Physiongnomies of industrialized sewages and their conceivable influence on value of subversive H2O

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate various industrial effluents of Sunder industrial estate and Auriga Group of chemicals, Multan Road, Lahore, and assess the possible impacts of such sewages on quality of underground water. A total of 12 samples including 7 from industrial effluents at the discharge point of each industry (marble, matches, steel, aluminum, pharmaceutical, beverages, ghee industries), 1 from main drain receiving effluents of all industries and 4 from tube or dug wells in the vicinity of the Estate were collected in March, 2014 and analyzed for temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts, total suspended solids, biological oxygen demand and heavy metal contents (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn). The BOD was beyond the permitted boundary in almost all of the effluents. Among heavy metals, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn were within the permissible limits in all but Mn, Ni and Pb were beyond the permissible limits in one or more effluents. Variable results were also obtained for various parameters in underground water samples. The pH, TSS, TDS, Fe and Zn were within  the permissible limits in  all but Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Pb were above the permissible  limits  in  one  or  more  water  samples  compared  with  the  WHO  and  US-EPA standards established for drinking water. These results suggested that effluents discharged from various industries showed variable characteristics and are potential threat to underground water contamination. It is thus recommended that wastewater treatment plants must be established with each industry. Further, efficient environmental laws and social awareness program must be undertaken for inhabitants of the estate and in the surrounding area with respect to potential threat of industrial effluents to the environment.

Key words: effluents, temperature, pH, EC, TSS, TDS, BOD, heavy metals