What causes water pollution??? Can you tell me why is it a problem??
Answers
Contamination of both the underground and surface water is called water pollution. Contamination makes water unfit for use. Domestic wastes and untreated industrial effluents emptied into water bodies cause water pollution. Polluted water may contain bacteria, parasites, viruses, sewage, animal wastes, toxic chemicals etc. Toxic wastes include pesticides, fungicides, insecticides and many other non-biodegradable carcinogenic solid wastes. Water pollution is a serious problem because it leads to a lot of water-borne diseases like jaundice, diarrhea, malaria, amoebic dysentery, etc. Water, as we know is already a scarce resource. Water pollution makes it difficult for us to get even clean drinking water. It therefore becomes our duty to conserve water and prevent further pollution.
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Answer:
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water bodies include for example lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants are introduced into the natural environment. For example, releasing inadequately treated wastewater into natural water bodies can lead to degradation of aquatic ecosystems. In turn, this can lead to public health problems for people living downstream. They may use the same polluted river water for drinking or bathing or irrigation. Water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of death and disease, e.g. due to water-borne diseases.[1][2]
Water pollution can be classified as surface water or groundwater pollution. Marine pollution and nutrient pollution are subsets of water pollution. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. Point sources have one identifiable cause of the pollution, such as a storm drain or a wastewater treatment plant. Non-point sources are more diffuse, such as agricultural runoff.[3] Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. All plants and organisms living in or being exposed to polluted water bodies can be impacted. The effects can damage individual species and impact the natural biological communities they are part of.
The causes of water pollution include a wide range of chemicals and pathogens as well as physical parameters. Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Elevated temperatures can also lead to polluted water. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decrease oxygen levels, which can kill fish and alter food chain composition, reduce species biodiversity, and foster invasion by new thermophilic species.[4][5]:375
Water pollution is measured by analysing water samples. Physical, chemical and biological tests can be conducted. Control of water pollution requires appropriate infrastructure and management plans. The infrastructure may include wastewater treatment plants. Sewage treatment plants and industrial wastewater treatment plants are usually required to protect water bodies from untreated wastewater. Agricultural wastewater treatment for farms, and erosion control at construction sites can also help prevent water pollution. Nature-based solutions are another approach to prevent water pollution.[6] Effective control of urban runoff includes reducing speed and quantity of flow. In the United States, best management practices for water pollution include approaches to reduce the quantity of water and improve water quality
Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants. Due to these contaminants it either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status of water.
Water pollution is a major global problem. It requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells). It has been suggested that water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of death and diseases.[2][1] Water pollution accounted for the deaths of 1.8 million people in 2015.[8]
The organization Global Oceanic Environmental Survey (GOES) consider water pollution as one of the main environmental problems that can present a danger for the existence of life on earth in the next decades. One of the main concerns, is that water pollution, heart phytoplankton who produce 70% of oxygen and remove a large part of carbon dioxide on earth. The organization proposes a number of measures for fixing the situation, but they should be taken in the next 10 years for being effective.[9][10][11]
India and China are two countries with high levels of water pollution. An estimated 580 people in India die of water pollution related illness (including waterborne diseases) every day.[12] About 90 percent of the water in the cities of China is polluted.[13] As of 2007, half a billion Chinese had no access to safe drinking water.[14]
In addition to the acute problems of water pollution in developing countries, developed countries also continue to struggle with pollution problems. For example, in a report on water quality in the United States in 2009, 44 percent of assessed stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30 percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.