Groundwater contamination status in India: review

1. Groundwater Contamination Status in
India: Review
Tapesh Ajmera
Hydrogeologist and Groundwater Modeler

2.  Central Ground Water Board has been monitoring the
chemical quality of ground water in the country since 1974.
 Water quality samples collected by CGWB one in a year over
around 15640 observation wells (as on 31th March 2008).
 75.8 million Indian living without access to clean water.
 About 29,000 million liter/day of wastewater generated from
Facts
 About 29,000 million liter/day of wastewater generated from
class-I cities and class-II towns (As per CPCB-2008).
 About 45% (about 13000 mld) was generated from 35 metro-
cities alone (As per CPCB-2008).
 The collection system exists for only about 30% of the
wastewater through sewer line.
 Treatment capacity exists for about 7000 million litre/day.

3.  Approximately 37.7 million Indians are affected by
waterborne diseases and 1.5 million children die of diarrhea.
 1,76,177 habitations out of total 17,13,303 were found
contaminated
 25,504 rural habitations (or 1.09 crore people) in Rajasthan
are getting with chemical or bacterial contamination.
Cont.,
are getting with chemical or bacterial contamination.
 12,879 rural habitations(or 0.44 crore people) in Assam are
getting with chemical or bacterial contamination.
 In India, 84,294 rural habitations have access only to water
contaminated by chemical.
 Three-fourth of the surface water resources in India are
polluted due to untreated wastewater.

4.  66 million Indians are at risk due to excess fluoride in GW.
 10 million Indians are at risk due to excess arsenic in GW.
 Fluoride (>1.5 mg/l): 276 districts in 20 states or UT
 Nitrate (>45 mg/l): 387 districts in 21 states or UT
 Arsenic (>0.05 mg/l): 86 districts in 10 states or UT
Cont.,
 Arsenic (>0.05 mg/l): 86 districts in 10 states or UT
 Iron (>1.0 mg/l): 297 districts in 24 states or UT
 Heavy metal [Lead (>0.01 mg/l), Cadmium (>0.003
mg/l), Chromium (>0.05 mg/l)]: 113 districts in 15 states or UT

5. Laws and Framework for Water Quality Regulation
1974
• The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act
1977
• Water Cess Act
1986
• Environment (Protection) Act
1989
• The Manufacture, Storage, Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules
1989
• The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules
1998
• The Bio-medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules
1999
• The Municipal Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules

6. Contaminants Elements Cause Sources
Nitrates Dissolved nitrate
Blue baby
disease
Sewage, Fertilizers, air
pollution, landfills & industries
Pathogens Bacteria and Viruses
Typhoid,
Cholera,
Dysentery, Polio
and Hepatitis
Sewage, landfills, septic tanks
and livestocks
Common Groundwater Contaminants
and Hepatitis
Trace metals
Lead, Mercury,
Cadmium, Copper,
Chromium and Nickel
Toxic and
carcinogenic
Industrial & mine discharge,
Fly ash, Industrial solid waste
dumping and leaching
Inorganic
Constituents
dissolved SO4, chloride,
Na, K
Gastrointestinal
Organic
Compounds
Volatile and Semi-
volatile (petroleum and
PCBs pesticides)
Highly toxic
agricultural activities, street
drainages, sewage landfills,
industrial discharges, spills,
vehicular emissions fall out

7. Land-use Activities Potential to GW Pollution
Residential
Un-sewered sanitation
Land & stream discharge of sewage
Sewage oxidation ponds
Sewer leakage, solid waste disposal, landfill leachate
Road & urban run-off, aerial fall out
Industrial & Commercial
Process water, effluent lagoon etc.
Land & stream discharge of sewage
Tank & pipeline leakage & accidental spills
Well disposal of effluent.
Land-use Activities and Their Potential Threat
Industrial & Commercial Well disposal of effluent.
Aerial fall out.
Landfill disposal & solid wastes & Hazardous wastes.
Poor housekeeping.
Spillage & leakages during handling of material
Mining
Mine drainage discharge
Process water, sludge lagoons
Solid mine tailings
Oilfield spillage at group gathering stations
Rural
Cultivation with agrochemicals
Irrigation with wastewater
Soil Stalinizations
Livestock rearing
Coastal areas Salt water intrusion

8. Hydrogeology of India
YDROGEOLOGY OF INDIA
>40 25-40 10-25 <10
1-25 1-10 1-5
<1
Groundwater Potential (Yield, Liters/sec)
Unconsolidated Formations
Unconsolidated /Semi-Consolidated
Formations
Hilly Area
Legend

