i | P a g e
Executive Summary
{English}
This report is a comparative study of ground water and surface water quality protection of a developing country India and a developed country Sweden. It covers the basic water policies, laws, rules, regulations and human right to water provisions in both the countries. The main aim of this report is to compare water quality approaches in India and Sweden and find out the best possible practices in each country and assess the need & feasibility of their application in the other. It describes the present water laws in both the countries and discusses about the present scenario of ground water and surface water quality, problems in ground water and surface water and how to deal with the problems in an efficient and sustainable way.
It includes role of EU Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) in water quality protection in Sweden. Some interviews with stakeholders who are working in the water sector in Sweden are also included here. The main focus of this report is to analyse comparatively the present situation of water quality protection approaches and make recommendation for improvement of water quality. It focuses on “What can a developing country like India can learn from a developed country like Sweden for water quality protection?” and “Which things Sweden can adopt from India for water quality protection?”
In this study India is found in worse environmental condition than Sweden. Indian ground water and surface water is more polluted than Swedish surface and ground water. Sweden is in much better condition than India and this country has more environmental concern too. In India, the basic reason for deterioration of water quality is lack of environment friendly attitude among the public, religious activities in water, corruption, loss of traditional methods of water conservation and protection, useless and unnecessary westernisation etc. In Sweden the basic cause of water quality deterioration is eutrophication in lakes, climate change, morphological changes, presence of metals and connectivity changes due to construction works, acidification etc.
Sweden is an advanced country having the foresight for environmental concerns.
They are doing research for betterment of water quality. India can learn some technological advancement and proper implementation of community participation in order to establish decentralised wastewater treatment plants and beneficial production and monitoring of energy resources from wastewater. Maintenance of online database for water is also a good thing to learn from Sweden.
ii | P a g e
Executive Summary
{Swedish}
Denna rapport är en jämförande studie av grundvatten- och ytvattenkvalitetsskydd för ett utvecklingsland Indien och ett utvecklat land Sverige. Den täcker de grundläggande vattenpolitiken, lagar, regler, förordningar och mänsklig rätt till vatten i båda länderna. Huvudsyftet med denna rapport är att jämföra vattenkvalitetsmetoder i Indien och Sverige och ta reda på bästa möjliga praxis i varje land och bedöma behovet och genomförbarheten av deras ansökan i den andra. Det beskriver nuvarande vattenlagar i båda länderna och diskuterar det nuvarande scenariot för grundvatten och ytvattenkvalitet, problem i grundvatten och ytvatten och hur man hanterar problemen på ett effektivt och hållbart sätt. Den innehåller EU: s vattenramverkans roll i vattenkvalitetsskydd i Sverige. Vissa intressentintervjuer som arbetar inom vattensektorn i Sverige ingår också här. Huvudfokusen i denna rapport är att analysera förhållandevis den nuvarande situationen för vattenkvalitetsskyddsåtgärder och göra rekommendationer för förbättring av vattenkvaliteten. Det fokuserar på "Vad kan ett utvecklingsland som Indien lära av ett utvecklat land som Sverige för vattenkvalitetsskydd?" Och "Vilka saker kan Sverige anta från Indien för vattenkvalitetsskydd?"
I denna studie finns Indien i sämre miljöförhållanden än Sverige. Indiskt grundvatten och ytvatten är mer förorenat än svenska yt- och grundvatten. Sverige är i mycket bättre skick än Indien och detta land är också mer miljöhänsyn. I Indien är den grundläggande orsaken till försämring av vattenkvaliteten brist på miljövänlig inställning bland allmänheten, religiös verksamhet i vatten, korruption, förlust av traditionella metoder för vattenskydd och skydd, värdelös och onödig västerbildning etc. I Sverige är grundorsaken till Försvagning av vattenkvaliteten är eutrofiering i sjöar, klimatförändringar, morfologiska förändringar, närvaron av metaller och anslutningsförändringar på grund av byggnadsarbeten, försurning etc.
Sverige är ett förskottland med framsyn för miljöhänsyn. De gör forskning för att förbättra vattenkvaliteten. Indien kan lära sig några tekniska framsteg och korrekt genomförande av gemenskapens deltagande för att etablera decentraliserade avloppsreningsverk och god produktion och övervakning av energiresurser från avloppsvatten. Underhåll av webbdatabas för vatten är också en bra sak att lära av från Sverige.
iii | P a g e
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Nandita Singh, my supervisor and Linnaeus-Palme exchange coordinator from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden with A.N college, Patna, India. Her unprecedented effort to make this Linnaeus-Palme exchange funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has made my thesis possible.
I greatly acknowledge my sincere gratitude to her for selecting me for this academic scholarship which enabled me to study and do my bachelor’s thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her friendly attitude has always been favourable to inspire me for good work. She always guided and supported me. She taught me a good lesson on water and life. I think this “thank you” word is very less before her efforts. I am very thankful to Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to provide me financial support. I am very grateful to Om Prakash Singh sir who always told me a lot of stories and facts related to water from India which made me realise and understand the water quality challenges in India very well. He gave me a right direction to think and write my thesis well. He played a very important role in enhancing my understanding about the subject. In fact I started to understand my subject precisely after meeting him. I am thankful to Dr. Nupur Bose and Dr. Ashok Ghosh for inspiring me to perform well.
I want to thanks my examiner Ann-Catrine for reviewing and guiding me in the writing methods. I am also thankful to all the stakeholders I met Amelia Morey Strömberg and Dr. Håkan Häggström. I am thankful to Prof. Elzbieta Plaza who explained me the techniques at Hammarby Sjöstadsverket, Stockholm, Sweden. I am also thankful to one of my Swedish friends Emily Theokritoff for discussing about the water quality condition of Sweden and checking my Swedish summary.
I am very thankful to my mother who trusted me to send here for studies. This was impossible without her support. She faced a lot of problems still she supported to send me abroad was a big thing for me. She always inspires me to work hard and perform well at every stage of life. She deserves special gratitude.
