INTRODUCTION:

Environment can be defined as the sum total of materials and

forces surrounding the living organism. Environment regulated the life

of the organisms including human beings. Man being the most

intelligent creature, interacts with the environment more vigorously

than does any other organism. There is no end of human needs. With

the growth of human civilization, there has been an exponential

increase in the demands for materials. As a result, man has started

exploiting nature mercilessly to meet the demands of his comfort and to

feed the mouths for increased population. Through deterioration of

environmental condition is brought about by extreme events like

natural catastrophes and calamities, man-made hazards, physical

pollution and social, man has a major role in it.

Economic development at present is directly linked with

environmental degradation. The chief cause of depletion of world’s

forest cover is conversion of forest lands into agriculture lands. Every

year near 8 to 12 million hectres of world’s forest cover is depleted.

Similarly of world’s forest cover is depleted. Similarly due to

urbanization and industrial development, coastal wetlands are

destroyed. Thus, rapid growth of population, rapid industrialization and

green revolution are responsible for degradation of environment.

To feed the ever growing human population, efforts are being

made to increase the food production and that led to “Green

Revolution”. The ammunitions of green revolution are the chemical

fertilizers and pesticides which have been used indiscriminately to

provide more nutrients to crops and to control pests respectively. No

doubt, these chemicals have increased the food production manifold

1

but side by side have given rise to many health and ecological problems.

Agrochemicals constitute one of the major causes of soil and water

pollution.

With the growth of human population and urbanisation, number

of automobiles and other vehicles has increased. More vehicles mean

more air pollution & noise pollution. The causative agents of ozone

layer depletion are chlorofluroccarbons which we use as refrigerants

and propellants. Automobiles and industries are responsible for

increased CO2 in air leading to green house effect and global warming

we pollute the soil by dumping garbage.

POLLUTION:

Pollution is defined as an undesirable change in the physical,

chemical & biological characterstics of air, water & soil that may

harmfully affect the life or create a potential hazard for living organism.

Degradation of environment with the introduction of man-made

extraneous materials to air, water or land is also called ‘Pollution’. The

extraneous agents which cause pollution are called as “Pollutants.” The

pollutants may be material or energy which cause pollution when

added to the environment in quantities and at a rate which are

determental to the life of the organisms. Thus, a ‘Pollutant’ is defined as

‘any material (solid, liquid or gas) or energy ( heat, sound, radioactivity,

etc. ) that produces harmful effects when added to the environment.’

Basing on different type of pollutants the pollution is of following

types:

1. Air Pollution

2. Water Pollution

2

3. Soil Pollution

4. Noise Pollution.

The first three of these are more effective to the environment. In

this study we will discuss about water pollution of Khordha.

What is water pollution

When toxic substances enter lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, and other

water bodies, they get dissolved or lie suspended in water or get

deposited on the bed. This results in the pollution of water whereby the

quality of the deteriorates, affecting aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants can

also seep down and affect the groundwater deposits.

Water pollution has many sources. The most polluting of them

are the city sewage and industrial waste discharged into the rivers. The

facilities to treat waste water are not adequate in any city in India.

Presently, only about 10% of the waste water generated is treated; the

rest is discharged as it is into our water bodies. Due to this, pollutants

enter groundwater, rivers, and other water bodies. Such water, which

ultimately ends up in our households, is often highly contaminated and

carries disease-causing microbes. Agricultural run-off, or the water

from the fields that drains into rivers, is another major water pollutant

as it contains fertilizers and pesticides.

Domestic sewage refers to waste water that is discarded from

households. Also referred to as sanitary sewage, such water contains a

wide variety of dissolved and suspended.

3

Overview of the Khordha District

Location of Khordha:

The erstwhile Puri District was divided to form three new districts in

April 1993 and as a result Khordha District was formed taking Khordha

and Bhubaneswar sub-divisions of Puri district. This district lies

between north latitudes 190 40’ to 200 27’ and east longitudes 840 56’ to

860 05’ covering an area of about 2813 Sq. Kms. It is bounded in the

north and northest by Cuttack District, on the west and southwest by

Nayagarh District and Ganjam District, on the southeast by Chilika Lake

and Puri District.

Location : 190 40’ to 200 27’ North

840 56’ to 860 05’ East

District Headquarter : Khordha Town

Geographical Area : 2813 Sq. Kms.

Forest Cover : 50936. 56 Hect.

