Salinity Intrusion and Seasonal Water Quality Variations in the Tidal ...

For a city fast growing, as in the case of Cochin, the influent mass and energy
will be more than the effluent, and when the city declines the trend reverses. The city
relies mostly on a vast hinterland that it queens over, to draw its sustenance from. The
anthropogenic waste load left behind in the environment is directly related to the density
of population, the standard of living and the environmental vigilance of the local
administration. When the chronic and vicious circle ofpoverty, population and pollution
nags the third world countries, environment often becomes a non-issue as the people are
in afrenzy to keep soul and body together, and in such a situation today is more important
than an uncertain tomorrow. At present the population of Cochin is in the neighborhood
ofsix hundred thousand. It could potentially generate solid waste equivalent to 1116000
kg N/year and 222000 kg P /year. Domestic sewage generated is equivalent to 2400,000
kg N/year and the phosphate out put from sewage and detergents is to the tune of 1200,
OOOkg P /year (based on the coefficients given by San Diego-McGlone et al., 2000).
Externality of livestock agriculture and manufacturing sectors is in addition to this.
Urbanization inevitably portents the contamination ofwater bodies because cities develop
in the proximity ofperennial water sources. Urbanization is steady accumulation ofmass,
mostly biodegradable, collected from elsewhere. Every refuse ofurban activity, finds its
way to the water bodies as leachate, sewage or atmospheric wash outs. Hence it would
appear that urban activity is antagonistic to itself unless a working mechanism is
incorporated to spread the refuse thin into the vast hinterland. Engineering modifications
without a long term perspective further obliterates the inherent potentials of the city to
rejuvenate itself. As urbanization is an integral part ofcivilization man will have to seek
the prospects of making each city self reliant insofar as most elemental natural
endowments likewater are concerned. In place ofa culture ofuse and refuse a new one of
use and reuse mustevolve. This study streamlines the possibilities thereof:
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