Shivangi Shreya May 2017, Stockholm
iv | P a g e
Abbreviations
BDL Below Detectable Limit
BOD Biological Oxygen Demand
CGWB Central Ground Water Board
CPCB Central Pollution Control Board
EU European Union
GAP Ganga Action Plan
NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development
NCT National Capital Territory
SGU Sveriges geologiska undersökning
SIDA Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency
SPCB State Pollution Control Board
STP Sewage Treatment Plant
SWOT Strengths weaknesses opportunities threats
UN United Nations
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UV Ultra violet
Keywords -
Water quality, Ground water, Surface water, EU directive, India, Sweden.v | P a g e
TABLE OF CONTENT
Executive summary (English) i
Executive summary (Swedish) ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abbreviation iv
Table of content v List of figures
List of tables vii vii
1. Introduction 1
2. Research questions 1
3. Statement of Relevance 1
4. Methodology 2
5. National water policies, laws, rules and regulations of both the nations 5.1.India
5.1.1. National Water Policy
5.1.2. Human Right to Water in India 5.2.Sweden
5.2.1. Swedish Water Quality Legislations 5.2.2. EU water framework directive 5.2.3. Human Right to Water in Sweden
2 3 4 4
4 5 6 6. Organisations responsible for water quality protection
6.1.In India 6.2.In Sweden
6 6 7. Present Scenario of water quality in India
7.1.Ground water
7.1.1. Ground water quality situation in India
7.1.1.1.Case study of ground water of Bihar, India A. Patna district, Bihar
B. Munger district, Bihar 7.2.Surface water
7.2.1. Surface water quality condition in India 7.2.1.1.Case Study of Surface water in India
A. The Ganges B. The Yamuna
7 7 8 8 10 11 11 11 11 13 8. Water quality issues in India: Problems and Prospects
8.1.Identified causes of water quality deterioration in India
8.2. Traditional approaches used in India for water quality protection
15 15 9. Present scenario of water quality in Sweden
9.1.Ground water
9.1.1. Ground water quality situation in Sweden
9.1.1.1.Case study of ground water in Norrtäljle kommun 9.2.Surface water
9.2.1. Surface water quality condition in Sweden
9.2.1.1.Case study of surface water in Northern Baltic Water district
16 16 17 19 19 20 10. Water quality issues in Sweden: Problems and Prospects
10.1. Identified causes of water quality deterioration in Sweden 23
vi | P a g e 10.2. Approaches used in Sweden for water quality protection 23
11. SWOT and cross SWOT Analysis 25
12. Discussion 27
13. Conclusion 28
14. Recommendation 28
References
vii | P a g e List of Figures
1. Ground Water quality condition in Patna 9
2. Flood in Munger 10
3. Ganga pollution in Patna 12
4. Varanasi Ganga Ghat Religious ethics pollution 13
5. Delhi’s Yamuna converting into Drain 14
6. Operation manager of water development Centre, Norrtälje 17
7. Environmental Analyst of County Administrative Board, Stockholm 21
List of Tables 1. CPCP Surface water quality report 11
2. SWOT Analysis 25
3. Cross related SWOT Analysis 26
1 | P a g e 1. Introduction
Water is the most basic need of life. We can never imagine this world without water.
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, biological and radiological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. Physical characteristics of water quality parameters include turbidity, colour, taste, odour as well as temperature. Chemical characteristics of water as quality parameters include total dissolved solids (TDS), Alkalinity, Hardness, Chlorides and Heavy metals. Biological characteristics of water as quality parameters include mainly pathogens i.e. species of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and others. Water Quality Protection is becoming an area of concern day by day due to increase in water pollution.
India is a developing country having a lot of water quality problems which need to be tackled as soon as possible. Sweden is developed country, one of the greenest countries of the world. It is anenvironmental friendly country having perhaps the least water quality issues. This comparative study of a developed and developing country will provide a best platform to learn about the ideas of each other and implement it for further development.
The best techniques to protect water quality can be learnt by exchanging ideas.
2. Research Questions
What is the present water quality scenario of India and Sweden?
What are the water policies of India and Sweden?
What are the major water quality challenges of India and Sweden?
What are the intervening methods adopted by both the countries to tackle these challenges?
Can we adopt methods used in one country in another country?
If yes, what can we adopt?
How can we improve one country by learning from other country?
3. Statement of Relevance-
A study of the water quality protection approaches of India and Sweden is important because this can help in evolution of new ideas for sustainable development of water sector. As in Sweden the dominant approach is water quality protection. It can help in learning some new water quality protection approaches from Sweden to improve water quality condition of India. Study of water quality protection is important because different kind of human and natural activities are deteriorating quality of water. Poor water quality has traumatic health impacts. It affects both biotic and abiotic components of our environment.
2 | P a g e This study can benefit both the countries by giving a learning opportunity of different techniques and methods used by two different culture of world. It can make a developing country India to grow in pace. This study can work out as a stepping stone in sustainable water quality techniques for India. It can give a platform to exchange of sustainable ideas between India and Sweden for better development.
4. Methodology
4.1 Literature survey-
It includes reading, understanding and collection of information present on different online platforms like articles, journals, E-books, E-newspaper, dissertation, websites etc. It also includes collection of information from offline books, newspapers, magazines etc. This provided a better background to the report and showed the direction to proceed further. I surfed many sites like Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, Central Ground Water Board, Vatteninfo.com and many more sites, journals, articles, E-newspapers to gather information about water policies, rules and regulations in both the countries, present scenario of ground water and surface water, methods used in water quality protection and other relevant information.
4.2 Stakeholders Interviews-
Interviews were held with Amelia Morey Strömberg, Operations Manager of Water Development Center, Norrtälje and Håkan Häggström, Environmental Analyst, County Administrative Board in Stockholm. A guided visit was also made to Hammarby Sjöstadsverket, Stockholm with Elzbieta Plaza to know more about wastewater treatment in Sweden. Several questions related to water quality and it protection were asked.
4.3. SWOT and Cross SWOT Analysis- SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. It is a strategic management planning tool often used to analyse the participatory planning approaches. By using cross SWOT analysis we analyse how can the strength of water quality protection take advantage of
opportunities, minimise the threats or challenges, what actions can we take to minimise the weaknesses using opportunities and how weaknesses can be minimised to avoid the threats.
5. National water policies, laws, rules and regulations of both nations Why we need national water policies, laws, rules and regulations?
Water is a primary natural resource, a precious natural asset, a basic human need, right and base of existence of life on earth. Planning and development of water resources need to be governed by national perspectives as it’s a basic natural asset of nation. Water is scarce and precious national resource need to be planned, developed
3 | P a g e and conserved on an integrated and environmentally sound basis, keeping this in view countries frame water policies and laws. Both surface water and ground water should be regularly monitored for quality. A phased programme should be undertaken for improvements in water quality. So we need national policies for-
Ensuring availability of drinking water
Ground and surface water development
Water allocation
Conservation of water
Flood and drought management
Development of Irrigation system
Water quality monitoring
Sustainable development of infrastructure etc.
