CEE Oct-Dec 2012

freshwater in organisms, reduces solubility of gases (like oxygen) and utility, of water for drinking, irrigational, and industrial purposes. Water can be classified based on the concentration of TDS as, desirable for drinking (up to 500 mg/L), permissible for drinking (up to 1,000 mg/L) , useful for irrigation (up to 2,000 mg/L), not useful for drinking and irrigation (above 3,000 mg/L). Around the world as countries are struggling to arrive at an effective regulatory regime to control the discharge of industrial effluents into their ecosystems, Indian economy holds a double edged sword of economic growth and eco-system collapse. Water quality management suggests a need to implement common objectives, compatible policies and programmes for improvement in the industrial wastewater treatment methods. It also suggests a need of consistent, internationally recognized data driven strategy to assess the quality of waste water effluent and generation of international standards for evaluation of contamination levels. The existing situation if mishandled can cause irreparable eco-logical harm in the long-term well masked by short term economic prosperity. Taki ng bold steps internationally, nationally and locally to protect water quality could mean a very different future. The vision can be realized if decision makers embrace it and provide leadership to all other stakeholders (including the public and private sectors and civil society), an example is provided by the fifth World Water Forum, Istanbul, Turkey June 2009, where the ministers and heads of delegation agreed to "strengthen the prevention of poll ution from all sectors in surface and groundwater, appropriately applying the poll uter pays princi ple, while further developing and implementing wastewater collection, treatment and reuse". Clean water is life. We already have the know-how and skills to protect ou r water quality. What is now needed is the will. Human life and prosperity rest on our setting the policy framework today for the actions of tomorrow, so that we are the stewards, not the polluters, of our precious water resources. Courtesy: Water Today, Sep. 2012, Pp102-104. Technology Trend WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECYCLE AND PRESENT DAY CHALLENGES The main constrains are non-availability of fresh air and free movement of air and absence of sun light in all underground STPs. This increases the problem multifold MR. Gopakumar With social and people activism on the rise and frequent intervention by the Green Bench, the Government has been forced to tighten the polluters, resulting in lots of new treatment plants coming up in all sectors of the industry and institutions. Most of these are constructed out of compulsion and not out of commitment. The quality and operational viability of the Plants and quality of treated water suffers on all counts. Hence, there are lots of new challenges faced by the end users and ETP managers in running these half baked treatment units. The main challenges faced by them are • Less or no bacteria in the Aeration Tank {AT) • Toxicity, spikes in organic and hydraulic load of influent • Odour problem from the Plant and treated water • Even sewage characteristics undergo sea change due to use of new generation detergents, disinfectants and excessive oil and grease • Due to space constrains, Plant is totally underground with closed Aeration Tank, putting the safety and life of the operator under threat • Undersized FBR Tanks and partially treated coming out of the system 3