What is water pollution?
•Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes,
rivers, oceans and groundwater), very often by human activities.
•Any change or modification in the physical, chemical and biological
properties of water that will have a detrimental consequence on living things
is water pollution.
• It occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into
water bodies without enough treatment to get rid of harmful compounds.
•Pollutants get into water mainly by human causes or factors.
•Water pollution is the second most imperative environmental concern
along with air pollution.
What are the types of water pollution
1. Nutrients Pollution
•Some wastewater, fertilizers and sewage contain high levels
of nutrients.
•If they end up in water bodies, they encourage algae and
weed growth in the water.
•This will make the water undrinkable, and even clog filters.
•Too much algae will also use up all the oxygen in the water,
and other water organisms in the water will die out of oxygen
starvation.
2. Surface water pollution
•Surface water includes natural water found on the earth's
surface, like rivers, lakes, lagoons and oceans.
•Hazardous substances coming into contact with this surface
water, dissolving or mixing physically with the water can be
called surface water pollution.
3. Oxygen Depleting
•Water bodies have micro-organisms including aerobic and
anaerobic organisms.
•When to much biodegradable matter end up in water, it
encourages more microorganism growth, and they use up more
oxygen in the water.
•If oxygen is depleted, aerobic organisms die, and anaerobic
organism grow more to produce harmful toxins such as
ammonia and sulfides.
4. 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.
•This means when we dig wells and bore holes to get water
from underground, it needs to be checked for water pollution.
Effects of Water Pollution
•The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on
what chemicals are dumped and in which locations.
•Many water bodies near urban areas are highly polluted.
•This is the result of both garbage dumped by individuals
and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by
manufacturing industries, health centers, schools and market
places.
Health Effects
• Consumption of polluted water is a major cause
of ill health in India.
• Polluted water causes some of the deadly
diseases like cholera, dysentery, diarrhea,
tuberculosis, jaundice, etc.
• About 80 per cent of stomach diseases in India
are caused by polluted water.
