Water is one of humans' basic needs. We use it to quench our thirst, give our bodies energy, and wash our clothes, dishes, and other parts of our homes. Without water, we will die.
As years passed, the population began to grow, and bodies of water became polluted. Water pollution occurs when vast bodies of water, such as groundwater, oceans, rivers, and lakes, are contaminated with harmful chemicals and bacteria. This is due to waste products being directly thrown into the water.
Indeed, water pollution is one of the world's major crises today. It affects millions of people who lack access to clean drinking water.
The government spends time and effort focusing on water pollution and its effects to protect people.
We need water to survive and take several measures to save some of our resources today.
Thus, this article will discuss the causes and effects of water pollution and some of the doable solutions we can start immediately.
Causes of Water Pollution
Rapid Urban Development
Over the years, we have witnessed the exodus of people from towns and cities. People began to build houses, roads, and big industries. After that, the land was physically disturbed, and factories began to dump their chemical wastes into the bodies of water.
Big factories flush down waste products in the water, which is one of the major causes of ocean pollution.
On the other hand, ordinary people, not just big factories, also cause water pollution. Everyone is guilty of pouring chemicals or detergents into their drains or toilets, and this toxic pollution can enter the wastewater from highway runoff.
Highway runoff usually contains toxic chemicals, such as spilled fuel, chemical additives, brake fluids, and exhaust emissions. When the rain pours, these chemicals wash into the drains and rivers.
This can kill a school of fish overnight. Studies have shown that highway runoff in one year equals an oil tanker spill.
Some highway runoffs come into the drains, polluting the groundwater or accumulating in the land near the road. Thus, they become increasingly toxic year after year.
Improper Sewage Disposal
Sewage waste disposal is becoming a major issue due to the world's growing population. Its improper disposal can lead to several water-related diseases that can kill adults and children.
The sewage disposal problem does not end easily. As soon as you flush the toilet, the waste has to go somewhere, and even if it leaves the sewage treatment plant, it still needs to be disposed of. Thus, sewage waste is dumped into the oceans.
In theory, sewage contains a natural substance that can be broken down by the environment easily. 90% of sewage contains water. However, in practice, sewage contains all other chemicals, such as paper, plastic, and pharmaceutical products, that they flush in the toilet.
Also, when people are sick, they carry viruses with them. Thus, the sewage they produce carries those viruses and spreads in the ocean. Nowadays, it is possible to catch typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera from the ocean and river.
Use of Toxic Chemicals for the Plants
Farmers have also used harmful fertilizers to produce more and cope with the growing population's demands. This results in an algal bloom in the water. When the oxygen level of the water increases, it can also cause the extinction of underwater plants and fish.
Dumping of Chemical Wastes by Big Factories
Detergents are chemicals dumped in the ocean. On the other hand, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are highly toxic substances, and their traces are found to be discharged into the environment today.
Other toxic pollution found in the water is caused by chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, and lead.
Lead is used in gasoline or petrol but has been restricted in some countries. Meanwhile, cadmium and mercury are still used in batteries. Recently, a chemical named Tributyltin (TBT) was also found in the affected bodies of water.
In 1938, a Japanese factory discharged a huge amount of mercury into Minamata Bay. This heavy metal water pollution contaminated the fish stocks, and it took almost ten years for the authorities to notice the problem.
By that time, locals had already consumed the fish, and about 2,000 residents were poisoned. More than 100 people became disabled and were killed.
Discharge of Radioactive Wastes
High concentrations of radioactive waste can cause great alarm to the public. It can cause illnesses such as cancer, which can ultimately cause the death of a person.
Sellafield and Cap La Hague are Europe's biggest sources of radioactive pollution. These companies discharge radioactive waste into the ocean, which the currents carry worldwide.
Norway has received significant doses of radioactive pollution from Sellafield, and the government has repeatedly complained about the company.
The Norwegian and Irish governments have continuously pushed for the plant's closure for years.
Oil Spills
According to studies, 12% of the oil that enters the ocean is due to tanker accidents, while 70% comes from people pouring oil on the land and standard shipping.
However, tanker oil spills are destructive because they simultaneously release large amounts of oil. One of the biggest oil spills in the United States was in 1989, when the tanker Exxon Valdez broke up in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
This incident dumped around 12 million gallons of oil into the ocean, affecting about 1,000 to 2,000 sea otters and 250,000 seabirds. The oil spill also destroyed billions of salmon and herring eggs.
Throwing of Plastics in the Ocean
Plastics are one of the most common materials that can easily get washed away by the waves.
Today, plastic is used in almost every manufactured object, from clothes to home items and automobile parts. It is lightweight and floats easily. However, plastic is not biodegradable, and it can affect the survival of marine life for a very long time.
Some may argue that plastics are not as poisonous as other chemicals but threaten fish, seabirds, and other marine animals.
For example, plastic fishing lines and other waste materials can choke and strangle a fish. Also, about half of the world’s seabird population has eaten plastic, and experts have found residues in their stomachs.
