Question

As a groundwater engineer, it is our responsibility to keep the stakeholders aware of information and insights related to the containment of any factors that cause groundwater contamination. Extensive knowledge among the community on this matter will contribute to a sustainable conservation of groundwater resources at all level of ages. Develop a best method and approach to achieve this goal based on the following criterias :

i. Knowledge, perception and understanding of groundwater contamination.

ii. Perceptions of groundwater quality in terms of impacts and consequences for each sector though comparisons in two different situations.

Answer 1

Ans(i) : Ground water is one of the most important source of water for domestic purpose and it should be as clean as possible. The contamination of ground water occurs when harmful products like Gasoline, oil and various chemicals are being mixed with groundwater and become the cause for it's contamination. The contaminated water is not safe for the drinking purpose. Proper perception should be there for this purpose as around 145 million Americans are being served by the ground water. Different associations are being made such as National Groundwater Association (NGWA) for awareness among the people for contamination and how to deal with it or take various precautions against it. This step was taken by the government officials to make the stakeholders aware regarding the pollution. The content of contamination is being checked by the presence of chemicals on the surface of the ground. They reach below the surface as the soil is permeable and all these liquids are viscous in nature and flow through it.

Ans(ii) : The ground water contamination can affect various sectors and areas. Both urban and rural areas would be affected by that. There are two situations that can cause the ground water contamination. One is due to the fertilizers and pesticides. The other is releasing of chemicals by different industries. The paths here may be different but will result in the same thing and level of contamination will depend upon the concentration of chemicals present in the liquid form. The first situation occurs in the rural areas where as the industrial discharge is being found in urban areas. People should be made aware about all these happenings and their consequences so that they can take proper precautions against this. The people from villages are more vulnerable to it as awareness is very less in those areas and the requirement of the ground water is high where as in the urban areas the water is used after treatment process. So by comparison of both the situation it is being seen that people in village areas are in more problems than the people in cities.