A report on a visit to a local polluted site.
- 1. A Report on A visit to a Local Water Polluted Site Submitted to: Submitted by: Mr. Subodh Khanal Suraj Poudel Assistant Professor 3rd semester Department of Environmental Science Class Roll no. 60 IAAS, Paklihawa Campus Exam Roll no.315 IAAS, Paklihawa Campus Submission Date:2074/05/24
- 2. Introduction: Pollution can be defined as the undesirable change in natural system. It may also define as the unwanted change in the characteristics of air, water, soil and other environmental factors. Pollution adversely affects the health, survival or other activities of human and other animals. It is the main problem at present both at local level as well as at a global level. In Nepal, the pollution is the growing concern. But there are only limited studies done so far to quantify the level of pollution. Thus the availability of the data is very poor. The monitoring activities are virtually insignificant. However, with the movement of industrialization and urbanization the pollution situation has become quite visible in some industrial locations and major urban centers. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollutants include solid, liquid or gaseous substances present in greater than natural abundance produced due to human activity, which have detrimental effect on our environment. Pollution can affect: air, water, soil and biodiversity that directly affect the plant and animal life. There are various types of pollution. Some are listed below: air pollution, water pollution, land pollution and noise pollution. Water pollution Water pollution is defined as the contamination of water by harmful substances which is detrimental to living beings. Industrial wastes, household garbages, non-decomposable materials from schools, chemicals, pesticides releasing from agricultural activities are major cause to pollute water bodies. The effects of water pollution include decreasing the quantity of drinkable water available, lowering water supplies for crop irrigation, and impacting fish and wildlife populations that require water of a certain purity for survival. Consumption of polluted water causes various water borne diseases which are effecting the human health in long term and short term. Land Pollution Soil or land pollution is contamination of the soil that prevents natural growth and balance in the land. Many micro and macro flora and fauna are affected by land pollution since they obtain minerals, nutrition from soil itself. Soil contamination can lead to poor growth and reduced crop yields, loss of wildlife habitat, water and visual pollution, soil erosion, and desertification. Noise Pollution Noise pollution refers to undesirable levels of noises caused by human activity that disrupt the standard of living in the affected area. Noise pollution cause mental stress, depression, damage to the ear drum which can cause deafness. Other forms of pollution include radioactive pollution, thermal pollution, light pollution and plastic pollution. But our concern during our visit was Water Pollution. There has grown up a serious concern all over
- 3. the visited area about the river and small rivulets turning into polluted site. Water is the most important natural resource of environment that supports life on the Earth. Nepal is the second richest country in the world in terms of water resources. There are about 6000 rivers in Nepal having drainage area of 191000sq. km, 74% of which lies in Nepal alone.(Ekta School Atlas,2011). There is various classification of water pollution. Pollution of water is classified into two categories based on their source: a) Point sources: It refers to the contaminants that enter the waterway from a single identifiable source Such as pipe or ditch. E.g.: discharge from factory b) Non-point sources: It means pollutants are emitted from multiple sources. E.g.: surface run off from agricultural land. Objectives: To identify the major reason, extent and type of the pollution near the visited site. To identify the adverse effect of pollution in that vicinity. To explore the extent of pollution in the given specified region. To study the present situation of environment. To study the visible effects of pollution. To study about the direct and indirect causes of pollution To formulate the possible strategies in order to control various pollution To suggest control measures to minimize pollution. Methodology: Firstly, we visited around polluted Dande River site and small watershed in front of the paklihawa campus. Further, analysis was done by following two methods: A. Primary method: The polluted site was properly observed and information was gathered up. B. Secondary method: Different literary books and journals related to pollution were consulted. Internet sites were also cited and desk study was done for obtaining different information about the polluted place. Discussion: Dande River and small watershed in front of paklihawa campus were selected for the report preparation whichislocated in Rupandehi districts in Lumbini zone in Western region of Nepal.
