Water Resource Contamination in Manipur

1. WATER RESOURCES
CONTAMINATION IN
MANIPUR

2. INTRODUCTION
BASED ON 20 YEARS OF SURVEYS OF
GROUNDWATER ARSENIC CONTAMINATION
AND ITS HEALTH EFFECTS ON THE GANGA–
MEGHNA–BRAHMAPUTRA (GMB) PLAINS,
WITH A POPULATION OF OVER 500
MILLION, WE HAVE FOUND THAT
SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF ALL THE STATES
ON THE GANGA PLAIN (UTTAR PRADESH,
BIHAR, JHARKHAND, WEST BENGAL), SOME
PARTS OF THE BRAHMAPUTRA PLAIN
(ASSAM), AND MOST OF THE PLAINS OF
BANGLADESH ARE ARSENIC AFFECTED

3. GEOLOGY OF MANIPUR
THE HILLS OF MANIPUR LIE BETWEEN THE NAGA–PATKAI HILLS
ON THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST, AND THE CHIN-HILLS ON
THE SOUTH FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE INDO-
MYANMAR (BURMA) RANGES (IMR). THE STRUCTURAL AND
TECTONIC PATTERN IS TRANSITIONAL BETWEEN THE NE–SW
TRENDING PATTERN OF NAGA– PATKAI HILLS AND N–S TREND
OF MIZORAM AND CHIN HILLS (BRUNNSCHWEILER 1974). IT
COMPRISES GEOLOGICALLY YOUNG ROCK FORMATIONS THAT
WERE UPLIFTED BY THE TERTIARY OROGENY OF THE
HIMALAYAS FROM THE SHALLOW BED OF THE TETHYS SEA.
THE ROCKS ARE DOMINANTLY TERTIARY AND CRETACEOUS
SEDIMENTS WITH MINOR IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS.
FLYSCH SEDIMENTS OF TERTIARY AGE UNDERLIE NEARLY 70%
OF THE STATE

4. SOURCES OF WATER IN
MANIPUR STATE
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, THERE
WERE APPROXIMATELY 500 LAKES IN MANIPUR STATE
(MANIPUR 2007) WITH INNUMERABLE SMALL PONDS,
SWAMPS AND MARSHES ALONG LAKESIDES AND INTER-
RIVERINE TRACTS AND MANY COMMUNITY AND
HOUSEHOLD PONDS. MANY OF THESE WATER BODIES NO
LONGER EXIST DUE TO ENCROACHMENTS FOR PADDY
CULTIVATION AND HUMAN SETTLEMENT. AT PRESENT
THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF LARGE AND SMALL LAKES.
LOKTAK IN BISHNUPUR DISTRICT IS THE LARGEST AND
MOST IMPORTANT FRESHWATER LAKE (289 KM2 ) IN THE
NORTH EASTERN HILL STATES AND COULD BE USED AS A
POTABLE WATER RESOURCE AFTER APPROPRIATE
TREATMENT. THERE ARE 155 WATER BODIES COVERING
AN AREA OF 530 KM2

5. EFFECTS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ON WATER
IN IMPHAL CITY, MANIPUR
SOLID WASTE IS NOW BECOMING ONE OF THE MAJOR
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANT IN THE WORLD.
UNAUTHORIZED, UNHYGIENIC AND UNSCIENTIFIC
DISPOSAL PRACTICES OF THE SOLID WASTES
GENERATED FROM HOUSEHOLDS, MARKETS,
COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, INDUSTRIES ETC.
CAUSES SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARDS BY POLLUTING
IMPORTANT NATURAL RESOURCES LIKE AIR, WATER,
SOIL ETC. PRESENT PAPER DEALS WITH WATER
POLLUTION CAUSED DUE TO DISPOSAL OF SOLID
WASTE IN IMPHAL CITY. WATER SAMPLES COLLECTED
FORM 4 DISPOSAL AND 3 NON-DISPOSAL SITES WERE
ANALYSED TO WORK OUT THE LEVEL OF POLLUTANTS.
RESULTS OBTAINED AFTER ANALYSIS SHOWN THAT
THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WATER
QUALITY OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL AREA AND NON-

6. DISEASES CAUSED BY POLLUTED WATER
WATERBORNE PATHOGENS, IN THE
FORM OF DISEASE-CAUSING
BACTERIA AND VIRUSES FROM
HUMAN AND ANIMAL WASTE, ARE A
MAJOR CAUSE OF ILLNESS FROM
CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER.
DISEASES SPREAD BY UNSAFE WATER
INCLUDE CHOLERA, GIARDIA,

7. TEAM MEMBERS
RISHI CHOUDHARY 10TH D
RISHIKA SINGH 10TH D
RITVIK LALWANI 10TH D
ROHIT BHALOTHIA 10TH D
SAHIL SAHU 10TH D
SHREE K YADUWANSHI 10TH D