Public Health, Pollution and Water Resources , Cauvery River Basin

INTRODUCTION

Water is the elixir of life. An adequate supply of safe drinking water is essential for all human beings. However, unsafe water sources continue to be one of the top risks associated with number of illnesses and deaths in , especially amongst women. Children are also prone to water related diseases and deaths of children under the age of 5 because of these diseases could be avoided just by ensuring safe drinking water and sanitation (WHO).

The World Bank estimates the impact of water pollution on human health to cost the world economy around $3.9 billion every year (Wu et al., 1999). Consumption of polluted water is dangerous to human health and causes diseases such as cancer, cardio-vascular and kidney disorders, neurological problems in addition to many water borne diseases, besides adverse reproductive outcomes.

Rapid industrialisation, overpopulation, unplanned urbanization and economic growth coupled with critical deficits in the basic water supply and treatment systems have resulted in widespread pollution in the urban agglomerations in the developing countries (Wu et al. 1999). Water contaminated with industrial effluents, agricultural wastes, urban sewage finds its way into surface water bodies and ground water aquifers, thereby poisoning these drinking water sources and rendering them unsafe for human consumption. With the growing population, improved standards of living and increased urbanisation there is a need for newer approaches to urban water management.

The traditional linear approach of “take, make and waste” is increasingly proving to be unsustainable, leading to water stress (insufficient supplies), unsustainable resource consumption (water, energy and chemicals), pollution of water land and air and financially unviable utilities. In today’s context river pollution cannot be tackled without addressing the question of governance and the highly unequal living conditions in our cities, it is difficult to address the issue of pollution.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT

This action-research looks into the effects of contamination of water on the public health of people in an urban agglomeration in and around the Erode city. It also endeavours into how the polluted water sources, coupled with the critical issues in water management which makes this public health issue even more acute.

The initiative is part of the NWM-TISS Water Project, which is intended to engage with the Multiple-Stakeholders. The intension of the work is to raise awareness and to aid the decision makers and communities to develop a water quality management plan for their own good health and well-being.

CONTEXT- ERODE

Urbanisation and Water Resources in Erode City is of critical importance as it is the headquarters of the in , which is situated on the banks of river Cauvery. The city depends largely on the river for its water supply, which is supplemented by the ground water sources for its domestic, agricultural and industrial water uses.

Over the past few decades, Erode has been transformed from being largely an agricultural area to a major hub of small and medium industrial units with a number of textile and tannery units having mushroomed in the city.

With a population of over 1.5 lakhs, Erode city is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu. The Corporation expects a population increase in Erode and the population is expected to increase by 9.05 lakhs in 2045. This is as per the City Development Plan for Erode. Projected Population Increase in the city:

Year Projected Population 2015 535, 000 2030 700, 000 2045 905, 000

The Erode Municipal Corporation has close to 85% of households having treated water through taps as the main source of drinking water. Rest have their drinking water from

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT various untreated sources, dugwells, borewells etc (Census, 2011). As Erode urbanised and industrialized, there has been a growing concern over the industrial effluents and urban sewage being dumped into the Cauvery as well as the odais1 that flow through the city and drain into the river.

KEY ECONOMIC BASE OF ERODE CITY

Erode district is 6th in Tamil Nadu when it comes to per capita income. Erode district is largely service based with a number of agro based and manufacturing sector units. The city is known nationally and internationally for the production and trading of textile products and turmeric. The major sectors which contribute to the economic development of Erode are:

Textiles: Erode is known as Loom-city or Tex Valley of India due to the handloom, powerloom textile products as well as the readymade garments. There are a lot of spinning mills that are situated in and around the Erode city.

Other Industrial activities: Erode city also has a number of tanneries. Erode stands second in the leather processing in Tamil Nadu, after Ambur. Erode also is one of the largest coconut oil producers in south India. There are a lot of dal mills, vanaspati manufacturing, wax and screen printing, sizing, warping and printing press located in Erode city.

Agriculture: Erode has a developed agro processing and animal husbandary base to foster the agricultural activities in the area. The Cauvery, Bhavani, Amravathy, Noyyal, Uppar and the Parambikulam – Aliyar rivers and their canals irrigate the land. Turmeric, coconut, paddy are the major crops. Oil mills and dairy products are also major role in generating income in the district.

1 Canals. A popular belief is that the root of the word “Erode” is supposed to be “Eru Odai” meaning two canals – Perumpallam and Kalingarayan canals.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT KEY STAKEHOLDERS/ INSTITUTIONS IN WATER DELIVERY

When looking into the governance setup in Erode with respect to water provisioning and delivery, there have been different aspects of water provisioning, sewerage, allocation, monitoring and regulation of quality and depletion.

The table below provides the different agencies and actors involved in the sector and a brief description of the roles and responsibilities in Erode Municipal Corporation.

