Mitigating Water Pollution using Mapping technology
- Arpit Shah
- Jul 1, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
INTRODUCTION
My parents often try to nudge me out of Kolkata, the place I've called home for most of my life. Indifferent, as most inhabitants of this city are, I refuse to budge. Instead of using a plausible “lack of economic opportunity” rationale, I am told—quite earnestly— that my horoscope indicates I will achieve professional growth only if I live beside the sea. As if the obese Hooghly, flowing a few miles away into the not-so-distant Bay of Bengal, somehow doesn’t count. To strengthen their case, they highlight coincidences between the happiest moments of my life and the presence of a sea or an ocean nearby. I fail to muster a response.
And since the cosmos works in mysterious ways, it also dawns on me that I’ve written extensively about Water and water-related workflows here on the Mapmyops website. I knew this, of course, but the sheer volume of water-centric content surprised even me. In chronological order:
Detection and Temporal Analysis of Shipping Activity using Radar Remote Sensing
Monitoring Land Subsidence in Kolkata using DinSAR Interferometry
Mapping the extent of Flooding after Amphan Cyclone using Radar Satellite Imagery
Mapping Solutions for Insurance Sector - Assessing Risk to Property from Cyclonic Storms
Mapping the extent of Oil Spill in Mauritius using Radar Remote Sensing
Extracting Water Body Footprint from Optical and Radar Satellite Imagery
Mapping Sargassum Seaweed Invasion using Multispectral Satellite Imagery
Monitoring Snow Cover in Himachal Pradesh using Remote Sensing
Monitoring Drought Conditions at Indirasagar Reservoir using Multispectral Satellite Imagery
Estimating Actual Evotranspiration at Field-scale using Remote Sensing
Monitoring, Delineating and Analysing Shorelines (after this post)
Go immerse yourself. If the recent Titan submersible tragedy piques your curiosity, explore the video demonstration within the Ocean Currents Mapping post (#10) to understand one of the many complications involved in deep-sea missions. Evapotranspiration and Ship Detection might inspire awe, while Drought Monitoring, Sargassum Invasion and Flash Floods bring into focus the severity of today’s water-system-related risks.
HYPERLINKS TO SECTIONS
A departure from the routine: the written content in this post is minimal. You may jump straight into the video demonstrations below:
Here is a video compilation of all the three workflows-
TIMESTAMPS
00:06 - Case Details
00:26 - W1: Trace Analysis on a Stream Network to map the spread of Water Pollution
00:29 - W1.1: Exploring & Setting up the Geodataset
07:00 - W1.2: Configuring a Trace Network of the Water Streams
10:55 - W1.3: 1st Scenario - Upstream Trace Analysis without Barrier - to determine extent of water body that has already been affected by pollution given no known point of origin
15:48 - W1.4: 2nd Scenario - Upstream Trace Analysis with Barrier - to determine extent of water body that has already been affected by pollution given a particular point of origin
17:40 - W1.5: 3rd Scenario - to determine extent of water body that can be affected by the pollution
19:17 - W2: Assessing Groundwater Vulnerable Zones using Suitability Modeling
19:20 - W2.1: Exploring & Setting up the Geodatasets
28:03 - W2.2: 1st Scenario - Suitability Modeling with Soil Drainage Conditions & Water Table Depth Datasets
37:00 - W2.3: 2nd Scenario - New Suitability Model combining Land Cover dataset with the previous model (Soil Drainage Conditions & Water Table Depth)
45:09 - W2.4: 3rd Scenario - Identifying Land Clusters for Conservation efforts from within High Risk Groundwater Contamination Zones
52:41 - W3: Novel, Nature-based Pollution Treatment in Open Water Bodies & at Wastewater Plants
52:44 - W3.1: Pollution in Water Bodies: Establishing the Context
59:15 - W3.2: Treating Water Pollution
01:15:54 - Video Summary Note
Since this post revolves around Water Contamination, it helps to know that I have covered the sources, types and effects of Organic Pollution and key Water Quality parameters in the Water Treatment segment. Understanding how we misuse this precious resource—and how that affects not only us but also the flora and fauna across ecosystems—is our civic responsibility.
India is no stranger to water contamination (Figure 2). Exponential population growth, rapid industrialisation, expanding urban centres and poor waste-management practices all contribute heavily to the pollution accumulating in ponds, lakes and rivers. Eventually, these pollutants flow into the sea, wreaking havoc on coastal and marine environments.