Population : 2251673

Male Population : 1167137

Female Population : 1,084,536

Sex ratio : 929

Number of Block : 10

Number of GPs : 168

Number of Revenue Villages : 1567

Number of Tehsils : 7

4

Natural Resources

Land:

The district of Khordha has Geographical area of 2813 Sq. Kms. Baed on

the physiographic set up; the district may be broadly divided into four

natural divisions, such as (a) coastal sand dunes, (b) alluvial plain, (c)

Lateritic upland and (d) Hilly terrain.

Forest

Khordha district is having 298.91 Sq. Km. of reserve forest and 209.87

Sq. Km. of demarcated protected forestland.

Climates and Rainfall:

Climate

The climate of the district is characterized by a tropical monsoon

having three district seasons in a year i.e. winter, summer and rainy

season. The rainfall distribution is equal during the monsoon period.

The summer is from March to May and during the month of May;

temperature goes upto 41-470 C in some parts of the district. The

period from June to September is the rainy season and the district gets

it from the southwest monsoon. The relative humidity varies from 48 to

85% at Bhubaneswar. The wind speed is fairly strong during summer

and monsoon months and the direction is between southwest and

south.

Rainfall

The normal rainfall of the district is 1443.00 mm. The rainfall is

uniform in all over the district. Storms and depression, which originate

in the Bay of Bengal during monsoon, passed over the district during

5

their southwest movement and cause heavy rains in the catchments

area of the rivers in the district.

Socio-economic Features:

The economic condition of the district is ordinarily affected because of

the continual visitation of natural calamities like flood, cyclone and

drought, heat wave, causing devastation in the fertile region as well as

loss of lives and properties in some parts of this district every year.

About 65% of the population in the district live in rural areas and

depend largely on agriculture for their livelihood, which controls the

socio-economy of the district.

River Systems and Dams

The district is drained by number of streams, which are mostly the

tributaries and distributaries of Mahanadi River and a few other

streams discharging into the Chilika Lake. The important distributaries

and sub-distributaries of the river Mahanadi traversing the area are

Kuakhai, Bhargavi, Kushabhadra and Daya having southerly,

southeasterly and south-westerly courses. The tributaries of the river

Mahanadi originating in the district are Rana and Kalijiri having almost

northerly course. The streams which drain the southern part of the

district and fall directly into Chilika Lake are Sulia, Kharia and Kusumi

which flows towards east. Almost all the streams in the district are

effluent in nature and dying up during summer months but causing

frequent floods in the rainy season. The low lying areas adjoining the

Chilika Lake are inundated by the lake during monsoon as rivers

discharge large volumes of water into it.

The District is mainly covered by the following rivers:

6

Sl. No. Name of Rivers Areas Covered

1 Kuakhai Bhubaneswar Block

2 Bhargavi Balianta & Baliopatna Block

3 Budunai Bhubaneswar Block

4 Daya Bhubaneswar Block

5 Kushabhadra Balianta Block

6 Malaguni Khordha Block

7 Rana Begunia & Khordha Block

8 Kusumi Tangi Block

i. Kuakhai:

River Kuakhai originating as a branch of Mahanadi enters Bhubaneswar

Block area from the north near Jhinkardiha and Marichia village of

Dadha GP and flow touching the eastern boundaries of Kalyanpur,

Barimunda, Basuaghai and Sisupal GP and passes amidst Mancheswar.

During flood the excess water from Kuakhai River submerged

Jhinkardiha, Marichia and some parts of Gandarpur village. It even

affects Mancheswar Bhoisahi if the flood is very severe. Excess water

over flowing Mancheswar escape over river Kuakhai completely

submerges the paddy field of Mancheswar and Barimunda GPs and

maroons Singada, Rokata dn Krushnaranapur villages.

ii. Bhargavi :

The river Bhargavi passes through some village of Balianta Block. The

river affects a part of Balianta and Balipatana blocks during flood.

iii. Budunai:

7

In originates from the forest and hilly tracks of Candaka and flows

through Daruthenga GP near Alasua, Raghunatpur, Kalarahanga dna

Barimunda GPs and finally merges into river Kuakhai near Jaripatna.

Excess water flowing through Budunai flows over Nandanakanan-

Jaripada road. Communication is cut off during heavy rains and flood.

iv. Daya:

The river Daya takes off from river Kuakhai at Saradeipur and runs

towards a few miles and then makes a sharp turn west ward for four

miles and after that continues its course outwards; the rest of the length

emptying itself into the north eastern corner of the Chilika lake, 37

miles from its take off place.

v. Kusabhadra:

Kusabhadra leaves the river Kuakhai at Balianta and flows in the South-

Western direction for 46 miles till it enters the Bay of Bengal near

Ramachandi temple, 15 miles East of Puri. The mouth of Kusabhadra

below Ramachandi is free form lid. The river bed is shallow resulting in

low discharge at the time of heavy flow. The river Dhanua with its

tributary brings a large volume of water to Kusabhadra.

