Tag: Wastewater Treatment

India's long road: Rural development

 

“The village is the cell of the national body and the cell-life must be healthy and developed for the national body to be healthy and developed.” – well alluded by SRI AUROBINDO.

India as it is said is the “land of villages.” The heart of our nation resides in the rural areas. As quoted by the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, “India lives in her seven hundred thousand villages.” Although the term “Rural development” has been widely used, what constitutes it seems to have changed significantly. So, the question is what exactly is rural development. Rural development means improving the living conditions of the people living in rural areas. There are many definitions to it. The fact is that today more than half of the Indian population lives in rural areas and most of them depends upon agriculture as their primary source of income. Agriculture is an integral part of many world economies, especially the developing ones, and hence plays a significant role in the rural development. The strength and prosperity of our nation depends upon the strength and prosperity of rural areas. Therefore, it is important to free the rural India from poverty.

Our government is trying its best to bring rapid growth and development in the villages. We derive major contributions to GDP from rural workers. Upwelling schemes for rural electrification, open defecation free villages, skill development, Prime Minister rural housing mission, Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, National Rural Livelihood Mission, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana, Sarv Siksha Abhiyan, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, National Social Assistance Programme etc., has modified the doddering face of Indian villages.

Empowering rural economy through digitalization schemes, regeneration of traditional industries schemes, entrepreneurship schemes, water conservation schemes, MGNREGS, has further added to the rural development and has brought direct benefit transfer. Achieving hygiene and sanitation through government initiatives like SWACHH BHARAT MISSION has further added to the list.

According to the World Bank, “Rural development as a strategy designed to improve the economic and social life of a specific group of people – The rural (people) poor. It involves extending the benefits of development to the poorer among those who seek a livelihood in rural areas. The group includes small-scale farmers, tenants and the landless.” Rural development is a strategy that encompasses all the aspects and factors to achieve an overall spectrum of development and growth. This development is needed to benefit the poor and weaker sections of the society. Rural development seeks to transform all the sectors of rural economy – the primary sector, the secondary sector and the tertiary sector. It is concerned with the improvement of the standard of living of the rural people through the provision of health and medical facilities, employment opportunities including vocational training, educational facilities, etc. It brings about significant improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, the landless agricultural labourers and the marginal and small farmers.

The village land of India is adorned with lush green land, protected livestock and unexplored pool of species which needs special attention of the government. The recent extent of India from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) did mark the promise of self-sustained indigenous production of India. The decision was to safeguard the interests of industries like agriculture and dairy.

Rural development should include social, economic and overall development of a rural area. It should be an all- round project. Employment creation is the main component of rural development. Therefore, to generate employment opportunities in villages, there is a need to strengthen agriculture sector and also set up other industries. A digital platform should be built for active labourers to check the process of employment generation. Integrated and organic farming methods should be promoted. Economic models like Gig’s – economy must be brought in action to counter seasonal as well as disguised unemployment from rural economy. Better planning must be done by the government, to boost up local economy of a village. Better roads connectivity should be put in the major plan of action. Basic amenities should be made available.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, well said by Nelson Mandela. Six Indian states account for about 70per cent of all illiterates in India. India currently has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world with 287 million people, with major proportion in the rural India. While India’s literacy rate rose from 48 per cent in 1991 to 63 per cent in 2006, “population growth cancelled the gains so there was no change in the number of illiterate adults”, says the UNESCO report.

Thus, education is the most important tool which can pave the way for the development of every other factors. The government has been trying to come up with schemes to strengthen education and integrated skill development of youth of rural India. Primary education has been made free and compulsory for the rural people so that the maximum number of the villages may be literate. Schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, has been proved effective. Women in rural India are still devoid of their ‘fare-share’ in the field of agriculture and labour. Strengthening of service sector has emerged as a boon for women. The problem of the ownership of the land should be resolved. The cottage industries should be established to further accelerate the growth. The villages should be in sync with the urban areas.

Another matter of concern is the crime rate which has increased in rural areas and specially against the marginalized sections of society. The death rates in rural areas due to domestic violence has also not seen any change. Banning of liquor consumption in states like Bihar has provided to be an effective step. People should be made aware and educated about the rights and wrongs. Proper healthcare facilities should also be provided with adequate number of doctors and nurses. Other robust steps should be adopted towards rural development.

