Sweet Or Toxic? Water Pollution Woes In Sugar Industry

The dietary consequences of eating excessive sugar have been discussed and examined thoroughly, to the point where anyone and everyone is aware of controlling their sugar intake. However, an over-looked threat that sugar poses comes from how it is processed. Anita Khuller, through this article, throws light on how sugar production may be deadly for the health of our water bodies and ultimately ours, if not properly controlled and monitored

- Anita Khuller

Sugar plays an important role in most of our diets, which is why its production is spread over 120 countries. Data reports that there are over 60 million acres of land dedicated to the production of sugar globally! In 2022, India emerged as the largest producer of sugar in the world.

The sugar industry has helped farmers and the communities in their areas-both economically and socially. However, sugar production, as in many other industries, if not monitored carefully, can have adverse environmental impacts-related to air/water pollution, soil fertility, and further health risks. In fact, sugar mills and distilleries are one of India's 17 highest polluting industries.

It is the third industry, after the pulp/ paper and chemicals sector, to discharge maximum wastewater in India. This is because a huge amount of water is required throughout the production cycle; from the cultivation of sugarcane till the release of effluent from the mills. One kilogram of sugarcane needs 1500– 2000 litres of water to mature in the field. After harvesting, the same quantity of water is required to crush one tonne of sugarcane, releasing around 1000 litres of wastewater! Wastewater from sugar mills is actually not as toxic as that from other chemical-intensive companies. It can, however, pollute water bodies by affecting streams and groundwater ecosystems.

Water pollution takes place when there is an ‘induced change in water quality’. In most cases, wastewater contains a high concentration of solids, chlorides, nitrates, magnesium, calcium, and sulphates. The presence of these substances reduces oxygen in water bodies, making them unfit for human use and threatens aquatic life.

Strict Environmental Norms