ii) Industrial pollution
The pollution caused by untreated or inadequately-treated industrial effluent is the most
dangerous and wide spread. The untreated effluents of Industries led in to surface water
bodies renders them totally unfit for use. They also infiltrate into the soil and pollutes the
ground water.
? Pollution in River Basins
Orathupalayam Reservoir
The case of Noyyal river is the best (worst) example of industrial effluents polluting a
surface water body. The Orathupalayam reservoir constructed for supplying water for
irrigation has become a collecting pool of the effluents of the dyeing factories in
Thiruppur and surrounding areas. The polluted water from the reservoir has already
damaged the Agricultural land fed by it and rendered them unfit for cultivation. Huge
amount may have to be spent to bring the land back to its original fertility even if good
water is supplied in future by reservoir or by treating the effluent to the permissible
limit.
ii) Palar River Basin has totally been polluted by the effluent of the tanneries located
all
along its banks in Vaniyambadi ,Ambur, Ranipet etc., The effluents of the
leather
factories not subjected to proper and complete treatment fall in to the Palar
River
Basin with alarming quantities
of harmful heavy metals polluting the
Water
Resources .
In both the cases ie Palar Basin and Noyyal sub basin of Cauvery the Ground Water storage
and aquifer have been completely polluted. The Ground Water has been rendered unfit for
both for irrigation and domestic uses. The lands have also been made unfit for cultivation.
? One major difference between surface water pollution and Ground water pollution is that
in the case of surface water resources when the pollution is controlled or stopped the
water bodies can be cleansed by flushing them with heavy flow of water as at flood times
and resources can be brought back to use, whereas in the case of Ground water the
aquifer once polluted will remain polluted for all the time to come even after the source
of pollution is removed. It is totally an impossible task to cleanse the aquifer. Large
extents of such ground water aquifer have been polluted by the industrial waste and
effluents and permanently made unfit.
è
iii) Agriculture pollution is mainly non point pollution caused by the chemical fertilizers and †
pesticides which are used widely and continuously year after year over very large ´
ñ
extents of cultivated area.
iv) Green revolution will become unsustainable if Green Technology is neglected.
v) Sea Water Intrusion
£
ù
Š
Sea water intrudes into land when the Ground water table falls near coastline due to lack
ªð
of rainfall causing reduced ground water recharge.
£
While the water resources organizations of the Government are taking extensive and intensive P
action to raise the Ground water table through artificial recharge certain other organizations of ò
the Government cause sea water intrusion by encouraging marine aqua culturing (prawn/ fish £
÷
culturing) along the coastal line. In the old undivided Thanjavur district many such farms have
˜
been formed which have brought the saline sea water far into the land and in some places even
crossing village habitations.
fl;Lkhdg; nghwpahsh;
40
mf;Nlhgh; 2013