5.1. India:
5.1.1. National Water Policy- It is formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of India to govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum utilization. The first National Water Policy was adopted in September, 1987. It was reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012. The main provisions of the National Water Policy with regard to water quality and its protection are as follows:
Both surface and ground water quality should be monitored regularly.
Phased programme can be organised for improvements in water quality.
Recycling and re-use of water should be done for water resource development.
In case of a new project, study of the impact of the project’s construction on humans, settlement, occupations should be a mandatory part of project planning.
Preservation of quality of environment and ecological balance should be priority of planning, implementation and operation of projects.
There should be a periodical reassessment on a scientific basis of the ground water potential, taking into consideration the quality of the water available and economic viability.
Exploitation of ground water resources should be checked and regulated properly.
Integrated and coordinated development of surface water and ground water
Conjunctive use should be envisaged right from the project planning stage and should form an essential part of the project.
In addition, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in 1974 to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution, and for the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water in the country. The Act was amended in 1988. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act was enacted in 1977, to provide for the levy and collection of a cess on water consumed by persons operating and carrying on certain types of industrial activities. This cess is collected with a view to augment the resources of the Central Board and the State Boards for the prevention and control of water pollution constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control
4 | P a g e of Pollution) Act, 1974. The Act was last amended in 2003.(The water (Prevention and control of Pollution) Act, (1974)
Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules were first adopted in 1989, to be later amended and revised several times. The latest rules have been adopted in 2016. These sets of rule relate to those forms of hazardous wastes that impact upon water quality but are not covered under the above act.
Environment (Protection Act) of 1986- This act clearly extends to water quality and the control of water pollution. It authorizes the Central Government to establish standards for the quality water and for emission or discharge of pollutants from any source.
5.1.2. Human Right to Water in India
According to Article 21 in Indian constitution every human being has right to life.
This right has a wider meaning which includes right to live with human dignity, right to livelihood, right to health, right to pollution free environment etc. Right to life is fundamental to our existence without which we cannot live as human being and includes all those aspects of life, which go to make a man’s life meaningful,
complete, and worth living. Water is a basic human need. So everyone should have access to clean drinking water. It’s a basic human right.
5.2. Sweden
5.2.1. Swedish Water Quality Legislations-
These are the general rules under Swedish Environmental Code which are applicable for water quality as well-
Any company is not allowed to generate any harmful effect on water quality in Sweden.
The Rule of Knowledge- Every Company should have enough knowledge to run their business in environment friendly way i.e. without affecting water quality.
The Precautionary rule- They should be concerned about the future impact on water quality by their activity too.
BAT- Everyone should choose best available technology for water quality protection, waste water management.
The localisation principle- The localisation which causes lowest impact on the environment should be adopted.
The Polluter Pays Principle (PPP)- It means you have to pay if you pollute water in any way.
The principle regarding resource management- Use water resources in most efficient way. Save water and try to produce less waste water as far as possible.
The product choice principle- You must choose environment friendly products i.e. which do not results to pollute water and affect water quality.
5 | P a g e Among 16 Swedish Environmental quality objectives four objectives are related to water quality –
1. A non-Toxic Environment- It states that the environment should be free from toxic metal contaminations.
2. Zero Eutrophication- Nutrient level (phosphorous and nitrogen) must be low in water.
3. A Good Built Environment-Cities, towns and other built up areas must provide healthy water quality. Buildings and amenities must be designed and located to promote sustainable water quality.
4. Natural Acidification only- The acidic effects of land use and deposition must not exceed the limits tolerated by water
5.2.2. EU Water Framework Directive (EU WFD)
EU was set up in 1973 to protect, preserve and enhance Europe's environment for present and future generations. This Commission proposes policies and legislation that protect water quality, ensure proper waste disposal, enhance knowledge about toxic chemicals, and ensures sustainable economy. The introduction of the EU water framework directive into Swedish legislation in 2004 ensures a new holistic approach to water issues, and a water authority was created to synchronize the work on protecting, preserving and improving the quality of water in conformity with the directives. Sweden is divided into five water districts (Bothnian bay, Bothnian sea , Northern Baltic sea water, Southern Baltic Sea water and Skagerrak & Kattegat) with one county administrative board appointed as a water authority for the district. In Sweden, river basin management includes lakes, rivers, coastal and ground water. The emphasis on hazardous substances has also highlighted the fact that fish from most lakes in Sweden have levels of mercury in excess of EU limits (Åkerblom et al.
2014).
The main purpose of the objectives of EU Water Framework Directive are- o To reduce ground water pollution
o Mitigate the effects of floods and droughts
o To protect available water resources and promote sustainable water use o To prevent further deterioration of aquatic ecosystems
o To achieve better water status o To put right water price tag
o To introduce water efficient technologies and practices o To support water saving culture in Europe
o Combined approach for the control of pollution – In general pollution is controlled by putting limits on emission of pollutants. But then the question arises that to control water quality where should we put limits? At discharge of point source or at discharge of diffuse source? The combined approach of this directive not only suggests for emission control at the source of pollution based on best available
6 | P a g e techniques or the relevant emission limit value but also suggests setting targets for quality to be achieved in water bodies.
5.2.3. Human Right to water in Sweden
There are many organisations who work for human rights in Sweden at national as well as international level like- Swedish government, European Union, council of Europe and United Nations. Article 25 of the UN universal declaration of states that everyone has right to standard of living for health and well-being of their family and themselves .The right to an adequate standard of living ensures food, clothing, housing, health care and basic social benefits. Right to life also ensures basic human need for life, liberty and security of a person. Water is basic living requirement. So access to good quality of water is also a basic human right in Sweden and is generally a basic obligation of the municipalities..
6. Organisations responsible for water quality protection 6.1. In India
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation- It is the apex government body responsible for planning and development of the country’s water resources. It is responsible for maintaining the quality and efficient use of water resources.
Central Pollution Control Board (C.P.C.B) – It is directly responsible for water quality management in the country at the national level. It has responsibilities to conduct monitoring of water quality and maintains water quality monitoring data. It gives advice to central government on any matter regarding prevention and control of water pollution.
