Groundwater contamination is a growing concern that has been growing rapidly, especially in countries like India, where more than 60% of the population depends on it for drinking water, agriculture, and domestic purposes. 

When harmful substances like chemicals, waste, and bacteria seep into underground water sources, they can make the water unsafe for use, affecting health, agriculture, and ecosystems.

It’s important to understand what these pollutants are, how they affect us, and, most importantly, how we can prevent them. 

This article will help you understand the causes of groundwater pollution and explore practical solutions to safeguard this essential resource for future generations.

Common Pollutants/ Contaminants Of Groundwater

Groundwater is contaminated by three main types of pollutants. This includes organic, inorganic, and microbiological.

1. Organic Contaminants

These include pesticides from agricultural activities, industrial chemicals, and fertilizers. They often arise from agricultural and industrial activities. It can pose a serious threat to health like liver damage and cancer.

2. Inorganic Contaminants

These are typically heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury. It also includes nitrates from fertilizers and sewage. These can be due to various industrial processes and mining and agricultural runoff. This leads to kidney problems and contributes to developmental issues.

3. Microbiological Contaminants

Bacteria, viruses, and parasites enter water from poor sanitation or waste disposal. Poor water quality can cause diseases like cholera, which can lead to diarrhea and dehydration.

Read More About: What Is Groundwater?

Causes Of Groundwater Pollution

1. Natural Sources

Many natural factors affect the quality of groundwater. Toxic elements like arsenic or fluoride leaching from rocks can contaminate water sources. Over 20 million people are drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater, which threatens their health.

2. Pesticides And Chemical Fertilizers

Nitrogen-based fertilisers in agriculture cause groundwater pollution. However, plants can only absorb a certain amount of these fertilisers. The leftover fertiliser seeps into the soil, thus polluting underground water. 

In fact, about 50% of the fertilisers we use in agriculture find their way to groundwater and may cause health problems like “blue baby syndrome”. 

Inadequate manure management and excessive irrigation aggravate this problem by pushing pesticides and fertilizers deeper into the soil and spreading contamination across ecosystems.

3. Industrial Discharge

Factories and manufacturing plants discharge toxic chemicals like heavy metals and solvents into the water bodies. These harmful substances contaminate water supplies and find their way into the groundwater. 

Industries contribute to 60% of the groundwater pollution, creating risks for the environment and public health.

4. Improper Landfill Practices

Landfills are sites where trash is buried and are supposed to contain the increasing amount of trash our societies generate. But as trash breaks down, it creates a poisonous liquid called leachate.

This leachate often consists of harmful chemicals that can leak into the groundwater around it and pollute it.  70% of landfills globally fail to prevent leachate from polluting water sources. This poses serious risks to nearby communities.

5. Overpumping Of Groundwater

The aquifers can become seriously ruined when groundwater is pumped out too high for farming. Overpumping can lower the water table, causing groundwater to become harder to access and leading to land subsidence. 

Especially next to coastal regions, over-extraction normally causes saltwater flooding, polluting freshwater sources. As aquifers lose their natural strength, they become more prone to pollution, putting the long-term water supply for both people and the environment at serious risk.

6. Improper Sewage Disposal

Improper sewage disposal is a threat to groundwater. It introduces harmful chemicals in the water supply system. It poses a risk to health and degrades water quality if there is no proper treatment. 2.2 billion people globally lack access to safely managed sanitation.

This increases the risk of groundwater contamination, especially in areas with poor sewage treatment plants (STP). Since groundwater is the main source of water, proper sewage management is necessary.

7. Mining Activity

These activities target minerals and fossil fuels that harm the environment. This is due to mercury and cyanide drainage. Mining operations pollute the underground water in more than 1500 regions.

8. Septic Systems

Septic tanks are underground systems that are designed to treat household wastewater. It is useful in areas without centralised sewage systems, often in rural regions. 

However, poorly operated septic systems can waste untreated liquid waste into the groundwater. It brings in bacteria and toxic chemicals. These systems in rural areas is responsible for a huge amount of groundwater pollution.

