City’s ground water very poor in quality, says survey

TNN | Updated: Mar 23, 2017, 01.00 AM IST

Madurai: The quality of the ground water, which is used for many purposes except drinking, in the city and its outskirts is fast degrading. While the total dissolved solids (TDS) was found to be high in deeper borewells, it was worse in shallower ones too, probably due to external contamination, reveals a survey on TDS in ground water, conducted by Rainstock, an organization working on rainwater harvesting, on the occasion of World Water Day.

Founder of Rainstock, K Sakthivel, said they had done the survey in various parts of the city for the past three weeks, and found that the TDS had increased many fold in some places when compared to the statistics obtained during a similar survey in 2015. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), any TDS concentration below 1000 mg/litre is acceptable to be used by consumers. The Bureau of India Standards (BIS) has fixed the upper limit for drinking water at 500 ppm (parts per million). TDS comprises organic salts and small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water.

The members of the organisation had also engaged students in the survey and pamphlets and questionnaires were handed over to the residents, to find the depth of their residential bores and many of them had said that they had gone for deepening of their old wells, while many houses had said that they had multiple borewells in their homes to meet their needs.

Some places like Iravathanallur, Thiruparankundram, Kochadai, Pamban Nagar, among others had a ground water level, where water was available at 250 feet. Whereas in places like Gomathypuram, Aathikulam and Jahindpuram, which were in the vicinity of huge water bodies such as the Vandiyur tank, water was available beyond a depth of 450 feet. The TDS in Gomathypuram on an average was 1704 ppm.

Many residents of the city are prone to seeking residences in places where there is a good ground water table at around 250 to 300 feet, since it would ensure that they would not have to face a water crisis during drought periods. "But, the irony is, that in places where there is copious ground water, the TDS was seen to be hovering along the danger limit during our survey," Sakthivel said.

For example, in Iravathanallur where the average ground water level was 295 feet, the TDS stood at an alarming 1237 ppm. Though the survey had not gone into the individual elements in this water, Sakthivel says that many minerals could be harmful if they exceed the limit and that the high TDS is a result of contamination from external sources including open sewage.

Another example was Pamban Nagar, which is situated near the corporation dumping yard in Vellakkal, where the ground water was available at a depth of 170 feet, but the TDS was 2,960 way above the permissible level of 1000 ppm. Residents had told the survey team that there water had been good before the dumping yard was established. Though water is available at a very accessible depth these people get their drinking water from a place eight km away.

TDS levels in areas in - 2015 - 2017

K K Nagar - 405ppm - 1208 ppm

Thiruparankundram - 717ppm - 936 ppm

CHENNAI: While the country is blessed with some of the largest river systems in the world, water scarcity is fast becoming our biggest woe. The increasing water need of the growing population has led to a decline of per capita availability of fresh water from 3,000 cu m to 1,123 cu mover the past 50 years. In urban areas, the situation is worse as only one-third of homes have drinking water facility from a treated tap source, and only one-fifth have closed drainage connectivity. The demand of 135 litres per capita daily (LPCD) is more than three times the rural demand of 40 LPCD.

On World Water Day, in line with the United Nations theme, “Why Waste Water?” we should also take a pledge to reduce and reuse water. Given that water is mainly used for sanitation across the country, smart bathrooms and toilets are the way to water management solutions. Advanced technology and water saving habits must be adopted. Innovative products like digital faucets, electronic toilets, waterless urinals come with smart function and latest designs, thus making them a great fit for any modern day bathroom. Water used in showers, toilets, and sinks account for approximately 3/4th of the water used in our daily lives and hence bathroom is a great place to start making water conscious decisions this World Water Day.

By adopting these small changes, we will not only become water conservationist and save the planet’s most precious natural resource but also save on our water bill. While a leisure bath is needed once in a while, spending less time in the shower is the first step towards saving water. For keeping track of time, you carry the phone into the bathroom and time yourself by how many songs play while you are in there. To save water, limit the shower time to a single song. Using a bucket is always better. However, adjusting the water temperature while your bucket is filling instead of waiting for them to fill and then discarding the water for it being too cold or hot saves not only water but also your time.

Constant tap drips can lose many gallons of water eacch day and should be immediately fixed. If an immediate action is not feasible, keep a bucket under it and mop the house next day using that water. One of the major leaks that go unnoticed is a toilet flush. A quick trick to check it is by putting a dye or food colouring into the tank. In the case of a leak, the colour will appear in the bowl without flushing. Additionally, refrain from flushing things down the toilet to dispose them off. Make a habit of throwing waste in the garbage bin.

If you are remodelling a bathroom, you can install water saving products. The best technologies available in the market are: waterless urinals — the automated, waterless urinals have elevated the hygiene standards in the ever-evolving sanitary ware industry. The flush free urinal systems work without water, making it the most advanced product in the category. The products available are built in such a way that they do not require any power or liquid barrier for the closure of drainage that makes it versatile, thus saving two very important aspects of today’s life — water and electricity.

This comes with inbuilt air perfume thus preventing foul smell. Cold start faucets — the revolutionary technology of digitised toilets have changed the way customers see hygiene in the bathroom space. Cold start faucet is an innovation designed for sustainability, with water and energy saving capability and zero CO2 emissions. It allows you to use cold water for daily bathroom rituals with a lever in the centre. In addition to saving water, you’ll be saving energy, as it prevents the boiler from firing up when not needed. Washbasin and water closet — a never-before product in terms of design and solutions, the washbasin and water closet is a perfect example that reflects “water-reuse technology”.

It reuses waste water from the washbasin to fill the toilet cistern. An integration of the expression of innovation and design, perfect for saving water and space. Steam showers instead of water showers — power of steam helps keep clean and are also very water efficient. They use less water than a traditional shower and are very relaxing to use. Flow limiters and aerators — adding a flow limiter to a shower system allows you to achieve more sustainable water consumption without affecting comfort levels. It limits the flow of water and, additionally, boosts comfort giving the body a pleasant tingling sensation. Other advanced features: Additional features like dual flush WCs, low water consumption urinals, water and energy saving faucets are favoured all over the world and should be adopted by everyone.

(The writer is MD, Roca Bathroom Products)