Helena Joyce
India is one of the most water-challenged countries in the world, with its water bodies getting increasingly toxic. The country's water sources are severely polluted due to untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, unregulated small-scale industry, and pesticides. The Ganges, a sacred river in Hinduism, is a prime example of this pollution, with high levels of coliform bacteria and toxic chromium compounds. India's growing urbanization and industrialization exacerbate the problem, and it is estimated that 70% of the country's surface water is unfit for consumption. This has detrimental effects on both the environment and public health, with water pollution contributing to millions of deaths in the country.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Water Pollution Sources | Untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, unregulated small-scale industry, pesticides, industrial waste |
| Water Bodies Affected | Rivers, lakes, groundwater, wells, canals, drains |
| Water Quality | 70% of surface water unfit for consumption, high levels of BOD, coliform bacteria, toxic chromium compounds |
| Social Impact | Water pollution kills millions, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities with limited access to clean water |
| Economic Impact | Loss of almost half of GDP growth in polluted areas, 9% reduction in agricultural revenues, 16% drop in downstream agricultural yields |
| Environmental Impact | Ecological degradation, bioaccumulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) |
| Government Initiatives | Ganga Action Plan (GAP), National Water Quality Monitoring Network, $4 billion campaign to treat sewage and industrial runoff |
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What You'll Learn
- Water pollution is killing millions of Indians
- India is one of the most water-challenged countries
- The largest source of water pollution is untreated sewage
- Water pollution severely limits water available to Indian consumers, its industry and agriculture
- The Ganga Action Plan was launched to improve water quality
Water pollution is killing millions of Indians
India is one of the most water-challenged countries in the world. With a population of over 1.2 billion, India is urbanizing rapidly, and its water bodies are becoming increasingly toxic. It is estimated that around 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption. This is due to untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, and unregulated small-scale industry. The majority of government-owned sewage treatment plants remain closed due to poor design, maintenance, and a lack of electricity supply. As a result, raw sewage is dumped into rivers, causing severe pollution.
Water pollution in India has detrimental effects on both the environment and public health. It is estimated that the health costs relating to water pollution are around $6.7-8.7 billion per year. Waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis affect 38 million Indians annually. Diarrhea is also a significant issue, with 1.5 million Indian children dying from the disease each year. The lack of access to clean water and sanitation results in 400,000 deaths per year in India. Globally, water-related diseases cause the deaths of 1.5 million children under five and a loss of 200 million workdays annually.
The environmental impact of water pollution in India is also severe. A World Bank report suggests that the release of pollution upstream lowers economic growth in downstream areas, reducing GDP growth by up to a third. The degradation of the environment, including water pollution, costs India $80 billion annually.
To address these issues, reliable and comprehensive data is essential. Researchers at the Tata Centre for Development at UChicago have used automated, geotagged, time-stamped, real-time sensors to gather data and pinpoint pollution hotspots in rivers. This high-resolution mapping of river water quality supports regulatory compliance decision-making and provides an early warning of ecological degradation.
Additionally, India has revised its National Water Policy to encourage community participation and decentralize water management. However, the complex bureaucracy has hindered effective implementation. The government has also encouraged Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology to eliminate liquid waste from highly polluting industries, but installation costs and technical limitations have deterred widespread adoption.
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India is one of the most water-challenged countries
The majority of India's water pollution comes from untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, and unregulated small-scale industry. Most rivers, lakes, and surface water in India are polluted due to these industries, untreated sewage, and solid wastes. Pesticides are also a major contaminant of water bodies in India, with many banned pesticides still being used due to their cheap and easily accessible nature. The Ganga, a popular holy river in India, was named one of the ten most dangerous rivers in the world in 2007 due to water pollution. Sewage discharged from cities, towns, and some villages is the predominant cause of water pollution in the Ganga.
Groundwater levels are also falling across India as farmers, city residents, and industries drain wells and aquifers. The Indian government subsidizes farmers' electric pumps and places no limits on the volumes of groundwater they extract, creating a widespread pattern of excessive water use and strained electrical grids. Northwestern India is particularly vulnerable, with 54% of wells showing a decline in groundwater levels over the past seven years.
The World Bank has been involved in different aspects of water resource management and the supply of drinking water and sanitation services across the country. Two World Bank projects, worth $1 billion, are helping to set up the institutions needed to manage and clean the Ganga river. The India Water Tool 2.0 is another initiative that evaluates India's water risks and helps identify the most pressing challenges to carefully target water-risk management efforts.
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The largest source of water pollution is untreated sewage
India is one of the most water-challenged countries in the world, with even its deepest aquifers and largest rivers facing threats. The country's water woes are largely due to untreated sewage, which is the largest source of water pollution.
The problem is twofold: India generates a massive amount of sewage, and it lacks the treatment capacity to handle it. Major Indian cities produce 38,354 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, but the urban sewage treatment capacity is only 11,786 MLD. This gap between generation and treatment capacity has resulted in a severe pollution problem. Domestic effluents contribute a substantial proportion of water pollution in India, with more than 70% of domestic untreated effluents being disposed of in environmental media.