State Pollution Control Board (S.P.C.B) – They are supporting hand for C.P.C.B.
They implement various acts to protect water quality at the state level.
Central Ground Water Board (C.G.W.B) – It looks after sustainable development and management of ground water. Based on principles of ecological and economic equity and efficiency, it takes care of exploration, assessment, conservation, augmentation, protection from pollution and distribution.
6.2. In Sweden
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency- It is a public agency which carries out assignments on behalf of Swedish government relating to the environment in Sweden, the EU and internationally. They protect, maintain, clean up and remediate the polluted areas using government funding.
The National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket)-It is responsible for municipal and country planning, management and planning of water resource at housing level. It is central government authority.
The Environmental Objectives Council- It provides a platform to the heads of government agencies that are important for achieving the environmental objectives.
7 | P a g e
Municipalities and county administrative boards- County administrative boards provide important links between parliament, government, people, municipalities and central authorities. They are responsible for environmental monitoring, climate and energy issues and water management. They supervise the environmental impact.
Municipalities ensure compliance with legislation in the environmental area, particularly with regard to water supply, wastewater treatment, waste management, food safety, inspection and monitoring.
The National Food Administration- They deal with all kinds of food items and drinking water. They take care of permissible pesticides level.
The Geological Survey of Sweden- They ensures good ground water quality involving reduced use of natural gravels.
Swedish Board of Agriculture - It ensures development of skills and implementation measures. It sets measures to reduce adverse impact from land dewatering to improve ecological status. It provides guidance on the application of the rules for self-control in animal husbandry, agricultural and gardening activities.
7. Present Scenario of water quality in India 7.1. Ground water
Ground water is the water stored in the spaces and cracks of soil, rocks and sand beneath the surface of earth. There is an underground layer of water made of permeable rocks, rock fractures, gravel, sand or silt from which we can extract ground water using water well, it is called Aquifer. Groundwater is widely used for domestic and productive purposes like drinking, industries and irrigation purposes.
7.1.1 Ground water quality situation in India
The natural chemical content of ground water in India is influenced by depth of the soils and sub-surface geological formations through which ground water remains in contact. Generally for greater part of the country, ground water is of good quality and suitable for drinking, agricultural or industrial purposes. Ground water in shallow aquifers is generally suitable for use for different purposes and is mainly of Calcium Bicarbonate and mixed type. However, other types of water are also available including Sodium-Chloride water. The quality in deeper aquifers also varies from place to place and is generally found suitable for common uses. There is salinity problem in the coastal areas and high incidence of fluoride, Arsenic, Iron & heavy metals etc. in isolated areas have been reported.
The main ground water quality problems in India are as follows-
Salinity
Inland Salinity
Coastal Salinity
Fluoride
Arsenic
Iron
8 | P a g e
Nitrate
According to one study, 65 per cent of India’s villages are exposed to fluoride risk.
High levels of salinity are testified from 14 states except West Bengal and also the NCT of Delhi, and distresses 73 districts and three blocks of Delhi. Iron content above permissible level of 0.3 ppm is found in 23 districts from 4 states- Bihar, Rajasthan, Tripura and West Bengal and coastal Orissa and some parts of Agartala.(Dinesh Kumar and Shah,2006).
Seven states- West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh in the flood plain of the Ganga River; Assam and Manipur in the flood plain of the Brahamaputra and Imphal rivers and Rajnandgaon village in Chhattisgarh state have been reported affected by Arsenic contamination in groundwater above the permissible limit of 10 µ g/L. People living in these states have been exposed to drinking Arsenic contaminated hand tube- wells water. The number of Arsenic affected villages and people suffering from Arsenic related diseases is continuously increasing, and the issues are getting more complicated (Ghosh & Singh, 2010).
Nitrate is one of the most common groundwater contaminants in rural areas and is reported from several areas in Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other parts of India. The main nitrate affected areas in Bihar districts are Aurangabad, Banka, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Kaimur(Bhabua), Patna, Rohtas, Saran and Siwan.(Khandare, 2013).
7.1.1.1. Case study of ground water of Bihar, India A. Patna district, Bihar
Patna is the largest and most populated district of Bihar. This modern district is situated on the bank of River Ganga. The ground water of Patna is facing several water quality problems. Presence of Arsenic in ground water is one of severe problem of this area. Arsenic contaminated ground water consumed by human beings, poses the greatest threat to public health.
In Patna district,, presence of arsenic above 10 ppb.is found in Mokama, Sampatchak, Patna, Fatuha and Phulwari. The general areal extent of this contamination is in close proximity to the right bank of river Ganga, except in Sampatchak, having lower arsenic concentrations of 50 ppb. And less is spread over the entire block. In Maner block of the district, the largest numbers of contaminated hand pumps are identified.
Except Bihta, Naubatpur, Ghoswari and Daniawan , all the blocks have contamination levels of above 10 ppb (Ghosh, et al , 2007).
Long-term oral exposure via drinking water can cause skin, lungs, urinary bladder, and kidneys cancer. Changing skin pigments and hyperkeratosis is indicator of long term arsenic poisoning.
Water quality protection is a matter of great concern in this city as I have personal experience of living in this city since 6 years. Ground water is extracted for drinking,
9 | P a g e washing, bathing, cleaning, gardening and many more household works still a water purifier is needed everywhere in this city to drink clean drinking water because the quality of ground water is not fit for drinking.
The main reason behind deterioration of ground water quality is over pumping of ground water. This city is over-crowded. Government do not have sustainable and equitable system to ensure availability of pure drinking water to everyone.
Date- 01.08.16
Time- 13:40 IST, Place-Phulwari, Patna Figure no. 1: Ground Water quality condition in Patna
Figure no. 1 shows a place in Phulwari, Patna. If where the source of drinking water (hand pump) by which people extract ground water is just few steps apart from the big drainage where people throw all kind of garbage. The latter can adversely affect the water quality of that hand-pump.
There is huge lack of system and public awareness too in this city. Public blames the government and the government blames public and this process continues. No one takes the right step. In a field-based study conducted in 2016, discussions were held with the local people living there and it was found that there is lack of awareness in public and the government too. Sometimes the corruption in the system interrupts the improvement and sometimes population becomes a major challenge before the government. Due to over-population, groundwater is extracted extensively to meet the living demand and over-extraction of ground water results in pumping of heavy metals like Arsenic from earth’s crust along with ground water. Population also interrupts the plantation covered area which results into ecological disturbances, climate change, water cycle disturbances and hence contribute to water quality challenges.