9. EC in Shallow Aquifer
Legend
EC in (µS/cm) at 250C
<750
750-1500
1500-3000
>3000
Source: CGWB

10. Chloride in Shallow Aquifer
Legend
Chloride in (mg/l)
<250
250-500
500-1000
>1000Source: CGWB

11. Fluoride in Shallow Aquifer
Source: CGWB

12. Arsenic in Shallow Aquifer
Source: CGWB Arsenic > 0.05 mg/l

13. Nitrate in Shallow Aquifer
Nitrate >45 mg/lSource: CGWB

14. Iron in Shallow Aquifer
Iron >1 mg/lSource: CGWB

15. Water Quality Analysis of India’s Contaminated Habitations
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
NumberofHabitations
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
Source: http://indiawater.gov.in/IMISReports/Reports/WaterQuality/rpt_WQM_QAffectedHabByLabTesting_S.aspx?Rep=0&RP=Y
0
50000
Years Total Arsenic Fluoride Iron Salinity Nitrates
2012-13 210514 3726 32295 151762 8914 13817
2013-14 171202 3165 38087 98657 10045 21248
2014-15 239739 4838 42980 150934 10570 30417
2015-16 176174 7532 36832 110111 8917 12782
2016-17 159780 17294 34029 77496 9104 21857
2017-18 140437 10584 29219 73044 11170 16420

16. Water Quality Analysis of States (2016-17)
0
7970
0
23512
5176
17309
0 44 643 11 66
3167
11014
17712983
11528
2 87 24 31
18492
0
1515
18819
0 7
5178
14822457
15
26477
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Total
Source: http://indiawater.gov.in/IMISReports/Reports/WaterQuality/rpt_WQM_QAffectedHabByLabTesting_S.aspx?Rep=0&RP=Y
Andaman&Nicobar
ArunachalPradesh
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
MadhyaPradesh
0 2 0
4268
844 30 0 0 24 0 32 4 70 2 0 4 2 45 0 0 0 0 802 0 0 0 0 0 612 1
10552
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
20000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Arsenic

17. 0
4497
0 260
14631621
0 20 484 0 12 118
5512
95
18751317
0 0 6 0 408 0 336
10818
0 3
4079
0 319 0 786
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
20000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Fluoride
Water Quality Analysis of States (2016-17)
Source: http://indiawater.gov.in/IMISReports/Reports/WaterQuality/rpt_WQM_QAffectedHabByLabTesting_S.aspx?Rep=0&RP=Y
Andaman&Nicobar
ArunachalPradesh
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
0 799 0
18981
2862
13137
0 0 7 10 18
3033
829 1382
368 666 0 42 18 17
17691
0 255 7 0 0 48
14821288
13
14543
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
20000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Iron

18. 0
2220
0 1 1 9 0 3 105 1 0 4
503
45 297
765
0 0 0 1 393 0 12
3461
0 4
658
0 25 0
596
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Salinity
Water Quality Analysis of States (2016-17)
Source: http://indiawater.gov.in/IMISReports/Reports/WaterQuality/rpt_WQM_QAffectedHabByLabTesting_S.aspx?Rep=0&RP=Y
Andaman&Nicobar
ArunachalPradesh
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
0
452
0 2 6
2512
0 21 23 0 4 8
4100
247 443
8776
0 0 0 13 0 0 110
4533
0 0 393 0 213 1 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Andaman&Nicobar
AndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
HimachalPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
MadhyaPradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
TamilNadu
Telangana
Tripura
UttarPradesh
Uttarakhand
WestBengal
NumberofHabitations
Nitrate

19. Organoleptic and Physical Parameters
S.No. Parameters BIS (IS 10500:2012)
Acceptable Limit Permissible Limit
1 Color (Hazen Unit 5 25
2 Odour Agreeable Agreeable
3 PH 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5
4 Taste Agreeable Agreeable
5 Turbidity (NTU) 1 5
Drinking Water Standard: BIS (10500:2012)
5 Turbidity (NTU) 1 5
6 Total dissolved solids (mg/l) 500 2000
Parameters Concerning Radioactive Substances
S.No. Parameters BIS (IS 10500:2012)
Acceptable Limit Permissible Limit
1 Radioactive materials
(a) Alpha emitters (Bq/l) 0.1 0.1
(b) Beta emitters (Bq/l) 1 1

