Impact of SS on river bodies
The environmental impact of raw sewage disposal in river water bodies is
vast, and it represents one of the most serious challenges we face in
our ecology as a result of human activities such as waste from houses,
industry, and agriculture, which causes pollution. Residues formed in
WTPs are often the result of filter washing water and decanter
discharges, which comprise particles from the raw water as well as
chemicals employed in the treatment process. Sludge is a quantitative
and qualitative issue that needs proper categorization, treatment, and
disposal solutions (Sharma et al., 2022). Because of the contaminating
potential, direct discharge into water bodies should be avoided. There
have been studies that have revealed the harmful effects of sludge as
well as the potential threats that incorrect disposal might provide to
soil and aquatic organisms. The majority of the environmental issues
linked with WTP sludge are due to chemicals employed in raw water
treatment, including various heavy metals, which are one of the key
components of sludge.
Contaminants such as pathogenic microorganisms, polyaromatic
hydrocarbons, organo-chlorine, and other heavy metals are frequently
found in raw sewage or partially treated sewage sludge. All of these
might significantly contribute to the negative impacts on the plant and
human systems. The dumping of raw sewage into several rivers in India
has become a major issue. If we particularly focus on states of the
southern and western regions of India, where industrialization
predominates, the dumping of raw sewage into different rivers is
practiced regularly (Figure 2).