Examination of Groundwater Contamination in the District of

New Delhi, India

By:  Lisabeth  Tremblay    

Research  Ques+ons    

• Are  rural  popula5ons  in  Delhi  more  suscep5ble  to  water  contamina5on  than  urban  zones?  

•  Is  all  drinking  water  treated,  and  if  not,  what  areas  receive  potable  water?  

Methodology    

•  Spa5al  Analyst  •  Density  analysis    

• Geoprocessing  

• Ranking  

New Delhi, India • New  Delhi  is  the  capital  of  India  • Home  to  14  million  people  • Approximately  42.7  km  in  area  • Water  is  9.6%  of  land  coverage  in  India  

New  Delhi  

Water Risks

•  25%  of  Delhi’s  popula5on  drinks  directly  from  groundwater    • Water  contamina5on,  par5cularly  nitrates,  are  an  issue  throughout  the  country    •  80%  of  India’s  sewage  flows  untreated  into  the  country's  rivers    

 

Water Treatment Plants

•  There  are  6  treatment  plants  in  New  Delhi  • Only  33%  of  rural  areas  are  connected  to  sewage  treatment  plants  • Only  160  out  of  nearly  8,000  towns  have  both  sewerage  systems  and  a  sewage  treatment  plant  

Water Treatment Capacity

•  Indian  ci5es  produce  nearly  40  million  liters  of  sewage  every  day    • Only  20%  of  it  is  treated  •  Treatment  plants  can  not  keep  up  with  sewage  demand  

 

Water  Treatment  Plants   Current  Capacity  (TLD)  

Bhagirathi   397  

Chandrawal   389  

Haiderpur   776  

Nangloi   151  

Sonia  Vihar   529  

Wazirabad   499  

Nitrate Contamination •  Sewage  run-­‐off  causes  

contaminants  to  seep  into  the  groundwater  

 •  High  level  of  nitrate  

concentra5ons  are  known  to  cause  blue  baby  syndrome    

The Spread of Nitrate Contamination

Population as a Factor

•  Water  treatment  plants  are  located  in  urban  locales  

 •  The  more  dense  areas,  especially  around  the  perimeter  of  Delhi,  are  neglected  and  le^  without  resources  to  purify  water  

Conclusions

• Rural  popula5ons  are  at  a  greater  risk  of  groundwater  contamina5on  due  to  lack  of  treatment  plants  

• Only  about  20%  of  the  drinking  water  is  treated  through  New  Delhi’s  water  treatment  plants,  leaving  the  most  vulnerable  at  risk  

• Centralized  areas  of  Delhi  receive  more  a_en5on  and  access  to  cleaner  drinking  water  

Sources BOARD,  GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA  CENTRAL  GROUND  WATER.  Groundwater  

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Maps  of  India.  Water  Treatment  Plants  in  Delhi.  15  March  2013.  5  December  2013    <h_p://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/delhi/water-­‐treatment-­‐plants.html>.  

Metro  Extracts.  Metro  Extracts  .  1  July  2013.  1  November  2013  <h_p://  metro.teczno.com/#new-­‐delhi>.  

Narain,  Sunita.  Nature.  14  June  2012.  1  December  2013    <h_p://  www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7402/full/486185a.html  %3FWT.ec_id%3DNATURE-­‐20120614>.  

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