Groundwater quality deteriorating in Tamil Nadu’s industrial areas: CSE - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Groundwater quality deteriorating in Tamil Nadu’s industrial areas: CSE.

The most serious pollution threat to groundwater was from calcium, chloride and iron, associated with sewage and pollution from tannery waste

Groundwater is becoming more polluted in Tamil Nadu’s industrial areas and Vellore is the state’s most polluted district in terms of river pollution, according to a new study by Delhi-based thinktank, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

CSE did an assessment of Tamil Nadu CEPI scores. CEPI (Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index) is a rational number to characterise the quality of the environment at a given location following the algorithm of source, pathway and receptor. An increase in CEPI score denotes adverse effects on the receiving environment.

Five industrial clusters in Tamil Nadu were found to have a water score of more than 50. Three of these — Vellore-North Arcot, Manali and Tiruppur — were ‘critically polluted’ and two — Cuddalore and Coimbatore — were ‘severely polluted’, according to the CEPI water score 2018.

A CEPI individual score of 60 and above denotes an industrial area to be a ‘critically polluted area’ and a score between 50-60 denotes it to be a ‘severely polluted area’.

The CEPI water score of Vellore-North Arcot was 65.25 in 2009. This increased to 75 in 2018. Manali had a CEPI water score of 59 in 2009, which increased to 72.25 in 2018. Tiruppur had a CEPI water score of 50.75 in 2009, which increased to 65 in 2018.

Vellore, the most polluted district in Tamil Nadu in terms of river pollution, was home to 240 tanneries, 17 red category industries and small-scale chemical industries, according to CSE.

Partially treated industrial effluents, combined with sewage and other wastes were being discharged directly into surface water according to the study, Assessment of groundwater quality in some towns of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India.

This had caused severe groundwater pollution in the industrial belt. The most serious pollution threat to groundwater was from calcium, chloride and iron, that are associated with sewage and pollution from tannery waste.

CSE also found that five industrial clusters in Tamil Nadu had a land score of more than 50. For arriving at land score, ground water and soil quality was considered.

Four of the five clusters — Manali, Mettur, Tiruppur and Tuticorin — fell under the ‘critically polluted’ category and one industrial cluster (Erode) fell under the ‘severely polluted’ category with respect to groundwater and soil pollution.

The land score of the Manali industrial cluster was 58 in 2009. This increased to 71.75 in 2018. Tiruppur had a CEPI land score of 53 in 2009, which increased to 64 in 2018. Mettur had a land CEPI score of 46.5 in 2009, which increased to 69.38 in 2018. Erode had a CEPI score 43.5 in 2009, which increased to 52.75 in 2018.

The Manali industrial area was one of the most polluted areas identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). About 300 industries had come up in this area, including chemicals, plastics, petrochemicals, refineries and fertilisers.

Some well-known industries like Madras Fertilizers Ltd, Madras Petrochemicals Ltd and Madras Refineries Ltd had also flourished in the area during recent years.

The study Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soils around Manali industrial area showed heavy metal pollution in the area and found elevated concentrations of chromium (149.8–418.0 mg / kg), copper (22.4–372.0 mg / kg), nickel (11.8–78.8 mg / kg), zinc (63.5–213.6 mg / kg) and molybdenum (2.3–15.3mg / kg), that had resulted in ground water and pollution.

Manali was extremely contaminated due to several years of random dumping of hazardous waste and free discharge of effluents on land by industries. The high amount of toxic metals in the environment might have also caused an increase in their presence in groundwater as a result of leaching.

CEPI was a tool developed by the CPCB in 2009 to identify the problematic industrial areas in the country. In 2009, 88 industrial clusters were notified as polluted industrial areas. (Source: downtoearth)

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Groundwater quality deteriorating in Tamil Nadu’s industrial areas: CSE.

Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019.

The government will levy a fee on ground water extraction from June next year to discourage misuse of water by industries and ensure a "more robust ground water regulatory mechanism" in the country, an official release said on Thursday.

The step is likely to make packaged drinking water dearer.

The Central Ground Water Authority has notified revised guidelines for ground water extraction which will be effective from June 1, 2019.
One of the important features of the revised guidelines is introduction of the concept of Water Conservation Fee (WCF).
The WCF payable varies with the category of the area, type of industry and the quantum of ground water extraction and is designed to progressively increase from safe to over-exploited areas and from low to high water consuming industries as well as with increasing quantum of ground water extraction.
The high rates of WCF are expected to discourage setting up of new industries in over-exploited and critical areas as well as act as a deterrent to large-scale ground water extraction by industries, especially in over-exploited and critical areas.
"The WCF would also compel industries to adopt measures relating to water use efficiency and discourage the growth of packaged drinking water units, particularly in over-exploited and critical areas," it said.
Other features of the revised guidelines include encouraging use of recycled and treated sewage water by industries, provision of action against polluting industries, mandatory requirement of digital flow meters, piezometers and digital water level recorders.
There will be mandatory water audit by industries extracting ground water 500 cubic metre per day or more in safe and semi-critical and 200 cubic metre per day or more in critical and over-exploited assessment units, mandatory rooftop rain water harvesting except for specified industries and measures to be adopted to ensure prevention of ground water contamination in premises of polluting industries/ projects.
As per the revised guidelines, agricultural users, users employing non-energised means to extract water, individual households using less than 1 inch diameter delivery pipe and armed forces establishments during operational deployment or during mobilisation in forward locations have been exempted from the requirement of no-objection certificate (NOC).
Other exemptions (with certain requirements) have been granted to strategic and operational infrastructure projects for armed forces, defence and paramilitary forces establishments and government water supply agencies.
India is the largest user of ground water in the world, extracting ground water to the tune of 253 billion cubic metre per year, which is about 25 per cent of the global ground water extraction.(Source: The Business Standard)


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Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019