05-Material Flow Analysis (MFA) For Water Conservation - A Case Study of Ganga River Basin In Uttar Pradesh.

Abstract

Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is a multidisciplinary approach which adverts to systematic analysis of flows and stocks of materials within and across a system. Unlike other tools which focus on quantity of the materials being utilized in the system, MFA concept talks about the fate and impacts of various materials entering and leaving the system. In many conventional techniques for identifying theconstituent of water pollution, statistical or modeling methods are employed to identify the main pollutants for a particular region. MFA utilizes the available data and environmental statistics to establish a stationary model which can help to determine the origin and dynamics of pollution in the most presentable way. The MFA technique has been used in many countries for laying policy frameworks for water management practices. In the present study, MFA was performed for a stretch of Ganga River flowing across Uttar Pradesh using the available data for the year 2011. The discharge of wastewater from different point sources is a major cause of deterioration of river water quality. In this study, the sub-basin of Ganga river in Uttar Pradesh is considered as a system, and the principal pollutants present in the discharged wastewater from the selected industrial sector (covering chemical, distillery, food, dairy & beverage, sugar, paper & pulp, textile, bleaching & dyeing and tannery) were studied. A qualitative assessment of identified sub-systems, namely, Industry, Sewage Treatment Plants and Sewage drains was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and subsequently, the flows were quantified using graphical representation and line diagrams. The main contributors of pollution load were identified in the wastewater from the various sewage drains of Bijnor, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi towns. The major parameters of pollution in sewage water turned out to be BOO, COD, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and BOD load for Bijnor; BOO, COD and BOD load for Kanpur; BOD, COD, TSS, TDS and BOD load for Allahabad and COD, BOD and TSS for Varanasi. Their source activities and main polluting industries were identified. The MFA results suggested that the water consumption and wastewater generation values for Sugar industry were 278.4 MLD and 85.7 MLD, whereas for Pulp & Paper industry, the values were 96.3 MLD and 68.1 MLD, respectively. In case of Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi, the assessment yielded that the sewage treatment plants are less efficient as compared to the overall wastewater generated. Using a similar analysis for the complete river basin, MFA can be successfully applied to enhance the knowledge for existing action plans, projects and activities. The MFA is a promising technique and need detailed exploration for use in the river conservation and rejuvenation efforts in India.