WATER POLLUTION AND

WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Any chemical, biological and environmental change in
water causes adverse effect on health of living beings is
called water pollution.
When certain substances are present in water beyond their
normal limit then the water is term as polluted.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ORIGIN
Natural pollutants:
 Natural impurities present in water represents
natural pollutants.
 Gases like H2S, NH3, CO2 etc dissolved in water
during raining.
 Minerals such as Ca, Mg, As etc dissolve in water
from soil
 Various materials such as clay, mud, organic wastes
get suspended in water
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ORIGIN
Man-made pollutant
 Water pollutants which are generated by human
activity
 Sewage; which contains many pathogenic organism
and decomposable organic wastes
 Agricultural wastes such as insecticides, pesticides
etc get access to water during rain and flooding
 Industrial wates; contains highly toxic chemicals
 Other pollutants; thermal pollutants, radioactive
substances etc
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Infectious pollutants
Disease causing microorganisms present in water
They are the most serious type of water pollutants in
water because they are directly related to health of
consumers.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Oxygen demanding pollutants:

Decomposable organic matters added to water
represents O2 demanding wastes.
Microorganisms utilize oxygen present in water to
oxidize organic matter. Therefore, level of
dissolved O2 decreases in water that seriously
affects aquatic aerobic organisms such as fishes.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Plant nutrients:
Nitrate and phosphate are key plant nutrients.
If the concentration of nitrate and phosphate increases in natural
water system such as lakes, ponds etc, they facilitate heavy growth
of aquatic plants like Algae.
The condition is known as eutrophication.

Oligotrophic – nutrient-poor, clear, blue water

Mesotrophic – clear, blue water with intermediate nutrients
Eutrophic – murky with nutrient-rich, dark water
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Thermal pollutants:
Warm water (thermal pollutants) discharges in natural
water system causes serious consequences.
Thermal pollutants cause decreases in solubility of
Oxygen in water.
Also rise in temperature of natural water sources
facilitates growth of pathogenic organisms. Increased
growth and activity of microorganisms causes depletion
of dissolved oxygen as they utilize it for their metabolic
activities.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Radioactive pollutants:
Various radioactive elements can enter into water
source from nuclear reactor and from laboratories.
Radioactive pollutants are highly toxic to living beings
and they can induce mutation.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Inorganic pollutants:
Inorganic pollutants like mercury, cadmium, Arsenic etc
can enter into water source from various industries and
from mining, ores.
If these inorganic compounds present in water beyond
normal limit, they cause serious health effects to
consumers.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTANTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Suspended solid wastes and sediments:

In water suspended solids come from erosion of soil,
from mining etc.
Suspended solids interfere with penetration of light into
deeper layer of water system that directly affects
photosynthetic organism in bottom of water.
Suspended wastes also provide attachment site for
pathogenic microorganisms.

Suspended solids can increase the temperature of water as they absorb additional heat
from the sun. This can also cause dissolved oxygen levels to drop below the
thermocline, creating hypoxic conditions.
https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/turbidity-total-suspended-solids-water-clarity/
WATER QUALITY
 Measure of the condition of the water relative to its purpose.
 Three (3) Indicators
 Physical Indicators
 Chemical Indicators
 Biological Indicators

