Increase in ammonia levels in Yamuna

Increase in ammonia levels in Yamuna

Recently we have seen that Haryana has not stopped discharging industrial pollutants into the Yamuna despite repeated reminders. After that the Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Raghav Chadha urged the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to take immediate remedial measures. Water supply was affected in parts of Delhi after a spike in Ammonia levels in the river Yamuna led to a temporary closure of two water treatment plants.

What is Ammonia?

Basically Ammonia is a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3. A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct characteristic of a pungent smell. About 90 percent of ammonia produced is used in fertilizer, to help sustain food production for billions of people around the world. Ammonia has other important uses; for example in household cleaning products and in manufacturing other products.

How Ammonia Pollution dangerous to us?

Ammonia is most toxic to our body. When excessive amounts of ammonia enter the central nervous system, the brain's defences are severely challenged. A complex molecular chain reaction is triggered when the brain is exposed to excessive levels of ammonia. We have found that ammonia short-circuits the transport of potassium into the brain's glial cells. If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes. In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs. The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water as per the Bureau of Indian Standards is 0.5 ppm.

What are the Sources of Ammonia?

Ammonia (NH3) is a highly reactive and soluble alkaline gas. It originates from both natural and anthropogenic sources, with the main source being agriculture, e.g. manures, slurries and fertiliser application. Ammonia comes from the breakdown and volatilisation of urea. It occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents, contamination by sewage or through agricultural runoff.

Tips to Treatment of Ammonia:

1. Mixing of freshwater with ammonia polluted water.
2. Stringent implementation of guidelines against dumping harmful waste into the river.
3. Making sure untreated sewage does not enter the water.
4. Maintaining a sustainable minimum flow, called the ecological flow.
5. Ecological flow is the minimum amount of water that should flow throughout the river at all times to sustain underwater and estuarine ecosystems and human livelihoods and for self regulation.