Peter Chachei
Dimapur | April 10
The setting-up of un-organized manufacturing or repairing plants in the city, often dealing with highly toxic chemicals, has lead to the pollution and contamination of potable water-bodies around Dimapur. According to the latest information available with the Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB), the groundwater quality in the commercial hub of the state has shown relatively high level of up to 895 чmho/cm. This indicates a higher degree of corrosive mineral content.
The NPCB has been studying the iron-concentration of ground water quality since the past few years in and around the commercial hub. Among the areas, they have so far studied the ground water at Bank Colony and Duncan and it has been concluded that the level and concentration of corrosive mineral and iron is much higher than the national stipulated limits for which the board said that it needed further intensive investigation.
The control board also informed that aside from the mentioned areas, all other areas that have been investigated are within the permissible standards. “Even though most of the areas are within the permissible standards if the human activities of disposing hazardous waste are not checked properly then those waste will tend to penetrate through the ground and pollute the groundwater” a Junior Scientist working with the NPCB said.
Contaminants that enter the groundwater system, due to improper disposal of industrial wastes, for instance, waste from automobile garages, battery repairing shops, etc. has contributed to the ground water contamination. “Among the pollutants the sewage (i.e. lead) from the battery repairing house is one of the most hazardous waste” he said and continued that even though the findings of this pollutants might not be visible so much at present if it is not checked properly then it would lead to more pollution and poisoning of all the water bodies in Dimapur in the coming days.
“The quality of surface water in the state is unprotected from untreated industrial effluents and wastewater, runoff pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Our neglect of water sources has created a potential of all are water bodies becoming polluted and toxic in the near future. The increasing pollution of water bodies constitutes the biggest threat to public health” according to an article relating to water pollution in an annual magazine State of Environment Nagaland published in 2005. The board of control lamented over the non-existence of proper sewage treatment facilities existing in the state.
Atmospheric contaminants are also derived from external factors (such as gaseous emissions from automobiles, factories, Brick-kilns and even bakeries) which also indirectly contribute to the contamination of groundwater. The effects, specific to the various contaminants include poisonous microbes in drinking water, consumption of unwholesome animal-food (due to these organisms having bioaccumulated toxins from the environment over their life span), unbalanced river and lake ecosystems that can no longer support full biological diversity, deforestation from acid rain, and many other likened effects.
It may be also mentioned that, nationally, 53% of the population relies on ground water as a source of drinking water. In rural and semi-urban areas this figure is even higher. Eighty one percent of community water is dependent on ground water. Although the 1992 Section 305(b) State Water Quality Reports indicate that, overall, the nation’s groundwater quality is good to excellent many local areas have experienced significant groundwater contamination.
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