UPSC MAINS HANDOUT
GEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENT
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BySudarshan Gurjar
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Problem of Water Pollution In India
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UPSC MAINS HANDOUTSGEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTBySudarshanGurjar
The Problem of Water Pollution in India
Key Data Related with Water Pollution in India:
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● round80% of surface waterin India is highly polluted
● As per CPCB, in 2021 there were311 polluted riverstretches in the country,with 45 of them
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being critically polluted.WhileGujarat and UttarPradeshhad themaximum numberof
‘Priority 1’ river stretches (6), Maharashtra had the maximum number of polluted river
stretches i.e. 55, followed by Madhya Pradesh (19), Bihar (18), Kerala (18), Karnataka (17) and
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Uttar Pradesh (17).
● Groundwater is contaminated with various toxic elements.Twelve Indian states have uranium
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levels beyond permissible limits in their groundwater.Other than tha,excess nitrate is present
in as many as 386 districts, followed byfluoridein 335 districts, iron in 301 districts, salinityin
212, arsenic in 153 districts,lead in 93 districts,chromium in 30 districts, and cadmium in 24
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districts.
● Being downstream of polluted stretches in India is associated with a 9% reduction in
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agricultural revenues and a16% dropin downstreamagricultural yields.
● As per NSSO,only 21.4% of urban households in Indiahave piped drinking water
connections. The situation is worse in rural India, wherejust 11.3% of households receive
potable waterdirectly at homes
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● India’s urban population is expected to reach 600 million by2030, with water demand
expected to double by that time.
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Impact:
● P oor water quality affects the poor the most,canhamper gender mainstreaming, can worsen
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interstate water river disputes,and threaten economicstability and growth.
● Environmental risks intensify as thewater crisisworsens,leading to serious harm to the
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country's biodiversity, environment, and ecological balance.At a certain level polluted water
can be detrimental to crops andreduce the fertilityof soilthus harming the overall
agricultural sector and the country as well.
● Organic and radiological contaminantscan also leadto a range of dangerous health impacts
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on the body such as cancers, liver and kidney damage, reproductive and endocrine disorders,
birth defects etc.
● Poor water qualitycan create dead zones and biologicaldeserts in the freshwater ecosystem,
● It can also contribute to desertification and land degradation,reducing the land’s capacity to
recharge groundwaterand regional water tables.
UPSC MAINS HANDOUTSGEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTBySudarshanGurjar
Challenges in Dealing With Water Pollution Solutions & Way Forward
● T he key challenges to better management ● S olutions suggested include a
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of water quality in India include decentralized and participatory
➢ temporal and spatial variation of approach involving Panchayats and cities
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rainfall along the river to prepareriver cleaning
➢ uneven geographic distribution of plans
surface water resources ● Continuous monitoring of river water
➢ persistent droughts
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qualitywith the help of central agencies
➢ overuse and contamination of such as CPCB, State Pollution Control
groundwater Boards (SPCBs) and Ground Water
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➢ drainage and salinisation, and water authorities.
quality problems due to treated, ● Awatershed and river basin-based
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partially treated, and untreated approachis also suggested for the holistic
wastewater from urban settlements, development of the river basin in terms
from the irrigation sector,
➢ poor management of municipal solid
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industrial establishments, and runoff of water quality and river ecosystem
waste and animal dung in rural areas.
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Key Initiatives of Government:
● National River Conservation Plan (NRCP)- The pollutionabatement works are implemented
on a cost sharing basis between the Centre and State Governments. The works include;
collection, transportation and treatment of municipal sewage, River Front Development (RFD),
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Low Cost Sanitation (LCS) etc.
● Namami Gange Programme (or National Mission for Clean Ganga) -An Integrated
Conservation Mission, approved as 'Flagship Programme' by the Union Government in 2014 to
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accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and
rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
● A tal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) - A central sector scheme,launched in 7 states for sustainable
management of groundwater with community participation.Components include -
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Institutional strengthening and Capacity building and Incentivization.
● National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) -Launchedunder MoEFCC, scheme includes
conservation of lakes and wetlands, including an inventory and information system and a
regulatory framework.
● Jal Jeevan Mission -Launched in 2019, it envisagessupply of 55 litres of water per person per
day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections by2024.
● Jal Shakti Abhiyan -A time bound mission mode waterconservation campaign launched in 3
UPSC MAINS HANDOUTSGEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTBySudarshanGurjar
s eries. 1st in water stressed districts to promote water conservation and water stress
management. 2nd Catch the Rain which included rain water harvesting, geo tagging and
setting up Jal Shakti Kendras. 3rd series was launched in 2022 to cover all blocks and districts
during pre monsoon and monsoon period.
Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 (SBM 2.0) -Envisions tomake all cities 'Garbage Free' and ensure
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grey and black water management in all cities.
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E xamine the factors behind water pollution in India. How is it affecting the
environment and the people living in it? Also state steps and initiatives to
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minimize water stress in the country.
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UPSC MAINS HANDOUTSGEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTBySudarshanGurjar
