposal •Electrical Conductivity at 25C micro mhos/cm Max.2250
•Sodium absorption Ratio Max. 26
•Boron Max. 2mg/l
Below-E Not Meeting A, B, C, D & E Criteria
Water quality standards
• WHO Drinking Water Specifications Updated On : 11 Oct 2019
• WHO produces international norms on water quality and human health in
the form of guidelines that are used as the basis for regulation and
standard setting, in developing and developed countries worldwide. The
quality of drinking water is a powerful environmental determinant of
health. Assurance of drinking water safety is a foundation for the
prevention and control of waterborne diseases. The guidelines developed
by WHO are prepared through a vast global consultative process involving
WHO member states (India is the member state), national authorities and
international agencies, in consultation with the WHO Expert Advisory
Panel.
• BIS: Drinking water specification (IS:10500-
2012)
Thank You