Water conservation and Biodiversity

Parvati Sharma

WATER sources, components, link to humans, its depletion BIODIVERSITY - definition, its importance & its relevance to humans HOW WASTEWATER EFFECTS BIODIVERSITY MAJOR EFFECT ON Wetlands, Mangroves, Coral reeves, Human beings WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT CONCLUSION REFERENCES

water: A precious natural resource

> 97% of the earths surface > 60-65% water in living organism > About 97% out of total water is salty > 3% is fresh water > .033% is available

The worlds water resources

Oceans 97.5%

Glaciers, Snow & permafrost 1.725%

Ground water 0.075%

Lakes, swamps & rivers 0.025%

16 14

Africa

Thousand m3

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

World Asia M East & N Africa

1990 2025

1960

Water Resources Many Uses, Many Users

Water Resources Management
Infrastructure for management of floods and droughts, multipurpose storage, water quality and source protection Institutional framework Management instruments Political economy of water management
Water supply & sanitation Irrigation & drainage Energy Environmental services Other uses including industry and navigation

Depletion of water
Overuse of ground water Pollution Irregular use of water in irrigation, industrialization and domestic purposes 101 billon people do not have safe drinking water Estimation of U.S.(2002) IN 2024 , 2/3 of the World population would be suffering from acute water shortage

Man despite his artistic

pretensions , his extreme sophistication & many accomplishments, owes the basic fact of his existence to the 6 inches of topsoil & water present in the rivers , oceans and lakes

Wastewater is any water that has been effected adversely by anthropogenic factors. It comprises of liquid waste discharges containingLiving organisms, Pathogens, Organic matter Inorganic Nutrients, Some solid waste particles Wastewater also includes storm runoff.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The two main source of waste water generation will be 1) Non-Residential sources or commercial or industrial sources 2) Residential

1. 2.

There are two types of domestic sewage: Black water Grey water

Biodiversity is the variety of plant , animal & lower life forms their genes & ecosystems of which they together form the basis of biodiversity. Hence it is something that is all around us making us a part of it. Few hotspots effected by waste water pollutant runoff covered in this presentation are wetlands mangroves coral reeves marine animals & most importantly human beings

Ref: http://www.vub.ac.be/APNA/staff/FDG/cours es/TCB/biodiversity.jpg

Genetic level : This diversity arise due to genetic variability. Example Oryza sativa Species diversity: The variability found with in the population of a species or between different species of a community 10 million 50 million living species (Wilson, 1992) 1.5 million living, 3000,000 fossil species have been actually described Ecological Diversity : This the diversity showing variation in ecological riches, tropic structure, food web, nutrient cycling

At the ecosystem level, biodiversity provides the conditions and drives the processes that sustain the global economy and our very survival as a species. The benefits and services provided by ecosystems include:
1.

Generation of soils and maintenance of soil quality Maintenance of air quality Maintenance of water quality Pest control Detoxification and decomposition of wastes Pollination and crop production Climate stabilization

8. Prevention and mitigation of natural disasters 9. Provision of food security 10. Provision of health care 11. Income generation 12. Spiritual / cultural value

2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

7.

Due to the drainage of wastewater from different sources in to the main water bodies, the varied life forms are effected in the following wayIncrease in the B.O.D. & C.O.D. content of water bodies Increase in nutrient content- algal bloom & eutrophication Increase of soil deposition Formation of a film on top of the water body Some compounds dissociate in water yielding toxic components

Wetlands-

Algal bloom caused by waste water discharges by industries and domestic sources the water color of the wetlands has turned greenish and has also increased the turbidity of water , which directly influences the light penetration and affects the production efficiencies.

Trimmu wetland Punjab, IndiaRef: www.panda.org

Mangroves- Mangroves are highly

fragile ecosystems. Wastewater discharges cause asphyxiation and clogging of roots & lenticels; accumulation of pesticides is lethal to mangrove wildlife Mangrove forest, Bhiterkanika, Orissa, India. Ref:
www.earthisland.org/map

EFFECT ON Coral reeves- Wastewater

pollution causes coral bleaching, raising of temperature of water , epizootics.
Brain coral showing bleaching

Marine animals

A part of South-East Asia's coral reef Ref:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1899236.stm

Also Gangetic dolphins - these majestic animals also called tigers of Indian rivers are facing extinction thanks to the excessive wastewater pollution which chokes their lungs , promotes thick algal growth prevent these animals to reach the surface in order to breathe.

Gangetic Dolphins

EFFECT ON Like Sea turtle these are rare wonders OLIVE RIDLEY SEA of nature , which may live upto 500yrs TURTLE left undisturbed ,yet due to the effect of Ref: wildecology.ifcnr.com/ wastewater their productivity reduces, P their young ones are born with defects. ictures/oliveridley.jpg Other Benthic life forms requiring light to assimilate food, are effected as the algal slimy layer prevent the light from penetrating to the lower reaches thereby causing their death.