Objective Sector/Source Service Provider Self-supply, TWAD and Municipal Corporation under Directorate of Municipal Quantity Domestic Administration (Supply) Industry TWAD (for drinking water), self supply Agriculture

Sewage Domestic Municipal Corporation disposal Industry Municipal Corporation TNPCB, CGWB, TWAD, Water Quality Groundwater PwD – Groundwater Surface Water TWAD, TNPCB, WRO Water Groundwater CGWB, TWAD Sustainabilit y Surface Water CWC, WRO

Water Micro scale Municipal Corporation, TWAD Allocation Macro scale CWDT, State Government, WRO, CWC

WATER SUPPLY: SERVICE LEVELS VS BENCHMARKS

Erode became a Municipality in the year 1871 and later in the year 1980 was made into a Municipal Corporation by merging four municipalities, two town panchayats and five village panchayats. In 2011 the Corporation area was increased substatially from 8.44 sq.km to 109.52 sq.km. Administratively, the Municipal Corporation is divided into 4 zones and 60 wards.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT No: of Category Names of ULBs ULBs Kasipalayam, Surampatti, Municipalities 4 VeerappanChathiram, PeriyaSemur Town Panchayats 2 B.P.Agraharam and Suriyampalayam Thindal, Gangapuram, Ellapalayam, Village Panchayats 5 Villarasampatti, Muthampalayam

The total population of the Erode Corporation was 4.98 lakhs during the Census 2011. During 2001-2011, there has been a population growth of 22.9%, though the erstwhile Erode Municipal Corporation area has grown only by 4.3%. Though the density of the city was 186 people per hectare (pph) previously, with the expansion of the city, it has reduced to 45 pph.

Population density Area Population Decadal (persons per Sl Areas within the Growth hectare) No Corporation (%) (sq km) 2001 2011 2001 2011

1 Erstwhile Erode city 8.44 1,50,541 1,56,953 4.30% 178 186

2 Periyasemur 9.13 32,024 55,281 72.60% 35 61

3 Kasipalayam 25.64 52,500 73,375 39.80% 20 29

4 VeerappanChathram 7.36 72,703 84,437 16.10% 99 115

5 Surampatti 3.17 31,948 41,897 31.10% 101 132

6 Suriyampalayam 17.71 21,893 28,554 30.40% 12 16

7 B.P. Agraharam 10.81 21,458 24,615 14.70% 20 23

8 Thindal 5.89 10,084 15,433 53.00% 17 26

9 Villarasampatty 7.86 4,560 7,439 63.10% 6 9

10 Gangapuram 7.17 4,337 5,840 34.70% 6 8

11 Ellapalayam 3.2 1,921 2,503 30.30% 6 8

12 Muthampalayam 3.14 1,477 1,794 21.50% 5 6

ECMC 109.52 4,05,446 498, 121 22.90% 37 45

OVERALL WATER SUPPLY, SOURCING AND TREATMENT

The existing source of water supply for the Erode City Municipal Corporation (ECMC) is from River Cauvery. At present 54.09 MLD of water is drawn from the river and is supplied at an average rate of 108 LPCD. There is a transmission and distribution loss of 13 MLD (3 MLD is transmission loss and 10 MLD is distribution loss) and 34 MLD reaches the public.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT

WATER SERVICE LEVLES Service Levels Unit Norms Existing Per Capita Supply LPCD 135 64 Coverage % 100% 38.62% Duration Hours/day 24 hours No Daily Supply Non Revenue Water % 15% 28% Metering % of total 100% 20% Quality % 100% 62% Complaints redress % of total 80% 100% Cost recovery % 80% 70% Collection Efficiency % 90% 75% MoUD,2015

There is independent water supply distribution for the added areas of ECMC (except for Muthamapalayam). Muthamapalayam has local bore wells as the source. The total water storage capacity of the city is 25.36 MLD (23.4 MLD in elevated service reservoirs and 1.96 MLD is ground level sumps). 4.28 MLD of storage capacity is unusable due to the design restrictions/bad condition. 31MLD is supplied through these elevated reservoirs and 3MLD through direct pumping in added areas. The storage capacity is lower than the norm of one-third storage capacity required for providing stable and reliable water supply. The total length of the water supply network is 472 kms (approx) in the core areas of the city. But the supply of water to the areas varies from daily to once in 3-4 days. There are 51650 connections with the highest density of them in the core city. The above table gives the comparison of the water supply delivery in E rode city as against the norms mentioned by the Ministry of Urban Development (Service Level Baseline).

The Municipal Corporation is lagging in several indicators of service delivery performance, which even their city-planning document also recognises.

The extended city is having key issues with respect to poor coverage, insufficient supply, having no daily supply of water, weak distribution system – increased transmission and distribution losses.

This inability to meet the Service Level Benchmarks is used by the Erode Municipal Corporation to ask the Centre to provide funds for improvement of the water situation through the various central schemes.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT CURRENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

WATER PARADIGM FOR ERODE URBAN-AGGLOMERATE

Often the research on the health of people near industrial areas is scarcely done or available as it is difficult to make a quantitative assessment of the impact of pollution on people's health or environmental degradation. But that the water used for drinking purposes should be devoid of toxic elements, chemical or biological contamination and excessive amount of minerals, that are harmful to human health, is well established. Thus, the research attempts to assess the quality of drinking water in Erode city. This includes, the water supplied by the Erode Corporation through the water distribution network, water from ground water sources and other alternate sources (tankers), which is consumed largely untreated.

This study looks into the health risks associated with each of these contaminants. Based on the findings, the study intends to serve as an input for a decision support system to urgently enhance the drinking water quality in Erode city and warn people who depend on water from the polluted areas and are prone to health hazards. The research study also intends to source from the wisdom of the people and provide a platform for them to govern their own common pool resource, i.e., the water sources. There have been few researches to establish the pollution of the surface water as well as the ground water in Erode (Santosh & Revathi, 2015). Also there are newspaper reports and studies which indicate the increase in the health related issues in Erode. Cause & Effect Framework for Urban Water Paradigm

Water Supply Water Treatment Sewerage

Water is imported - Raw water quality is very Supplied water turned into pipes, tankers, bores. poor. polluted water.