The Central Pollution Control Board, a Ministry of Environment & Forests Government of India entity, has established a National Water Quality Monitoring Network comprising 1,429 monitoring stations in 28 states and 6 in Union Territories on various rivers and water bodies across the country. Water samples are routinely analysed for 28 parameters, including dissolved oxygen and bacteriological content. This monitoring network found almost all rivers with high levels of BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand), a measure of pollution with organic matter. Organic and bacterial contamination is becoming increasingly critical in Indian water bodies, leading to gradual degradation of water quality.
The government-owned sewage treatment plants that do exist remain closed most of the time due to improper design, poor maintenance, lack of reliable electricity supply, absentee employees, and poor management. As a result, the wastewater generated in these areas percolates into the soil or evaporates, and the uncollected waste accumulates in urban areas. This releases pollutants that leach into surface and groundwater, causing severe pollution of Indian rivers.
The impact of untreated sewage on water quality has severe consequences for the environment, public health, and the economy. Water pollution severely limits the amount of water available to Indian consumers, industry, and agriculture. It is a significant cause of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis, leading to illness, hospitalization, and even death. The economic impact includes costs associated with healthcare, loss of livelihoods (especially for fishing communities), and expenses for water treatment and purification.
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Water pollution severely limits water available to Indian consumers, its industry and agriculture
Water pollution is a critical issue in India, severely limiting water availability for consumers, industry, and agriculture. The country's water sources, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater, are under significant stress due to various pollutants.
One of the primary sources of water pollution in India is untreated sewage. Many cities, towns, and villages discharge their domestic sewage directly into rivers, leading to severe pollution in major water bodies like the Ganga. The gap between sewage generation and treatment capacity is substantial, with insufficient treatment plants and poorly maintained infrastructure. This has resulted in high levels of organic pollution, with rivers showing elevated measures of pollution with organic matter.
Agricultural runoff is another significant contributor to water pollution in India. Pesticides, fertilizers, and agrochemicals used in farming contaminate water sources, affecting both water quality and soil fertility. India continues to use pesticides that have been banned internationally, such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). These chemicals are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pose severe health risks as potential carcinogens and mutagens. Additionally, industrial wastewater, often containing heavy metals and chemicals, is discharged into rivers, further degrading water quality.
The impact of water pollution in India is far-reaching. Groundwater levels are declining, and the water that is available is often severely polluted. This affects both human consumption and agricultural practices, threatening food security. India's farmers, city residents, and industries compete for surface water, exacerbating water scarcity. The situation is particularly acute in Northwestern India, a region responsible for a significant proportion of the country's rice and wheat production.
To address these challenges, India has undertaken several initiatives. The government has been working to rejuvenate the Ganga River, investing in sewage treatment plants and infrastructure. Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) have been adopted in some areas, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional treatment plants. Additionally, the India Water Tool 2.0, a comprehensive online platform, helps users identify water-related challenges and target risk management efforts. The country has also explored reusing treated wastewater in agriculture and industry to reduce groundwater extraction.
While India grapples with its water pollution crisis, the future presents a pressing concern. Without significant and sustained improvements in data transparency, infrastructure development, and pollution reduction, India's national water supply is predicted to fall 50% below demand by 2030.
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The Ganga Action Plan was launched to improve water quality
India is one of the most water-challenged countries in the world, with its groundwater levels declining due to excessive extraction by farmers, city residents, and industries. The country's water bodies, especially the holy river Ganga, have been continuously polluted by industrialization, open defecation, and untreated sewage.
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched in 1985 by then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to address this issue and improve the water quality of the Ganga river basin. The plan was a centralized government-sponsored initiative with two phases. The first phase, from 1985 to 2000, covered the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, while the second phase, which began in 1993, expanded to include Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Delhi, and Haryana. The main objectives of the GAP were to reduce pollution and enhance the river's water quality by focusing on the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage, as well as the prevention of toxic industrial chemical wastes from entering the river.
The GAP also aimed to conserve biodiversity, develop an integrated river basin management approach, and conduct comprehensive research to further these objectives. Additionally, it sought to address non-point source pollution from human defecation, cattle wallowing, and the disposal of human remains in the river. The plan included the development of sewage treatment technologies and rehabilitation initiatives for soft-shelled turtles, which aid in pollution abatement.
Despite the GAP's ambitious goals, it is considered a failure by many experts. Significant success in cleaning the river has been limited, highlighting the complexity of the challenge. However, there have been some improvements, especially in the Hills of Uttarakhand, Bihar, and West Bengal, where water quality has shown a 30% improvement. The GAP's biggest achievement may be admitting the Ganga River's pollution and making an effort to clean it.
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Frequently asked questions
It is estimated that around 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption. Most rivers, lakes, and surface water in India are polluted due to untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, and unregulated small-scale industry.
The largest source of water pollution in India is untreated sewage. In addition, pesticides are a major contaminant of water bodies in developing countries, and India has used over 350,000 million tonnes of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) since 1985, despite it being banned that same year.
The Indian government has invested in water treatment plants and electricity infrastructure development, and has embarked on a $4 billion campaign to ensure that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial runoff enters the Ganges River. Researchers at the Tata Centre for Development at UChicago are also using geotagged, time-stamped, real-time sensors to gather data and pinpoint pollution hotspots in rivers.
