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Urban wastewater impacts on the spatial distribution of solutes and microbial constituents in the Musi River, India. Presented at American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, Baltimore, 23 May 2006.
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Urban wastewater impacts on the spatial distribution of solutes and microbial constituents in the Musi River, India Presented at American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, Baltimore, 23 May 2006
Urban wastewater impacts on the spatial distribution of solutes and microbial constituents in the Musi River, IndiaJeroen H.J. Ensink - London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, International Water Management Inst. (IWMI)Christopher A. Scott - IWMI, NOAA, Univ. ArizonaSandy Cairncross- LSTHM
Pollution a Global Threat to Health and the Environment Source: UNEP Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme
Wastewater Biogeochemistry • Microbial attenuation • Coliform die-off • Nematode (hookworm) egg deposition • Heavy metals attenuation • Deposition, re-suspension • Nutrient attenuation – plant uptake • Dissolved solids concentration • Irrigation diversion, evaporation, return flow
Musi River Study Sampling Transects III – rural (25 – 40 km) II – periurban (10 – 25 km) I – urban (0 – 10 km)
Coliforms – longitudinal dataDec. 03 – Jan. 05 (red squares = mean value)
Near Nagole bridge, downstream of Amberpet Western edge of Hyderabad Heavy Metals Loading – Cadmium(note – these data within urban area only) Source: Kumar, V.V.R.; Reddy, U.V.B.; and Sudarshan, V. (2000) “Geochemistry of Soils and Evaluation of Pollution, Patancheru-Bolaram Industrial Area of Medak District, Andhra Pradesh, India,” Environmental Geochemistry, Vol. 3, No. 1 and 2, pp. 19-26.
Amberpet Nagole Pirzadiguda Mutialguda Koremalla Pillaipalli High Court Heavy Metals Concentration in Sediment - I Source: Gerwe, Caroline. An Assessment of Heavy Metals Contamination in the Wastewater-Irrigated Area of the Musi River
Heavy Metals Concentration in Sediment - II Source: Gerwe, Caroline. An Assessment of Heavy Metals Contamination in the Wastewater-Irrigated Area of the Musi River
Conclusions • Spatial processes critical to understand microbial and dissolved constituent behavior • Hydraulic infrastructure (weirs) and irrigation operations have a critical impact on spatial and temporal contaminant distribution • Loading • Dilution • Uptake • Retention • Return flow • Concentration
Loading Dilution Uptake Retention Return flow Concentration
Corroborating Results - Mexico Guanajuato River, Total Phosphorus with Distance from City Guanajuato River, Conductivity with Distance from City
Millennium Development Goals • Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water • But… sobering demographics • 880 million additional global population by 2015, virtually all in developing countries • After 2015, all worldwide growth in population will take place in developing country cities • Inadequate resources (financial or water)
The Costs of WW Treatment • 73% of urban wastewater in India is untreated, requiring Rs. 2,92,500 crore (US$ 65 billion) or ten times greater than what the government proposes to invest (Infrastructure Development Finance Corp., 2003). • Technology only part of the cost; land may prove to be the ultimate sticker shock