Introduction of Alien Species in the Marine Environment
Water pollution can be caused by alien or invasive species introduced into a new system to which they do not belong. When they are outside of their normal environment, they don’t have natural predators. They can run rapidly in the wild and crowd the usual plants or animals that live in the place.
For example, the zebra mussels in the Great Lakes of the United States are carried by the wastewater flushed from European ships. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Sea has been attacked by alien algae, while the Black Sea is an alien jellyfish.
Other Forms of Pollution
Some forms of pollution include thermal pollution from power plants or factories, which can cause river issues. Rising water temperatures can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water and decrease the aquatic life that the river can support.
Also, the disruption of sediments or the fine-grained powders that move from the rivers into the sea must be considered. The water dams built as water reservoirs or to produce hydroelectric power can reduce the sediment flow. With this, the formation of beaches and the flow of nutrients is reduced while coastal erosion increases.
Meanwhile, increased sediments can also be a problem. During construction, rock, soil, and fine powders can enter rivers in large quantities, making them turbid, silted, or muddy.
The additional sediment can block the gills of several fish and suffocate them. Thus, construction firms are making efforts to prevent this.
The Effects of Water Pollution
On the Environment
Disrupted Web Chain
A healthy ecosystem depends on a complex web of interacting organisms, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. These interactions can be direct or indirect, and once one group is harmed, it creates a chain effect. This is especially true in aquatic environments.
Water pollution can cause the death of the animals found in the water. It can kill various types of animals, such as whales, dolphins, fish, and even birds. If an animal gets killed, all other animals will be affected, and the system will be disrupted.
Heavy Metal Ingestion
Chemicals and heavy metals from municipal wastewater and industrial wastes contaminate waterways. Once they reach aquatic life, they reduce the organism’s life span and reproduction ability.
As a response, organisms climb the food chain as predators eat prey. One example is tuna and other large fish, which accumulate high amounts of toxins, such as mercury.
Marine Animal Strangulation
Marine debris can strangle, starve, and suffocate animals. Much of this solid debris is plastic bags, soda cans, metals, and other manufactured materials that get swept into sewers, storm drains, and the sea.
This made the ocean a big dumpsite and formed floating garbage patches. Discarded fishing gear and other types of debris are responsible for harming more than 200 different species of marine life.
Algal Blooms
Another case is an algal bloom in a lake or marine environment. This is when excessive algae growth covers the entire surface of a body of water. The organisms living underneath would lack essential nutrients, such as oxygen and sunlight.
This lack of oxygen is called ‘eutrophication’ and suffocates plants and animals. It creates a ‘dead zone’ where the marine environment lacks life. Harmful algal blooms can sometimes produce neurotoxins that trouble wildlife, from sea turtles to whales.
Ocean Acidification
This happens when the ocean's pH level decreases, increasing carbon dioxide, which poses a great risk to animals, including shelled animals and corals.
Though the ocean is a great carbon sink, it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and burning fossil fuels makes oceans more acidic. This acidity impacts shellfish, corals, and the nervous systems of sharks, clownfish, and other marine life.
On Human Health
Unsafe Water
Water pollution kills. It can affect humans by acquiring various diseases. People can get hepatitis from eating seafood affected by polluted water.
Every year, unsafe water makes 1 billion people ill. In 2015, it killed 1.8 million people, according to The Lancet. Low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes are often closest to the most polluting industries.
Water-borne Pathogens
They are in the form of disease-causing, such as bacteria and viruses from human and animal waste. They cause major illnesses from contaminated drinking water. Cholera is a common issue due to contaminated water, and it has killed many people in all parts of the world. Other diseases, such as typhoid and giardia, are spread through unsafe water.
Even in wealthy nations, illegal or accidental releases from sewage treatment facilities, including runoffs from urban areas and farms, contribute to the harmful pathogens to waterways.
Serious Health Risk
Every year, 8,000 to 18,000 people in the US are admitted to the hospital with Legionnaire’s disease, a respiratory infection caused by exposure to contaminated water aerosols from engineered water systems.
The actual number may be higher because many infections are not diagnosed or reported. Cases are cropping up from California’s Disneyland to Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Heavy Metal Contamination
Due to the recent lead contamination crisis, Flint, Michigan, experienced a plight due to cost-cutting measures and aging water infrastructure. This crisis offered a stark look at how dangerous chemicals and other industrial pollutants in the water can be.
The problem goes far beyond Flint. It involves much more than lead because of a wide range of chemical pollutants-from heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers. These heavy metal chemicals are getting into the water supplies.
Once ingested, these toxins can cause many other health issues, from hormone disruption to cancer to altered brain function. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk.
Swimming
Even swimming has a risk. Every year, 3.5 million Americans contract health issues such as pink eye, skin rashes, respiratory infections, and hepatitis from sewage-laden coastal waters, as EPA estimates.
Indeed, water pollution is gradually destroying the balance of the ecosystem. This is the people's fault because most of the bodies of water are now polluted, and their rehabilitation can take many years.
Prevention and Solutions to Water Pollution
One can easily do his part in preventing water pollution today. One of the main things to do is never throw garbage into the sea. You can minimize waste and recycle things you can still use.
Here are some ways that you can do to prevent water pollution:
With Your Environment
-
Plant trees or plants near bodies of water so that the topsoil with personal chemicals will not get washed away when it rains. Big trees will help prevent soil erosion. When the soil is eroded, the pesticides and chemicals on the land will be washed away and carried into the sea. But if there are big trees to stop the eroding of the soil, the oceans will be protected.
-
Do not use pesticides or fertilizers when maintaining your lawn. By avoiding pesticides, you can prevent highway runoff.
-
If you wish to use cleaning liquids, be sure that these are environmentally safe.
-
Do your part by picking up some litter you see in the environment. Pick up those candy wrappers, plastic, and others. With this, you can also lead as a good example and encourage others to do their part.
-
Avoid using plastics if possible, especially when dining. Say no to straws, plastic cups, and plastic utensils when you dine and get out on the beach.
With Your Actions
-
Be responsible for the amount of water that you use every day. If you watch how much water you use, you will be surprised to save a huge amount of money on your bill. For example, when you brush your teeth, use a cup instead of allowing it to flow endlessly.
-
Do not throw excess fat or oil down the drain when cooking. Once your dirty dishes are full and dry, drain them in a container and discard them as solid waste.
-
Do not make your toilet your wastebasket. Do not flush unnecessary things in the toilet because this will only clog up your drains. It is unsustainable, and it will only lead to massive pollution in the end.
-
Switch to the use of a water-efficient toilet in your home. If you think this is costly, you can use a brick or a ½ gallon container to reduce the amount of water released in each flush and reduce the space. With this, you can save water that is being unnecessarily flushed down the toilet.
-
Oil or chemicals should also not be flushed down the toilet or sink, as they can end up in the groundwater.
-
Some people flush unused pharmaceutical drugs down the drain until they accumulate in massive amounts. You can prevent this incident from happening by dropping off unused medicines at a drug drop-off, which the government and other organizations usually organize.
-
Reduce your plastic consumption and reuse or recycle plastic whenever you can'.
-
Place your chemical cleaners, oil, and non-biodegradable items where they belong so they won't go down the drain.
-
Always keep your vehicles in good condition to prevent oil, coolant, and antifreeze leaks. This will also prevent oil from spilling into the water.
-
If you have a yard, consider landscaping that avoids or reduces the runoff. Also, avoid applying pesticides and herbicides.
-
If you have a dog, make sure to pick up its poop.
With Your Job
-
Food waste in your workplace can be a source of waste in landfills. It is better to recycle your food waste.
-
Use signs for your recycling systems in workplaces.
-
If you are a farmer, allow your animals to graze only when it is a well-vegetated pasture to prevent soil erosion. If you have a garden at home, avoid using pesticides to make your plants grow.
With Your Industry
-
Please measure your waste and share your results and challenges in reducing your business's waste. If you notice you generate a lot of different types of waste from a specific area of your business, you can take measures to reduce that type of waste.
-
If you are in the manufacturing industry, review your processes and discover a way to use your raw materials more efficiently. For example, check if these materials can be recycled within your business's manufacturing process.
-
One business's waste can be another's resource. To reduce your business's industrial waste, look at the waste that can be utilized in another business's manufacturing process. This exchange can help prevent waste from becoming waste, which is a first step in the waste.
-
Reduce your packaging. There are two ways to do this: reduce the amount of packaging on products and compare the packaging of any products you purchase. For example, many products reduce their packaging when bought in bulk, which is a remarkable way to reduce the waste you produce.
-
You can also hire a professional business to provide various waste management services designed to manage your waste. This service will be effective and responsible, causing minimal disruption to your business.
With Your Voice
-
One of the most effective ways to stand up for our waters is to speak out in support of the Clean Water Rule, which is in the scope of the Clean Water Act that protects the drinking water of one in three Americans.
-
Tell the federal government, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and your local elected officials that you support the Clean Water Act. You may also learn how you and those around you can participate in policy-making. Public waterways serve every American. We should all have a say in how they're protected.
Conclusion
In summary, water pollution is a major issue in countries worldwide. Water is essential to our lives, and we cannot ignore the fact that the world’s clean water is being depleted.
The government spends billions to rehabilitate bodies of water and save their people from disasters.
All citizens cause water pollution through small-scale or huge oil spills or waste disposal by big factories. Everything we do, from disposing of plastics in the sea to flushing drugs in the toilet to using pesticides on our garden plants, ultimately destroys the bodies of water.
However, we still have time to prove our worth on this planet and save Mother Earth from destruction. We must change our lifestyles and lives. Go green and save the water.
← Older Post Newer Post →