9. Leakage From Underground Storage And Atmospheric Contaminants

Groundwater contamination is caused by leaks from storage tanks with chemicals or gasoline. Over 500,000 storage facilities risk groundwater contamination due to leaky tanks.

Additionally, airborne pollutants, including acid rain, can dissolve into groundwater in heavily industrialized areas. Acid rain can reduce the pH of groundwater. This increases its ability to leach chemicals on or from soil.

Effects Of Groundwater Pollution

Health Concerns

Contaminated Groundwater can pose serious risks and cause health diseases. These include gastrointestinal tract ailments, cancers, developmental disorders in children, and neurological issues. This is due to hazardous chemicals like nitrates, heavy metals, and more.

Damage To The Ecosystem

The water held underground in aquifers is the basis of ecosystems. Its pollution can harm plants and animal life. Polluted groundwater can flow into rivers and lakes, harming fish and aquatic life and affecting soil quality. 

Over time, these pollutants, like toxic metals and other harmful substances, pollute both soil and water, leading to biodiversity loss.

Unsafe Drinking Water

Groundwater pollution has acute effects on drinking water. This is especially true in rural areas where groundwater is the main source. This may result in millions of people lacking safe drinking water.

Agricultural Impacts

Contaminated groundwater has the potential to impact agricultural activities. Through irrigation, certain harmful chemicals can be introduced into the food supply.

Reduced Water Availability

Depletion of groundwater due to pollution leads to less clean water. It increases pressure on people depending on it for drinking and other uses. This can cause water shortages in the affected regions.

Ways To Prevent Groundwater Pollution

1)- Proper Disposal And Treatment Of Waste

Proper treatment avoids the leakage of harmful chemicals into the groundwaters. 2.5 billion people lack proper infrastructures that treat waste, leading to pollution. Appropriate waste management will minimize the risk of contamination of groundwater.

2)- Use Of Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers decrease the chemical burden on groundwater. Synthetic fertilizers account for 50% of nitrate pollution. Organic options help to maintain the health of both soil and water.

3)- Inspect Pipelines And Septic Tanks

Regular inspection and maintenance of pipelines and septic tanks prevent leaks and contamination. Over 10,000 groundwater contamination events occur each year due to malfunctioned systems.

4)- Maintain Landfills

Managing the landfill to avoid leaks in leachate can reduce groundwater contamination. However, landfill maintenance can reduce leaks, but it does not entirely prevent waste from polluting groundwater.

5)- Regular Groundwater Monitoring

Monitoring groundwater quality identifies contamination sooner, hence the prompt action. Countries with regular systems for monitoring groundwater have seen water quality improvement. This reduces cases of contamination by up to 40%.

6)- Soil And Groundwater Remediation

We should use techniques like bioremediation or chemical treatments to clean the groundwater. This helps to remove harmful substances and restore the groundwater quality.

7)- Land Zoning

There should be zoning laws to segregate industrial, agricultural, and residential areas. This will prevent high-risk accidents, like overuse of pesticides, from polluting the nearby groundwater.

Industries can be placed far from residence to avoid chemical runoff. Agriculture areas can have buffer zones to prevent pesticide contamination.

8)- Filtration Systems

We should use filtration systems like sand filters, activated carbon, etc. to block pollutants from entering groundwater. This will be useful near factories and agricultural areas.

9)- Community Awareness

We can educate people about groundwater pollution and proper waste disposal. This can help prevent contamination.

Community-led programs like Jal Choupal, Atal Bhujal Yojana can lower local groundwater pollution by 30% through awareness activities.

Conclusion

Protecting groundwater is vital for future generations. It provides drinking water, supports agriculture, and sustains ecosystems. However, it is increasingly threatened by pollution and overexploitation. Hence, sustainable management of this resource is required to ensure a secure future.

Advanced filtration systems, groundwater monitoring, and water management can help detect contamination early. This will ensure the proper use of groundwater. These technologies and practices can help secure the water for future generations.