INTRODUCTION:

Environment can be defined as the sum total of

materials and forces surrounding the living organism.
Environment regulated the life of the organisms including
human beings. Man being the most intelligent creature,
interacts with the environment more vigorously than does
any other organism. There is no end of human needs. With
the growth of human civilization, there has been an
exponential increase in the demands for materials. As a
result, man has started exploiting nature mercilessly to meet
the demands of his comfort and to feed the mouths for
increased

population.

Through

deterioration

of

environmental condition is brought about by extreme events

like natural catastrophes and calamities, man-made hazards,
physical pollution and social, man has a major role in it.
Economic development at present is directly linked with
environmental degradation. The chief cause of depletion of
worlds forest cover is conversion of forest lands into
agriculture lands. Every year near 8 to 12 million hectres of
worlds forest cover is depleted. Similarly of worlds forest
cover

is depleted.

Similarly

due

to

urbanization

and

industrial development, coastal wetlands are destroyed.

Thus, rapid growth of population, rapid industrialization and
green

revolution

are

responsible

for

degradation

of

environment.
To feed the ever growing human population, efforts are
being made to increase the food production and that led to
Green Revolution. The ammunitions of green revolution
1

are the chemical fertilizers and pesticides which have been

used indiscriminately to provide more nutrients to crops and
to control pests respectively. No doubt, these chemicals
have increased the food production manifold but side by
side have given rise to many health and ecological
problems. Agrochemicals constitute one of the major causes
of soil and water pollution.
With the growth of human population and urbanisation,
number of automobiles and other vehicles has increased.
More vehicles mean more air pollution & noise pollution. The
causative

agents

of

ozone

layer

depletion

are

chlorofluroccarbons which we use as refrigerants and

propellants. Automobiles and industries are responsible for
increased CO2 in air leading to green house effect and global
warming we pollute the soil by dumping garbage.
POLLUTION:
Pollution is defined as an undesirable change in the
physical, chemical & biological characterstics of air, water &
soil that may harmfully affect the life or create a potential
hazard for living organism.
Degradation of environment with the introduction of
man-made extraneous materials to air, water or land is also
called Pollution. The extraneous agents which cause
pollution are called as Pollutants. The pollutants may be
material or energy which cause pollution when added to the
environment

in

quantities

and

at

rate

which

are

determental to the life of the organisms. Thus, a Pollutant

2

is defined as any material (solid, liquid or gas) or energy

( heat, sound, radioactivity, etc. ) that produces harmful
effects when added to the environment.
Basing on different type of pollutants the pollution is of
following types:
1. Air Pollution
2. Water Pollution
3. Soil Pollution
4. Noise Pollution.
The first three of these are more effective to the
environment. In this study we will discuss about water
pollution of Khordha.
What is water pollution
When toxic substances enter lakes, streams, rivers, oceans,
and other water bodies, they get dissolved or lie suspended
in water or get deposited on the bed. This results in the
pollution of water whereby the quality of the deteriorates,
affecting aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants can also seep down
and affect the groundwater deposits.
Water pollution has many sources. The most polluting
of them are the city sewage and industrial waste discharged
into the rivers. The facilities to treat waste water are not
adequate in any city in India. Presently, only about 10% of
the waste water generated is treated; the rest is discharged
as it is into our water bodies. Due to this, pollutants enter
groundwater, rivers, and other water bodies. Such water,
which ultimately ends up in our households, is often highly
3

contaminated

and

carries

disease-causing

microbes.

Agricultural run-off, or the water from the fields that drains

into rivers, is another major water pollutant as it contains
fertilizers and pesticides.
Domestic

sewage

refers

to

waste

water

that

is

discarded from households. Also referred to as sanitary

sewage, such water contains a wide variety of dissolved and
suspended.