It is often felt that the migration of people from rural to urban, in search of employment or better lifestyle, is putting severe pressure on urban amenities. The low wage migrants are thus left with no other option than to live in unhygienic condition. There is a need to make rural economy stronger and create employment opportunities in rural India. This will help in reducing the disparity in per capita income of rural and urban which has always remained high.  A significant growth is required in rural area. Non farming activities should also be encouraged.

The development of rural India is of utmost importance for the development of the country. If India needs to become the next superpower in the world, it needs to tap into the potential of rural India. Given its size and population, no business house can afford to neglect the consumer spending power of rural India. India has many heroes that rural population should look up, like M.S. Swaminathan, the father of the green revolution in India, Varghese Kurien, the father of the white revolution in India. The progress of a nation depends upon the progress of its villages. We can say that the rural areas are the backbone of a nation.

Our rural areas have undergone major changes since independence. We should try to keep in mind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while trying to achieve the rural development goal. We need to join our hands with the government in embellishing its goal of the development of rural India.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wastewater Pollutants and Treatment

Wastewater is used water. It includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals. In homes, this includes water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute their share of used water that must be cleaned. We consider wastewater treatment as a water use because it is so interconnected with the other uses of water. Much of the water used by homes, industries, and businesses must be treated before it is released back to the environment.

The term “wastewater treatment” is also known as “sewage treatment.” Nature has an amazing ability to cope with small amounts of water wastes and pollution, but it would be overwhelmed if we didn’t treat the billions of gallons of wastewater and sewage produced every day before releasing it back to the environment. Treatment plants reduce pollutants in wastewater to a level nature can handle.

Wastewater also includes storm runoff. Although some people assume that the rain that runs down the street during a storm is fairly clean, it isn’t. Harmful substances that wash off roads, parking lots, and rooftops can harm our rivers and lakes. Hence, treating wastewater is a matter of caring for our environment and for our own health. There are a lot of good reasons why keeping our water clean is an important priority.

Clean water is critical to plants and animals that live in water. This is important to the fishing industry, sport fishing enthusiasts, and future generations. Our rivers and ocean waters teem with life that depends on shoreline, beaches and marshes. They are critical habitats for hundreds of species of fish and other aquatic life. Migratory water birds use the areas for resting and feeding. Water is a great playground  for us all. The scenic and recreational values of our waters are reasons many people choose to live where they do. Visitors are drawn to water activities such as swimming, fishing, boating and picnicking. If it is not properly cleaned, water can carry disease. Since we live, work and play so close to water, harmful bacteria have to be removed to make water safe.

If wastewater is not properly treated, then the environment and human health can be negatively impacted. These impacts can include harm to fish and wildlife populations, oxygen depletion, beach closures and other restrictions on recreational water use, restrictions on fish and shellfish harvesting and contamination of drinking water. Here are some examples of pollutants that can be found in wastewater and the potentially harmful effects these substances can have on ecosystems and human health:

  • Decaying organic matter and debris can use up the dissolved oxygen in a lake so fish and other aquatic biota cannot survive;
  • Excessive nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, can cause eutrophication, or over-fertilization of receiving waters, which can be toxic to aquatic organisms, promote excessive plant growth, reduce available oxygen, harm spawning grounds, alter habitat and lead to a decline in certain species;
  • Chlorine compounds and inorganic chloramines can be toxic to aquatic invertebrates, algae and fish;
  • Bacteria, viruses and disease-causing pathogens can pollute beaches and contaminate shellfish populations, leading to restrictions on human recreation, drinking water consumption and shellfish consumption;
  • Metals, such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic can have acute and chronic toxic effects on species.
  • Other substances such as some pharmaceutical and personal care products, primarily entering the environment in wastewater effluents, may also pose threats to human health, aquatic life and wildlife.

The major aim of wastewater treatment is to remove as much of the suspended solids as possible before the remaining water, called effluent, is discharged back to the environment. As solid material decays, it uses up oxygen, which is needed by the plants and animals living in the water.

“Primary treatment” removes about 60 percent of suspended solids from wastewater. This treatment also involves aerating (stirring up) the wastewater, to put oxygen back in. Secondary treatment removes more than 90 percent of suspended solids.