Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 18: Water Pollution

GE Exercise: Yamuna River, Delhi, India

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::::/sites/dl/free/8888888555/484165/google.jpg','popWin', 'width=210,height=178,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (34.0K)</a>

Take a virtual field trip with Google Earth!
Google Earth is a free, online application that uses satellite imagery to allow the user to zoom across the globe in a realistic, virtual environment. Downloading Google Earth is free at http://www.earth.google.com.

An overview manual is available by clicking here... Google Earth Overview (342.0K)

To continue:
- Make sure you have the Google Earth software installed and running.
- Copy the following latitude and longitude and paste into the "Fly to" field under the Search tab.
- Hit "Enter" for Google Earth to take you to the specified coordinates, then come back here and read the following overview.

Latitude/Longitude: 28.7079, 77.2825

Overview: Yamuna River, Delhi, India, p. 410

Delhi, India's capital city, is a sprawling, fast-growing metropolitan area of about 13 million people. Delhi includes an ancient part of the city, known as Delhi, or old Delhi, and a new part of the city (New Delhi) built in the nineteenth century by the British colonial government. Connaught Circle is a major traffic circle and landmark in the newer part of the city. The main railway station can be found just north of this circle. Government buildings lie south of Connaught Circle, along a long, east-west-running strip of green boulevard. India is one of the largest and fastest-growing countries in the world. With 1.1 billion people, India's population is set to exceed China's in a few years. Delhi is India's second largest city, after Mumbai. As a growing city in a developing country, Delhi faces severe problems in providing infrastructure to its population. Water supplies and water quality are critical problems here. The Yamuna River, which runs between the two place markers provided, enters the city with extraordinarily high coliform bacteria counts on the order of 7,500 colony-forming units per 100 ml. When the river leaves the city, it is vastly worse.

1
What is the concentration of fecal coliform bacteria when the Yamuna leaves Delhi (refer to p. 410 in your textbook) and how does this compare to levels considered swimmable by U.S. law (defined as 200 colonies per 100 ml)?
A)Fecal coliform counts in the Yamuna are on the order of 12 million colony-forming units per 100 ml water, so the Yamuna has approximately 6,000 times the EPA recommended levels.
B)Fecal coliform counts in the Yamuna are on the order of 24 million colony-forming units per 100 ml water, so the Yamuna has approximately 12,000 times the EPA recommended levels.
C)Fecal coliform counts in the Yamuna are on the order of 36 million colony-forming units per 100 ml water, so the Yamuna has approximately 18,000 times the EPA recommended levels.
D)Fecal coliform counts in the Yamuna are on the order of 48 million colony-forming units per 100 ml water, so the Yamuna has approximately 24,000 times the EPA recommended levels.
2
Zoom to the water treatment facility marked. The round tanks are aeration tanks where sewage is treated. Do you see any similar structures in other parts of the city?
A)There are at least 10 more treatment facilities visible in this city of 13 million people.
B)There are seven more treatment facilities visible in this city of 13 million people.
C)There are at least five more treatment facilities visible in this city of 13 million people.
D)There are two more treatment facilities visible in this city of 13 million people.
E)There are no other treatment facilities visible in this city of 13 million people.
3
What factors contribute to the problem of why cities such as Delhi have difficulty providing clean water and water treatment for their populations?
A)Fast-growing cities with low-income, migrant populations can generate relatively little tax income; thus, the city has no funds to provide services needed by such dense populations.
B)It takes years to build roads and install water and sewage pipes.
C)Some developing cities expand by thousands of people per day, and this rate of expansion is extremely difficult to keep up with in the best of circumstances.
D)All of the answers provided are contributing factors to the problem.
E)None of the answers provided are contributing factors to the problem.
Environemental Science Cover
Glencoe Online Learning CenterScience HomeProduct InfoSite MapContact Us

The McGraw-Hill CompaniesGlencoe

Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.