7-Water Resources Pollution Water Quality Management and Monitoring.

Abstract

Out of all the available water resources, 97% of water is present in oceans, 2% is in polar ice caps and fresh water lakes constitute I% of the water, In India, out of total rainfall in an area of 3290 lakh hectares, a rainfall of 4000 billion cubic meters annually, 41% (10,02,400 lakh) is lost as evaporation and transpiration, 40% (9,77,600 lakh) is lost as run off 10% (2,44,400 lakh) is' retained as soil moisture and 9% (2,19,960 lakh) seeps in for recharging ground water. India will be requiring about 1,20,10,000 lakh cubic meters (cum) of water in the year 2050 to cater to the needs of about 150 crores population for its food, drinking water, domestic, irrigation, navigational, environmental and ecological requirements. The demand for water for irrigation, industrial, and domestic uses is increasing with development. Many developmental projects, industrial/ urbanization programs or policies are likely to have both qualitative and quantitative effects on surface and ground water environment (river, lakes, esturies, oceans), which may result in considerable impacts on aquatic faunal or floral species and aquatic ecosystems. The release of complex and diverse industrial wastes impair the quality of environment and poses a threat to human health directly or indirectly. Surface waters are classified according to intended uses that dictate the specific physical, chemical, and biological quality standards, thus insuring that the most beneficial uses will not be deterred by pollution. Different human activities like agriculture, industrial and land use changes contribute significantly to the deterioration of water quality which if managed properly can help in its conservation. An important aspect of groundwater pollution is the fact that it may persist underground for years, decades, or even centuries. This is in marked contrast to surface water pollution. For control of groundwater pollution the point sources and diffuse sources, have to be monitored and regulated properly.