A multifold approach to ...

A multifold approach to address the problem.

Dear Sivakumar Subramaniam

The presentation you have attached and the text of your question speaks by itself. In my words, addressing the problems needs multifold and indeed multi-disciplinary approach. According to my perception, as also implicitly mentioned in the presentation you have attached, there are two direct approaches to tackle the problem. Both can be used simultaneously and certainly it is required to do so. First is to treat the extracted water for further use and second is to control the source of contamination so that future contamination may be stopped or at least controlled to the minimum level and extent of it be known. Below, I will describe these in a little more detail.

1. Treatment of extracted water from such contaminated aquifer is the earliest possible remedy you can adopt. As perceived from the document you have attached, the main source of contamination is organic matter (i.e. oil contamination), heavy metals (Pb e.g.) and toxic chemicals (due to pharm and agro chemicals). “Oxidation” and “Chemical Precipitation” can be used to remove organic matter, “Activated Carbon” is useful for heavy metals. For toxic chemicals, depending upon the type and concentration of toxicity one or more method can be employed, for example, “Activated Carbon”, “Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfection”, “Ozone Disinfection” etc.. These are just initial guideline and a consultant group may be hired to devise a more appropriate solution considering level of treatment required, quantity of water extracted, economy etc.
2. After you will have mobilized a team, which will work on treatment of drinking water to safeguard population from groundwater pollution, your second line of action, probably, should be to work on aquifer study. This can be well accomplished by modelling the aquifer and contaminant transport using tools like MODFLOW and PHREEQC. You will need geologic maps of the area, if these are not already available either assume the geologic conditions by secondary sources of data or go for a proper geologic survey. All sources of contamination, soil properties and water quality tests need to be incorporated. Apply different techniques to remove the contamination and predict using the model that how effective that technique will be, how much time it will take to clean the aquifer using that technique etc.. This also required as sometime apparently the main source of contamination is actually not really big source. Only with modelling study you will in a good position to locate and control the big sources of contamination. With this you will be able to come on more cost effective method to address the problem.
3. After this you may think upon suggesting and convincing government regarding policy guidelines. For example policy change about treatment and disposal of effluent from power houses, other industries and agricultural usages. Process flow of certain inspection mechanism from EPA etc. can be agreed upon by stakeholder. Awareness campaigns can be organized in public using print or TV media about safe usage of drinking water and using water without wastage etc.
4. This can used as a good research project and one or PhDs can be arranged to address different dimensions of the problem.