DOI: 10.5176/2425-0112_UPPD18.131
Authors: Alokananda Banerjee Mukherjee and Dr. Suchandra Bardhan
Abstract:Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, have caused a substantial increase in the concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere which is the prime cause of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report of 2007, reduction of emissions over the next two to three decades will potentially have a substantial impact on long term opportunities to stabilize levels of atmospheric CO2 and mitigate impacts of climate change. Sewage treatment plants in cities are considered as sources of GHGs (greenhouse gases) production mainly methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide which are produced during biological sewage treatment processes and offsite electricity production which is a major source of carbon. On the contrary, wastewater aquaculture and using solid waste in agriculture as management strategy has been tried in several countries including India by which the waste water is treated in a natural method utilizing sunlight for phytoplankton. The paper attempts to calculate the Total CO2 equivalent indirect emission from the STPs of Kolkata from its energy costs and compare it with natural system of East Kolkata wetlands to stress on its role in mitigation.
Keywords: Wetlands, Waste water treatment, CO2 emission, mitigation
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