2. What is Water Pollution?
• Water pollution is the contamination of water
bodies like lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater
.It occurs when pollutants (particles, chemicals or
substances that make water contaminated) are
discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies
without enough treatment given to get rid of those
harmful compounds.
• It affects plants and organisms living in these water
bodies. In almost all the cases, it effects not only
the species and populations, but also the
natural biological communities.
3. Sources of water pollution, are grouped under two
categories based on the origin of the pollutant.
• Point Source Pollution-
It refers to the contaminants that enter the water body from
a single, identifiable source like pipe or ditch. Point source
pollutants can be discharged from sewage treatment plant,
factories or a city storm drain.
• Non-point Source Pollution-
It refers to the contamination that does not originate from a
single source but is distributed in a diffused manner.
Leaching of nitrogen compounds from agricultural land,
storm water run off over an agricultural land or a forest are
examples of nonpoint source pollution.
Sources
of
water
pollution
4. 1. Industrial Waste-
Industrial waste from factories uses freshwater to carry untreated
waste water into rivers ,thus contaminating the water with
pollutants such as asbestos, lead, mercury and petrochemicals
causing pollution.
5. 2. Domestic Sewage-
The sewage and waste water that is produced by each
household is released into the sea with fresh water which
also contains sanitary sewage. The sewage water carries
harmful bacteria and chemicals that can cause serious health
problems to all forms of life present in water.
6. 3. Marine Dumping-
The garbage produced by each household in the form of paper,
aluminium, rubber, glass, plastic, food is 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 suffocates the animals .
7. 4. Accidental Oil Leakage-
Oil spill pose a huge concern as large amount of
oil enters into the sea and does not dissolve with
water thus creating problem for local marine
wildlife such as fish, birds/seabirds. It can cause
damage to species in the ocean depending on the
quantity of oil spill, size of ocean, toxicity of that
very pollutant.
8. 5. Chemical Fertilizers-
Chemical fertilizers used in farming end
up in the water bodies. These materials
are poisonous to most of the aquatic life,
can make them infertile and eventually
cause death. Water from these sources is
obviously unfit for consumption.
9. 6. 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.
11. 1. Death of Aquatic Animals-
The main problem caused by water
pollution is that it kills life that depends
on these water bodies. Dead fish, crabs,
birds and sea gulls, dolphins, and many
other animals often wind up on beaches,
killed by pollutants in their habitat.
12. 2. Spread of Disease-
Eventually, humans are affected by this
process as well. People can get diseases
such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has
been poisoned. In many poor nations, there
is always outbreak of cholera or typhoid
infections, along with diarrhoea as a result
of contaminated drinking water
consumption.
13. 3. Disruption of Food-Chain-
Toxins within water can harm
aquatic organisms, thus breaking
a link in the food chain.
14. 4. Growth of Algae-
Urea, animal manure and vegetable
peelings are food for algae. Algae grow
according to how much waste is in a water
source. Bacteria feed off the algae,
decreasing the amount of oxygen in the
water. The decreased oxygen causes harm
to other organisms living in the water.
15. 5. Soil Erosion-
The erosion of soil into waterways
causes flooding, especially with
heavy rainfall.
17. 7. Destruction of Ecosystem
Ecosystems can be severely
changed or destroyed by water
pollution. Many areas are now
being affected by careless human
pollution, and this pollution is
coming back to hurt humans in
many ways.
19. • Do not litter unnecessarily. Avoid plastics!
• Use Water wisely for irrigation purposes.
• Close taps after use.
• Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints and
medicines down the sink, or the toilet.
• Buy more environmentally safe cleaning
liquids for the use at home and other public
places.
• Control your usage over water, use less water
washing vehicles.
• Do not over-use pesticides and fertilizers.
• Plant more trees to prevent soil erosion.