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Water that is one octillion litres in volume makes up two-thirds of our globe. Water makes about 70 percent of the human body. It is an all-purpose solvent. It is the only substance on the earth that occurs in all three forms of matter. Water is now recognised as a core human right by the United Nations, as well as an economic commodity.
The introduction of contaminants into the environment is referred to as pollution. Water pollution occurs when a body of water contains high amounts of pollutants (hazards) and is no longer acceptable for common human activities such as bathing, cooking, or drinking.
Water pollution is frequently seen as a result of human activities such as garbage disposal, industrial and agricultural effluents, chemical discharge, and so on. This degrades water quality and has an impact on aquatic life. When humans or animals drink this water to quench their thirst, the health consequences are fatal. Only about 0.3 percent of the world’s freshwater is fit for human use. A ‘pure’ water form is regarded to be water that contains the fewest gases, minerals, and living organisms. However, it is typically believed to have the least number of solutes for all practical uses. Although high-quality water is required for drinking, water quality can be varied for other reasons.
The article includes a discussion of the effects of water contamination as well as preventative measures.
Water Pollution Sources
Let us investigate the origins of water contamination now that we have a better knowledge of what constitutes water pollution. Water pollution comes from a variety of causes. Surface water makes up the majority of freshwater. It can be contaminated by dangerous chemicals seeping in from the surface. When it comes to the source of contamination, there are two basic sources. The first is ‘point’ source pollution, which refers to pollution that emanates from a specific location. The other type of pollution is referred to as ‘nonpoint’ pollution, which refers to contamination caused by diffuse options. Contamination that crosses national borders has the potential to spread to neighbouring countries. Urbanization, heavy use of detergents, pesticides, and fertilisers, and deforestation are all typical causes of water pollution. Many social and religious rituals are significant contributors of water pollution.
Let’s look at some examples of additional current forms of water contamination.
A Modern Epidemic of Water Pollution
The majority of water contamination is caused by human activities and waste products. Water contamination can come from a variety of sources, however the following are some of the most common in today’s world:
Waste from Industry
Many common industrial processes emit massive amounts of hazardous substances including lead and mercury. When humans consume these contaminated goods on a daily basis, they spread to other living creatures. It also has an impact on the water body’s biodiversity.
Waste and Sewage
Thousands of tonnes of sewage waste are dumped into bodies of water. This not only pollutes the environment, but it also releases microorganisms that cause sickness.
Mining
Mining is a major source of pollution in today’s lakes and rivers. This process exposes hazardous compounds buried deep beneath the earth’s surface. When this comes into touch with water, it has deadly consequences for all living things.
Dumping in the Sea
Every day, rubbish is dumped into the seas and oceans, sometimes to the point of becoming garbage islands. A simple step of putting waste goods only in the trash can minimise water contamination by more than half.
Activities in Agriculture
The use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and other runoffs into water bodies during irrigation. In a short period of time, these pollutants pollute water sources.
Wastes that are radioactive
After being used for nuclear weapons or as an energy source, radioactive materials are typically deposited into bodies of water or glaciers, where they will quickly mix with water as the temperature rises.
Water Quality and Urbanization
“Urbanization” (people living in groupings) has been happening in some form from prehistoric times. Groups of people developed settlements, then towns and cities, as populations grew and people mastered strategies for growing food in fixed sites. After World War II, the rate of urbanisation accelerated in the United States, and many urban areas are presently rising at an unprecedented rate. What effects does it have on the local hydrologic system when a rural area is transformed into a city with housing projects, shopping malls, industrial buildings, and roads.
The start of urbanisation
Land Use Changes:
Trees and plants should be cut down. Begin constructing dwellings, some with sewers and some without. Start drilling wells now.
The Impact on the Water System:
Because there is less vegetation to delay water as it travels down slopes, there is more storm runoff and erosion. Sediment is being washed into streams at an increasing rate. Changes in water-drainage patterns might result in flooding.
Urbanization will continue to grow.
Land Use Changes:
More roads, housing, and commercial and industrial structures are added to complete urbanisation. The amount of wastewater dumped into nearby streams is increasing. To meet the expanding population, new water supply and distribution systems are being created. To provide water, reservoirs may be constructed. To accommodate building construction, certain stream channels have been modified. Industries may decide to drill some large-capacity, deep wells.
The Impact on the Water System:
More pavement means less water soaks into the earth, reducing the amount of water available to recharge the subsurface water table. The water table will be lowered as a result of this. Some existing wells will be insufficiently deep to provide water and will eventually dry up.
The increased pavement runoff is channelled into storm sewers, which ultimately flow into streams. Runoff that used to seep into the earth is now flowing into streams, causing flooding. Changing the channel of a stream can result in flooding and erosion along the stream’s banks. More sewage is dumped into streams that were not “built by nature” to handle such a large amount of water.
Too many huge wells might cause the underground water table to drop. Other wells may become dry, saltwater may be sucked into drinking-water wells, and land that was formerly “held up” by subsurface water may collapse, resulting in sinkholes and land subsidence.
The local community takes action to address some issues.
Land Use Changes:
Improvements are made to the storm drainage system. To recharge subsurface aquifers, wells are drilled. It’s possible that wastewater reuse projects will get underway.
Recharge ponds that are ecologically built spread storm water to artificially recharge shallow aquifers.
The Impact on the Water System:
During storms, new storm-drainage systems prevent flooding. Basements, yards, and streets suffer less harm. Water is injected into recharge wells in order to replenish subsurface aquifers. Less pollution, more water conservation, and more water for recharging aquifers are all benefits of reusing wastewater.
Conclusion
In conclusion of the article, it can be said that we have learned about what water pollution is and the control measures taken to reduce it. Case studies of water pollution are also mentioned in the article.