vi. Malaguni:

It runs through Khordha Tahasil. This is more or less a hill stream and

badly affects some portions of Khordha, Chilika and Tangi blocks during

flood.

vii.Rana:

The river Rana rises in Khordha sub-division and eventually joins the

river Mahanadi after flowing through Banki Tahasil in the district at

Cuttack. An area of 27 Sq. Kms. (some portions of Begunia and Khordha

8

blocks) is inundated by the backwater of this river when Mahanadi is

flooded.

viii. Kusumi:

This river affects some villages of Tangi block during flood. Thus floods

have become endemic in the district and call for effective pre-flood

measures, flood relief operations and post flood arrangements.

9

WATER POLLUTION & Its control

Water is the universal solvent,

the elixir of life and also the medium of

life activity. About 85 to 90% of the

weight of the living body is water.

Water is indispensable in our daily life

as we use it for various purposes like

cooking, washing clothes, cleaning,

drinking, etc.

Two-third of the surface of the

earth is covered with water. About

97% of the total water present on earth is salt water and remaining 3%

is freshwater. The sources of water are:

(i) Sea,

(ii) Rain,

(iii) Groundwater, &

(iv) Surface water.

WATER POLLUTANTS:

The followings are the major water pollutants:

(i) Sewage & other organic wastes;

(ii) Animal & human excreta;

(iii) Fertilizers, pesticides & insecticides;

(iv) Industrial wastes;

(v) Oil spills;

(vi) Acid rain;

(vii) Metals (like mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc.);

10

(viii) Open earth mining;

(ix) Temperature;

(x) Radioactivity.

11

Khordha town and Water Pollution

GROUND WATER

Ninety-five percent of all fresh water on earth is ground water.

Ground water is found in natural rock formations. These formations

called aquifers are a vital natural resource with many uses. Nationally,

53% of the population relies on ground water as a source of drinking

water. In rural areas this figure is even higher. Eighty one percent of

community water is dependent on ground water. Although the 1992

Section 305 (b) State Water Quality Reports indicate that, overall, the

Nation’s ground water quality is good to excellent; many local areas

have experienced significant ground water contamination. Some

examples are leaking underground storage tanks and municipal

landfills.

DATA COLLECTED FROM TEN DIFFERENT LOCALITY IN TABULAR FORM

Sl. No.

Name of

the Locality

Population Area in Sq. Kms.

No. of Tube wells

No. of Dug wells

No. of Ponds

No. of other

sources

1. B.D.A. Colony 15000 09 03 06 0

Municipality

Supply

2. Sriram Nagar 12000 05 04 07 0

3. Narayan Nagar 25000 10 02 03 2

4. Palla (Khurda - 2) 11600 12 02 04 2

5. Jemadei 7600 05 03 12 0

6. Mukunda Prasad 23500 07 08 15 0

7. Bhaliabadi 22000 15 10 17 2

8. Nabinabag 25800 3 2 04 0

9. Gurujang 40000 20 15 30 3

12

TESTING THE SAMPLE OF WATER FROM DIFFERENT LOCALITY & THEIR NATURE IN TABULAR FORM

Parameters Monitoring Sites

Locality No. 1 2 3 4 5

PH 7.4 6.1 7.5 7.6 6.9

SS (Mg/1) 120 20 160 100 140

TDS (Mg/1) 180 200 200 200 400

BOD (Mg/1) 100 160 120 60 140

COD (Mg/1) 130 208 160 120 208

CL (Mg/1) 36 50 66 34 74

1 to 5 indicates that:-

1. B.D.A. Colony, 2. Sriram Nagar, 3. Gurujang, 4. Nabinabag & 5. Mukunda Prasad..

13

SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

1. Domestic waste & Sewage: The main source of sewage is urban

dwellings. Sewage wastes are directly discharged into rivers,

lakes, reservoirs etc. The wastes include human excreta, soaps,

detergents, waste micro-organisms which are pathogenic.

Domestic wastes & sewages induce the growth of micro-

organisms. They facilitate luxuriant growth of bacteria when

dumped into water. These bacteria decompose the waster

utilizing the oxygen present in water and thus cause depletion of

oxygen concentration in water.

2. PCBs: Another dangerous pollutant turning up in waters

throughout the world is polychlorinated biphenyles (PCBs). PCBs

are used to make number of products starting from printing ink

to electrical capacitor. They are now known to cause cancer in

animals. PCBs are bio-accumulative and bio-nondegradable.

Another heavy metal known to cause various ailments in human

beings is lead. Lead poisoning severely affects the kidney, liver &

central nervous system.

