Page 528 - AWSAR 2.0

504 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
water conservation, but water contamination is new to her. All she understands is that the water they are drinking is harmful to health. One day, her teacher informs that they will be visiting the open house at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, an event where the institute shares its research with the public. Shashi’scuriosityfindsaway,andshereaches IIT Delhi, where she visits the water resources engineering section of the institute. During her visit here, I had the pleasure of meeting Shashi and explaining her a part of my research.
I explained to her that the release of contaminants (polluting or poisonous substances) into the subsurface (below the earth’s surface) resulted in the development of contaminant plumes in the groundwater. A contaminant plume is the volume of water that contains any contaminant. Groundwater is the source for the base flow of surface water systems, and, therefore, alterations in its quality may affect the quality
of the surface water, which is
a valuable water resource as
well. It can also be said that
the effects of human activity
on groundwater quality may
harm the interlinked aquatic
and terrestrial ecosystems. As
the entire water resources are interconnected, deterioration
of the water quality in any
compartment can adversely
affect the same of other compartments. Groundwater
contamination is a cumulative
danger for the water resources
and associated ecosystems, thus pressing the need for studies concerning the analysis and remediation of contaminated sites. Determination of the potential impact of a contaminated site upon an underlying aquifer (rock layer that contains water) is of utmost importance to know whether the contaminants
released or releasing have contaminated the available groundwater.
The primary step in the management of contaminated sites involves investigation, followed by the selection of appropriate remediation techniques. Assessment and remediation methods require error-free data through monitoring to assess the source and extent of contamination. Both the steps involved are costly and time-intensive. In the current scenario, conventional assessment techniques are used for contamination management. Groundwater sampling, data collection about contamination, aquifer parameters, and flow data are some primary steps in the investigation. In general, the costs involved in the study are far lower than the costs involved in remediation. Hence, the decision to proceed with remediation (cleaning or controlling the contamination) is mostly dependent on the results of the assessment.
The potential of other alternatives, such as analytical models, is still unexplored. The analytical models are simple mathematical formulas that provide the maximum longitudinal extension of the plume (Lmax) using a few site parameters. Thus, it saves time and cost involved in the assessment. Plume spread, in particular Lmax, as shown in the Fig., can be a crucial parameter that can aid in the assessment of contaminated sites. Due to the simplicity of the application
and prerequisite of very few field parameters, analytical models prove to be an efficient substitute for other conventional methods for the assessment of contamination sites. The only drawback is the limited applicability owing to assumptions involved.
A contaminant plume is the volume of water that contains any contaminant. Groundwater is the source for the base flow of surface water systems, and, therefore, alterations in its quality may affect the quality of the surface water, which is a valuable water resource as well.