10 | P a g e B. Munger district, Bihar
Place- Chandika Sthaan Date-08.09.13, IST-14:32 Figure no. 2: Flood in Munger
Munger is one of the historic towns of Bihar located in southern part of Bihar. River Ganga passes through this town. The Kharagpur Hill is a prominent landscape as a distinct watershed. The ground water of Munger is affected by fluoride.
Ground water has been explored by CGWB in fluoride affected areas of Munger district which indicates that all the potential fractures down to a depth of 100 m is contaminated by fluoride. The weathered zone tapped by the dug wells within 5-15 m depths is also affected by fluoride contamination.” (CGWB, 2013)
There is a very good story about this district related to water. The story is focused on water scarcity in this region but the solution found by a great lady contributed to improve water quality of that region as well.1 . There is a water lady named Jaya Devi who has been working for more than a decade to bring water in the region of Dharhara kol in Munger district. This region was water stressed region. It receives a rainfall of the order 700-800mm per year but due to hilly undulating topography, the run off goes downstream. Drinking water was a challenge for this area. This lady came up with a idea of watershed management for the area despite of many adversities she faced. She came in contact with an experienced watershed development professional Kishore Jaiswal. He guided and supported her to initiate watershed activities along with her community members with financial support from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Watershed management is a very good way of water conservation. It not only ensures quantity of water but also enhances quality of water. Watershed management enhances ground water recharge which results in lowering the contamination of metals like- fluoride and Arsenic in ground water. As arsenic and fluoride is becoming an alarming problem day by day for us.
7.2. Surface Water
1 Source: www.milleniumwaterstory.org
11 | P a g e Surface water is the water present on the surface of earth in the form of river, lakes, ponds, streams, creeks, reservoirs, wetlands, oceans etc. India is a monsoonal country which receives good rainfall but it varies according to the topography of the region.
India has ample amount of surface water but the worst thing is that they are polluted at its extreme level.
7.2.1. Surface water quality condition in India
Surface water (Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, Oceans) quality are at danger level in India due to many anthropogenic activities like discharging of untreated sewage, dumping waste into water bodies, oil spills, dumping dead bodies into water or dumping ashes of dead bodies on the name of holy work, using different kind of chemical soaps, detergents, washing powder to clean clothes and take bath directly into River etc.
There is lack of systematic treatment of waste and waste water and if there is system then it do not have enough capacity to take care of the mass. There is lack of proper town planning which leads to ground and surface water pollution. The two most important rivers Ganga and Yamuna are starving for clean water today.
Table 1- CPCB Surface water quality report table, 2002
River Name
Lengt h (Km)
No. of Monitorin g
locations
Temperatu re
(°C)
pH DO (mg/l )
BOD (mg/l )
COD (mg/l )
Total Coliform (MPN/100m l)
Ganga 2525 34 3.34 6.4
- 9.0
2.7- 11.5
0.5- 16.8
1-30 300-25x105
Yamun a
1376 23 3.34 6.7
- 9.8
0.1- 22.7
1.0- 36
1- 112
27-26.3x106
Source: CPCB, 2002
7.2.1.1. Case study of surface water of India
A. The Ganges- Most sacred river to Hindus in India
This river is third largest river in the world by discharge and second most polluted river in the world (Listdose.co). It originates from Gangotri glacier in the western Himalayas, flows through Gangetic planes of North India, enters Bangladesh and merges into Bay of Bengal. In India it flows through the cities like Rishikesh, Haridwaar, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Jajmau, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Buxar, Ballia, Hajipur, Patna, Munger, Raebareli and Bhagalpur.
12 | P a g e
“Approximately 1 billion litres of raw, untreated sewage are dumped in the river on a daily basis. The amount has more than doubled in the last 20 years and experts predict another 100% increase in the following 20 years.”2
According to Hindu mythology Ganga is the most sacred river and its water is being polluted in the name of washing sins, dumping human dead bodies, religious wastes, idols, industrial wastes, Plastics, garbage into the River and many more drastic human activities.
Source-http://alexis.org.in Figure no. 3: Ganga pollution in Patna
This is the scenario of Ganga River in the growing city Patna. The main causes of this drastic situation are human waste, industrial waste and frequent religious events. Patna has not well maintained sewage system. The sewage system is not able to meet the needs of the population of the city. All the domestic sewage and industrial sewage are directly dumped into Ganga.
During festive season millions of people take bath in this holy river to clean themselves from their past sins. People put the religious wastes like left over food prepared for god, clothes worn by idols, un-burnt incense sticks and many more organic wastes into Ganga. They submerge all the chemical painted idols of God along with the accessories into the River. Government and some people both are trying to save Ganga since so long. In 1986, the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched to clean the Ganga River. Later on government took help from all the Indian Institute of Technologies in effort to clean up Ganga .After this Adopt a “Ghat” program brought the schools and other local institutions together to save the world famous historical Ghats at the Ganga’s bank to maintain their cleanliness schemes with support from SIDA. In the year 2004, "Clean Ganga - Clean Ghat" was a collaborative exhibition project implemented with support of British High Commission, New Delhi, under the SIDA project "Clean Ganga Conclave" at Tulsi ghat, under the Clean Ganga Day organized at New Delhi. According to a freshly announced intervention, the government has awarded contract worth 16,170,000 USD for sewage treatment infrastructure projects in Patna to keep
2 Source: http://www.all-about-india.com/Ganges-River-Pollution.html
13 | P a g e the Ganga River clean. These projects would come up under the Namami Gange programme.. The amount would be spent for setting up two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), renovation of one existing STP, construction of two pumping stations and laying of new underground sewage network of about 400 km (The Women News,2017)3.
Figure no. 4: Varanasi Ganga Ghat Religious ethics pollution
Namami Gange approaches Ganga Rejuvenation by consolidating the existing on-going efforts and planning for a concrete action plan for future. The interventions at Ghats and River fronts will facilitate better citizen connect and set the tone for river centric urban planning process. Despite of all these efforts the River is still suffering from severe pollution. Somewhere corruption and politics ends up gulping all the resources provided for cleaning water. The water quality of Ganga is at very critical stage. Public needs to get aware and work towards achieving the goal of clean Ganga. We need to do integrated work for rejuvenation of the holistic river. We need to look for affordable and reliable technique to solve this problem and for sustainable development of surface water. Instead of wasting money abruptly in the name of cleaning river, government should take serious step to stop pollution of river. There should be equitable Sewage treatment plants, strict monitoring on industrial waste disposals and rules violation. Instead of cleaning River, make the waste water sustainable which goes into the river and pollute it.
