Water Pollution

Tengku Fazli Tengku Yahya

Department of Environmental
Engineering
UNIKL MICET

Pollution

Water

The beneficial uses of water are varied

and include its use for :

drinking and for domestic purposes

watering livestock
the irrigation of crops
for fisheries
industry
food production
bathing
recreational and amenity use.

Water quality

DOE conducting monitoring of river since 1978

- to establish the status of water quality
- detect changes and identify pollution sources
- total of 927 manual stations located within
120 river basins through out Malaysia.

Water quality data were used to determine the water

quality status and to classified the rivers in Class I, II, III,
IV or V based on :
Water Quality Index (WQI)
Interim National Water Quality Standards of
Malaysia

Standards A and B were used for Industrial Effluents. (all

industries must follow the Standards)

INTERIM (for river

Classification)
Parameters

(Units)

Ammonical
Nitrogen

Classes
I

IIA

IIB

III

IV

mg/L

0.1

0.3

0.3

0.9

2.7

>2

BOD

mg/L

12

>12

COD

mg/L

10

25

25

50

100

>100

DO

mg/L

5-7

5-7

3-5

<3

<1

pH

6.5-8.5

6.5-9.5

6-9

5-9

5-9

Electrical
Conductivity

mmhos

1000

1000

6000

Temperature

+2

+2

Turbidity

NTU

50

50

Standard A And B (for

Industrial)

WHY OUR RIVERS POLLUTED???

Dissolved Oxygen

The dissolved oxygen concentration

of a water body is determined by the
amount of oxygen held in solution.
Discharge of organic, degradable
wastewater into flowing waters
results in a decrease of DO
concentration (Drolc and Zagorc,
1999).

Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD5)

Amount of oxygen required by aerobic

microorganisms to decompose the
organic matter in a sample of water
Samples are normally incubated at 20
degrees, after the DO is measured.
BOD5 reading below than one is good
for drinking water; meanwhile BOD5
reading more than one needs a
conventional treatment.

Chemical Oxygen Demand

(COD)

The amount of oxygen consumed to

completely chemically oxidize the
organic water constituents to
inorganic end products.
The COD test are usually higher than
BOD test; Many organic compounds
which are dichromate oxidizable are
not biochemically oxidizable.

Definition

What is water pollution?

occurs when a body of water is adversely
affected due to the addition of large
amounts of materials to the water
the loss of any of the actual or potential
beneficial uses of water caused by any
change
in its composition due to human activity

Sources

There are 2 types of sources

Point sources
occur when
harmful
substances
are emitted
directly into
a body of
water from
specific
location
Factories,
power plant,
oil refinery

Non-point sources
A nonpoint source delivers
pollutants indirectly
through environmental
changes
example : fertilizer from a
field is carried into a
stream by rain, in the form
of run-off which in turn
effects aquatic life
Automobile, resident,
agriculture, urban,
construction, business,
storm drain

Non-point Sources

Automobile pollution

Causes
leave oil, antifreeze, grease and metals
on streets and driveways
emit nitrogen and other contaminants,
which settle in water
car washing detergents contain
phosphorus

Automobile pollution

How to control?
Car pool
Monitor & repair any leaks
Always take used oil, batteries and other
fluids for a proper disposal
use detergents that don't contain
phosphorus to wash your car

Non-point sources

Residential pollution

Causes
Fertilizers
weed killer
Insecticides and fungicides
poorly maintained septic systems &
common household cleaners
improper disposal of paint, oil and
other chemicals

Residential pollution

How to control?
Use environmentally safe cleaning
products that don't contain phosphorus
or other toxic chemicals.
Use biological methods and traps to
reduce insects, weeds and fungus instead
of toxic insecticides and herbicides.
Plant grass or plants in exposed soil areas
Monitor and maintain septic systems for
leaks and overflows
Soak up excess paint with a sponge

Non-point sources

Agriculture pollution

Causes
Runoff from barnyards, feedlots
and cropland carries away
manure, fertilizers, ammonia,
pesticides, livestock waste, oil
toxins from farm equipment, soil
and sediment

Agriculture pollution

How to control?

Use fertilizers sparingly. Test the soil to see the amount of

fertilizer needed
Don't fertilize before a rain storm
Use organic fertilizers that release nutrients more slowly
Substitute biological methods for pesticides and never
apply them near a well or water
Recycle oil, antifreeze, batteries, fertilizer, pesticides and
other chemicals
Maintain proper storage of fertilizers, pesticides and
monitor containers for leaks.
routinely pick up livestock waste and dispose of it properly

Non-point sources

Urban pollution

Causes
Runoff water from buildings, streets and sidewalks
carries many pollutants
industries do not dispose of waste properly and
dump pollutants directly into waterways
cities are built, the natural watershed is changed
Wetlands are often filled in with dirt and concrete
and natural streams are redirected by man-made
channels
(This takes away nature's ability to filter out
contaminants before they end up in river)

Urban pollution

How to control?
Get involved in neighborhood cleanups.
Never dump anything into the ground or street and don't
allow anything other than rain water to flow into storm
drains
Write or call your elected representative and urge them to
write legislation that protects natural watersheds from
development
Businesses should follow Best Management
Practices for controlling pollution, runoff and
waste disposal

Non-point sources

Construction pollution

Causes
Construction and clearing land often
put sediment in rivers and bodies of
water.
Oil, debris, paint and other harmful
chemicals also can runoff with water
and sediment from construction sites

Construction pollution

How to control?
Control water runoff from construction sites

Non-point sources

Business pollution

Causes
Toxins come from vehicles, machinery,
cleaning products, garbage, septic
systems, toxic waste and several
other pollutants used by businesses

Business pollution

How to control?
Never use or store hazardous materials near storm drains or
water
well-informed about the all types of pollution your company is
contributing.
You must understand and follow all regulations pertaining to
the storage, use and disposal of toxic materials
Employees must be well-educated about non-point source
pollution and taught ways to minimize the impact your
company makes on the environment
Use chemicals sparingly and never use more than needed.

Effects of water pollution

viii.

Spreads Disease
Affects Vital Body Organs
Causes Toxic Buildup in the Food Chain
Kills Aquatic Life
Causes Flooding
Causes Algal Bloom
Deformities of fish, birds, and other wildlife
Differences in color & taste beach closing

ix.

Raised and new added costs to agriculture and

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

industry for clean-ups