Water pollution
What is water
pollution ?
Water pollution is the contamination
of water bodies ( lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). This form
of environmental degradation occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly
discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful
compounds
what types of water pollution ?
1) Surface water pollution.
Hazardous substances
coming into contact with surface water, like rivers, lakes, lagoons and oceans,
and dissolving or mixing physically with the water is called surface water
pollution.
2) oil pollution.
An oil spill is the
release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine
areas, due to human activity. Oil spills usually have only a localized affect
but can spread.
3) Chemical Water
Pollution.
Many industries and
farmers work with chemicals that end up in water. These include chemicals that
are used to control weeds, insects and pests. Metals and solvents from
industries can pollute water bodies.
4) Thermal pollution
Thermal pollution is the
rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of water caused by human
influence. Thermal pollution, unlike chemical pollution, results in a change in
the physical properties of water.
5) Ground Water Pollution.
When humans apply
pesticides and chemicals to soils, they are washed deep into the ground by rain
water. This gets to underground water, causing pollution underground.
6) Agricultural Pollution
Sediment soil washed off
fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the United States.
Farmers may utilize to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields.
What are causes of
water pollution ?
1) Industrial waste:
Industries produce huge amount of waste which contains toxic
chemicals and pollutants which can cause air pollution and damage to us and our
environment. They contain pollutants such as lead, mercury, Sulphur, asbestos,
nitrates and many other harmful chemicals. Many industries do not have proper
waste management system and drain the waste in the fresh water which goes into
rivers, canals and later in to sea. The toxic chemicals have the ability to
change the color of water, increase the amount of minerals, also known as
Eutrophication, change the temperature of water and pose serious hazard to
water organizations.
2) Sewage and waste
water:
The sewage and waste
water that is produced by each household is chemically treated and released in
to sea with fresh water. The sewage water carries harmful bacteria and
chemicals that can cause serious health problems. Pathogens are known as a
common water pollutant; The sewers of cities house several pathogens and
thereby diseases. Microorganisms in water are known to be causes of some very
deadly diseases and become the breeding grounds for other creatures that act
like carriers. These carriers inflict these diseases via various forms of
contact onto an individual. A very common example of this process would be
Malaria.
3) Mining activities:
Mining is the process of crushing the rock and
extracting coal and other minerals from underground. These elements when
extracted in the raw form contains harmful chemicals and can increase the
amount of toxic elements when mixed up with water which may result in health
problems. Mining activities emit several metal waste and sulphides from the
rocks and is harmful for the water.
4. Marine dumping:
The garbage produce by
each household in the form of paper, aluminum, rubber, glass, plastic, food if
collected and deposited into the sea in some countries. These items take from 2
weeks to 200 years to decompose. When such items enters the sea, they not only
cause water pollution but also harm animals in the sea.
5) Global warming:
An increase in earth’s temperature due to
greenhouse effect results in global warming. It increases the water temperature
and result in death of aquatic animals and marine species which later results
in water pollution.
6)Animal waste:
The waste produce by
animals is washed away into the rivers when it rains. It gets mixed up with
other harmful chemicals and causes various water borne diseases like cholera,
diarrhea, jaundice, dysentery and typhoid.
What are sources of
water pollution ?
There are various
classifications of water pollution. The two chief sources of water pollution
can be seen as Point and Non Point.
- Point refer to
the pollutants that belong to a single source. An example of this would be
emissions from factories into the water.
- Non Point on the
other hand means pollutants emitted from multiple sources. Contaminated water
after rains that has traveled through several regions may also be considered as
a Non point source of pollution.
references
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Oceanic water suffers due to the people that still don't understand even today that the environment needs to be protected and kept clean for the sake of the future generations that will follow.
ردحذفPlastic waste is the main concern for the water pollution because this type pf pollution is produced every day.
Oil spills sand the spill of other chemical substances are affecting the sea life from time to time, but plastic waste thrown in the oceanic water is the major concern. for mankind.
I read on https://www.alternative-energies.net/what-is-pollution/ that there is a company that collects the plastic waste from the oceans and uses it to produce new products.