ASSESMENT ON IMPACT OF TREATED AND PARTIALLY TREATED

WASTEWATER DISPOSAL ON SURFACE WATER BODIES

(A CASE STUDY OF TIRUNELVELI CORPORATION)

Sharmila.D*

*(Department of Civil Engineering, Thiagarajar College of

Engineering, Madurai

Email: civilsharmi@gmail.com)

ABSTRACT

The increasing scarcity of water in the world on one hand and

the rapid population growth in urban areas on the other require

the use of appropriate water management practices. Treated

wastewater reuse may be considered as an additional water

resource in the region of Tirunelveli district. The regions such

as Ramayanpatti and Nainarkulam are irrigated with treated

wastewater and partially treated wastewater respectively. The aim

of this study is to aid management of crop irrigation by

analysis of treated and partially treated wastewater quality from

the sewage treatment plant and the treated wastewater mixing

through the surface water bodies apply to the irrigation

purposes. Due to continuing increases in demand of fresh

domestic water by the urban sector have indeed produced greater

volumes of wastewater. Treatment of wastewater in stabilization

ponds is an effective and low cost method of pathogen removal,and

is therefore suitable for schemes wastewater reuse.it is used

successfully in the treatment of wastewater from the city of

Amman,Jordan,as well as from parts of the city of Tunis ,Tunisia

and in Lima, Peru,where maize and vegetables as well as fodder

crops are irrigated.In Lima, wastewater treatment in

stabilizatiogn ponds is the only means of providing and there is

no crop production.Hence this study shows in this

region,eventhough the treated wastewater mixes with surface water

and the quality of surfacewater is not altered and also that the

treatment efficiency is also good and that water can be used for

a irrigation.

Keywords: Wastewater,Agriculture,Treatment,Health,Surface

water,Irrigation

1.INTRODUCTION. There cannot be uniform health/treatment standards for

countries with different socio economic

conditions. Low-cost, flexible and safe treatment technologies

like pond-based on-farm

water treatment, etc. are to be explored. a combination of

processes such as sedimentation,

dilution, aeration, natural die-off, exposure to UV-light, etc.

also play a role in low-cost wastewater treatment there are also

geographical, societal and cultural differences in the way

wastewater is perceived and used in different regions of the

world. hence, innovative solutions need to be adapted to suit

local needs and capabilities to implement the safe use of treated

wastewater in agriculture successfully. To feed the growing

population, the food production needs to be increased. the

increased need for food production demands greater irrigated

agriculture, which consumes 70% of world’s freshwater resources

that remains more or less constant even as the world population

continues to rise in the context of population growth, climate

change and limited freshwater resources, wastewater comes in as a

sustainable source of water.

With the increasing coverage of population under sanitation and

growing volumes of wastewater,

it is fast becoming an important resource particularly in urban

and peri-urban areas.

the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture for irrigation and

as a source of nutrients to enhance food production dates back to

centuries, it has been a practice both in developing and

developed countries.

Farmers in water-scarce regions use treated wastewater mainly

because it is the only source of irrigation water during periods

of droughts in these regions. Most countries in the world are

moving towards the reuse of wastewater for irrigation of both

agriculture and other uses. it was estimated in an earlier study

by Who that about 20 million hectares of crops around the world

were irrigated with wastewater. thus, without doubt, wastewater

is becoming an important resource, especially in the dry, water-

scarce regions of the world, most of which are in developing and

underdeveloped countries. in developing countries, wastewater is

not only a growing source of water, but also a growing source of

livelihood and food security for many people, as world’s 13% of

the population is under-nourished.

2.STUDY AREAThe Tirunelveli district is located in the southern part of

Tamil Nadu. It is surrounded by Virudhunagar District in the

north, the Western Ghats in the west, Kanyakumari District in the

south and Thoothukudi District in the east. The district covers

an area of 6,823 km2. It lies between 8°05’ and 9°30’ north

latitude and 77°05’ and 78°25’ east longitude.Tamirabarani is a

perennial river which flows in this district. Using stabilization

pond treatment system in the area of Ramayanpatti.