Satellite-based Remote Sensing has allowed me to document some of the issues-
Sargassum Seaweed Invasion across the Atlantic — the most-read post on my website
MV Wakashio Oil Spill in Mauritius, which devastated coral habitats and crippled the tourism-dependent economy
Beyond Remote Sensing, GIS technology also plays a crucial role in monitoring and planning responses to water pollution. The first two workflows in this post demonstrate how:
Trace Analysis identifies the spread of a pollutant through a branching network of streams,
Suitability Modeling (an advanced location analytics tool which I've demonstrated in detail previously) highlights land zones that are most vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
Credits: Esri Learn ArcGIS platform - I've used ArcGIS Pro software in the demonstration.
The cornerstone of this post, however, is the third workflow—a novel, nature-based, patented remediation solution developed by an Indian scientist. Effective, scalable and economical, it treats organic pollution in open water bodies and boosts the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants.
Fun fact: it was while working on this workflow that I realised how nutrients—essential for the human body—actually pollute water bodies.
TRACE ANALYSIS ON A STREAM NETWORK TO DETERMINE THE SPREAD OF A POLLUTANT
Situation: A harmful contaminant is discovered in a stream, and as a member of the municipal government you must rapidly determine:
which upstream sections may already be polluted
the total extent of the impacted water network
which areas are likely to be contaminated by the time remedial action begins
You are informed about potential contamination sources—for example, an upstream factory known to discharge effluents. You must combine these clues with the network topology and plan a response.
SUITABILITY MODELING TO IDENTIFY ZONES VULNERABLE TO GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
Situation: You must protect both economic prosperity and public health by preventing pollutants from infiltrating the Groundwater table. Surface-water contamination has risen due to expanding industrial and urban activity. Key determinants of vulnerability include:
Soil drainage characteristics
Depth to the groundwater table
Land cover and land use
Through Suitability Modeling, you assign weights to these parameters, generate a risk surface, and identify high-vulnerability zones. From within these zones, you further prioritise regions requiring urgent conservation measures.
PHYCOREMEDIATION-BASED WATER TREATMENT FOR POLLUTED WATER BODIES AND WASTEWATER PLANTS
My firm, Intelloc Mapping Services, sells a patented, India-made, polluted-water treatment solution. If you find the demonstration compelling and wish to:
rejuvenate a pond near your residence,
eliminate odour and disease from an open drain,
or enhance the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant at your township or industry (often with significant cost savings),
I’d be happy to assist.
You may email:
the location of the water body,
photos,
dimensions (length, breadth, depth),
inlet/outlet count and flow rates,
existing treatment in use,
water quality reports (if available),
and I will recommend a treatment plan and provide a cost estimate.
As seen in the demonstration, the treatment involves no chemicals, no equipment, and no disruption. The biosolution restores the natural Aquatic Food Web through Phycoremediation, targeting harmful pollutants while preserving beneficial microbes. It is:
Effective
Scalable (treats millions of litres per day)
Economical (~INR 0.04 per litre)
The treated water is suitable for industrial reuse.
CONCLUSION
It was the Academy Award-winning animated film Rango (2011) where I first encountered the idea of Water Conflict. Significant wars, many argue, will be fought over access to water—an eventuality already beginning to unfold.
The quirky lizard with no name found his calling as Rango, the sheriff who restored water to Dirt Town.
Will we be able to safeguard this precious resource for our generation, and for those that follow?
ABOUT US - OPERATIONS MAPPING SOLUTIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Intelloc Mapping Services, Kolkata | Mapmyops.com offers a suite of Mapping and Analytics solutions that seamlessly integrate with Operations Planning, Design, and Audit workflows. Our capabilities include — but are not limited to — Drone Services, Location Analytics & GIS Applications, Satellite Imagery Analytics, Supply Chain Network Design, Subsurface Mapping and Wastewater Treatment. Projects are executed pan-India, delivering actionable insights and operational efficiency across sectors.
My firm's services can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. Our range of offerings are listed in the infographic below-
A majority of our Mapping for Operations-themed workflows (50+) can be accessed from this website's landing page. We respond well to documented queries/requirements. Demonstrations/PoC can be facilitated, on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.
Regards,
