The Effects of Water Pollution

Water pollution is the release of pollutants into underground groundwater or streams, lakes, estuaries, seas, and rivers to the point when the substances hinder beneficial water usage or ecosystem function. Water pollution can include the discharge of energy, such as dangerous chemicals or heat, into bodies of water. This chapter will briefly study water pollution, diseases, Eutrophication, and the destruction of nature due to water pollution.

What is water pollution?

• Water pollution is defined as water contamination. It happens due to various human activities such as dumping industrial waste, human waste, plastic waste, etc., directly into water bodies. 
• Pollution reduces a body of water’s ability to deliver ecological functions. The common examples of water bodies are rivers, aquifers, Lakes, reservoirs, oceans, and groundwater. 
• The contamination happens when the toxins are directly introduced into the water bodies. 
• Water pollution can be classified into two types, i.e., surface pollution (such as streams, lakes, oceans, and estuaries) or groundwater pollution. 
• Water pollution happens due to 2 sources: the point source and the nonpoint source. Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) is defined as widespread pollution of groundwater or air that is not caused by a specific single source. 
• This form of contamination is frequently the result of little amounts of toxins accumulating over a vast area, and it differs from point source pollution, caused by a single source. While the point source has an identified cause like a storm drain, oil spill, or sewage treatment plant. 

What are the various diseases that happen due to water pollution?

Many people worldwide have suffered from diseases due to water pollution, either as a result of drinking or bathing in dirty water. Some people have also suffered from eating plant and animal food that has been grown or lived in dirty water. 

Here are some of the most serious and debilitating diseases caused by water contamination.

• Cholera: Vibrio cholera bacteria produce cholera, a deadly intestinal infection. It causes extreme dehydration, diarrhea, and mortality in certain cases. Cholera is contracted by washing or drinking contaminated water or eating food that has been cleaned or irrigated using contaminated water. Vomiting, headaches, and stomach cramps are all signs of cholera. In a highly polluted location, one ill person might contaminate water with disease-causing bacteria, affecting the entire population.
• Typhoid: Typhoid is a dangerous bacterial illness that causes ulceration & inflammation in the intestine. Salmonella typhosa is the bacteria responsible for the infection. It mainly affects those who wash or drink contaminated water or eat food that has been washed in contaminated water. It affects around 12 million individuals worldwide each year, with symptoms including nausea, loss of appetite, and headache.
• Amoebiasis: Amoebiasis is one of the most common diseases of water contamination. The condition, often known as Traveller’s Diarrhea, is caused by drinking water contaminated with amoeba protozoa. It can potentially infect the liver in addition to the large intestine. Mild to severe diarrhea with mucus and blood are indications of amoebiasis. Using sewage-contaminated water, poor hygiene, non-treated water use, and the presence of flies all raise the risk of contracting amoebiasis.
• Dysentery: Acute diarrhea with blood & mucus is a symptom of dysentery, an intestinal illness. Vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain are all symptoms of the condition. It is contracted by washing with or drinking contaminated water or by eating food that has been washed with infected water. Because it is a bacterial infection, it can be avoided by drinking clean water & maintaining basic hygiene.
• Cancer: When drinking water that has been highly polluted with substances like MTBE and chlorinated solvents, cancer increases. The chemicals induce cancer tumors by damaging DNA. High medical treatment expenditures, persistent suffering, and death are linked to the condition. Many people have died as a result of cancer around the world.
• Intestinal Worms: Intestinal worms are parasitic worms that are spread by drinking contaminated water or eating food that has been washed in infected water. Hookworms, Roundworms, and Whipworms are examples of intestinal worms. The worms cause stunted growth, anemia, and malnutrition, particularly in children. Intestinal worms afflict roughly 10% of the population, with children accounting for most cases.

Eutrophication: It is a process of an overabundance of nutrients in a water body, resulting in abundant growth of basic plant life. This process is indicated by the excessive development of algae and plankton in a water body. Eutrophication is a severe environmental concern because it frequently leads to degradation of water quality & dissolved oxygen depletion in bodies of water.

Causes of Eutrophication

• Algae, plankton, and other basic plants overgrow when water bodies are unduly supplied with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, threatening the lives of other marine species.
• Phosphorus is one of the most important limiting variables in plant life. Phosphorus can be found in a variety of places, including:

1. Fertilisers.
2. Sewage that has not been treated.
3. Phosphorus-containing detergents Industrial waste discharge.

Conclusion

In the above article, we have read about water pollution. Water pollution is the presence of hazardous chemicals & biological agents in groundwater that exceeds what is naturally contained in the water and may constitute a threat to human health and the ecosystem. Water pollution can also include substances introduced into water bodies as a result of numerous human activities. Regardless of the risk to health and the environment, many toxic substances pollute the water.