Assignment 01

1.

First and foremost we should stop increasing the nitrate concentration. For this usage of fertilizer
should be reduced. For example depending on the crop and soil conditions, the fertilizers should
be used. If not then the remaining will percolate in to groundwater. Timing of application of
nitrogen is also important. Because it does not remain in the soil for very long, it is usually better
to apply small, regular doses. It is best to time the applications to coincide with the periods when
the crop needs it the most. This is where fertilizers have a big advantage over manure. It is not
possible to control the release of nitrogen from manure. It may occur at a time when the crop
does not need nitrogen allowing it to be easily leached out of the soil. There are a few chemicals
which can modify the rate at which nitrogen reacts in the soil and reduce the chance of pollution.
Urease inhibitors work by slowing down the rate at which urea is converted into ammonium
nitrogen. Nitrification inhibitors reduce the rate at which ammonium nitrogen is converted into
nitrates. The other way is using existing wells and modified agricultural practices to
simultaneously remove contaminated groundwater and reduce nitrate loading at the surface
through the use of nitrogen uptake from irrigation water by crops, accompanied by optimized
fertilizer application.

Pump-and-treat, a type of ex situ remediation, refers to the extraction of contaminated water

from the subsurface followed by treatment and subsequent discharge of treated water to
groundwater (i.e., through reinjection or percolation) or surface water.
2.

Boil water for one minute or use bottled water or obtain water from an alternate source, such as
a municipal system, or a nearby well that has been tested and found to be safe. The best long
term solution is to fix the well to prevent on-going contamination, if possible, or to install a
permanent water treatment device. Treatment methods such as chlorination, distillation,
disinfection by ultraviolet light (UV), or reverse osmosis can be used to destroy or remove
bacteria, viruses or other organisms in water. Parasites such as Cryptosporidium or Giardia are
best destroyed by boiling (including distillation) but are also effectively inactivated by UV
treatment, but water flow must be limited and the unit must be properly maintained. Wells
contaminated with feces should be disinfected with liquid bleach, thoroughly flushed to remove
bleach residue and retested. Due to potential for re-growth of bacteria in distribution lines, these
should also be disinfected and cleared prior to retesting. Well water testing and source protection
Well owners are encouraged to test their water periodically to make sure it is safe to drink.
Preventive methods such as proper well site selection and construction are the best way to
safeguard water supplies against contamination by fecal material.

3.

The following steps can be carried out to reduce the sending of oil in to ground,

I. Construct a new operating oil separator system.

II. Cleaning catch pits d and building HFO sludge separator
III. Construction of sump within the tank farm.
3. B.

By controlling the entry of sea water into the Vadamarachchi and Upparu lagoons using monsoon
waters and connecting the Elephant Pass lagoon with a canal bringing fresh water, the salinity of
lagoons will disappear and eventually the wells and the agricultural lands would become usable

C. Mangrove swamps protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge, and tsunamis. Mangroves'
massive root systems are efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal
water enough so its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles
when the tide ebbs. In this way, mangroves build their own environments.[6]Because of the
uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion they provide, they are
often the object of conservation programs. From the point of view of researchers that the
conversion of fresh water lagoons will create a big contribution to the GWT (70%-80% of the
total requirement) but the side effects of this adaptation also has to be examined environmentally,
socially and economically. Total conversion of fresh water in the lagoons may not be conceivable
but controlling salinity in to the lagoons is very much important to have balanced environmental
and social conditions in the lagoon and its surrounded area . Disadvantages of destroying
mangroves lead to, Disturbing acid sulphate soils, which are associated with low oxygen soils
characteristic of mangrove forests, results in a threat to the health of humans, fauna, and flora in
contact with the dangerously acidic waters. Accelerated rates of coastal and riverine bank erosion
can result in bank collapse, loss of coastal foreshore, and can result from clearing of disturbance
of mangroves. Retaining mangroves as erosion buffers makes it unnecessary to build erosion-
prevention devices such as the expensive sea walls that are already common along stretches of
the Redlands coast. Without mangroves and saltmarshes to soak up the tidal and freshwater
inputs, there is potential for heavy flooding during high tides. Removal of mangroves places the
inhabitants of foreshore developments at risk.Removal or degradation of mangroves results in
higher erosion, which will increase the turbidity (amount of particles and sediment in the water)
of coastal and riverine waters. The nutrient levels, including nutrients associated with
development (e.g. chemicals from industrial and farming activities), will increase if mangroves
are not there to act as filters and trap these nutrients for recycling in the mangrove
ecosystem. Higher nutrient levels may result in 'eutrophication' evidence by algal blooms, which
cover the water surface blocking the sunlight and oxygen from reaching other marine and
freshwater organisms. Higher turbidity and sediment in nearshore and riverine environments can
also result in the smothering of bottom-dwelling organisms.

D. Desalination plants can provide drinking water in areas where no natural supply of potable
water exists. Also the water quality is safe and is not dangerous or hazardous to any living thing.
It provides people with water- meaning that many people don't get water that is clean so the
desalination plants provide that. But the cost is high, meaning that it costs hundreds and
thousands of dollars just to clean a small among of water. It also costs a lot to create the plants.
Also Chemicals and waste produced in environment, meaning that lots of chemicals are
produced due to this process such as chlorine and others, also the salt left may be dangerous to
the environment. Lots of land is used that may belong to animals and other people. Desalination
produces freshwater, but its also important to remember that it essentially removes salt from
seawater,salt that has to be disposed in one way or another. The problem with this is that chlorine
and other chemicals are often added to the water during processing and left behind with the brine
which, if dumped back to the ocean, brings with it many harmful substances that can destroy the
marine ecology.