question_answer

Explain any three factors responsible for the depletion of water resources. Examine any two legislative measures for controlling water pollution in India.

Answer:

(i) Increased use of irrigation: The impact of increased use of water for irrigation is a decrease in the quality and quantity of downstream water, with implications on both ecosystem functioning and on downstream use for agriculture, industry and municipal supplies. However, as the demand area, the farmland, is often distant from the critical urban/industrial demand areas, these linkages are often overlooked.

(ii) Use of fresh water in industrial animal production and processing systems: The demand on fresh water has a direct impact, a reduction in the overall availability of fresh water among competing users. It also has an indirect impact through decreasing the water available for diluting effluents, and hence increasing the levels of pollution in downstream systems. Discharged wastewater is generally loaded with nutrients (N and P) and organic compounds. When discharged directly onto surface water, the large quantities of wastewater easily exceed the natural cleaning capacity of the system, causing pollution and increasing biological oxygen demand.

Legislative measures in India:

(i) The government of India has enacted a number of pieces of legislation, such as the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and amended in 1998.

(ii) Environment Protection Act 1986, a system of environmental audit introduced to enable the production units to evaluate the raw materials, utilities, and operational efficiencies to effect any possible midcourse corrections and minimize environmental pollution.