 Refers to the characteristics of the water, which define its use in terms of physical, chemical, biological,
bacteriological, or radiological characteristics by which the acceptability of water is evaluated.
WATER QUALITY: PHYSICAL INDICATORS
 Temperature
 Taste
 Odor
 Color
 Conductivity
 Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
 Turbidity
WATER QUALITY: PHYSICAL INDICATORS
Color
Pure water is colorless. Therefore any types of color
appearance in water indicates water pollution.
Natural water system is often colored by foreign material. If
color is due to suspended material, it is called as apparent
color. Color given by dissolved material that remains even
after removal of suspended material is called true color or
real color.
The guideline value (maximum acceptable level) for color of
drinking water is 15 TCU (True color unit).
WATER QUALITY: PHYSICAL INDICATORS
Turbidity
Pure water is clear and do not absorb light. Therefore if turbidity appears in water, it indicates water pollution.
Turbidity in water is given by various materials like suspended solid, dissolved materials and microbial loads.
Turbidity prevents penetration of light into deeper layer of natural water system that directly affects photosynthetic
organism in bottom.
Drinking water should have turbidity less than 5 NTU (Naphthalometric turbidity unit)
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
 pH/Alkalinity
 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
 Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
 Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
 Total Hardness (TH)
 Heavy Metals/Metals
 Toxic Substances
 Gases
 Nutrients
 Sediment Quality
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
pH
Water become alkaline due to presence of NH3, OH-, Ca2+,
Mg2+ etc. in alkaline water certain minerals are deficient.
Water become acidic due to presence of dissolved acids
and dissolved carbon-dioxide. Acidic pH corrodes
pipeline. Similarly certain minerals are more than excess
in acidic water.
pH of drinking water should be around 6.5-8.5
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
Biological oxygen demand (BOD)
Biological oxygen demand represents amount of oxygen
required by living organism (microorganism) for
oxidation of biodegradable organic matters present in
water under aerobic condition.
BOD is a direct measurement of quality of oxygen needed
for biodegradation of organic matter and indirect
measurement of quantity of biodegradable organic matter
in water.
High value of BOD is an indicator of water pollution.
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
COD is amount of oxygen needed for oxidation of organic
matter present in water by strong chemical oxidizing
agents.
COD measurement is particularly valuable to determine
amount of organic matter in water which contains toxic or
antimicrobial chemicals.
COD gives amount of total organic (biodegradable + non-
biodegradable) matter present in water.
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Oxygen is highly soluble and get dissolved in water in the
form of dissolved oxygen (DO).
DO is a source of oxygen for aquatic aerobic organism
like fishes, aerobic bacteria etc. therefore, DO is an
important characteristics of natural water system that
determines its quality.
If DO is absent in water, aquatic organism cannot survive.
Total absent of Dissolved oxygen in water creates
anaerobic condition which facilitates anaerobic
decomposition of organic compounds.
Dissolved oxygen in water is affected by many factors
like temperature, organic matter content etc.
WATER QUALITY: CHEMICAL INDICATORS
Water Hardness
 When water passes through or over deposits such as
limestone, the levels of Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3– ions
present in the water can greatly increase and cause
the water to be classified as hard water.
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Bacteriological aspects
Indicator organism are
 Faecal coliform ( Escherichia coli),
 Total coliform
 Faecal Streptococci (Enterococcus),
 Clostridium perfringens
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Virological aspects
 Drinking water must be free from viruses.
 Sometime viruses from intestinal tract of infected
person get access to water along with faeces.
 Some intestinal pathogenic viruses which are
transmitted through contaminated water are-
Rotavirus, Poliovirus, Hepatitis A and E, etc
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Parasitological aspects
 Drinking water should be free from disease causing
parasites.
 Many species of protozoa and helminths that causes
water borne disease contaminates water through stool
of infected patients.
 Some pathogenic parasites are- Entamoeba histolytica,
Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Balantidium coli, etc
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Algae
 Growth of algae in water affects the quality of water
by various ways.
 Algae gives characteristic color, odor and taste to
water. Also algae prevent penetration of light to bottom
of water system affecting photosynthetic organisms.
 Various algae produces toxic compounds. For
examples, Microcystis produces hepatotoxin, Similarly
Anaebaena and Nostoc produces neurotoxin.
Therefore, drinking water should be free from algae.
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Frog/Salamander/Fish
 Frogs and salamanders are 'environmental
sponges’, they absorb water directly through their
skin, they're especially vulnerable to water
pollutants
 Fish act as a biological indicator of water quality
because of their affinity to accumulate the metals
in their muscles that cause alterations in
physiological, biochemical and genetic parameters
in their body
WATER QUALITY: BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Benthic Macroinvertebrate
 Evaluating the abundance and variety of benthic
macroinvertebrates in a waterbody gives us an
indication of the biological condition of that
waterbody
 Crayfish
 Mollusk
 Clams/snails
 Aquatic Insects (EPT)
 Ephemeroptera (Mayfly)
 Plecoptera (Stonefly)
 Trichoptera (Caddisfly)
WATER USAGE AND CLASSIFICATION (DAO 34)
FRESH SURFACE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class AA Public Water Supply Class I – Intended primarily for waters having
watersheds which are uninhabited and/or otherwise declared as protected
areas and which require only approved disinfection to meet the National
Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) of the Philippines

Class A Public Water Supply Class II – Intended as sources of water supply requiring
conventional treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and
disinfection) to meet the NSDW
FRESH SURFACE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class B Recreational Water Class I – Intended for primary
contact recreation (bathing, swimming, etc.)
FRESH SURFACE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class C 1.Fishery Water for the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources
2.Recreational Water Class II – For boating, fishing, or similar activities
3. For agriculture, irrigation, and livestock
watering
FRESH SURFACE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class D 1.Industrial Water Supply – For Manufacturing processes after treatment, cooling,
etc.)
2. Navigation and other similar uses
MARINE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class SA 1.Protected Waters – Waters designated as national or local marine parks, reserves,
sanctuaries, and other areas established by law (Presidential Proclamation 1801 and other
existing laws), and/or declared as such by appropriate government agency, LGUs, etc
2.Fishery Water Class I – Suitable for shellfish harvesting for direct human
consumption
MARINE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class SB 1.Fishery Water Class II – Waters suitable for commercial propagation of shellfish
and intended as spawning areas for milkfish and similar species
2. Tourist Zones – For ecotourism and recreational
activities
3.Recreational Water Class I – Intended for primary contact recreation (bathing,
swimming, skin diving, etc.)
MARINE WATERS
Classification Intended Beneficial Use
Class SC 1.Fishery Water Class III – For the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic
resources and intended for commercial and sustenance fishing
2. Recreational Water Class II – For boating, fishing,
or similar activities
3.Marshy and/or mangrove areas declared as fish and wildlife sanctuaries

Class SD 1.Industrial Water Supply – For manufacturing processes after treatment, cooling,
etc.)
2. Navigation and other similar uses