Essay On Water Pollution | Its Causes and Harmful Effects in English

WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION

WATER POLLUTION IS THE INTRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL OR BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL THAT DEGRADES THE QUALITY OF THE WATER AND AFFECTS THE ORGANISMS LIVING IN IT.

IT IS DUE TO THE DISCHARGE OF THE MOST TOXIC POLLUTANTS SUCH AS PESTICIDES, HEAVY METALS, NON-DEGRADABLE, BIO-ACCUMULATIVE, CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS.

WATER POLLUTION MAY BE OF DIFFERENT TYPES LIKE GROUNDWATER POLLUTION, SOIL WATER POLLUTION, RIVER POLLUTION, LAKE POLLUTION, COASTAL POLLUTION, OCEAN POLLUTION.

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

INDUSTRIAL WASTES:- WATER IS DISCHARGED AFTER BEING USED IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESS. THIS WASTEWATER MAY CONTAIN ACIDS, ALKALIS, SALTS, POISONOUS, OIL, AND IN SOME CASES, HARMFUL BACTERIA.

MINING WASTES:- MINES, ESPECIALLY GOLD AND COAL MINES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LARGE QUANTITIES OF ACID WATER.

SEWAGE DISPOSAL AND DOMESTIC WASTE:- CONTAMINATION OF FRESHWATER AND SHALLOW OFFSHORES BY SEWAGE IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. SEWAGE INCLUDED MOSTLY BIODEGRADABLE MATTER LIKE HUMAN FAECAL MATTERS, ANIMAL WASTES, DISSOLVED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND ETC.

AGRICULTURAL WASTES:- DRAINAGE FROM SILAGE AND MANURE SLURRY FROM INTENSIVE HUSBANDRY CAUSES HEAVY POLLUTION OF SOME WATERCOURSES. PLANTS' NUTRIENTS, INSECTICIDES, AND PESTICIDES ARE ALSO INTRODUCED INTO WATERCOURSES BY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. SEDIMENTS FROM LAND EROSION, CONTAINING MOSTLY INORGANIC MATERIALS ALSO ACTS AS POLLUTANTS. POLLUTION OF COASTAL WATER OCCURS DUE TO THE DISCHARGE OF SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS, SEWAGE, AND RUBBISH FROM SHIPS, TRANSPORTATION OF OIL.

DYES:- THOUSANDS OF DYES ARE PREPARED WHICH FIND THEIR WAY INTO THE STREAMS THROUGH THE DISCHARGE OF EFFLUENTS FROM DYEING AND PRINTING INDUSTRIES AND TO A LESSER EXTENT FROM PAPER AND INK MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES.

TOXIC METALS:- POLLUTION OF SEA BY METALLIC CONTAMINANTS OCCURS THROUGH THE DUMPING OF DISCHARGE OF INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC EFFLUENTS OR FROM POLLUTED RIVERS AND TO SOME EXTENT FROM AIR. METALS ARE ALSO POISONOUS AND THEIR DISPERSION INTO SEAS OVER LONG PERIODS MAY BE HIGHLY DANGEROUS SINCE THEY AFFECT THE PRODUCTION OF ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN AS WELL AS MARINE LIFE.

OIL:- REPLACEMENT OF COAL WITH THE OIL FUEL HAS INCREASED THE PROBLEM OF POLLUTION. THE PRESENCE OF OIL IN A WATERCOURSE IS UNDESIRABLE SINCE IT CREATES AESTHETIC PROBLEMS. IT HAS A TENDENCY TO SPREAD OVER THE SURFACE OF WATER. DIFFUSION OF OXYGEN INTO WATER IS INHIBITED RE-AERATION OF WATER IS AFFECTED.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

DISEASES OF HUMANS:- HUMANS CONSUMING POLLUTED WATER THAT AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH. IT CAUSES TYPHOID, CHOLERA, HEPATITIS, AND VARIOUS OTHER DISEASES.

AFFECTING AQUATIC LIFE:- CHEMICALS IN THE WATER BODY ENCOURAGE THE GROWTH OF ALGAE. BACTERIA AND THESE ALGAE AND DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IN THE WATER BODY THAT AFFECTS THE AQUATIC LIFE.

EFFECTS ON THE FOOD CHAIN:- IT HAPPENS WHEN TOXINS ARE POLLUTANTS THAT ENTER IN THE WATER ARE CONSUMED BY AQUATIC ANIMALS {FISH, SHELLFISH ETC } WHICH ARE THEN CONSUMED BY HUMANS