B.Yamuna- A River having one foot in the Grave
Yamuna is the longest and the second largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India. It originates from Yamunotri Glacier. It crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Uttarakhand and later Delhi, and meets its tributaries on the way.
3The women news March 1, 2017 http://www.thewomennews.com/news/rs- 1050-cr- projects-stop- sewage-pollution-ganga-patna)
14 | P a g e
{Source-http://media2.intoday.in}
Figure number 5- Delhi’s Yamuna converting into Drain
Yamuna River passing through 22 km in Delhi was once described as the lifeline of the city, but today it has become one of the dirtiest rivers in the country. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the water quality of Yamuna River falls under the category “E” which makes it fit only for recreation and industrial cooling and completely rules out the possibility for underwater life.
According to CPCB the Yamuna water quality at Okhla and Nizamudin bridges is the worst affected. Yamuna has been placed seventh on the list of rivers with highest Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), one of the most important indicators of pollution. The total biochemical oxygen demand content in the Yamuna was 93 mg/L, while the permissible level is 3 mg/L. A CPCB report of 2007 found that the level of Dissolved Oxygen throughout the year in Yamuna was less than 4 mg/L and it was 0.0 mg/L at few locations down-stream of urban settlements due to discharge of untreated and partially treated wastewater. (Mishra, 2010)
Just like Ganga, government has wasted a lot of money on Yamuna in the name of cleaning the river different political parties adopted different kind of ways like Yamuna Aarti for making people aware about Yamuna’s importance but this does not make any difference. They make people aware about importance of river and at the same time put the religious wastes of Aarti into the River.
If we seriously want any change we need to change the perception of public. If each and every one will start to share the responsibility and behave like a responsible citizen the country will face reduction in problem. Water is everybody’s business. We need to sensitize each and every community in a real sense.
15 | P a g e 8. Water quality issues in India: Problems and Prospects
8.1 Identified causes of water quality deterioration in India
Inadequate wastewater treatment facilities in the cities & towns – According to the Census of 2011, India has 7935 cities and towns but only 920 STPs for the treatment of their municipal sewage. According to the CPCB, the estimated sewage generation in the country in 2015 was 61,948 MLD against available treatment capacity of only 23,277 MLD, which means that as much as 2/3rd of the country’s sewage is drained into surface water bodies without any treatment.
No segregation of wastewater- In India all kinds of wastewater are dumped together no matter the source is agricultural, domestic or industrial. This creates a serious problem for wastewater treatment and results in bad water quality.
Several Human activities- Many human activities like dumping human bodies into the river, bathing , washing clothes and dishes using different kinds of chemical soaps and detergents, dumping religious wastes into the river.
Lack of proper monitoring over the industries- Government lacks proper monitoring on the industrial works. Industries just see their own profit and do not care about the environment. They don’t follow the water rules and regulations. Government should take strict action against the polluting industries.
Corruption-In India there is law, policy, rules and regulations to ensure good water quality and even the government is spending a lot of money to clean water bodies but corruption eats the whole effort at every stage and results in failure of each and every good approach.
Construction of large number of dams- Construction of large number of dams stops the natural flow of rivers which decreases the amount of water and results in increase of pollutants concentration in the surface water.
Overpopulation and lack of civic sense- Growing population is a major threat for every environmental problem. Lack of civic sense in the population causes a huge destruction to environment. Pollution of water cannot be controlled without public participation. People should care about the natural resource protection.
8.2 Traditional approaches used in India for water quality protection
Rain water harvesting- It is a technique of collection and storage of rainwater into reservoirs and tanks or infiltration of surface water into subsurface aquifers. By using rooftop rainwater harvesting people can get high quality drinking water.
Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to make rain water harvesting mandatory.
This method is usually adopted for water conservation but indirectly it enhances water quality also by ground water recharge.
Watershed management- Watershed carries water from upstream to downstream in a channelized way. Water is sustainably distributed using this technique. This method solves the problem of water scarcity and recharges the ground water as well which results into enhancement of water quality.
16 | P a g e
Vermifilteration- It is low cost aerobic wastewater treatment process. It involves primary, secondary and tertiary treatment of black and grey water using earthworms. In vermifilter toilets solid material is retained, dehydrated and digested by earthworms and converted into humus in primary stage. The liquid part goes through filtration media which is attached to microorganisms. Then in secondary treatment retention of organic compounds takes place and increases dissolved oxygen demand.
Ahar- pyne system- It is an indigenous method of irrigation in Bihar. Ahar is outlet made at different heights in the embankment. Pynes are artificial channels for utilizing the river water in irrigation fields. It ensures equity in water distribution. It improves the irrigation quality and recharges ground water. But due to poor maintenance by government and community efforts, introduction of bore wells fitted with diesel or electric pump caused a matter of concern.
Construction of temple ponds or tanks- Construction of temple ponds and tanks result in ground water recharge which improves the water quality as well.
Pebbles, charcoal and sand filtration- Pebbles, charcoal and sand are used to purify water as these things are porous and collect the debris that passes through it.
9. Present Scenario of Water Quality in Sweden 9.1. Ground water
The proportion of groundwater in drinking water supplies in Sweden in 1988 was 49% (UNEP, 1989). Sweden is an old consolidated crystalline and metamorphic rock area. Gneiss, granite, sandstone and marble rocks are common here. It is rich of ground water, mineral resources and rocks. Till is the most common type of soil found here in about 75% landscape.
