Studies on the Pollution of the Kalinadi by Industrial Wastes Near Mansurpur Part 1: Hydrometric and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of the Wastes and River Water

Stream pollution by industrial wastes is posing a problem in Uttar Pradesh. In the present investigations an attempt has been made to study the ecological features of a section of the Kalinadi so as to find out the cumulative or detrimental effect of pollution on fish and fisheries by the effluent discharge of sugar factory and distillery wastes near Mansurpur (District Muzaffarnagar), U. P. This paper is part I of the project. The liquid wastes produced by the sugar factory vary from 66 × 10⁶ to 88 × 10⁶ litres/day excluding condenser water and contain variable quantities of cane fibres, cellulose, lime, waxes, fermented sugar juice, mollasses, and some quantities of sulphate, phosphate, and nitrogen, the oxygen being nil with high values of B. O. D. and C. O. D. The liquid waste from the distillery is called spent wash. The spent wash (62 × 10⁴ litres/day) is highly coloured and acidic (pH 4.3 … 2.9). The B. O. D. and C. O. D. values were very high in the order of 28,526 mg/1 … 45,146 mg/1 and 52,516 mg/1 to 66,862 mg/1. Thus total waste of about 17.3 × 10⁶ litres with no oxygen and high B. O. D. (9,600 mg/1 … 10,116 mg/1) is let off into the Kalinadi. Hydrometric observations on the Kalinadi show that the pollutional hazard is appreciable during the low flow period of the river. The wastes affect the river in a number of ways:

• - The deposition of cellulose fibres, organic and inorganic matter affects the substratum adversely. The blackish brown colour of the wastes affects the light penetration by limiting the growth of phytoplankton.
• - There appears to be no potential danger to the river from the electrolyte pollution as the specific conductivity lies below limiting values.
• - Changes in pH in river water due to the acidic nature of the wastes do not affect directly the fauna and flora, but the acidic condition becomes lethal in the presence of low oxygen and high temperature values.
• - The high load of organic matter present in the wastes draws heavily on the oxygen budget of the river and adversely changes the water and bottom quality of the river for a stretch of 10 km, which adversely affects the environmental condition of both fish and fish food.
• - The presence of sulphuric acid in distillery waste and hydrogen sulphide in river water is toxic to fish and fish food.
• - The decomposition of organic matter in an anaerobic condition and in another favourable environment, as with a low redox potential, the presence of sufficient organic matter and a constant supply of sulphur-reducing bacteria, produces more hydrogen sulphide which may be detrimental or sublethal in the presence of a low oxygen saturation and high temperature.
• - The oxygen level increases at each succeeding station through reaeration and dilution with the lowering of B. O. D. and C. O. D. The oxygen-sag curve is like a typical spoon with handle-shape.