Question

“There is a need to save clean water from industrial pollution in India.” Support the statement with suitable arguments.

Hint:

Cover the different forms of industrial pollution, chemical effluents, solid wastes, thermal pollution and groundwater contamination, and then add the measures that industries can take to reduce the damage.

Answer 1

Concept:

• Industries pollute water in several ways, and once a river or a groundwater layer is spoiled it is extremely difficult and costly to clean.
• Clean water is limited, so protecting it is not a choice but a necessity for health, for farming and for industry itself.

Step 1: Industrial effluents are poisoning rivers.
Organic and inorganic industrial wastes and effluents are discharged into rivers. The main offenders are paper, pulp, chemical, textile and dyeing industries, petroleum refineries, tanneries and electroplating units.
They release dyes, detergents, acids, salts, heavy metals such as lead and mercury, pesticides, fertilisers, plastics and rubber into the water.

Step 2: Solid industrial waste spoils both soil and water.
Fly ash, phospho-gypsum and iron and steel slags are the main solid wastes of industry. When dumped in the open, rain washes them into streams and they also seep down and contaminate the groundwater.

Step 3: Thermal pollution damages river life.
Hot water discharged from factories and thermal power plants raises the temperature of the river it enters. The warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, so aquatic plants and animals are harmed and the natural balance of the river is disturbed.

Step 4: Groundwater is being drawn down and contaminated.
Heavy use of groundwater by industry lowers the water table, and the same industries allow their waste to percolate downwards. Once an underground store is contaminated, the damage lasts for decades and affects every well in the area.

Step 5: The cost falls on people and on the economy.
Polluted water carries disease, ruins crops when used for irrigation and kills fish on which many families depend. Treating the water later costs far more than preventing the pollution in the first place.
Industries can minimise use of water by reusing and recycling it in successive stages, harvest rainwater, and treat effluents through mechanical, biological and chemical stages before releasing them.

Final Answer: Chemical effluents, solid wastes, hot water discharge and falling groundwater levels are steadily destroying the limited supply of clean water in India, and the damage to health, farming and industry itself makes saving that water essential.