Question

Collect information regarding waste water management in your town or village . Explain the different steps

Answer 1

In India, tons of trash are left uncollected each year and end up in dumps that pollute the environment around the villages. The accumulation of this trash means production of lots of methane gas, which causes a greenhouse effect 21 times stronger than ‘CO2’.

However, the trash represents a source of revenue for many Indians, who collect it for resale at $1.50 per day. They recover recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, and glass, but the working conditions are horrifying and unsanitary. The health consequences for trash collectors are catastrophic, often cutting their life expectancy in half.

A solution to this environmental pollution does exist, allowing for cleaner and safer working conditions. This solution has already been tried and is being implemented in the south-east of India, in villages that are supported by Humanium. Each month, the villages are cleaned and the trash gathered, sorted and recycled. The trash is then separated into ‘Organic’ trash, which is composted and then used as natural fertilizer, and the ‘Reusable’ waste which is recycled.

Working conditions are much better and have decidedly improved the life expectancy of the villagers. Finally, environmentally speaking, the villages now enjoy a much cleaner space and, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced.
.
.
Establishment of Solid Waste Management Systems
> Door-to-door collection, weighing and segregation of waste
> Dumping of biodegradable waste into compost, and non-biodegradable, non-recyclable waste into
landfill site.
> Sale of recyclable waste to scrap merchants

Eco-Friendly Sewerage System:
Through the system, the dirty sewage water of a village or town is collected in
one or more ponds. The collected municipal water, which is polluted but not toxic is treated by
simple methods of screening, filtration, sedimentation, rotation, etc. and made environmentally
acceptable and reusable for different purposes.
.
.
Some other measures are:
 Ban on usage of plastic carry bags throughout the state.
 Throwing garbage into streams has been made punishable.
 Ban on use of disposables in departmental meetings and during religious functions.
 Promoting school sanitation and hygiene education.
 Installation of vending machines and disposers for sanitary napkins launched in 2011.
 GREENATHON: cleaning up garbage as the participants walk along a street. The CLEANATHON,
Which is the regular cleanliness drive of offices, schools, and public places, is changing the face of
dirty areas.
 A monthly cleanliness drive is observed in offices on every second Saturday of a month.
 Generating money from activities surrounding waste such as selfie with garbage, walkathon, etc.


Signed: Aditya Thakur.

Answer 2

Sources of wastewater include homes, farms, factories, hospitals and businesses. Faeces and urine from both humans and animals carry many disease-causing organisms. Wastewater may also contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals known to cause a variety of health problems. There are 269 sewage treatment plants (STPs) in India, of which only 231 are operational

The conventional wastewater treatment processes are expensive and require complex operations and maintenance. The sludge removal, treatment and handling have been the most neglected areas in the operation of the STPs in India. Due to improper design, poor maintenance, frequent electricity break downs and lack of technical manpower, the facilities constructed to treat wastewater do not function properly and remain closed most of the time.

Wastewater is full of contaminants including bacteria, chemicals and other toxins. Its treatment aims at reducing the contaminants to acceptable levels to make the water safe for discharge back into the environment.

There are two wastewater treatment plants namely chemical or physical treatment plant, and biological wastewater treatment plant. Biological waste treatment plants use biological matter and bacteria to break down waste matter. Physical waste treatment plants use chemical reactions as well as physical processes to treat wastewater. Biological treatment systems are ideal for treating wastewater from households and business premises. Physical wastewater treatment plants are mostly used to treat wastewater from industries, factories and manufacturing firms. This is because most of the wastewater from these industries contains chemicals and other toxins that can largely harm the environment.

wastewater treatment process is one of the most important environmental conservation processes that should be encouraged worldwide.

Step by Step Wastewater Treatment Process

1. Wastewater Collection
2. Odor Control
3. Screening
4. Primary Treatment
5. Secondary Treatment
6. Bio-solids handling
7. Tertiary treatment
8. Disinfection
9. Sludge Treatment