20. Parameters Concerning Toxic Substances
S.No. Parameters BIS (IS 10500:2012)
Acceptable Limit Permissible Limit
1 Cadmium (mg/l) 0.003 0.003
2 Cyanide (mg/l) 0.05 0.05
3 Lead (mg/l) 0.01 0.01
4 Mercury (mg/l) 0.001 0.001
5 Molybdenum (mg/l) 0.07 0.07
6 Nickel (mg/l) 0.02 0.02
8 Polychlorinated biphenyls (mg/l) 0.0005 0.0005
cont.,
8 Polychlorinated biphenyls (mg/l) 0.0005 0.0005
9 Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (mg/l) 0.0001 0.0001
10 Total Arsenic (mg/l) 0.01 0.05
11 Total Chromium (mg/l) 0.05 0.05
12 Trihalomethanes:
(a) Bromoform (mg/l) 0.1 0.1
(b) Dibromochloromethane (mg/l) 0.1 0.1
( C) Bromodichloromethane (mg/l) 0.06 0.06
(d) Chloroform (mg/l) 0.2 0.2

21. General Parameters Concerning Substances Undesirable
S.No. Parameters BIS (IS 10500:2012)
Acceptable Limit Permissible Limit
1 Aluminium (mg/l) 0.03 0.2
2 Ammonia (mg/l) 0.5 0.5
3 Anionic detergents (mg/l) 0.2 1
4 Barium (mg/l) 0.7 0.7
5 Boron (mg/l) 0.5 1
6 Calcium (mg/l) 75 200
7 Chloramines (mg/l) 4 4
8 Chloride (mg/l) 250 1000
9 Copper (mg/l) 0.05 1.5
10 Fluoride (mg/l) 1 1.5
11 Free residual chlorine (mg/l) 0.2 1
cont.,
11 Free residual chlorine (mg/l) 0.2 1
12 Iron (mg/l) 0.3 0.3
13 Magnesium (mg/l) 30 100
14 Manganese (mg/l) 0.1 0.3
15 Mineral oil (mg/l) 0.5 0.5
16 Nitrate (mg/l) 45 45
17 Phenolic compounds (mg/l) 0.001 0.002
18 Selenium (mg/l) 0.01 0.01
19 Silver (mg/l) 0.1 0.1
20 Sulphate (mg/l) 200 400
21 Sulphide (mg/l) 0.05 0.05
22 Total alkalinity (mg/l) 200 600
23 Total hardness 200 600
24 Zinc (mg/l) 5 15
cont.,

22.  Groundwater quality is slowly but surely declining everywhere.
 Public awareness program should be initiates proactively at
colony/mohal level along with schools.
 No such groundwater contamination/remediation courses during B.
Tech/M. Tech at university levels (not even IIT/NIT institutes).
 Unfortunately, knowledge , awareness, courses at collage about
groundwater contamination and remediation in the India are almost nil.
Conclusion
groundwater contamination and remediation in the India are almost nil.
 GW extraction will mobilize exiting contaminant. Hence, enhance
aqueous phase groundwater contamination in wider area.
 Mostly, government staffs does not have sufficient knowledge/skills to
evaluate remediation projects. Key staffs should give in-depth training
about it.
 Some of government programs such as “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” and
“Door-to-Door Garbage Collection” are really good , however, these
should be implement properly at grass root level.

23.  Industrial wastewater should be treated before disposal and law
should enforced and should have big punishment to owners.
 Identify and delineate contaminated aquifer and replace with safe
aquifer on highest priority.
 Identify and delineate deep aquifer for water supply (typically less
probability of contamination).
 GW monitoring sampling for quality should have at least one every 3
cont.,
 GW monitoring sampling for quality should have at least one every 3
months and even more frequency at Over-Exploited blocks.
 Water quality map should be generate at local to national level and
update regularly. Even more focus to Over-Exploited blocks.
 The remediation are usually very expensive, time consuming & not
always effective. Hence, use latest technology and experience
company (skilled person) for site remediation projects.
 Remediation would be much difficult in Fracture-porous media
compared to porous media.

24.  Collection, handling and storage of chemicals/waste disposal should
be monitor regular with high standard.
 Any village (population>10,000) should have waste dump site (with
proper design) and sewage treatment plant.
 Should be adopt most latest groundwater remediation technology
and groundwater modeling tool for decision making.
 We should focus on new emerging contaminate
cont.,
 We should focus on new emerging contaminate
(e.g., Pharmaceuticals Personal Care Products (PPCP) and Endocrine
Disrupting Compounds (EDC)) along with standard contaminates.
 Usually, water quality at house is worst due water supply pipe is very
old and have cracks which lead soil particle along with contaminate (
if any) in the water. It would be much worse due each household a
high capacity pump to extract more water and head .- Typical
problem

25. Thanks