Overview of the Khordha District

Location of Khordha:
The erstwhile Puri District was divided to form three new
districts in April 1993 and as a result Khordha District was
formed taking Khordha and Bhubaneswar sub-divisions of
Puri district. This district lies between north latitudes 19 0 40
to 200 27 and east longitudes 84 0 56 to 860 05 covering an
area of about 2813 Sq. Kms. It is bounded in the north and
northest by Cuttack District, on the west and southwest by
Nayagarh District and Ganjam District, on the southeast by
Chilika Lake and Puri District.
Location

190 40 to 200 27 North

840 56 to 860 05 East

District Headquarter

Khordha Town

Geographical Area

2813 Sq. Kms.

Forest Cover

50936. 56 Hect.

Population

2251673

Male Population

1167137

Female Population

1,084,536

Sex ratio

929

Number of Block

10

Number of GPs

168

Number of Revenue Villages

1567

 Number of Tehsils

Natural Resources
Land:
The district of Khordha has Geographical area of 2813 Sq.
Kms. Baed on the physiographic set up; the district may be
broadly divided into four natural divisions, such as

(a)

coastal sand dunes, (b) alluvial plain, (c) Lateritic upland and
(d) Hilly terrain.
Forest
Khordha district is having 298.91 Sq. Km. of reserve forest
and 209.87 Sq. Km. of demarcated protected forestland.
Climates and Rainfall:
Climate
The climate of the district is characterized by a tropical
monsoon having three district seasons in a year i.e. winter,
summer and rainy season. The rainfall distribution is equal
during the monsoon period. The summer is from March to
May and during the month of May; temperature goes upto
41-470 C in some parts of the district. The period from June
to September is the rainy season and the district gets it from
the southwest monsoon. The relative humidity varies from
48 to 85% at Bhubaneswar. The wind speed is fairly strong
during summer and monsoon months and the direction is
between southwest and south.
Rainfall
6

The normal rainfall of the district is 1443.00 mm. The rainfall

is uniform in all over the district. Storms and depression,
which originate in the Bay of Bengal during monsoon,
passed over the district during their southwest movement
and cause heavy rains in the catchments area of the rivers
in the district.
Socio-economic Features:
The economic condition of the district is ordinarily affected
because of the continual visitation of natural calamities like
flood, cyclone and drought, heat wave, causing devastation
in the fertile region as well as loss of lives and properties in
some parts of this district every year. About 65% of the
population in the district live in rural areas and depend
largely on agriculture for their livelihood, which controls the
socio-economy of the district.
River Systems and Dams
The district is drained by number of streams, which are
mostly the tributaries and distributaries of Mahanadi River
and a few other streams discharging into the Chilika Lake.
The important distributaries and sub-distributaries of the
river Mahanadi traversing the area are Kuakhai, Bhargavi,
Kushabhadra and Daya having southerly, southeasterly and
south-westerly courses. The tributaries of the river Mahanadi
originating in the district are Rana and Kalijiri having almost
northerly course. The streams which drain the southern part
of the district and fall directly into Chilika Lake are Sulia,
Kharia and Kusumi which flows towards east. Almost all the
7

streams in the district are effluent in nature and dying up

during summer months but causing frequent floods in the
rainy season. The low lying areas adjoining the Chilika Lake
are inundated by the lake during monsoon as rivers
discharge large volumes of water into it.

The District is mainly covered by the following rivers:

Sl.

Name of Rivers

Areas Covered

Kuakhai

Bhubaneswar Block

Bhargavi

Balianta & Baliopatna Block

Budunai

Bhubaneswar Block

Daya

Bhubaneswar Block

Kushabhadra

Balianta Block

Malaguni

Khordha Block

Rana

Begunia & Khordha Block

Kusumi

Tangi Block

No.