Costs for government in Costs for treatment for Costs for collection and treatment getting water for supply. government. for the government.

Cannot meet demand. Cannot meet demand. Cannot meet demand.

Indiscriminate groundwater mining High health impacts Polluted rivers, canals and within and outside the especially among poor, aquifers. Further reduction of city. Growth of bottle industry. water supply.

CSE, 2013

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT The relevance of the paradigm is also significant as the city of Erode grows, as the -Salem Industrial corridor develops. The Coimbatore-Erode-Salem expressway and SIPCOT industrial park are some of the proposed/recent major developmental initiatives in and around Erode city. Erode city is also one of the 12 cities shortlisted as part of the Smart Cities Mission. These are being planned to bring in with the objective of comprehensive industrial growth in the region. The case of Erode city provides a perfect example for this cause & effect table of urban water paradigm mentioned above.

The key aspect is to look for future needs and the sources of water, and how can the efficiency and quality of water be relying upon for their drinking. As per the exploration done as part of this research, there are different schemes under the TWAD Board, PWD-Groundwater departments, which provides treated water for the households. Erode city has a population of 157101 (Census, 2011), and the present water supply level is 109 LPCD (TWAD, 2014). Many other households who do not have municipal corporation water rely upon private bore wells, dug wells, hand pumps and tankers for their domestic water uses including drinking purposes which are consumed largely untreated. This research question explores the number and percentage of households in Erode Corporation who are using water from treated and untreated sources for drinking purposes. It also looks into the availability, accessibility and utilization of the water, which provides the basis of any public utility service, such as drinking water.

Further, the critical issue is of quality, wherein the safe drinking water is critical, Drinking water samples selected across the study area (from various points across the corporation water distribution network, bore wells, dug wells, tankers and will be tested for the water quality based on the recommended drinking water standards. Basic drinking water testing will be done with the help of school and college students and with community participation. For heavy metal contamination as well as other suspected pollutants, the samples will be sent to a research laboratory for detailed analysis. The results will be analysed for drinking water quality and also mapped to see if there are any patterns emerging. To see the impact of the industrial units on the drinking water quality, a control area is also selected (Gobichettypalayam), an area where there are relatively fewer polluting industries and where water quality is better and safe for human consumption.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS

DIFFERENT DRINKING WATER SOURCES IN ERODE CITY:

During the Census 2011, the Erode City Municipal Corporation had only 45 wards. In 2011, the total area of the Corporation was increased to 109.52 sq.km with the new Corporation limits including Surampatty, Periya Semur, Veerappan Chatram and Kasipalayam municipalities, BP Agraharam and Suriyampalayam town panchayats and Thindal, Villarasampatti, Ellapalayam, Gangapuram and Muthamapalayam village panchayats.

Main Source of Drinking Water

Tap water from treated sources Bore-wells/Tube wells

Tap water from untreated sources Uncovered/covered dugwells

Hand Pump

River/Canal

Other Sources

The census data was used to derive the percentages of drinking water sources of the New Erode Municipal Corporation area from the erstwhile areas.

As per this derived data, the main source of drinking water in Erode City Municipal Corporation area is tap water from treated sources (68.4%).

Bore-wells/Tube wells cater to the drinking water needs of 16.2% of the population, while 9.4% rely on tap water from untreated sources. While 3.5% rely upon uncovered well, about 1% relies on hand pumps, while less than 1% rely upon covered wells, river/canal, spring, pond or other sources such as tankers.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT DRINKING WATER AVAILABILITY IN ERODE

Though situated in the banks of the mighty River Cauvery, Erode is heavily dependent on the monsoon and is prone to droughts if the monsoons fail, the rainfall data from Erode Collectorate is given below (vertical values are in mm). The main source of drinking water in the Erode city continues to be River Cauvery.

Rainfall Data from Jan 2014 to Sep 2017 in (Month wise)

Rainfall in Erode city in last 4 years (Year wise)

Erode has three distinct periods of rainfall; (i) South West monsoon from June to September, with strong southwest winds; (ii) North East monsoon from October to December, with dominant northeast winds; and (iii) Dry season from January to May. Erode has an annual rainfall of 1000mm of which the North East monsoon contributes the most.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT Erode city comes in the Middle Cauvery basin after the river enters the state of Tamil Nadu where the Mettur Dam impounds 95.6 TMC of water for use in the lower reaches. The tributary River Bhavani joins River Cauvery just north of the Erode Municipal Corporation near Bhavani town at Kooduthurai.

As can be seen above, in the last four years only in the year 2015 had an above normal rainfall (of nearly 1000mm), which also contributes to the reduction in groundwater recharge in these years and has contributed to the water scarcity in Erode city.

IWMI in their study in 2005 describes, the River Cauvery basin as an “Economically water-scarce, food deficit” river basin, but quite near to be physically water scarce and also have high groundwater extraction along the basins (IWMI, 2005).

With further growth in population and urbanisation over the last 12 years, the water scarcity is a serious concern in the Cauvery river basin which negatively impacts the drinking water requirements in Erode city as well which relies upon the surface water for its needs. Drinking water issues have been raised whenever there is a reduction in flow of water in River Cauvery (The Hindu, 2004) (The Hindu, 2012) (Hindustan Times, 2016). There has been deficit rainfall in Tamil Nadu in four out of last five years (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016). It will be interesting to note that 2015 was a year of flood whereas 2016 in particular was the year with scantiest rainfall in last 150 years in Tamil Nadu.

