Conserving environmental flow in river Ganga through suitable sewage techniques: a case of Haridwar Shipra Sharma

Abstract

Rivers are an important entity, which is the backbone of human civilization. Many Indian cities are inhabited on the banks of river, which provides them water for their survival, and long term sustenance. However, anthropogenic activities i.e. disposing waste into the rivers, constructing dams and diverting their distribution pattern for construction of canal have degraded the results into the inadequate environmental flow. Environmental flow in a river helps to maintain the ecosystem of river, which provides life to different species as well as benefits to human being. However, cities situated at the bank of rivers use them as the disposal source to discharge their liquid and solid waste. Main source of pollution in rivers are the domestic sewage. River Ganga is one of the largest perennial river, which provides water supply to 37% of India’s population and 47% of irrigated land. In pollution of Ganga River, 80% of pollution is from the sewage disposal. Taking a case of Haridwar, where downstream Ganga River is highly polluted and that is majorly because of the same reason. In liquid waste management, disposal has to be done with or without the treatment and very less focus is given to the scientific, regulated and planned disposal. Disposal of sewage through suitable techniques will mitigate the pollution from the water sources. Therefore, this study aims to identifying the suitable method for sewage disposal through different techniques in Haridwar, which will help to mitigate the pollution level and thus ultimately maintain the environmental flow, which is important for the ecosystem. Locations are identified in Haridwar, where untreated and treated sewage is disposed without scientific measures. Water quality data has been analysed with respect to the sewage disposal to assess the impact of sewage disposal on river quality. Concerned locations are identified for suggesting the location specific intervention. Suitable Disposal locations are selected by overlapping the road network, contours, land use, surface water sources and natural drainage pattern. According to the assimilative capacity of river, required degree of treatment before disposing the sewage is calculated. Area required for primary treatment and application of different techniques, which should be used according to the locations are identified in this study.