a GIST OF WATER QUALITY ACTIVITIES iN      

      TAMIL NADu by state ground and surface water resources data centre, wro/pwd, chennai

Water Quality IN Tamilnadu

          Water is the nature’s gift and water resources comprises of Surface Water, Ground Water and Marine water. It requires for all living things in the universe including human being. Though water is available in the universe in the order of 1.4 m.km3, only 3% is available for the beneficial use.

          Now-a-days, the water demands have increased manifold due to increase in population, and the industrial developments. It has its own impact on air, land, sub-surface either directly or indirectly in a phased manner. It necessitates the assessment of water quality for the purpose of drinking, agriculture and industrial use.

Sources of Water     

          Rainfall is the only source of water supply both for Ground and Surface bodies. The water available in tanks, river, streams, odai etc. are called as Surface Water. The Rain water that percolates through soil and stored in the sub-surface is termed as Ground Water. The presence of soluble minerals and salts present in the Geological Strata increases the dissolved solids in Ground Water.

 Contamination of Water

 The Rain Water is the purest form of water available for our use. When it reaches through the atmosphere and contact with the earth, it dissolves all the water soluble gases and salts both in the atmosphere and in earth. The major sources for the ground and surface water contamination are due to the discharge of domestic sewage, industrial effluents, waste water from agriculture activities and sea water intrusion in the coastal area.  

v      Domestic Sewage contains high organic material causing depletion of dissolved oxygen and increasing bacteriological contamination.

v      Industrial effluents are having various toxic chemicals which increase the dissolved salts causing bio-degradation and deterioration of both ground and surface water.  

v      Agricultural run off contains fertilizers, pesticide residue which causes health hazards and ecological degradation and also affect the aquatic life. 

v      sea water intrusion is the major problem in the coastal areas. It arises, when the extraction of water is more than the recharge to the aquifer.  

The water pollution affects public health, agricultural production and also industrial activities.

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