i. Kuakhai:
River Kuakhai originating as a branch of Mahanadi enters
Bhubaneswar Block area from the north near Jhinkardiha and
Marichia village of Dadha GP and flow touching the eastern
boundaries of Kalyanpur, Barimunda, Basuaghai and Sisupal
GP and passes amidst Mancheswar. During flood the excess
water from Kuakhai River submerged Jhinkardiha, Marichia
and some parts of Gandarpur village. It even affects
Mancheswar Bhoisahi if the flood is very severe. Excess
water over flowing Mancheswar escape over river Kuakhai
8

completely submerges the paddy field of Mancheswar and

Barimunda

GPs

and

maroons

Singada,

Rokata

dn

Krushnaranapur villages.
ii. Bhargavi :
The river Bhargavi passes through some village of Balianta
Block. The river affects a part of Balianta and Balipatana
blocks during flood.
iii. Budunai:
In originates from the forest and hilly tracks of Candaka and
flows through Daruthenga GP near Alasua, Raghunatpur,
Kalarahanga dna Barimunda GPs and finally merges into
river Kuakhai near Jaripatna. Excess water flowing through
Budunai

flows

over

Nandanakanan-Jaripada

road.

Communication is cut off during heavy rains and flood.

iv. Daya:
The river Daya takes off from river Kuakhai at Saradeipur
and runs towards a few miles and then makes a sharp turn
west ward for four miles and after that continues its course
outwards; the rest of the length emptying itself into the
north eastern corner of the Chilika lake, 37 miles from its
take off place.
v. Kusabhadra:
Kusabhadra leaves the river Kuakhai at Balianta and flows in
the South-Western direction for 46 miles till it enters the Bay
of Bengal near Ramachandi temple, 15 miles East of Puri.
The mouth of Kusabhadra below Ramachandi is free form lid.
9

The river bed is shallow resulting in low discharge at the

time of heavy flow. The river Dhanua with its tributary brings
a large volume of water to Kusabhadra.
vi.Malaguni:
It runs through Khordha Tahasil. This is more or less a hill
stream and badly affects some portions of Khordha, Chilika
and Tangi blocks during flood.
vii.

Rana:

The river Rana rises in Khordha sub-division and eventually

joins the river Mahanadi after flowing through Banki Tahasil
in the district at Cuttack. An area of 27 Sq. Kms. (some
portions of Begunia and Khordha blocks) is inundated by the
backwater of this river when Mahanadi is flooded.
viii. Kusumi:
This river affects some villages of Tangi block during flood.
Thus floods have become endemic in the district and call for
effective pre-flood measures, flood relief operations and post
flood arrangements.

10

WATER POLLUTION & Its control

Water

is

the

universal

solvent, the elixir of life and also

the medium of life activity. About
85 to 90% of the weight of the
living body is water. Water is
indispensable in our daily life as
we use it for various purposes
like cooking, washing clothes,
cleaning, drinking, etc.
Two-third of the surface of
the earth is covered with water. About 97% of the total
water present on earth is salt water and remaining 3% is
freshwater. The sources of water are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Sea,
Rain,
Groundwater, &
Surface water.

WATER POLLUTANTS:
The followings are the major water pollutants:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)

Sewage & other organic wastes;

Animal & human excreta;
Fertilizers, pesticides & insecticides;
Industrial wastes;
Oil spills;
Acid rain;
Metals (like mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic,

etc.);
(viii) Open earth mining;
(ix) Temperature;
(x) Radioactivity.
11

Khordha town and Water Pollution

GROUND WATER

Ninety-five percent of all fresh water on earth is ground

water. Ground water is found in natural rock formations.
These formations called aquifers are a vital natural resource
with many uses. Nationally, 53% of the population relies on
ground water as a source of drinking water. In rural areas
this figure is even higher. Eighty one percent of community
water is dependent on ground water. Although the 1992
Section 305 (b) State Water Quality Reports indicate that,
overall, the Nations ground water quality is good to
excellent; many local areas have experienced significant
ground water contamination. Some examples are leaking
underground storage tanks and municipal landfills.
DATA COLLECTED FROM TEN DIFFERENT LOCALITY IN
TABULAR FORM
Sl.
No.

Name of

Population

Area
in Sq.
Kms.

No. of
Tube
wells

No. of
Dug
wells

No. of
Ponds

the Locality

1.