Average Ground Water Level in Erode District from 2009-2017

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT Further from the chart prepared based on the average ground water data (TNPWD 2017) in Erode district, it is clear that the average ground water level in Erode district has steadily fallen over the last one decade, reaching the lowest depth in the last few months. This data is based on the groundwater data from 2009 to 2017 from PWD. Based on these factors, it is inferred that there is declining groundwater levels, drying up of shallow wells, a decrease in yield of bore wells and increased expenditure and power consumption for drawing water from progressively greater depths.

With monsoon being erratic and the water in River Cauvery depending upon the monsoon as well as the Karnataka-Tamilnadu Inter State disputes, there has been an increase reliance on the ground water in Mid to Lower Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu.

Further worsening of the situation is due to degradation of land, erosion and the causative runoff. The annual runoff in Cauvery is evident in the Urachikottai, and Hydro Observation Sites in the Cauvery Basin. Based on the Annual Runoff data by CWC.

While Savandapur is a gauge station in River Bhavani, Urachikottai and Kodumudi are gauge stations in River Cauvery. Urachikottai is in the upstream of Erode city and Bhavani, whereas Kodumudi is downstream of Erode city. Based on the historical data of Annual Runoff from these three gauge stations, charts are plotted and a trendline is drawn. The trendline data is evident that there is a reduction in the Annual Runoff in both River Bhavani and River Cauvery over the last four decades.

With regards to Groundwater availability, out of the three Firkas in Erode Taluk, Erode East and Erode North are categorised as Over Exploited firkas while Erode West is categorised as Semi Critical firka (TWAD, 2011).

Firkas Categorization based on Groundwater Extraction Erode West Semi Critical Erode North Critical Erode East Critical Firkas are revenue blocks

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT STATUS OF SEWAGE TREATMENT IN ERODE

As per the Corporation, the city is unable to treat all the sewage and the sewer lines open onto the water bodies and open ground and is polluting the environment (ECMC, 2015).

Demand Gap/Addl. Need Prevailing Unit Norm/Source Existing Projected Projected Status 2025 2045 2015 2025 2045 80% water Generation MLD 27 56 76 98 28 48 71 demand Treatment 80% water MLD 0 56 76 98 56 76 98 Capacity demand

Similarly the coverage, adequacy and quality of sewage treatment capacity are mentioned as 0% as per the concept plan for smart city prepared by Erode Municipal Corporation. Thus there is no sewerage system in Erode City Municipal Corporation and there is a plan to complete an Under Ground Drainage system for the new corporation area, which is supposed to be completed by 2017. This sewerage network (undertaken with KfW assistance) is supposed to improve the sanitation services and waste water management. In the absence of the STP, the untreated sewage is being discharged into the river without any treatment.

ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER TO CITIZENS

The Tamil Nadu Human Development Report categorizes Erode district to be a high- income district based on the per capita income. The report also looks into the relative poverty, which has implications on social exclusion. When it comes to urban income inequality, Erode has a Gini Index of 0.364, which is above the Tamil Nadu state average of 0.338 and comes in the category of districts with high urban inequality (TNHDR, 2017).

The UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 has the target to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all, by 2030. The Goal 6.3 also speaks about the improvement of water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and halving the

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT proportion of untreated wastewater, increasing recycling and safe reuse. It is also widely believed that without a progress in Goal 6 (which also includes sanitation related goals), the other Sustainable Development Goals and targets cannot be achieved (SDG, 2017). India has the highest number of people with no access to safe drinking water (WaterAid, 2016).

However, as per 2011 census data 68% of the people in Erode city have access to the treated corporation water. The rest 32% rely upon non-treated sources, which could be safe or not, but has a higher risk of contamination.

Population with no access to safe drinking water (in millions) 76 63 58 42 34 32 23 21 17 16

Access to Treated Drinking Water Source in Erode city (Census, 2011)

No access to a treated source 32% Access to a treated source 68%

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT WATER AND PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES IN ERODE

Water has profound influence on human health. A minimum amount of water on a daily basis is required to sustain life for almost all living beings. Water has broader influences on health and wellbeing and quantity, accessibility, availability and quality of water has influence on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

If public health is to be improved, each of these aspects needs to be improved and though water quality aspect is an important parameter, it is not the only determinant for health impacts (WHO). Microbiological quality as well as chemical quality can affect water quality and ensuring a particular standard of these them is essential to prevent ill health. While poor quality of water due to microbiological contamination can lead to disease outbreaks and result in serious epidemics, deterioration of water quality due to chemical contamination of water is slower but could harm the human health significantly. Let us look into specific case studies to assess the water and public health issues that people face in various localities in Erode city.

CASE STUDY-1

PAVENDAR NAGAR, BRAHMANA PERIYA AGRAHARAM:

Pavendar Nagar is a colony with around 40 households just on the left bank of the Pichakkaranpallam odai, Brahmana Periya Agraharam (B.P. Agraharam), Erode. It is a

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT colony of residents, mostly Dalits. The residents of Pavendar Nagar get treated corporation water supply through a public tap for about one hour, daily morning.

Whenever there is any repair or shut down of water supply due to any infrastructure issues, they rely upon the lone common hand pump in the locality, even for drinking purposes.

On conversation with the people in the locality, they complain about the corporation water being in low pressure and that while the quality of the treated corporation water is good; they mentioned quality issues with respect to hand pump water especially during the monsoon.