3. Agrochemicals: To increase the agricultural production huge

amounts of different kinds of poisonous agrochemicals are being

used. As a consequence whole biosphere is being polluted. These

chemicals fall into categories i.e. chemical fertilizers and biocides.

The Chief Chemical fertilizers include phosphophates & nitrates.

4. Pesticides & Biocides: Commonly used biocides are DDT, BHC,

Chalrdone, Heptachlor, Methoxychlor, Aldrin, Andrine, Copper

Sulphate, etc. All these chemicals & biocides sprayed in crop

14

fields, ultimately find their way into water system through

leakage or agricultural runoff.

5. Industrial wastes & effluents: Industries are using inland water

bodies as an effluent dumping ground. These effluents carry

many organic & inorganic chemicals like acids, alkalis, phenols,

chemicals dyes, cyandies, oil, grease, plastic materials, suspended

solids & heavy metals (Ph, Hg, Cd, CO, Cr, Cu, etc.).

6. Thermal Pollution: The rise in temperature of water bodies is

detrimental to the life of aquatic animals. The water used for

cooling purposes in nuclear reactors, electricity generation

plants, steel plants & oil refineries becomes hot & this heated

water is generally discharged into ponds, lakes, rivers or seas.

High temperature and low oxygen concentration make the water

inhospitable for the aquatic animals.

7. Oil Spills: The oil which spills out during transportation on sea or

during offshore drilling pollutes the water. Oil being lighter than

water, covers the surface of water & thus prevents water from

contact with air resulting in graded depletion of dissolved oxygen.

The low oxygen concentration of oil-covered water affects lives of

aquatic animals. Apart from this, when aquatic birds & other

animals come in contact with spilled oil, their organs & organ

systems become paralysed.

8. Metals: The industrial wastes, discharged dusts, fumes, sludges,

waste water, etc. contain metals like mercury, lead, cadmium,

arsenic, etc. These metals get increasingly deposited in bodies of

organisms at higher trophic levels and the phenomenon is called

biomagnification.

15

9. Radioactivity : Radioactive wastes discharged by the nuclear

plants pollute the seas. Radioactive substances of these wastes

also spread elsewhere from seas & can cause cancer & damage to

the genetic material of the living organisms.

16

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. Eutrophication:

The domestic sewage & run-off water from agricultural fields

release inorganic & organic nutrients & fertilizers into different water

bodies. As a result, the nutrient load of these water bodies gradually

increase which facilitates algal bloom in them. Water bodies with algal

bloom appear totally green. When the algae & other organisms die,

they are decomposed by these decomposers. The dissolved oxygen of

the water is consumed by the decomposers and also by other aquatic

organisms during their respiration. These processes result in the

depletion of oxygen concentration of these water bodies & thus create

problems for the fishes. The phenomenon of depletion of concentration

of water as a consequence of increase in nutrient load is called

eutrophication.

2. Ecological Magnification:

Polluted water contains many unnatural toxic substances like

metals & pesticides which remain stable in the environment without

being degraded. These substances find their way into the body of living

organisms through food chain. The body of the organism neither can

degrade them into harmless simple components nor can excrete them

easily. As a result, gradually they accumulate in the tissues of plants &

animals & pass from one tropic level to the other in the food chain to

reach man finally. The concentration of these chemicals or substances is

very high in the organisms of higher trophic levels of the food chain.

Increasing accumulation of the stable toxic substances in the tissues of

organisms at different trophic levels of food chain is referred to as

‘ecological magnification’.

17

3. Effect of Industrial Discharges:

A variety of harmful substances lice acids, alkalies, dyes & many

other toxic chemicals are present in the industrial effluents which are

released to the different water bodies. The addition of these harmful

substances changes the pH of water and effects adversely the

distribution & activities of aquatic plants & animals.

4. Effects of Agrochemicals:

There are many pesticides which are no biodegradable and once

introduced, remain stable in the environment for a very long time.

These agrochemicals find way into the bodies of the organisms through

food chain & get magnified in higher trophic levels.

5. Effects of Metals:

Magnification heavy metals released to the environment through industrial wastes

occurs in every stage of transfer in the food chain. Metals like mercury, lead cadmium, arsenic,

nickel & chromium are highly toxic in the body of human beings. The disorders caused by these

metals in humans are as follows:

NAME OF THE METAL DISORDERS

1. Mercury - Disorders of central and peripheral

nervous system, blurred vision;

numbness of lips, limbs, muscles, etc.

2. Lead - Nervous disorders; nerval failure; blood

poisojning, anaemia & encephalopathy.