- 4. Morphometry of site: Latitude: 83º 26’ East Longitude: 27º 31’ North Altitude: 110masl Distance from East-West highway: 26km Population: 1,08,558 (2067) Female: 52,866 Male: 55,692 Total houses: 18,763 Source: www.siddharthanagar.org.np/ Observation in polluted site: Most people around the river are unaware and illiterate. They are unknown about waste management practices so they don’t care about biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances. Photo: Polluted Dande river site, 2017
- 5. The river is flowing from North to South joining Nepal and India. Major time, the river is full of water, rarely drying during winter season. During our visit, we saw the river as dumping location i.e. there were pile of decomposed materials that came from residing places. We observed following materials or pollutants on the river bank: 1. Wastes from UCMS hospital 2. Wastes from near brick kiln 3. Plastic bags 4. Plastic bottles 5. Waste food materials 6. Damaged domestic wares 7. Man and animal excreta 8. Dead bodies of animals 9. Plant materials 10. Surface run off from agricultural land 11. Fuel materials from vehicles 12. Old clothes and various residues from nearby Dande market The main factors/causes that results the pollution was found are as follows: a. Irrigation water for cultivating different crops. b. Different animals wallow in the river. c. People are disposing different waste materials coming from household and small industrial activities. d. Random fishing and overfishing in the river by using poisons. e. Cremation of people on the river bank f. Swimming in the river. g. Surface run off from agricultural land h. Eutrophication i. Lack of awareness and activeness among local people for conducting sanitation campaign j. Lack of proper rules and regulations, programs for removal of heap of pollutants by the side of Dande Bridge by the Municipality or other Governmental sectors. k. Lack of proper implementation of existing rules and regulation on Water Resource Management.
- 6. Consequences: The river is being polluted due to different human activities which is not eco-friendly. The heap of pollutants in Dande river looked as if it is a dumping site not a river. It has totally damaged the beautiful scenario of river. Very bad smell could be easily felt while walking by the water sources. The water has become impure and unusable for human and animals. Extreme eutrophication has been observed in the river which has resulted in the reduction of the available oxygen in the river. Increase in nutrient content and biological growth is causing consequent decrease of oxygen supplies. Water quality seemed to be totally degraded and when it is used for domestic purposes, it may cause water related illness such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery, skin allergies etc. Loss of soil fertility and productivity is also a major problems caused by Dande river pollution. Due to the foul smell of the river and the other pollutants the recreational value of river has decreased. Photo: High algal growth at polluted river (Eutrophication), Paklihawa, 2015 RemedialMeasures: Here are some measures suggested to reduce the problems faced due to the Dande river water pollution:
- 7. 1. The majour cause of pollution is human behavior. It should be changed. 2. Proper selection and management of dumping sites. 3. Use of Bio-degradable substances as compost manures. 4. Application of ‘3 R’ principle; Recycle, Reduce, Reuse 5. Management of dustbins by household itself and municipality in several places. 6. Development of new residential areas without sanitation provision should be prohibited. 7. Proper implementation of rules and regulations, programs for removal of heap of pollutants by the side of Dande Bridge by the Municipality or other Governmental sectors. 8. Establishment of toilet in every house for the safe disposal and provision for reuse of disposed material in field should be made to increase the fertility of soil. 9. Cremation by the side of the river should be prohibited. 10. Dead bodies of animals and waste material should be disposed in distance from water resources. 11. Wallowing of animals in water resources should be strictly controlled. 12. Planting ground cover and stabilizing erosion prone areas. 13. Controlled fishing, using of poison during fishing is strictly prohibited. 14. Cleaning campaign must be launched from local level. 15. Strict implementation of “polluters’ pay” principle. 16. Shifting of Dande market to the area far from water resources may be the one solution to reduce the water pollution near the site. 17. Government should formulate and implement waste management strategies in the region of polluted areas. 18. Solid wastes must be reuse and recycle. 19. Public awareness against water pollution must be raised 20. For management of water wastes ,recycling factories must be established. 21. Proper dumping site must be established for non-degradable solid wastes. 22. Every home, school, offices must be use dustbin separately. 23. Farmers must be given awareness about excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. 24. Various NGOs, INGOs should conduct community sanitation programme. 25. Strict government act must be passed. 26. Use of decomposable materials and discard using of non renewable materials 27. Emphasis on using renewable solid materials and proper utilization with reuse must be done
- 8. Summary and Conclusion: Water is the most important natural resource of environment that supports life on the Earth. The visited locality is undergoing rapid pollution because what most of the people fail to realize is that they will never truly destroy the natural resources and the resources will always remain. This trend is creating more and more pollution in the environment. So, there is utmost need of changing peoples’ thought about their activities. Thus, we suggested some recommendations for the solution for the pollution of water resources in paklihawa areas.
- 9. References: Neupane, H. Class note on Agricultural and Environmental Economic http://www.explainthatstuff.com/waterpollution.html Retrieved on: August 1, 2o17/ 8:00am Sharma, P.D.1992, Ecology and Environment. Rastogi Publication, Meerut http://www.siddharthanagar.org.np/ Retrieved on: August 1, 2017/ 8:30 am