Impacts of Industrial Effluent on River Kabul

Abstract

The disposal of untreated industrial effluent into receiving water courses has become a major environmental challenge being faced by most of the developing countries. The high-strength and toxic wastes are responsible for a variety of water-borne diseases. In Pakistan numerous industrial units that dispose their effluent directly into receiving stream without any treatment. This study was, therefor designed to assess the wastewater characteristics of some major industrial units in the surrounding area of River Kabul, which is one of the most signifi cant resources of water in the north region of the country.The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the wastewater characteristics of some major industrial units in terms of BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), and TSS (Total Suspended Solids) etc. For this purpose, various representative samples were collected from the major industrial units like sugar, paper, ghee (Butter) and textile mills, and were analyzed using standard laboratory techniques. The results indicates that the BOD of sugar, paper, ghee (butter) and textile mills is in the range of 2235mg/L, 1150mg/L, 844mg/L and 745mg/L, respectively. Whereas, the COD of sugar, paper, ghee and textile mills was noticed to be 3945mg/L 2045mg/L, 2240mg/L and 1244mg/L respectively. Owing to the disposal of such highstrength wastes water without treatment, a remarkable increase in the TSS from 96 to 382mg/L, and decrease in DO (Dissolved Oxygen) concentration from 8.8 to 6.7mg/L of River Kabul was observed. The results of this study suggest that all the wastewater coming from the industrial sources should be properly treated as an integral part of their production before their fi nal disposal into River Kabul to secure its natural water quality.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v8i0.4924Hydro Nepal: Journal of Water, Energy and Environment Issue No. 8, 2011 JanuaryPage: 44-47Uploaded date: 23 June, 2011