After treatment, the treated water using for irrigation

process Treated water passes through the kodagan channel.

TIRUNELVELI: Underground sewage water released from the last pond

of the effluent treatment yard at Ramaiyanpatti is mixing with

the irrigation water flowing through the Kodagan Channel, one of

the major irrigation channels in the district.Sewage water of

Tirunelveli Corporation’s underground drainage programme is being

treated in eight open ponds dug at Ramaiyanpatti by the TWAD

Board, which executed the project.

Tirunelveli District was formed in 1790 by the East India

Company. Later it came under the direct control of the British

Crown Queen Victoria. The name Tirunelveli has been compose from

the three Tamil words i.e. 'Thiru - Nel - Veli' meaning Sacred

Paddy Hedge

2.1Irrigation

The District is blessed with the Western Ghats from which the

perennial rivers flow and drain towards the east. The entire

surface water of the District is drained into major river basins

viz., Thamiraparani, Vaippar, Nambiar and Hanmanathi.

Thamiraparani is the major river basin in the District. The other

streams which are seasonal in nature are Servallar, Manimuthar,

Ramanathi, Pachayar, Chittar and Uppodai rivers which drain into

the Thamiraparani basin. The major sources of irrigation are

Canal, Tank and Well .

2.2 Wastewater Treatment Plant

A wastewater treatment plant of capacity 24.2 MLD is established

in a village called Ramayanpatti in the Tirunelveli districts.The

treatment technique used is both aerobic and anaerobic which is

done using stabilization ponds.Though it is designed for the

capacity of 24.2 MLD it only recieves and treats about 10 MLD .

2.3 Stabilization Pond at Ramayanpatti

3.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe object of sampling is to collect a portion of wastewater

small enough in volume to be conveniently handled in the

laboratory and still representative of the wastewater to be

examined.  It must be collected in such a manner that nothing is

added or lost in the portion taken and no change occurs during

the time between collection and laboratory examination.  Unless

these conditions are met, laboratory results may be misleading

and worse than no results. The sample should be taken where the

wastewater is well mixed.  This is most easily accomplished if

the sampling point is located where the wastewater flow is

turbulent, for example, at a tap on the discharge side of a pump,

where a free fall from a pipe line occurs, where the discharge

from a pipe is against a baffle as at the inlet of a tank, or

just as the flow enters a pipe as at the effluent line from a

tank. The collection of proper samples should be made as easy as

possible.  Sampling points should be readily accessible, proper

equipment should be at hand, safety precautions established, and

protection of personnel from inclement weather provided, for the

easier it is to take proper samples, the more likely it will be

done. Sample preservation may be necessary for some chemical

constituents.  The accepted preservatives and the holding times

for the various constituents are listed in EPA Manual "Methods

for Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes".

This work was related with water quality parameters such as pH,

electrical conductivity, total hardness, Ca, Mg, total

alkalinity, turbidity, Total Dissolved solids, Dissolved oxygen.

Sixteen samples of water from system tanks were analyzed. pH was

measured by pHMeter; EC was measured by Conductivity Bridge.

Total hardness, Ca, Mg, total alkalinity, Chloride were

determined by titration method.

LOCATION OF SAMPLING POINTS

Chemical analysis of surface water at some selected sites in

Thirunelveli was carried out with respect to PH, EC, Mg+2, Ca+2,

Na+, K+, Cl-, So4--, No3-, Cl- was determined by titration with

AgNo3using K2CrO4 indicator . Ca+2 and Mg+2 were determined by

EDTA, content of metal by AAS. Na+ and K+ were determined by

flame photometer. No3- by spectro photo metrically using brucine

method.

4.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This study shows that the result was found that

concentration of No3- was high due to fertilizers, human sewage

deposited in septic systems and domestic and municipal waste

water. Correlation study on physicochemical parameters of surface

water in and around the irrigation area, Tirunelveli district .