9.1.1. Ground water quality situation in Sweden-
Good ground water quality is one of the 16 Environmental quality objectives that Swedish parliament has implemented in the country. Groundwater bodies are serving more than 50 persons or from which 10 cubic meter of water is abstracted per day (SGU, 2017). The main ground water quality problems in Sweden are presence of metals like uranium, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, lead, iron, magnesium, sulphur, acidification, lower pH, Waste under the ground. Sewage contamination and landfill leaching cause microbial pollution. Radon and fluoride are also found in aquifers here. Nitrogenous fertilisers and infiltration of effluent also affects ground water quality. Nitrogen, chloride, metals, acidification, presence of pesticides, changes and deviations in redox affects the ground water action adversely. Ground water is usually taken from water pipes, springs or wells. Excessive extraction of groundwater causes water shortage and changes water quality like sulphate or salt content. “In some municipal drinking water wells in Sweden, measured
17 | P a g e concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found to be several hundred times higher than the allowed threshold values. This has created a huge public concern and has recently attracted much media attention in Sweden.Approximately fifty per cent of Sweden’s drinking water comes from groundwater.If one disregards the health risks linked to its presence in drinking water, PFAS have an impact on three of Sweden’s national environmental quality objectives, namely, A Non-Toxic Environment, Flourishing Lakes and Streams and Good-Quality
Groundwater”(EGU,2015). Chemical transportation through nearby sensitive
aquifers and drinking water supply system is also a hazardous threat for groundwater pollution. So the main ground water issues in Sweden are-
Metals
Pesticides
Salt- chloride
Nitrogen
Acidification
Redox
Water table
9.1.1.1. Case study of ground water in Norrtäljle kommun
Norrtälje kommun is a municipality of Stockholm county located in east central Sweden. It is the largest northernmost municipality of Stockholm county having 25 original local government units combined in the present municipality. The European route E18 connects this region to other parts of Stockholm.
Interview with Amelia Morey Strömberg
Verksamhetsansvarig , Utvecklingscentrum för vatten
Figure no.-6 Operation manager of Water Development Centre, Norrtälje
Role and task of Water Development Centre (UCV)
UCV is a Centre for water knowledge and water development. It sample and share information about water with society, companies and academics. They have different projects focus on water in coastal areas, use of water in transition areas,
18 | P a g e environmental, economic and social planning. So they try to share knowledge with different parts of society for this. They have water and waste water counselling for the citizens with exhibition on waste water techniques.
Major water quality challenges of Norrtälje kommun
Basically they use surface water here. In numbers well protected areas, it is 50%
surface water and 50% ground water but in majority people are drinking surface water. They are sensitive to natural disasters. Sea level rise is a major threat here.
It makes the lake water salty. They are very dependent on technique and electricity because Sweden does not have sedimentary bedrock. They had a case in which 23000 people got sick because of dangerous Protozoa. The surface water got contaminated with waste water. They face problems due to climate change too. This kommun has almost all the kind of water quality challenges like salt (chloride), infiltration from sea, hardness, arsenic, lead, iron, fluoride, magnesium, Sulphur, bacteria, nitrogen, Phosphorous etc. The major problem in Norrtälje kommun arises because people have summer cottages here. They do not pay tax here. They just come to live here in vacations. So the population variation causes variation in water usage too.
Major techniques they use here for water quality protection
For the sources Norrtälje kommun has regulations for protection like one cannot start petroleum industry in water protection area. For surface water they use chemical steps like coagulation, biological steps, different steps of filtration, UV light technique, chlorination, active carbon, sand filtration. They usually use these typical methods. These are cost-efficient. They do not have expensive water in Sweden. Tap water is safe for drinking here. Food administration has 75 parameters and water association has to show that water is good at the tap not only in the water works.
Technical feasibility and affordability of these measures in a developing country like India
The slow and fast sand filters would be good idea to export from here and it is cheaper too. India is one of the richest countries in the world. Good water culture is not so expensive. We have good idea of water framework directive from EU and India also has environmental rules but they do not follow it. One of the biggest problems is the difference of rich and poor. The developed countries go to developing countries and pollute their environment on the name of development.
There is lack of information in the public. We do inform here public about the usage of waste water treatment plants. We also talk about how they have to protect wells. We give lessons to protect water.
Techniques from Sweden that can be used in India-
All the techniques are possible to use but the key point should be to make regulations and make people follow it. We have tradition of water associations.
One of the best things to share is that people together in the neighbour can do much more than the municipalities sometimes. They can do it because they are
19 | P a g e sharing that water for their need. We can show how to organize these kinds of water associations. The other one is the technology of water works. If you have contaminated water, you need money to clean it. So it is better to stop contaminating. Apply cheap technologies to every industry to clean waste water effluent. The most important problem is the corruption in the government.
Government wants to earn money only. The best thing is to be consistent with water, clean the sources of contamination before it get mixed with surface water.
9.2. Surface Water
According to world data atlas volume of surface water produced internally was 170 billion cubic meters in 2014. Sweden is divided into five water districts and five county administrative boards are appointed as river district authorities for implementing the water framework directive in Sweden. The five water districts are Bothnian Sea, Bothnian Bay, Skagerrak & Kattegat, Northern Baltic Sea and Southern Baltic Sea.
9.2.1 Surface water quality condition in Sweden
Sweden maintains good environmental status still there are many problems to solve. Every time they face new issues like the discharge of nutrients that contaminate the sea water, impairing of mitigation routes of fishes in the rivers due to power plant dams, acidification etc. Water conditions of five water district of Sweden are-
1. Bothnian Sea- This district has the largest quantity of industrial waste water discharge. Most of the major rivers of this district are regulated for hydro- electric supply. The intensive driving of timber is affecting many smaller streams resulting into impairment of mitigation routes for the aquatic animals. Methyl mercury concentration is found here more than the recommended limits in fish.
Here 920,000 people are surviving in about 140,000 kilometre square area (31%). In percentage 10% of Sweden’s population is surviving here.(Vattenmydigheterna, 2017)
2. Bothnian Bay- The water quality of this area is comparatively good with low population loads. We can see significant human impacts in some areas. Mining, large scale forest activities, sewage discharge affects the water quality here.
490,000 people (5% of Swedish population) is living in 147,000 kilometre square area (33%).(Vattenmydigheterna, 2017)
3. Skagerrak & Kattegat- This district is suffering from major problems of acidification, eutrophication, physical changes like building of dams and canalising rivers & streams. 2.4 million people (27% of Swedish population) lives in 69,500 kilometre square area (15%).(Vattenmydigheterna, 2017)
4. Northern Baltic Sea- This district is densely populated with 3 million people which is around 33% of Swedish population in 36,700 kilometre square (8%) area. It is relatively small area having sensitive water system and low water
20 | P a g e resources. It has many problems like eutrophication, acidification, lowered and buffered lake systems, physical changes and many more. Water resources are over exploited on the coastal zone.
