what is water pollution water causes of water pollution and some measure to control water pollution
Answers
Water pollution refers to any type of biological, chemical or physical unwanted change that a water body experiences. It usually occurs due to the dumping of large amount of untreated sewage, industrial wastes anf effluents. Some measures to control it are:
- Place a strict ban on dumping of industrial wastes.
- Restricting human activities in lakes and rivers such as bathing, washing etc.
- Making it mandatory for industries and other residential societies to treat their waste before releasing it into water bodies.
- Spreading awareness about the causes and effects of pollution and urging people to willingy change their current perceptions.
Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of a stream, river, lake, ocean or any other stretch of water, depleting water quality and making it toxic for the environment and humans.
There are two types of water pollution:
1.
Organic pollution due to microorganisms - bacteria and viruses - present in the water, generated by excrement, animal and vegetable waste
2.
Chemical pollution generated by the nitrates and phosphates of pesticides, human and animal drugs, household products, heavy metals, acids and hydrocarbons used in industries
What are the sources of water pollution? Unsurprisingly, human activity is primarily responsible for water pollution, even if natural phenomenon - such as landslides and floods - can also contribute to degrade the water quality.
URBANIZATION AND DEFORESTATION
Even though it does not have a direct impact on water quality, urbanization and deforestation have a lot of indirect effects. For instance, cutting down trees and concreting over large areas generates an acceleration of flows which does not give enough time for water to infiltrate and be purified by the ground.
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Tractor ploughing
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture has an impact on water pollution due to the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or insecticides running off in the water, as well as livestock excrement, manure and methane (greenhouse effect). Regarding aquaculture, pollution is directly in the water, as excess food and fertilizers are causing dystrophication.
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Factories’ smokestacks by the sea
INDUSTRIES
Industries produce a lot of waste containing toxic chemicals and pollutants. A huge amount of the industrial waste is drained in the fresh water which then flows into canals, rivers and eventually in the sea. Another source of water pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, causing air pollution like acid rain which then flows to streams, lakes, and other stretches of water.
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Shard of glass on the beach
MARINE DUMPING
Everyday, garbage such as plastic, paper, aluminum, food, glass, or rubber are deposited into the sea. These items take weeks to hundreds of years to decompose, and thus they are a major cause for water pollution.
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Toxic waste barrel
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Generated - among others - by power plants and uranium mining, radioactive waste can linger in the environment for thousands of years. When these substances are released accidentally or disposed improperly, they threaten groundwater, surface water, as well as marine resources.
Water pollution
effects
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Water pollution truly harms biodiversity and aquatic ecosystems. The toxic chemicals can change the color of water and increase the amount of minerals - also known as eutrophication - which has a bad impact on life in water. Thermal pollution, defined by a rise in the temperature of water bodies, contributes to global warming and causes serious hazard to water organisms.
ON HUMAN HEALTH
Water pollution has very negative effects on public health. A lot of diseases result from drinking or being in contact with contaminated water, such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery or skin infections. In zones where there is no available drinking water, the main risk is dehydration obviously.
Water pollution
solutions
1.Wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment consists of removing pollutants from wastewater through a physical, chemical or biological process. The more efficient these processes are, the cleaner the water becomes.
5.Plastic waste reduction
80% of plastic in our oceans is from land sources. In order to reduce the amount of plastic entering our ocean, we need to both reduce our use of plastic globally, and to improve plastic waste management.
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6.Water conservation
Without water conservation, we won’t go very far. It is central in making sure the world has better access to clean water. It means being aware that water is a scarce resource, taking care of it accordingly, and managing it responsibly.
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