Environmental Pollution
Dr. A. B. M. Badruzzaman
Professor
Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology
(BUET)
Dhaka, BANGLADESH
Dr. A. B. M. Badruzzaman
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Types of Pollution
 Water
Pollution
 Air Pollution
 Soil Pollution
 Noise Pollution
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Sources of Pollution
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Water
Pollution
Non-point
source
Point source
Industrial
effluent
Textile
Tannery
Municipal
waste
Dyeing
Dr. A. B. M. Badruzzaman
Agricultural
runoff
Atmospheric
Thermal
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Air Pollution
Global
Industrial
Local
Natural
Industrial
Natural
Gaseous
emission
Marshlands
Gaseous
Landfills
Thermal
Forests
Thermal
Gaseous
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Soil Pollution
Industrial
Man-made
Liquid
effluent
Landfills
Sludge
Toxic
Chemicals
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Noise Pollution
Machines
Industrial
Exhaust
Vehicular
Sources
Operation
Construction
Demolition
Other
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Industrial Effluent Discharge
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Numerous textile and tannery industries in Bangladesh
Required to have ETP
Expensive to treat effluent
Owners reluctant to spend money on non-productive issues
such as ETP
Engineers tend to compromise with the owners
Technology to treat textile dye may not always be
economically viable
Buyers and consumers expect good governance &
implementation of rules
Enforcement of regulations inadequate in the past; at
present more strictly enforced
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Some Examples
Industrial wastewater
discharge in Turag river
Sewage discharge in Balu river
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Waste materials dumping in Turag river
Sewage discharge in Bongshi river
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Dysfunctional ETP
Sludge Cake
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Sewage outfall
Hatirjheel
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Thermal Plume Discharge in Sitalakhhya River
Shiddhirgonj Power Plant Outfall
Haripur Barge-Mounted Power Plant
CDC Globeleque Power Plant
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Pertinent Issues
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Two Combine Cycle power plants on either banks of the
river
One has a side bank discharge, the other has a submerged
single-port discharge
A third STPP is planned just u/s of these two
The river water quality has already deteriorated to an
unacceptable level
Govt. and funding agencies plans to install the new plant at
this location because of existing cable network
Aquatic environment is at a stake
Professional ethics necessitates wastewater safe disposal for
the aquatic environment
Solution – cooling tower for the thermal discharge may
provide a safe disposal option
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Water Quality Mapping using Biological
and Chemical Indicators
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Water Quality Map provides a good
visual picture of pollution status of
river
It can be presented to managers
and decision makers as a good
visualization aid
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Rivers Selected
Based on reconnaissance visits and discussion with local people, 20 sites
on 5 rivers around Dhaka city were selected for sampling and analysis.
River includes:
On the Western side of Dhaka city
– Part of Bongshi river and Turag river from Tongi bridge upto its confluence
with Buriganga.
Southern side of Dhaka city
– part of Dhaleshawri river and Buriganga
Northern side of Dhaka city
– Tongi khal and part of Balu river
Eastern side of Dhaka city
– Balu river and part of Shitalakkhya river
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Chemical Analysis
Macroinvertebrate Classification
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Effect of Untreated Wastewater Discharge
Water Quality Map around Dhaka
Dr. A. B. M. Badruzzaman
Industrial effluent discharge
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Pashupatinath Temple in
Kathmandu, on the banks of the
Baghmati river which meets the
Ganges downstream
Stream-fed river; dries up in
winter and floods during
monsoon
Dammed just d/s of the temple
to hold water
Cremation is done on the
pedestals constructed along the
banks
Extremely polluted due to
untreated domestic wastewater
disposal and solid waste disposal
into the river
People bathe in this water as a
part of the religious ritual
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Expectations of the Society
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Community at large no longer trust the experts
as they used to and Environmental Professionals
are no exception
Society expects the organizations to be
environmentally certified and demonstrate
responsible and ethical governance
Social and Environmental development projects
are expected to adhere to the ethical obligations.
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Shared Responsibility
 The
responsibilities do not rest with
the Engineers only.
 Government, Policy Makers, General
Populace, Entrepreneurs should
share the responsibilities
 Good governance in every sector is
essential to ensure ethical
management of the environment
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Media and Environmental Awareness
Erin Brockovich
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The movie portrays the environmental disaster due to
contamination of drinking water at Hinkley, California.
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Chromium (VI), a carcinogen, caused by a Pacific Gas & Energy
Ltd.
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The pipeline was constructed in 1952. The company knew that
Hinkley GW was being contaminated through their pipeline but
tried to cover up.
The case was settled in 1996 for $333 million in a direct action
law suit.
Another lawsuit, against this company alleges contamination near
PG&E Kettleman Hills compressor station in Kings County,
California
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Media and Environmental Awareness
A Civil Action
• Tannery industry in Wooburn, MA
dumped toxic waste on the ground
• The poison percolated into the
water table and was pumped by two
wells into the drinking water
• Eight neighborhood children died of
leukemia. Their families sued
Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace, the
megafirms responsible for the
pollution
• It was difficult for the adversary
system to determine whether toxins
dumped by these companies made
the children sick
• Relying on the adversary system
and lay juries to find the truth
simply compounded the disaster and
created more tragedy.
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Accountability ?
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On June 15, 1997 a massive blowout of the
drilling well took at the 1st drilling site of
Occidental at Magurchara, Sylhet, BD
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The explosion of gas turned into an
inferno, towering over 300 feet and
spreading to the surrounding villages,
rainforest and cropland
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As required, Oxy submitted and EIA report
a priori but DOE objected to some issues and
didn’t provide an environmental clearance
certificate
245Bcf of gas was burnt out amounting to a
loss of $685million. Environmental damage
was estimated to be ~$105million.
No compensation was paid and Oxy
transferred its share to Unocal for a 28.57%
share in 3 producing wells in Yemen
Recently, Unocal has transferred its share to
Chevron and the whole compensation issue is
in limbo
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In Conclusion
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Professional ethics is essential for ensuring a safe
and sound environment
The responsibilities rest upon not only on the
Engineers but also on the policy makers, govt.
and non-govt. organizations, donor agencies as
well as the general public
Good governance in every sector is essential to
ensure ethical management of the environment
Communication between the professionals and
policy makers-end users provides the key to
success
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