The people also conveyed that the ground water from the hand pump has unpleasant odour and colour during monsoon, clearly showing the odai water is affecting the groundwater.

They drink the corporation water or the hand pump water without boiling. They also stated that they were not rich enough to install any water purification facility for getting pure water and are completely relying upon the treated Corporation water for their drinking purposes.

Ground Water Quality Test Results - Pavendar Nagar The test results of the hand pump water sample from the hand pump in Pavendar Nagar revealed that there was disagreeable odour and turbidity also was above the acceptable limit.

TDS was comparatively high and there was presence of ammonia, barium, copper, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, sulphate, sulphide, nickel, zinc, arsenic and chromium in the water. Calcium, Chloride, Iron, Magnesium, alkalinity, and total hardness are above acceptable limits, while sulphide (as H2S) is way beyond permissible limits.

As per the WHO guidelines for drinking water quality, hydrogen sulfide should not be detectable in drinking water by taste or odour and that ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain. (WHO, 2003).

Considering the geographical location of Pavendar Nagar being close to the odai, one of the biggest challenges will be to come up with sustainable water sources, which will maintain not only the quantity but also the quality standards as per technical standards of drinking water.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT CASE STUDY-2

LAKSHMI NAGAR, VENDIPALAYAM

Lakshmi Nagar in Vendipalayam is part of the Kasipalayam Municipality. It is adjacent to the Vendipalayam dumping ground. The rainwater percolates through the holes of the compound wall to flow through the houses in Lakshmi Nagar.

In case there is heavy rain, the residents also say that the dirty water enters the low- lying houses in the area. When the dumped solid wastes receive rainwater, the by- products of its decomposition move into the water through waste deposition.

The liquid containing innumerable inorganic and inorganic compounds called leachate. Areas near the landfills have a greater possibility of ground water contamination because of the potential pollution due to leachate from the nearby dumping site.

This contamination of groundwater results in a substantial risk of groundwater resource users and natural environment.

The residents in Lakshmi Nagar say that the bore well water in the area is dirty and brown in colour. They can use it only for toilets and at times to wash their clothes.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT The frequent fire in the dumping ground is also contributing to the air pollution in the area. Mosquitoes and flies are also troubling the residents.

The Lakshmi Nagar residents also complain about their children often getting fever and getting skin diseases (The Hindu, 2007).

Previous studies on leachate from the various dumping grounds in Erode corporation, including Vendipalayam dumping ground have found high presence of TDS, COD and BOD (during February, post monsoon).

Ammonia nitrogen, and nitrate were also found in the leachate samples.

Higher concentration of Fe indicates the iron and steel scrap dumped into the landfill, while presence of Zinc indicates the waste from batteries and fluorescent lamps.

The presence of Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn in leachate indicates the presence of a variety of waste being dumped into the land fill sites (Nagarajan, 2012).

Google Earth timeline image (12/3/2014) - Vendipalayam dumping ground on fire.

Ground Water Quality Test Results - Vendipalayam Region

As per the previous studies, concentrations of various physico-chemical parameters including heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Fe and Zn) were found in the ground

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT water samples obtained from the locality near to the Vendipalayam dumping ground (Nagarajan, 2012).

Even in the present study, the parameters of chromium (Cr), Boron (B), Magnesium (Mg), Copper (Cu) were found in the sample tested.

The concentration of Nickel (Ni), Manganese (Mn) and Calcium (Ca) were found to be exceeding the limit.

The concentrations of chlorides, nitrates, sulphates, sulphides and ammonia were also found in considerable levels in the ground water sample tested, with chlorides, sulphates, sulphides, ammonia levels exceeding way above the IS 10500 permissible limits.

The parameters such as Boron and fluorides were quite near the acceptable limits. The TDS of the bore well water sample was abnormally high (5236 ppm).

The high concentration of dissolved solids in the groundwater may decrease palatability and cause gastro intestinal irritation.

Although the concentrations of few of the toxic contaminants did not exceed drinking water standards, even then the ground water quality in the Vendipalayam region represent a significant threat to public health. People should avoid using the ground water located in the proximity of the dumping ground site.

CASE STUDY-3

PITCHAKKARANPALLAM ODAI (River Channel)

The above map shows the Pitchaikkaranpallam Odai. There are many bleaching and dyeing units all along the odai.

There have been incidences where in the Pollution Control Board has closed down or demolished many illegal units along this odai. Joining the River Cauvery.

It also receives the sewage from the urbanised areas of Erode Corporation area. From the map from State PCB.

The numbers in black are the recognised dyeing and tannery units.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT

The sample from the Pitchaikkaranpallam odai had very high COD, BOD and TDS values which are all way above the permissible limits of CPCB.

The TSS, chloride, sulphide, oil and grease and free ammonia values were also much higher than the permissible limits.

The sample from this odai showed the characteristics of wastewater with high urban sewage as well as industrial effluents, from dyeing units and tanneries.

Chemicals used in tanning if not disposed properly results in high levels of chemical oxygen demand and total dissolved solids.

While the high sulphide, high TDS values and high COD correspond to the effluents from the dyeing units and tanneries, the high values of Dissolved phosphates, Free Ammonia and Total Khjedhal Nitrogen (though within the limits) could be an indicator to the urban sewage as well as agricultural runoff.