3. Cadmium - Neural, pulmonary & skeletal diseases,

prot einuria & glycosuria.

4. Arsenic - Respiratory & skin cancer; nervous

disorders.

18

5. Nickel - Pulmonary disorders; dermatitis.

6. Chromium - Respiratory disorders; cancer.

7. Tin - Disorders of central nervous system &

vision; pneumoconiotis.

6. Red Tide:

When coastal waters become enriched with nutrients of the

discharged sewage, blooms of dinoglagellate occur in them. These

dinoflagellate produce toxic, substances which cause death of marine

fauna. The dinoflagellate blooms make the tidal water appear red in

colour, hence the name ‘red tide’.

THE SOURCES CAUSING WATER POLLUTION

Sources Numbers

Paper Industry : 3

Sewage : 28

Oil Tanks : 5

19

CONTROL OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. Scientific methods should be adopted to handle and dispose the

garbage, sewage, excreta & industrial wastes.

2. The industrial discharges should be released to the water bodies

only after their neutralization & proper treatment.

3. Instead of releasing to the water bodies, the effluent water can be

used ofr growing algae and aquatic plants to produce biomass for

use in biogas plants.

4. Large shallow oxidation ponds can be constructed to store the

domestic sewage and green algae & bacteria will gradually grow

in such ponds thereby purifying such waters.

5. Public awareness should be created regarding causes & effects of

water pollution.

6. The germs of the water bodies including the sewage should be

killed time to time using lime and bleaching powder.

7. Methods like adsorption, electro dialysis, ion exchange, reverse

osmosis, etc. should employed to remove or alter the pollutants.

8. Water pollution can be controlled by enacting stringent laws to

punish the people who pollute the water.

9. Regular checks & supervisions should be undertaken to maintain

the quality of drinking water.

20

CONCLUSION:

i. At present only the main road of the town is sewered. Several areas in the town are not covered by sewerage system and these areas are severely affected due to stagnation of sewage on the roads and open plots adjoining the building blocks. Open drains carrying sewage across the city pose severe threat to health in addition to causing nuisance of bad odour and over flow during monsoon period.

ii. In absence of sewerage system, people are using septic tanks and soak pits. In most of the places sewage is discharged in to open drains without any treatment.

iii. Also, the old sewerage system is prone to frequent choking of sewerage lines leading to overflow of sewage into roads and creating bad sanitary conditions. Lack of periodic maintenance and renovation of old sewerage system is yet another problem.

iv. The total organic load (BOD) discharged through these drains is 100.64 t/day and that of solids is 127 t/day. The major contributor to the water pollution for BOD Load is Nabinabag drain followed by Mukundaprasad. These drains discharge both domestic and industrial wastewater from densely populated old city areas. These drains discharge both domestic and industrial wastewater from densely populated old city areas.

v. The existing water quality in river Kuakhai is ‘acceptable’. Over the year the trends shows that the water quality has deteriorated from the ‘excellent’ category to the

21

‘desirable’ category at the upstream of Bhubaneswar. But due the discharges from city the water quality has deteriorated although not alarming. The present water quality in River Kuakhai can be categorized under ‘ C ’ class and falls under the ‘Acceptable’ category of the Water Quality Criteria.

vi. The water quality in all most all the lakes and ponds is not suitable for bathing. The high levels of BOD, chloride, nitrate, TC and FC counts recorded in all these water bodies indicate their polluted nature. However, in view of the socio-economic considerations added with religious sentiments, bathing in these public ponds is likely to continue for time to come.

vii. The ground water quality suggests that the water quality of both dug wells and tube wells are not much polluted excepting the lower pH recorded at Gurujanga, Nabinabag, Bhaliabadi and Sriramnagar market and high iron content in almost all tube wells.

viii. The existing water pollution levels, poor sanitation, lack of sewerage system, polluted drains and river, overflowing sewage are highly deterrent to the tourism activity and for the health of the local people.

After the detail study of environment of Khurda Town, I found that the

environment level goes on decreasing. So, we have to create awareness

among the people & take precaution to control different type of

pollution to save the environment. Otherwise it will spoil & as the

result we will also suffer as well as we will responsible for the

difficulties of our future generation.

22

SAVE WATER – SAVE LIFE

“Each year between two and five

million people worldwide die from

lack of safe water and sanitation.

Given this dire situation, the

creation of an advocacy group is

long overdue, .We know what the

problem is and we have the

knowledge and resources to save

millions of lives - we simply need to

extend water to those without it.

Water Advocates and other

nonprofits can make enormous

strides in helping solve this

worldwide crisis by informing the

23

public and ensuring that funding is

available for more projects.

24