B.D.A. Colony

15000

09

03

06

2.

Sriram Nagar

12000

05

04

07

3.

Narayan Nagar

25000

10

02

03

4.

Palla (Khurda - 2)

11600

12

02

04

5.

Jemadei

7600

05

03

12

6.

Mukunda Prasad

23500

07

08

15

7.

Bhaliabadi

22000

15

10

17

8.

Nabinabag

25800

04

9.

Gurujang

40000

20

15

30

12

No. of
other
sources

Municip
ality

Supply

TESTING THE SAMPLE OF WATER FROM DIFFERENT LOCALITY &

THEIR NATURE IN TABULAR FORM

Parameters
Locality No.

Monitoring Sites
1

PH

7.4

6.1

7.5

7.6

6.9

SS (Mg/1)

120

20

160

100

140

TDS (Mg/1)

180

200

200

200

400

BOD (Mg/1)

100

160

120

60

140

COD (Mg/1)

130

208

160

120

208

CL (Mg/1)

36

50

66

34

74

1 to 5 indicates that:1. B.D.A. Colony, 2. Sriram Nagar, 3. Gurujang, 4. Nabinabag & 5. Mukunda Prasad..

13

SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION

1. Domestic waste & Sewage: The main source of
sewage is urban dwellings. Sewage wastes are directly
discharged into rivers, lakes, reservoirs etc. The wastes
include

human

excreta,

micro-organisms

which

soaps,
are

detergents,

pathogenic.

waste

Domestic

wastes & sewages induce the growth of microorganisms. They facilitate luxuriant growth of bacteria
when dumped into water. These bacteria decompose
the waster utilizing the oxygen present in water and
thus cause depletion of oxygen concentration in water.
2. PCBs: Another dangerous pollutant turning up in
waters

throughout

the

world

is

polychlorinated

biphenyles (PCBs). PCBs are used to make number of

products

starting

from

printing

ink

to

electrical

capacitor. They are now known to cause cancer in

animals.

PCBs

are

bio-accumulative

and

bio-

nondegradable. Another heavy metal known to cause

various ailments in human beings is lead. Lead
poisoning severely affects the kidney, liver & central
nervous system.
3. Agrochemicals:
production
poisonous

huge

To

increase

amounts

agrochemicals

of

are

the

agricultural

different
being

kinds

used.

As

of
a

consequence whole biosphere is being polluted. These

chemicals fall into categories i.e. chemical fertilizers
and biocides. The Chief Chemical fertilizers include
phosphophates & nitrates.
14

4. Pesticides & Biocides: Commonly used biocides are

DDT, BHC, Chalrdone, Heptachlor, Methoxychlor, Aldrin,
Andrine, Copper Sulphate, etc. All these chemicals &
biocides sprayed in crop fields, ultimately find their way
into water system through leakage or agricultural
runoff.
5. Industrial wastes & effluents: Industries are using
inland water bodies as an effluent dumping ground.
These

effluents

carry

many

organic

&

inorganic

chemicals like acids, alkalis, phenols, chemicals dyes,

cyandies, oil, grease, plastic materials, suspended
solids & heavy metals (Ph, Hg, Cd, CO, Cr, Cu, etc.).
6. Thermal Pollution: The rise in temperature of water
bodies is detrimental to the life of aquatic animals. The
water used for cooling purposes in nuclear reactors,
electricity

generation

plants,

steel

plants

&

oil

refineries becomes hot & this heated water is generally

discharged into ponds, lakes, rivers or seas. High
temperature and low oxygen concentration make the
water inhospitable for the aquatic animals.
7. Oil Spills: The oil which spills out during transportation
on sea or during offshore drilling pollutes the water. Oil
being lighter than water, covers the surface of water &
thus prevents water from contact with air resulting in
graded depletion of dissolved oxygen. The low oxygen
concentration of oil-covered water affects lives of
aquatic animals. Apart from this, when aquatic birds &
other animals come in contact with spilled oil, their
organs & organ systems become paralysed.
15

8. Metals:

The

industrial

wastes,

discharged

dusts,

fumes, sludges, waste water, etc. contain metals like

mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc. These metals get
increasingly deposited in bodies of organisms at higher
trophic

levels

and

the

phenomenon

is

called

biomagnification.
9. Radioactivity : Radioactive wastes discharged by the
nuclear plants pollute the seas. Radioactive substances
of these wastes also spread elsewhere from seas & can
cause cancer & damage to the genetic material of the
living organisms.