5. Southern Baltic Sea- This district is facing most significant problem of eutrophication combined with quite sensitive and valuable coastal zones.
Industries are the major water users. Farming and household activities results in major nitrogen discharge. It has 50% of Swedish livestock production. Rising humus levels in water is becoming alarming day to day here. It has 25% of Swedish population (2.3 Million) in 54,000 kilometre square area (12%) (Vattenmydigheterna, 2017)
9.2.1.1 Case study of Northern Baltic water district
Northern Baltic Sea water has seven counties and seventy four municipalities. This district has 1214 surface water comprising rivers, lakes and coastal water. Lake Malaren is identified as national interest because of natural values, recreational purposes, tourist attraction and cultural values. Lake Malaren covers the significant part of Northern Baltic Sea. The provinces that share Malaren Valley are Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland, Örebro and Västmanland.The water authority of Northern Baltic Sea water is county administrative board of Västmanland.
The major environmental problems of this district are eutrophication, physical changes in lakes, acidification and pollution. High level of nutrients or large amounts of organic matters causes over fertilisation. Eutrophication results in depletion of biodiversity. The supply of phosphorus to water in the northern Baltic water district is just over 800 tonnes per year (Vattenmydigheterna, 2017). The coastal water bodies of the district are affected by phosphorus from surface water.
Large part of Northern Baltic Sea is affected by human activities. To improve production in agriculture and forestry, enabling construction, creating maritime management, other infrastructure or energy extract, human beings have changed the water landscape. In the waters of the North Baltic Sea, 310 water bodies have a poorer status than their status due to flow changes (Vattenmydigheterna, 2017).
In north Baltic water district metal extraction on large scale arises water quality problems. They have litters of mining waste and slag in Bergslagen and northern Uppland. The morphological changes i.e. landscape changes are also producing negative impact on environment. There are a total of 197 hydroelectric power plants here. This area is full of industries which affects the water quality adversely directly by discharge or indirectly by sewage treatment plants. Sewage treatment plants are not always designed to break all the harmful chemicals present in industrial waste.
To coordinate environmental activities EU has identified and developed the new LIFE IP program. The Northern Baltic Water District has become the centre of Sweden's first LIFE IP project (Vattenmydigheterna, 2017). The main purpose of LIFE IP Rich Waters is to design the efforts to fully implement the Baltic Sea Water Action Program. It will also contribute to the implementation of the Water
21 | P a g e Framework Directive throughout Sweden. The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of nutrients and pollutants, improve fishermen's ability to reach their play areas, as well as streamline and increase the rate of action, so that the action program can be fully implemented .They fulfil their goal through implementation of concrete measure, increasing knowledge, and cooperation between partners and finding more external funding. The project consists of sub-projects within five themes;
Aquaculture, external fertilizer eutrophication (agriculture, water and sewerage, tidal water), internal fertilizer eutrophication (stored nutrients in lakes and coves), connectivity (creation of free paths for animal and plant past ponds) and environmental hazards (Vattenmydigheterna, 2017).
Action program 2016-2021
All the agencies directly or indirectly dealing with water in Sweden are incorporated in the water action plan for integrated approach. Every agency is assigned their role to improve water quality at their level. “The Swedish Board of Agriculture will develop competence development and advisory activities in the framework of the Swedish Rural Development Program 2014-2021, to reduce the impact of the use of plant protection products in areas where there is a risk that environmental quality standards for water cannot be followed due to such impact.” (ÅTGÄRDSPROGRAM, 2016) Sewage treatment plants are also a source of several priority and special pollutants, including copper, zinc, phenols and other drugs (IVL 2015). Forestry activities are affecting 108 water bodies in the northern Baltic water district. Felling, drift, protection and soil preparation adversely affect the environmental quality standards of water. The Swedish Transport Agency will develop and provide knowledge and information regarding the possibility of reducing road and rail impacts on the aquatic environment to achieve environmental quality standards for water. The best part of this action plan is the integrated work of all the agencies in Sweden. This is something to learn to integrate all the fields like transport, agriculture, forest and all the other departments which are indirectly or directly related to water.
Interview with Håkan Häggström Environmental analyst
County Administrative Board in Stockholm
Figure number-7 Environmental Analyst of County Administrative Board, Stockholm
22 | P a g e
Role and task of his organisation
The county administrative board is responsible for issues concerning the environment, nature, the labour market, competence sourcing, the business community, social development, animal protection, gender equality, integration, infrastructure, housing and transport. They interlink economic development, sustainable society, social welfare , environmental concerns. They find sustainable solution by coordinating tasks. They monitor the laws and regulations in municiplaties and companies. They ensure the nationwide objective to be achieved by the Stockholm county.
Major water quality challenges of North Baltic water district
The ecological status of surface water bodies of North Baltic water district is not so good. Eutrophication is the main reason which prevents good ecological status to be achieved. Eutrophication leads to destruction of biodiversity. All surface water in this district are not achieving good status when mercury and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are included in the assessment. Lead and anthracene also contribute in reducing good chemical status. Many human activities are affecting the aquatic plants and animals. The water flow is changing time to time. There is a lot of erosion due to step slopes, muddy water and nutrients flowing out. The erosion kills most of the aquatic life. Plenty of morphological changes are resulting into destruction of habitats.
The district is densely populated. Regulation for hydro power plant has caused largest hydrological changes in water system. Connectivity changes are resulting into bad nutritional status of aquatic organisms. Barrier causes fragmentation of water and affects the movement of fish and other animals. Dams also influence flow and morphology. Climate change such as temperature rise and extreme weather events also affects the water quality.
Approaches used for water quality protection
They have action plan for each water district according to EU water framework directive. All authorities, municipalities and county administrative board have to work with these action plans. The water framework directive has been implemented in Swedish law in 2004. For all the projects, we have to check if the environmental goals are fulfilled or not.The purpose of LIFE IP Rich Waters is to streamline the efforts to fully implement the Baltic Sea Water Action Program. It will also contribute to the implementation of the Water Directive in Sweden. There is list of measures for environmental protection but we do not force anyone to do so. People do by
themselves and we help them to implement. Corruption is low here. Political view can somehow affect the decision. There is possibility of interpretation. Sometimes the court is not so environmental friendly. Usually it works better. They have every data online. The database is updated annually..
Things that India can learn from Sweden
India can learn maintaining databases from Sweden. Lowering corruption can help in further development. Population control is also an important aspect to learn.
