Ambient air and water quality impacts on the environment and agriculture a case study of power project

Abstract

Man and environment are closely inter-twined with each other to maintain a balance or equilibrium in nature. Addition of impurities into the environment results in environmental pollution. Urbanization and industrialization are the main reasons for the increased levels of pollution in air, water and land. According to the latest reports given by World Health Organization (WHO) India has extremely high levels of environmental pollution especially air pollution with lot of particulate matter accumulated in the air. Chemical industries,fertilizer industries, power industries, and vehicles are the main sources of air pollution. Discharge of waste materials from industries into rivers, ponds and lakes results in water pollution and soil pollution which affects the quality of ground water. Among the power generation plants, Coal-fired Thermal Power plants are responsible for a considerable amount of air and water pollution. This thesis entitled Ambient air quality and water quality impact on the environment and agriculture A case study of power assessed the ambient air quality and water quality in the vicinity of Dr Narla Tata Rao Power station (Dr. NTTPS) located in the Ibrahimpatnam village of Andhra Pradesh, India. The concentration of SOx, NOx and particulate matter are measured using standard methods. Negative effects of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have their contribution to the formation of acid rains and their impacts on human health and on the biota in general. To study the impact of power project on agricultural crops like paddy, cotton, and some of the common plants grown in various villages in the close vicinity of power project were selected and bio chemical parameters like Total chlorophyll content, Ascorbic acid, Relative water content and pH are analyzed and Air Pollution Tolerance Index is determined (APTI).