16

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. Eutrophication:
The domestic sewage & run-off water from agricultural
fields release inorganic & organic nutrients & fertilizers into
different water bodies. As a result, the nutrient load of these
water bodies gradually increase which facilitates algal
bloom in them. Water bodies with algal bloom appear totally
green. When the algae & other organisms die, they are
decomposed by these decomposers. The dissolved oxygen
of the water is consumed by the decomposers and also by
other aquatic organisms during their respiration. These
processes result in the depletion of oxygen concentration of
these water bodies & thus create problems for the fishes.
The phenomenon of depletion of concentration of water as a
consequence

of

increase

in

nutrient

load

is

called

eutrophication.
2. Ecological Magnification:
Polluted

water

contains

many

unnatural

toxic

substances like metals & pesticides which remain stable in

the environment without being degraded. These substances
find their way into the body of living organisms through food
chain. The body of the organism neither can degrade them
into harmless simple components nor can excrete them
easily. As a result, gradually they accumulate in the tissues
of plants & animals & pass from one tropic level to the other
in the food chain to reach man finally. The concentration of
these chemicals or substances is very high in the organisms
of higher trophic levels of the food chain. Increasing
accumulation of the stable toxic substances in the tissues of
17

organisms at different trophic levels of food chain is referred

to as ecological magnification.
3. Effect of Industrial Discharges:
A variety of harmful substances lice acids, alkalies,
dyes & many other toxic chemicals are present in the
industrial effluents which are released to the different water
bodies. The addition of these harmful substances changes
the pH of water and effects adversely the distribution &
activities of aquatic plants & animals.
4. Effects of Agrochemicals:
There are many pesticides which are no biodegradable
and once introduced, remain stable in the environment for a
very long time. These agrochemicals find way into the
bodies of the organisms through food chain & get magnified
in higher trophic levels.
5. Effects of Metals:
Magnification

heavy

metals

released

to

the

environment through industrial wastes occurs in every stage

of transfer in the food chain. Metals like mercury, lead
cadmium, arsenic, nickel & chromium are highly toxic in the
body of human beings. The disorders caused by these
metals in humans are as follows:
NAME OF THE METAL
1.

Mercury

DISORDERS
- Disorders
peripheral

of

central

nervous

and

system,

blurred vision; numbness of lips,

18

limbs, muscles, etc.

2.

Lead

- Nervous disorders; nerval failure;

blood

poisojning,

anaemia

&

encephalopathy.
3.

Cadmium

- Neural,

pulmonary

diseases,

prot

&

skeletal

einuria

&

glycosuria.
4.

Arsenic

- Respiratory

&

skin

cancer;

nervous disorders.
5.

Nickel

- Pulmonary disorders; dermatitis.

6.

Chromium

- Respiratory disorders; cancer.

7.

Tin

- Disorders

of

central

nervous

system & vision; pneumoconiotis.