Although in trace amounts and within the permissible limits, the wastewater sample contains Copper, Nickel, Total Chromium, Zinc, Arsenic, Lead, Selenium and Mercury, which are all potentially harmful for life at higher levels. The sample which was taken in January 2016 from the Pitchakkaranpallam Odai also showed the presence of the heavy metals Arsenic, Mercury, Zinc, Lead and Chromium.

Fluoride was also present in that sample at relatively closer to the acceptable limits.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT CASE STUDY-4

SUNNAMBU ODAI (River Channel)

Sunnambu Odai and its tributary, Narippallam odai flows through highly industrialised areas of Erode Corporation Area.

Following the 2006 order by Madras High Court all the units were ordered to install Effluent Treatment Plants to treat their effluents and to put in Reverse Osmosis technology to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge.

But as these technologies are expensive and requires high capital and maintenance cost, many of the units failed to conform to these orders.

As per the All Trade and Industry Association the small and medium scale units cannot make such heavy investments and it requires about 1cr to purify 1 lakh litres of effluent (The Hindu, 2014).

Many of the units were closed down, while others continued to function defying the Court rule and public complaints.

The residents in the localities complained of the growing levels of pollution of the odai as well as groundwater and PCB has closed down many erring units whenever the residents have complained (The Hindu, 2013) (The Hindu, 2013) (The Hindu, 2014)

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT NATIONAL WATER MISSION - A WAY FORWARD

CITIZEN AND STATE JOINT ACTION

The city of Erode has a great potential to champion a way forward, however due to lack of convergence and synergistic action timely remedies do not emerge. A Water Stewardship Plan is also proposed as part of the project to bring in a sustainable change on ground in Erode city. Such an action plan is made through which the local residents, working with the community can govern their own water resources and environment. The plan also looks from a futuristic perspective and proposes a transformational results chain, which can bring in the bigger impact in Erode city, i.e., “Wellbeing for all”. The designing of the research study, media documentary as well as the water stewardship plan is based keeping this bigger impact in mind.

Recommended Paradigm Shifts are: The programme intends to bring in the following system/ paradigm shifts: 1. From an opaque, silo based, centralized governance system to a multidisciplinary, collaborative, transparent, decentralized, value driven governance system leading to sustainable solutions. 2. From a disengaged / partial involvement of individuals / organizations / citizenry in addressing the problems to action oriented, multi-•‐disciplinary approach enabling community ownership and building agency in people. 3. From an unsustainable and ecologically destructive livelihood system to a localized, ecologically sound system, through community leadership. 4. From a discriminatory caste, class, gender, religion and unjust society to a non-•‐ discriminatory and just society, which ensures inclusion and self-•‐respect to all. 5. From an inaccessible, extractive, study-•‐based academic research process to that which is openly available and comprehensible, action-•‐oriented and contributing towards a value-•‐based change to address issues in the society. 6. From a state of helplessness, lack of wellbeing and ignorance community shifts to a healthy population, being aware of their environment and stepping forward as stewards.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT Recommended Activities are: As part of the stewardship plan the following activities are being planned: 1. Form a multi-disciplinary water consortium in Erode city. 2. Estimation of basic water quality will be done with the participation of the local residents in Erode city and included in the action research. 3. School/college students, preferably from the study area will be given training on water quality estimation and volunteers could be trained and can perform the water testing estimation of the wells in the study area. 4. The issues due to environmental pollution and water contamination on vulnerable population (dalits, women, industrial workers, and people living close to the river) will be highlighted and they will be enrolled to the project. 5. Build a platform for citizen engagement for Erodai to facilitate an awareness and action programme, producing simple information dissemination tools. 6. Enabling people to take measures so that they can safeguard their health and take necessary action and precaution. 7. An event to be organized after the research study and media documentary in Erode city, for letting people know the findings by showing the media documentary. 8. Media documentary is intended to raise the awareness among the people and enroll them to come together for action. The media documentary could be shared across social media and screened across the schools and colleges which can help in enrolling the students, people into the project. 9. Eminent people, poets, artists, cine artists, will be enrolled into this project. 10. Leadership in Action workshop to be organized in order to build stewardship among industrial workers and owners. 11. The people who are working for bringing a change (change makers, risk takers) will be felicitated and will be supported. 12. Strategies will be devised with the community to prepare a draft for passing a Government Order. 13. Explore possibilities of establishing a community based monitoring mechanism to ensure proper working of all the ETPs and mitigate irregularities.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT Recommended Areas of Convergence and Joint Action 1. Water Testing a) TWAD Board, SPCB and Erode Corporation, PWD-Groundwater all conduct water quality tests for the contamination of drinking water sources. But instead of a silo approach there is a need for this state actors to collaborate and work together with citizens and civil societies and work towards ensuring safer drinking water to all citizens in the city. b) Though industrial and economic growth is important, the priority should be given for every citizen’s right to life by ensuring safe drinking water and the illegal industrial units should be made to follow the laws and prevent pollution. c) There should also be a continuous monitoring of water quantity and quality of the water supplied to the citizens. Any deviance should be dealt with at most urgency and safer water sources should be identified and mapped which can reduce the public health risks due to chemical and biological contamination. d) The organisations should provide updates and warnings based on the water quality data to the citizens so that the public health hazards are minimized. A set of possible contaminants based on the industries in the locality should regularly be monitored and acted upon if it goes beyond the limits. e) Water stewards from each locality can be trained and can act as water quality testers who can regularly monitor the water quality using water testing kits.

