Question
Three water samples namely river water, untreated sewage water and Secondary effluent discharged from Sewage treatment plant were subjected to BOD test. The samples were labelled in A, B and C; but the laboratory attendant did not note which was which. The BOD values of the three samples A, B and C were recorded as 20 mg/L, 8mg/L and 400mg/L, respectively. Which sample of the water is most polluted? Can you assign the correct label to each assuming the river water is relatively clean?

Answer

→ BOD refers to the amount of the oxygen that would be consumed if all the organic matter in one liter of water were oxidised by bacteria.
→ The greater the BOD of waste water, more is its polluting potential
→ Water having least BOD is less polluted or river water.
→ For sample A (20 mg/L) is effluent which came out after the secondary sewage Treatment.
→ For sample B (8mg/L) is a river water.
→ For sample C (400mg/L) is not treated in sewage Treatment plant.
→ Sample C is the highly polluted water.
→ BOD of a river water is least among three. So, we can say that river water is clean as compared to other two samples.

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