6. Red Tide:
When coastal waters become enriched with nutrients of
the discharged sewage, blooms of dinoglagellate occur in
them. These dinoflagellate produce toxic, substances which
cause death of marine fauna. The dinoflagellate blooms
make the tidal water appear red in colour, hence the name
red tide.
THE SOURCES CAUSING WATER POLLUTION

Sources

Numbers

Paper Industry

Sewage

28

Oil Tanks

19

CONTROL OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. Scientific methods should be adopted to handle and

dispose the garbage, sewage, excreta & industrial
wastes.
2. The industrial discharges should be released to the
water bodies only after their neutralization & proper
treatment.
3. Instead of releasing to the water bodies, the effluent
water can be used ofr growing algae and aquatic plants
to produce biomass for use in biogas plants.
4. Large shallow oxidation ponds can be constructed to
store the domestic sewage and green algae & bacteria
will gradually grow in such ponds thereby purifying
such waters.
5. Public awareness should be created regarding causes &
effects of water pollution.
6. The germs of the water bodies including the sewage
should be killed time to time using lime and bleaching
powder.
7. Methods like adsorption, electro dialysis, ion exchange,
reverse osmosis, etc. should employed to remove or
alter the pollutants.
8. Water pollution can be controlled by enacting stringent
laws to punish the people who pollute the water.
9. Regular checks & supervisions should be undertaken to
maintain the quality of drinking water.

20

CONCLUSION:

i. At present only the main road of the town is

sewered.

Several

areas

in

the

town

are

not

covered by sewerage system and these areas are

severely affected due to stagnation of sewage on
the roads and open plots adjoining the building
blocks. Open drains carrying sewage across the
city pose severe threat to health in addition to
causing nuisance of bad odour and over flow
during monsoon period.
ii. In absence of sewerage system, people are using
septic tanks and soak pits. In most of the places
sewage is discharged in to open drains without
any treatment.
iii. Also,

the

old

sewerage

system

is

prone

to

frequent choking of sewerage lines leading to

overflow
bad

of

sewage

sanitary

maintenance

into

roads

conditions.
and

renovation

and

creating

Lack of periodic
of

old

sewerage

system is yet another problem.

iv. The total organic load (BOD) discharged through
these drains is 100.64 t/day and that of solids is
127 t/day. The major contributor to the water
pollution for BOD Load is Nabinabag drain followed
by Mukundaprasad. These drains discharge

both

domestic and industrial wastewater from densely

populated old city areas.
both

domestic

and

These drains discharge

industrial wastewater from

densely populated old city areas.

21

v. The existing water quality in river Kuakhai is

acceptable. Over the year the trends shows that
the water

quality

has deteriorated

excellent

category

to

the

from

the

desirable category

at the upstream of Bhubaneswar. But due the

discharges

from

city the water quality

deteriorated although not alarming.

has

The present

water quality in River Kuakhai can be categorized

under C class and falls under the Acceptable
category of the Water Quality Criteria.
vi. The water quality in all most all the lakes and
ponds is not suitable for bathing. The high levels
of

BOD,

chloride,

nitrate,

TC

and

FC

counts

recorded in all these water bodies indicate their

polluted nature. However, in view of the socioeconomic

considerations

sentiments,

bathing

in

added with
these

religious

public

ponds

is

likely to continue for time to come.

vii.

The ground

water quality

suggests

that the

water quality of both dug wells and tube wells are

not

much

polluted

excepting

the

lower

pH

recorded at Gurujanga, Nabinabag, Bhaliabadi and

Sriramnagar market and high iron content in almost
all tube wells.
viii. The

existing

sanitation,

lack

water
of

pollution

sewerage

levels,

system,

poor

polluted

drains and river, overflowing sewage are highly

deterrent

to the

tourism

activity

and

for the

health of the local people.

After the detail study of environment of Khurda Town, I
found that the environment level goes on decreasing. So,
we have to create awareness among the people & take
22

precaution to control different type of pollution to save the

environment. Otherwise it will spoil & as the result we will
also suffer as well as we will responsible for the difficulties
of our future generation.

23

SAVE WATER SAVE LIFE

Each year between two and five

million people worldwide die from
lack of safe water and sanitation.
Given this dire situation, the
creation of an advocacy group is
long overdue, .We know what the
problem is and we have the
knowledge and resources to save
millions of lives - we simply need to
extend water to those without it.
Water Advocates and other
nonprofits can make enormous
strides in helping solve this
worldwide crisis by informing the

24

public and ensuring that funding is

available for more projects.

25