Human being The pollutants in wastewater are linked to various health

problems.Worldwide, over 1.2 billion people are at risk due to the lack of sanitary waste disposal and clean water for drinking, cooking,and washing. Some 60% of all infant mortality is linked to infectious and parasitic diseases , most of which are water-related.Providing clean drinking water and ensuring proper sanitation facilities would save millions of lives by reducing the dominance of water related diseases.

Wastewater Management
Due to the increasing awareness , now people are thinking of curbing this pollution by 1) Preventing the runoff of storm water Recharge pits Natural boundaries
Source: Ground water department, A.P.

2) Promoting more seepage into soil By having grass pavers

3) Treating this wastewater before releasing it into the water bodies

4) Innovative method of managing this water & creating new use for it. 5) Water conservation at individual level :
FILL THE TUB STOP DRIPS

USE HALF FLUSH

FILL THE MUG TURN OFF SHOWER USE FULL LOAD

Indian Aquatic Biodiversity 6% of global species - 10th rank among plant rich countries - 11th in terms of no. of endemic species of vertebrates - 6th among the center of diversity and origin of agricultural crops - 1,50,000 living species - 2 hotspots out of 25 biodiversity hotspots - One of the 12 mega-biodiversity

Why Inland Aquatic Biodiversity?

Location Volume x103 km3 % of Total

Freshwater Lakes Saline Lakes Rivers Soil Water Groundwater Ice Caps. Glaciers Atmosphere Oceans

125 0.009 104 0.008 1 0.0001 67 0.005 8,350 0.61 29,200 2.14 13 0.001 1320,00097.3

Area under Aquatic Habitats

Habitats Area x106 km2 % of Total Land

Lakes# Rivers Wetlands * (incl. Peatlands) Terrestrial (Land) Oceans

2.803 2.0 0.2 6.9-12.45-9 148.647 30.7 335.258 69.3

*Large Variability in Estimate deepening on what is included (Rivers, Lakes, Coastal & Marine Wetlands, Karsts) #Mostly Freshwater; Some Saline or Brackish #Large variability in Size: <1 ha

to >100,000 km2

Current Assessment of Freshwater Biodiversity

2.4% of all known organisms (Reaka-Kudla 1997) 12% of all animals 9% of Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins) >42% (>10,000 species ) of all the fishes 25% of all known species of molluscs 97% (2000 species) of all Rotifera 100% (larvae) of all Odonata (5500 species) Almost All of all green algae (16,000 species) Most of 800 species of Euglenophytes ca. 50% of all diatoms 7.5% of families of flowering plants 2390 species Protozoa; >600 species of Fungi

Threats to Aquatic Biodiversity

Greater Hydrological Alterations (Excessive River Flow Regulation) Intensive Agriculture with more Irrigation & Agrochemicals Higher levels of Point & Non Point Pollution (wastewater treatment lacking or inadequate) Increased/continuing deforestation (high erosion intensity) Over-exploitation; Intensive aquaculture and Exotic Invasive Species
GBIF Symposium (Brussels, 18-19 April 2005)

Conclusions
Wetlands, lakes and rivers are daughters of the land. Ecologically sound and economic practices on land as well as in the water realm, will maintain and restore aquatic ecosystems and faltering species can be reinvigorated with them. We need suitable practices in watersheds and water bodies, and willingness to share the planets surface with other species.

R. Rajgopalan, 2006, Environmental studies, Oxford University Press. E.P .Odum, 2005, Fundamentals Of Ecology ,Thompson & Brooke sole Publication Angermeier, P L. and Karr, J. R. "Biological integrity vs. . biological diversity as policy directives: Protecting biotic resources", Bioscience 44, 1994, 690-697. Callicott, J. B. "On the intrinsic value of nonhuman species", in The preservation of species: the value of biological diversity (ed. B. G Norton). Princeton N .J. Princeton University Press, 1986. Callicott, J. B., Crowder, L. B. and Mumford, K. "Current normative concepts in conservation", Conservation Biology 13, 1999, 22-35 Ehrenfeld, D. "Why put a value on biodiversity?" In Wilson E.O. editor. Biodiversity. Washington DC National Academy Press, 1988. Faith, D. P "Phylogenetic pattern and the quantification of . organismal biodiversity", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B. 345, 1994, 45-58 Biodiversity, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/biodiversity.htm, Effect of wastewater on biodiversity , http://www.globalissues.org/env.issues/biodiversity.asp Mangroves, http://www.mangroveindia.org , Biodiversity, www.unep.org ,

THANKS