BIOREMEDIATION OF COOUM WATER USING ALGAE

Puja Prabha Tripathi and Dr. V. Judia Harriet Sumathy*

ABSTRACT

The name cooum appears to be derived from Tamil literature. The name may have been derived from the Tamil term coopam meaning 'well' or 'deep pit'. The word coovalan denotes a person who is well versed in the science of ground water, well water and stagnant water. Cooum has been an integral part of the socio-economic and cultural life of the city. During floods, both the watercourses inundate the whole area. Polluted part of the Cooum is presently spoiled by filth and pollution, and the water quality is considered to be highly toxic and completely non-potable. The 2004 tsunami cleaned the mouth of the river; however, the river returned to its usual polluted self within a short period and the unpolluted part is still being used for drinking water needs of many villages in the banks of the cooum. As the Nation’s growing urban major problem is the removal of wastes, humans dump these waste directly into rivers. When this contaminated water is directly consumed by Aquatic life and indirectly by humans, it affects their health and leads to a lot of diseases such as Chlorella, Typhoid etc. Thus the availability of good quality water is necessary for preventing such disease and improving the quality of life. Newer technologies are being now proposed to assess the treatment of waste water. Heavy metals such as Lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, zinc, aluminum, arsenic, copper and iron are considered to be the major environmental pollutant which causes severe poisoning conditions. Microalgae Mass Culture for Wastewater Treatment exist throughout natural water systems in various forms and concentrations, which makes it viable for wastewater treatment. The mass culture of microalgae in wastewater can significantly contribute to the management of water ecosystems by providing an inexpensive, environmentally sound addition or alternative to conventional energy intensive wastewater treatment systems.

Keywords: Cooum, Coovalan, Contamination, Heavy Metals and Wastewater Treatment Systems.