2. Civil Society and Government a) Erode already has a good network of civil society organizations working on ground across the various sectors working on various social welfare activities including water and wastewater related issues. b) ERODAI, UNWO-Masjid Sevai Kuzhu, Erode Spice Round Table – 211, Youth Christian Commitment, Erode Siragukal and Selva Charitable Trust started a consortium of 6 organizations to work on the various environmental issues. c) They were instrumental in cleaning of the three odais, Perumpallam Odai, Pitchakkaranpallam Odai, Sunnambu Odai and also were influential in mobilizing the people and organizations in Erode towards civil society action in Erode. d) They also work with the Tamizhagar Vyavasayigal Sangam, a farmer’s association on issues concerning farmer’s issues in and around Erode.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT e) They also worked with the government agencies in facilitating the removal of illegal encroachments along the odais, rejuvenation of the is some of the works that this group has worked on to improve the situation of Erode.

3. Improving Sanitation a) Sanitation coverage, open defecation and fecal contamination of water sources are major problems in Erode city as can be seen in this study. b) A feasibility study and implementation of various technological options to deal with biological contamination in Erode city is an area, which should be studied. c) DEWATS, Toilet Based Biogas Plants, Grey water treatment etc. are the technological choices that could be implemented based on the requirements through joint action.

4. Issues with Tankers and Water Bottles a) Tanker lorries and bottled water industries have been increasing in the last decade in Erode city. b) The market influences and people behavioural changes are another area, which could be researched upon.

5. Educational Institutions and Government Authorities a) A study on micro-pollutants in Erode city could be initiated. b) IIT Madras has studied on the presence of micro-pollutants in Velachery, a suburb of Chennai city. The researcher tried to initiate a study on this lines with IIT Bombay. c) Various disease incidences could be mapped with the environmental quality data (air, water, soil) and correlation could be studied. d) Infertility, mental health, women’s health are few of the areas which have been less studied.

6. Government Agencies and Industrial Associations a) The government agencies and industrial associations can work together to explore an Alternatives for CETPs b) The inefficiency of CETPs has always been a concern in general and in Erode in particular some possible options are - Loss of Ecology Authority established to

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT compensate the farmers affected by Textile and Tannery effluents in Tiruppur and Vellore, under polluter pays principle. This is to be introduced in Erode as well. c) For a dedicated agency for effluent management, who can develop suitable technologies and formulate best available technology. d) To promote CETPs instead of IETPs. Independent operator should be appointed for the CETPs who can ensure proper operation, payments to contractors, collect fees as well as report accurate data to TNPCB. e) To form Industrial Waste Management Associations where in the waste of one industry could become the raw material for another industry. f) TNPCB has become just a regulator. They are not equipped to suggest alternatives, best technical solutions. They are also battling against pollution and also involved in many cases. g) The round the clock monitoring of large number of industries has become impractical. To explore these a joint action could be taken-up on the problems associated with the CETPs and how to mitigate them.

Role of General Public of Erode City: While there are many active civil society organizations in Erode, there is a need for the general public in Erode city to demand for the resolution of the issues concerning their own resources, health and wellbeing.  Though citizen groups in the areas near to the odais have raised complaints and even involved in legal battle against issues of pollution and encroachment, the researcher felt the need for wider citizen action in Erode city, especially in water and sanitation related issues.  Consider the 75% of the wastewater is generated from the households in a city; there is a need for citizens to work towards the best practices in the domestic sector  Rain Water Harvesting  Grey/ Black Water treatment and reuse  Segregation of wastes at source  Installing technological devices which can save water  Participate with Urban Local Bodies to address waste management in the city

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT  The affluent sections of the society, apartments, institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals etc can have these best practices be installed and be inspiring examples for the general public.  Open defecation, dumping of sewage including fecal sludge was observed at many places in and around the Erode city. Many of the households near the odais were also seen having pipes straight from the toilets into the odais, which could be also related to the high biological contamination in these odais.  Citizens along with government should work against such unsafe practices through public awareness and installation of wastewater treatment systems by providing subsidies and technological alternatives such as community toilets, toilet based biogas plants etc.  The influential civil society organizations can work with the citizens in these aspects and there is a great scope towards resolving many of the water and wastewater related issues in Erode city.

Role of Educational Institutions and Schools  The schools and colleges should be the hub for propagating scientific temper and social action among the students.  The water literacy can be increased among the public through various activities organized by these schools and colleges.  These knowledge institutes can also serve as a water quality testing hubs, where the citizens/students can test for quality of water in their own locality.

Role of Elected Representatives  Proactive action by Elected Representatives: Citizens in many areas of the city have a sense of apathy and regard that the state actors like the ward councillors, Erode Corporation, State Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board etc have not been proactively act against the illegalities related to water supply and overuse, water pollution, dumping of solid wastes into odais etc.  Though the State Pollution Control Board claim that they are acting against the violators, the citizens complain of them being soft on the industrial sector and blame not monitoring the pollution and also inaction towards the illegal industrial units.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT  The illegal industrial units are a bane for the legally operating units as well and hence the industrial associations as well as the state actors need to take stringent action including criminal action against such units.  Similarly the people also complain of the water supply being erratic, with foul odour and contaminated and blame TWAD Board and the Erode Corporation to not work towards ensuring safe drinking water.  There should be a complaint mechanism so that these concerns raised by the citizens can be monitored and addressed at the earliest. People in various areas have also raised complaints to the people’s representatives but have not received any resolution to the water and sanitation related issues.

