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By 2050, groundwater pumping will cause a global sea level rise of about 0.8 millimeters per year. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Slowly but surely, the sea level continues to rise. Recent research suggests this increase is also driven by the exploitation of underground water by humans that eventually flowed into the sea. Climate change, with its associated melting ice caps and shrinking glaciers, is the usual suspect when it comes to explaining rising sea levels. But a recent study now shows that human water use has a major impact on sea-level change that has been overlooked. Science community was shocked by the claim that 42% of the sea-level rise of the past decades is due to groundwater pumping for irrigation purposes. What could this mean for the future – and is it true? Global warming is melting glaciers and causing sea levels to rise. The volume of water is also expanding because of heat. This ‘thermal expansion’ contributes significantly to the surge in the sea levels. But there ...

Most of the areas of New Delhi and its adjoining places are affected by salinity hazards. By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Inland salinity in ground water is prevalent mainly in the arid and semi arid regions of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In some areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, ground water salinity is so high that the well water is directly used for salt manufacturing by solar evaporation. Salts in groundwater originate either from minute quantities dissolved in rain water, from the chemical breakdown of rocks or from direct connection to sea water. Inland salinity is also caused due to practice of surface water irrigation without consideration of ground water status. The gradual rise of ground water levels with time has resulted in water logging and heavy evaporation in semi arid regions lead to salinity problem in command areas. Most of the areas of New Delhi and its adjoining places are affected by sali...

The relationship between elevated sodium intake and hypertension has been subject of scientific controversy. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Sodium salts are found in virtually all food (the main source of daily exposures) and drinking water. Sodium levels in the latter are typically less than 20mg/l (milligram per litre) but can markedly exceed this in some countries. In some parts of Jharkhand state of India the concentration of sodium is more than 100 parts per million. Sodium ion is soluble in water, and is thus present in great quantities in the Earth's oceans and other stagnant bodies of water. In these bodies it is mostly counterbalanced by the chloride ion, causing evaporated ocean water solids to consist mostly of sodium chloride, or common table salt. Sodium ion is also a component of many minerals. Although it is generally agreed that sodium is essential to human life, there is no agreement on the minimum daily requirement. However, it has been estimated that a total daily int...

There have also been a number of reports of the presence of dissolved radon in groundwater from India. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Presence of high levels of Radon (222 Rn) has been reported from groundwater in Bangalore city, Keolari-Nainpur area, Seoni-Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh, Bathinda , Gurdaspur, Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh and Siwalik Himalayas and underground waters of the Doon valley in India. To ascertain the ground reality and the nature of the hazards, if any, a study was conducted by the Central Ground Water Board, Bangalore in and around Bangalore city. The analytical results of all the groundwater samples collected from the gneissic and granitic rocks shows Radon concentration is above the permissible limit of 11.83 Bq/l and at places the concentration is as high as hundred times. The radon gas is occurring in the groundwater of the area ranging from 55.96 Bq/l to 1189.30 Bq/l plus or minus error values. There is no relation between the radon concentration and the de...

Rainfall is not an accurate indicator of groundwater recharge. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Water is essential to people and the largest available source of fresh water lies underground. Ground water is the part of precipitation that seeps down through the soil until it reaches rock material that is saturated with water. Water in the ground is stored in the spaces between rock particles. Increased demands for water have affected the level of under groundwater. The demand for water has increased over the years and this has led to water scarcity in many parts of the world. The situation is aggravated by the problem of water pollution or contamination. World is heading towards a freshwater crisis mainly due to improper management of water resources and environmental degradation, which has lead to a lack of access to safe water supply to millions of people. This freshwater crisis is already evident in many parts of world, varying in scale and intensity depending mainly on the time of the year...

Bihar and Jharkhand is facing one of the gravest natural disasters in the form of arsenic contamination of ground water. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Thousands of people living in over hundreds of villages in different district of Bihar and Sahebganj district of Jharkhand state in India are facing serious threat to their health due to alarmingly high quantity of arsenic present in the underground water. Bihar is facing one of the gravest natural disasters in the form of arsenic contamination of ground water. In the first detailed study of ground water quality, the Department of Environment and Water Management, A.N.College, Patna, has already submitted Interim Reports to PHED and UNICEF about the alarming findings on arsenic poisoning cases in the districts of Patna, Bhojpur, Vaishali and Bhagalpur. The study was conducted from April 2004 to May 2006, the study area being confined to 10 kms. wide belt along the Ganga river as per the instructions of PHED and UNICEF. According to Dr.Ashok ...