Question.
Describe the nature of water pollution in India.
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-12: Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems)
Answer.
When the concentration of unwanted substances in water increases, it makes the water unfit for use, it is called water pollution.
The substance which pollutes the water is called a water pollutant. Some important water pollutants are suspect particulates (heavy particles such as sand and lead), microbes (bacteria, viruses, and fungi), and inorganic substances (agrochemicals, detergents, uranium, nitrates, pesticides, etc.). In such a situation, the self-purifying ability of water is not able to purify the water.
The major water-polluting industries are the fertilizer, leather, pulp, paper, textile, and chemical industries.
Nature of Water Pollution in India:
All the surface water available in rivers, lakes, and canals in India is impure. It has high concentrations of micro-organism pollutants (from sewage) and chemical pollutants (from agricultural runoff and industrial waste).
The flow of the Ganga below Kanpur is highly polluted mainly because of industrial, domestic, and urban waste generated from big cities like Kanpur, Prayag Raj, Varanasi, Patna, and Kolkata.
The entire flow of the Yamuna River below Delhi is polluted, mainly because of the drainage of water by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for irrigation (as it reduces the water in the channel); Apart from this, there is agricultural waste from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and industrial waste and domestic waste from big cities like Delhi, Agra, etc.
Chemical pollutants like arsenic, uranium, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. also reach groundwater making groundwater unfit for use.
Pollution of surface water and groundwater in India has led to the scarcity of usable water, causing a water crisis in most cities.
Various cultural activities like religious fairs and tourism also cause surface water pollution in India.
Water pollution in India causes waterborne diseases like diarrhea, intestinal worms, hepatitis, etc.
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