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(Thematic report- March) Water Pollution and its causes in Nepal |
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by Binita Suwal | 30-03-2022 20:24
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A major problem for the world population is water pollution. I have tried to know the condition of water of my country on the basis of one of the popular river of Nepal i.e Hanumante Khola(river). I have tried to maintain a proper report... 1.2 Background “If seven maids with 7 mops, swept it for a half a year, Do you suppose,” the Walrus said, ”That they could get it clear,” said the carpenter, And shed a bitter tear (Lewis Carroll) In this poem” The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll they have been talking about the Earth. It is time either to start shedding bitter tear or do something to control environmental pollution. Pollution is better explained by Garett Hardin’s ‘The Tragedy of the Commons”. Here it is not a question of taking something out of the commons, but of putting something in-sewage, or chemical, radioactive, and heat wastes into water; noxious and dangerous fumes into the air. The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effect is called pollution (Oxford Dictionary). Water is constantly circulating between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere up above in a never-ending conveyor belt called the water cycle. Rivers are the main parts of the conveyor that carry water from the higher parts of Earth to the lower parts. The water quality from the rivers has a considerable importance for the reason that these water resources are generally used for multiple matters such as: drinking, domestic and residential water supplies, agriculture, hydroelectric power plants, transportation and infrastructure tourism, recreation and other human or economic ways to use water. The contamination of water bodies (river), usually as a result of human activities results pollution. Water pollutants are categorized as point source and non-point source. Non-point source pollution comes from runoff, construction sites and other land disturbance whereas point source pollution comes mainly from industrial facilities and municipal wastewater treatment plants Some causes of water pollution 1. Physical disturbance of land due to construction of houses, industries, roads etc 2. Chemical pollution from industries 3. Inadequate sewage collection and treatment 4. Agricultural wastes 5. Sediment From land erosion 6. Industrial waste 7. Dumping of solid wastes and litters in water bodies causes huge problems 8. Eutrophication cause bloom of algae in water and depletes oxygen in water 2. objectives 1. To determine the different source for causing the pollution of river 2. To determine the possible impact caused due to the river pollution 3. To recommend the mitigation measures for the possible impacts 4. To know the states of water pollution of Hanumante river. 3. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Study area This study was carried out in Hanumante river of Bhaktapur District at 27˚40ʹ6ʺN and 85˚25ʹ5ʺE. It is the major water source in Bhaktapur which has its own ecological, economic, cultural and religious importance. It flows from north-east to south-west having length of 23.5 km. Hanumante River covers 3.92% of the Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi Municipalities i.e 143 km2. It has its origin in Mahadev Pokhari at Nagarkot and flows through the rural and urban areas of Bhaktapur District before joining Manahara River at Jadibuti in Kathmandu. The site was selected as this place is influenced by the industrial areas and includes many big cities like Suryabinayak, Madhyapur Thimi, Sallaghari. This river has its cultural and religious value and human encroachment has been increased highly that all the waste generated from different sites has been dumped directly to the river 3.2 Data Collection The data required for this study was taken from published and republished journals and reports. And the data were also collected from District Development Committee, Kathmandu Upateka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) and Wateraid Nepal. 4. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Situation of river For many centuries, this holy river has been a place for ritual bath, irrigation and source for drinking purpose. But now, in the present time, it has been a sink of urban waste which is depleting its value. This natural resource of water seems like a dumping site of plastics and wastes today. The river pollution has reached to the extent that the river water is no longer suitable for human use except as waterway for domestic and industrial effluents. Another problem of this river is flood during heavy rainfall and overflow of water in river. Use of Hanumante khola water Irrigation Brick industries Cultural and traditional activities 4.2 Causes of pollution 1. Non point source a. Agricultural runoff High dose of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical use in fields may cause water pollution in river during runoff. b. Construction activities It is estimated that the river was surrounded by trees but in present, construction activities near the khola is increasing rapidly and the waste or outcome of construction is directly mixed with water making the khola polluted. c. Urbanization Immigration is one of the reasons of population growth in valley. Due to lack of awareness, they are likely to throw their household waste directly into the river. 2. Point sources a. Industrial and sewage waste Industries like Garment industries, Health services, Pashmina production etc nearby are the main to drain industrial wastes directly into the khola making it not a river but only a sewage where they can drain all liquid wastes and chemicals from industries and household. b. Dumping Site Nowadays it is quite common to hear news like “Hanumante River turning into dumping site” or “Eight metric tonnes garbage collected from Hanumante River”. Municipality itself has been dumping the daily loads of solid waste alongside of the river and discharging the domestic sewage of entire city into Hanumante river. In these years, the khola is being popular for dumping site making it full of plastics and garbages c. Cultural and religious activities Culture of bathing in hanumante khola on the 5th day of Navaratri with belief to achieving sanctity, culture of mixing flowers of Bhaitika and Mhapuja with the belief that, those would reach to god etc are directly causing pollution in river. d. Animal Bath Pigs are often found roaming here and there in water, especially in the part of hanumante khola near bhelukhel at Jagati. 4.3 Impact of Pollution Water quality is degrading day by day due to the chemical discharges from industry and household waste. Farmers near this khola use water for irrigation for traditional farming as they have no other choice. Therefore, the productivity of their crops is decreasing as compared to previous year. This decrease also decreases their economy. Many years ago, this river water is mainly extracted for drinking purpose. But in present days, it is not even suitable for human use. Due to the pollution, this site is no more attractive to the visitors The chemicals, wastes and other pollutants had created bad smell around river area that makes the lives of local people difficult. 5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION People living in Bhaktapur district are mainly dependent on agricultural field. The place is also important for its culture and religion. And for all these importance, following recommendation should be applied Rule for compensation from the industry for polluting the river. Proper waste management should be done by the municipality. Plantation in the bank of river may add some scenic beauty. Treatment techniques should be taken by the industry in discharging harmful wastes regularly in river. Awareness program for active people’s participation. In-stream pollution control. Proper sewage treatment. Reduce use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer. Avoid direct dumping into water system. Skip the use of plastic. Hanumante khola sarsafai aviyan 2074 6. REFERENCES 1. Pandey, S.2006. Water Pollution and Health.Kathmandu University Medical Journal, 4(13): 128-134 2. Acton,Q.2013.Issues in Environment,Health and Pollution. Scholarly Edition, Atlanta Georgia.1137 DDC,Bhaktapur,2019 |
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3 Comments
Such meaningful pictures
Posted 02-08-2022 03:09
Hello Binita, this is your mentor Chelwoon.
The quotes you wrote are interesting! As you have mentioned, water is constantly circulating in the ecosystem. As rivers have considerable importance in many ways, we should keep them clean. However, there are still many pollutants flowing into rivers. Among them, nonpoint pollution source is what we should focus on. It takes a lot of time and money to deal with these nonpoint pollution sources. In this regard, we need to consider many aspects to address overall water pollution as well.
Thank you for the article!
Regards,
Chelwoon
Posted 01-04-2022 06:50
Hello Binita, this is your mentor Joon.
Well classified two sources of water pollution by point and non-point sources. Point source is the one we could specify and narrow down to while non-point is the one we cannot specify. Non-point sources are much serious as we cannot purify the ones flowing directly to fresh water. There exists some solutions which could deal with the pollutants from non-point source, yet it is not effective enough. What could be some of the remedies? Try to think of them yourself.
Well read your article, and let's keep up!
Best,
Joon
Posted 31-03-2022 16:02