Floating Treatment Wetlands | Environment for UPSC 2024 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND 
Page 2


FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND 
INTRODUCTION 
A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) on 
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad was 
inaugurated on World Wetlands Day in 2018 
Page 3


FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND 
INTRODUCTION 
A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) on 
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad was 
inaugurated on World Wetlands Day in 2018 
NEED 
Freshwater lakes around the world, especially shallow 
lakes, are in trouble. 
Urbanization, waste treatment, landscape changes, 
agriculture, and natural resource extraction cause 
runoff of nutrients, contaminants, petroleum 
products, and organic materials to freshwater lakes 
around the world. 
Biological treatment is possible, however, by harnessing 
the natural ability of plants and microbes to absorb 
nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) and 
break down contaminants through biological 
processes known as bioremediation. 
 
Page 4


FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND 
INTRODUCTION 
A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) on 
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad was 
inaugurated on World Wetlands Day in 2018 
NEED 
Freshwater lakes around the world, especially shallow 
lakes, are in trouble. 
Urbanization, waste treatment, landscape changes, 
agriculture, and natural resource extraction cause 
runoff of nutrients, contaminants, petroleum 
products, and organic materials to freshwater lakes 
around the world. 
Biological treatment is possible, however, by harnessing 
the natural ability of plants and microbes to absorb 
nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) and 
break down contaminants through biological 
processes known as bioremediation. 
 
ROLE OF WETLANDS 
The use of wetlands for bioremediation to 
capture and remove contaminants and 
nutrients is widely practiced around the 
world. 
Wetlands can improve water quality of storm 
water runoff and manage watershed 
nutrients, as well as treatment of wastewater 
and other industrial contaminants. 
 
Page 5


FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND 
INTRODUCTION 
A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) on 
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad was 
inaugurated on World Wetlands Day in 2018 
NEED 
Freshwater lakes around the world, especially shallow 
lakes, are in trouble. 
Urbanization, waste treatment, landscape changes, 
agriculture, and natural resource extraction cause 
runoff of nutrients, contaminants, petroleum 
products, and organic materials to freshwater lakes 
around the world. 
Biological treatment is possible, however, by harnessing 
the natural ability of plants and microbes to absorb 
nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) and 
break down contaminants through biological 
processes known as bioremediation. 
 
ROLE OF WETLANDS 
The use of wetlands for bioremediation to 
capture and remove contaminants and 
nutrients is widely practiced around the 
world. 
Wetlands can improve water quality of storm 
water runoff and manage watershed 
nutrients, as well as treatment of wastewater 
and other industrial contaminants. 
 
FEATURES 
Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) or islands are small 
artificial platforms that allow the aquatic emergent plants 
to grow in water that is typically too deep for them.  
Their roots spread through the floating islands and down 
into the water creating dense columns of roots with lots 
of surface area. 
Not only do the plants take up nutrients and contaminants 
themselves, the plant roots and floating island material 
provide extensive surface area for microbes to grow —
forming a slimy layer of biofilm.  
The biofilm is where the majority of nutrient uptake and 
degradation occurs in a FTW system.