Water samples were analyzed for PH, EC, TDS, TH, Mg+2, Ca+2, Na+,

K+, Cl-, So4--, No3-, , SO4-, COD. It was found that most of the

samples within permissible limit and also having fertilizer

elements such as N,P,K .From the collected water and sixteen

samples at the sampling sites the S3,S11,S14,S15 are high COD

concentrations. The testing parameters are calculated in mg/L and

turbidity in NTU for all samples. In areas where freshwater is

scarce, wastewater allows low-income farmers to produce crops

they would otherwise not be able to grow. Plus, wastewater

production is continuous, making it a reliable and demand-based

source of water that is available to farmers whenever they need

it (unlike canal irrigation).

Being sure of their water supply, even in the dry season, means

that farmers can grow high-value crops water security makes them

willing to risk investing in the extra inputs such crops require.

They can also grow crops that are more sensitive to water stress

(e.g., vegetables) than lower-value staple crops. The nutrients

the wastewater contains are an added benefit, saving farmers

money (in terms of chemical fertilizers) and increasing crop

yields.

Finally, being a source of livelihoods, wastewater may provide

farming families with other benefits, such as improved nutrition,

access to health care, and education.

sample no EC

Turbidity DO TDS pH

Hardness

Calcium

Magnesium

Nitrates

Sulphates

Phosphate COD

Alkalinity

Chlorides

Sodium

Potassium

S11.239 10.4 7.13

615.9

7.51 332 172 160 66 46.488 1.3313 60 756 169

120.8 57.4

S21.196 8.9 7.01

593.8

7.63 300 224 76 4.43 39.043 0.3737 92 624 158

118.2 54.9

S30.442 140.6 6.29

219.8

8.58 144 96 48 8.6 91.095 0.297 116 312 700 15.2 23.6

S41.238 109.3 7.93

614.6

7.67 220 172 48

6.423 91.095 0.2416 76 336 880 6.9 22.1

S51.154 2.2 7.82

577.1

7.51 440 204 236

7.531 37.736 0.1829 56 464 202 36.6 11.3

S60.242 2.9 7.71 121

7.42 164 92 72

6.423 12.001 0.1712 16 180 340 21.3 14.3

S71.266 0.3 7.61

629.9

7.63 492 272 220

18.06 57.672 0.175 60 568 201 80.9 13.5

S80.313 12.8 7.09

155.6

7.24 156 96 60

19.93 10.884 0.1697 0 180 440 21.3 16

S90.307 9.8 7.55

153.1

7.05 120 76 44

17.94 9.8061 0.1565 56 216 460 21.2 16

S100.334 1.8 7.46

166.9

7.03 160 64 96

9.303 9.5821 0.1805 36 224 500 21.2 12.3

S110.233 3.2 5.13 116

7.19 80 36 44

150.84 8.8734 1.1256 404 160 380 32.8 14.7

S120.772 0.9 7.02

383.4

7.61 72 32 40

450.53 58.227 0.2355 48 504 700 21.3 14.8

S130.221 4.2 7.43

109.2

6.99 64 36 28

323.61 11.41 0.0718 88 172 320 21.3 14.1

S140.216 10.9 4.01 107

6.88 100 44 56

167.45 12.555 4.4111 472 168 330 21.3 20.7

S150.213 4 5.05 105

7.22 104 32 72

167.45 6.4955 4.3392 408 160 330 21.3 13

S160.213 20.6 7.4

106.2

6.93 80 28 52

134.89 24.171 0.2241 92 156 350 21.3 21

5.Conclusion

The results are compared from the FAO standard concluded that the parameters

within the permissible limit .To analyze the impacts of treated and partially

treated wastewater irrigation on surface water quality and Socio economic aspects.

Finally to propose a suitable wastewater management strategy to Tirunelveli

corporation. Positive reuse of waste water for agricultural purposes the

agriculturalist who are ready to accept the treated water to satisfy their water

demands.

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