Role of Government Agencies/ Authorities/Judiciary  Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD Board) is authorised to do water quality testing as well as treatment for supply of safe and potable water for the public (TWAD). Data collected by Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board had also indicated that Erode district is seriously affected by fluoride in drinking water (Kumar et al., 2007) (Vasanthi et al. 2012).  Madras High Court had also instructed the Pollution Control Boards to strictly ensure Zero Liquid Discharge and Effluent Treatment Plants installed for all polluting units.  In spite of these measures, many industrial units are found to be non-compliant with pollution laws and several have been ordered to be shut down by regulatory bodies and courts, for illegally discharging untreated effluents into the canals and rivers (The Hindu, 2014) (Business Standard, 2014) (Business Line, 2014) (New Indian Express, 2013).  State Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is responsible for the prevention of pollution in surface water and groundwater by effective monitoring and implementation of pollution control legislations (TNPCB).  The TNPCB officials complain that there are many dyeing units that have come up in Erode and nearby Namakkal districts without any proper mechanism to prevent pollution and they claim to have taken action against many illegal units whenever they find them.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT  There have been many instances when such illegal units have been demolished in both Erode and Namakkal (The Hindu, 2012), (The Hindu, 2012) (The Hindu, 2012) (The Hindu, 2013), (The Hindu, 2014) (The Hindu, 2014).  Most of these actions have been taken after the local people have raised complaints and filed petitions against the erring units. Veerappanchatram, Choolai, Periya Semur, Ellapalayam, Rasampalayam, Kongampalayam, SSP Nagar, Vendipalayam, Anai Nasuvampalayam are some of the suburbs in Erode where illegal dyeing units have been demolished over the last few years.  Central Ground Water Board (CGWB): has identified indiscriminate discharge of effluents as one of the major issues affecting the ground water in the Erode region (CGWB).  The ground water samples tested near the textile industrial areas and solid waste dumping grounds have also showed very poor water quality (Palanisamy et al., 2007).  Many studies also warn people who depend on water from these polluted areas for drinking, that they are prone to health hazards and that an effective measure is required to enhance drinking water quality in the Erode region (Kulandaivel et al., 2009) (Ramesh & Jagadeeswari, 2012).  Erode taluka is also at a semi critical stage of groundwater development with 70 to 90 % of groundwater extraction and where cautious groundwater extraction is recommended (TWAD, 2009).  Groundwater is severely contaminated in Vendipalayam, RN Pudur, Sunnambu Odai, BP Agraharam areas and the people in these areas completely rely upon the corporation water alone.  Along with water quality issues there are availability, accessibility issues of drinking water in other parts of the city such as Vendipalayam, RN Pudur, Sunnambu Odai, BP Agraharam areas.

Role of Industrial Units and Associations  Industrial units need to be more pro-active  Be more socially and environmentally responsible  The industrial associations should ensure that all the units registered under them are not only strictly follow the pollution control laws but also proactively raise

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT awareness as well as take action against the rogue units which illegally discharges effluents into the odais and rivers.  The illegal industrial units are a bane to the whole industrial sector and hence there is a huge scope for socially committed industrial organizations to address the issues of pollution.  The industrial associations should also ensure that the member organizations are driven by principles of social justice, environmental sustainability etc. which could have transformational effect.  The government should work towards sustainable solutions for the concerns raised by the industrial units, such as viability of CETPs, Zero Liquid Discharge units.  It can be seen from the water quality data that there is severe pollution due to industrial effluent discharge and untreated urban waste disposal.  All the drinking samples collected and tested (in Erode as well as ) had at least one of the parameters specified by the IS 10500 (2012) exceeding the permissible limits.  While the river water and municipal water in control area Sathyamangalam were found to have a better general water quality index, which could be attributed to lesser urbanization and industrial growth in Sathyamangalam as compared to Erode city. Alarmingly, the Erode Corporation water samples and the control are Sathyamangalam were found to have lead and cadmium exceeding the permissible limits.  This has the potential to affect large sections of the society, who rely upon the treated corporation water for their drinking purposes; especially those who are socio economically poor to have treatment units on their own or buy treated bottled water.  This needs to be prevented by providing necessary water treatment mechanisms and remediation methods.  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India generate over 40% of the workforce but also contribute to 44% of the hazardous waste.  The SMEs also do not have the technical expertise or financial strength to implement the pollution control devices.  Government policies have favored SMEs as employment generators, even though many of them are highly polluting. (TWIC, 2014).

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT Role of Farmers  With the pollution of the odais and also contamination of the groundwater, the agriculture in the area is severely affected. Higher TDS affects the soil quality, reduce yield and can turn the agricultural lands barren (CPCB, 2006).  The historical Kalingarayan Canal flows parallel to the Cauvery River carrying water from serves as a water source for agriculture. The effluent discharge into the River Bhavani and River Cauvery has reduced to a great extent, but there have been pollution related concerns (The Hindu, 2013) (The Hindu, 2016) and illegal water tapping issues (The Hindu, 2017) in this canal as well, which has led to the farmers raise complaints and fight legally against the illegal units over the last 2 decades.  There needs a constant check of the water in this canal as well as the canals so that the pollution can be at check and action is taken against illegal units.  Meanwhile the farmers should adopt for best practices in agriculture, drip/sprinkler irrigation and treated wastewater agriculture, organic farming etc. which can reduce the use of water.  The government should increase the awareness and support these activities by providing subsidies for promoting these kinds of practices in agriculture sector.

NWM-TISS WATER PROJECT