Water Pollution

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER

Water is one of the most essential elements to good health. Health officials emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water every day to maintain good health. Each cell in the body depends upon water in order to function. Numerous disorders are caused by insufficient and unhealthy water. Water is essential to the functioning of every single cell and organ system in the human body. Water makes up greater than 2/3 of the weight of the human body; the brain is 75% water, blood is 83% water, bones are 22% water, muscles are 75% water, and the lungs are 90% water. Water is important to human life and to the operation of the human body. When the human body does not get enough water, a decrease of as little as 2% in our body's water supply can have harmful effects and cause symptoms of dehydration such as daytime fatigue, excess thirst, fuzzy memory, difficulty focusing on tasks and simple math, lightheadedness, and nausea. It has been estimated that 75% of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. A reduction of 4-5% in body water can result in a 20-30% decrease in work and exercise performance. A 10% decrease in water will produce significant health risks. A week without water will surely result in death.

Water is essential for the efficient elimination of waste products through the kidneys and regulates body temperature through perspiration and also serves as a lubricant; water forms the fluids surrounding joints and bones, providing cushioning for the joints. Furthermore, water prevents and alleviates constipation by moving food through the intestines and eliminating waste products. In other case, water helps the body to absorb nutrients in the intestines and also plays a role in regulating metabolism. Water carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body and facilitates all of the chemical processes which occur in the body. Water plays a role in the prevention of disease. Drinking adequate amounts of water can reduce the risk of colon and bladder cancer significantly, and some studies have suggested that water may also decrease the risk of breast cancer. Many public water systems treat water with chlorine to destroy diseaseproducing contaminants that may be present in the water. Although disinfection is an important step in the treatment of potable water, the taste and odor of chlorine is objectionable. And, the disinfectants that are used to prevent disease can create byproducts which may pose significant health risks.

What cause the water to become polluted?

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring. The concentration is often the key in determining what is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts on aquatic flora and fauna. Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity which blocks light and disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species. Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts. Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes acidity, electrical conductivity, temperature, and eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia and severe reductions in water quality may occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.

What if the water is polluted?

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals are dumped and in what locations. In Boston, the water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and routinely receives more waste when rainfall pushes it into the harbor. Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted. This is the result of both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by industries. The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits water-based ecosystems. Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat. Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels. Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Water pollution is together with air pollution the most serious form of environmental pollution. Water pollution not only does huge damage to our environment but also to our health. Water is the most precious resource on our planet, and water pollution is the main reason why freshwater resources are constantly declining, and the worst part in the whole story is the fact that there are still many people in the world who do not take water pollution problem seriously.

The contamination of water bodies has tremendous negative impact on environment, it has ability to destroy many animal habitats, and cause irreparable damage to many ecosystems. Water pollution is not only killing millions of people around the globe each year, it is also killing millions of plants and animals that simply cannot cope with the increasing levels of water pollution caused by different chemicals and other waste. In some areas of the world water pollution issue is totally out of control, and in these areas polluted water spreads different toxins and other chemicals into environment, making it dirty, and above all unhealthy place to live in. The aquatic life is mostly affected with water pollution, and water pollution can even lead to an extinction of some animal species, like this was the case with the Yangtze River Dolphin. Chemical compounds and other water pollutants cause aquatic animals difficulties with breathing while on the other hand these chemicals can also be quite toxic for land animals once they drink this polluted water.

Do something to prevent or minimize the effects of water pollution.

PREVENTION OF WATER POLLUTION

As the water pollution is so serious all around the world, we need to take some actions to prevent it from happening or to minimize the effect of water pollution to us and the environment. Domestic sewage is 99.9 percent pure water, while the other 0.1 percent are pollutants. Although found in low concentrations, these pollutants pose risk on a large scale. In urban areas, domestic sewage is typically treated by centralized sewage treatment plants. Well-designed and operated systemscan remove 90 percent or more of these pollutants. Some plants have additional sub-systems to treat nutrients and pathogens. Some industrial facilities generate ordinary domestic sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities. Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of conventional pollutants, toxic pollutants or other nonconventional pollutants such as ammonia, need specialized treatment systems. Some of these facilities can install a pre-treatment system to remove the toxic components, and then send the partially treated wastewater to the municipal system. Industries generating large volumes of wastewater typically operate their own complete on-site treatment systems.

Sediment washed off fields is one of the largest source of agricultural pollution in the world. Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields. Common techniques include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial crops and installing riparian buffers. Nutrients may also enter runoff from crop residues, irrigation water, wildlife, and atmospheric deposition. Farmers can develop and implement nutrient management plans to reduce excess application of nutrients. To minimize pesticide impacts, farmers may use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques which can include biological pest control to maintain control over pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and protect water quality. Effective control of urban runoff involves reducing the velocity and flow of stormwater, as well as reducing pollutant discharges. Local governments use a variety of stormwater management techniques to reduce the effects of urban runoff. These techniques, called best management pratices (BMPs) in the U.S., may focus on water quantity control, while others focus on improving water quality, and some perform both functions.

Efforts that are taken to control water pollution.

SOLUTIONS TO WATER POLLUTION

The most important body to handle this pollution is the government where they should enforce existing laws which related to the water environment. By strictly enforce the existing law, such as Clean Water Act would give awareness to citizen how important the water. Penalty or fine will be charge on any individual or organization that involve in this unethical behavior would help in reducing the level of the pollution. Besides that, the government should organize social campaigns and activities which related to against the water pollution. This way could help to aware people of their irresponsible attitude and reduce the littering. Second solution is by doing the water treatment. There are two main reasons for water treatment which are to protect the public health and preserve the water quality. As general, most of the waste water comes from industries, homes, businesses, storm runoff, ground water, and schools. Also sludge is being treated to remove some of its water. Then it is further processed by stabilizing, dewatering and disposal which is can control water pollution.

The third solution to water pollution is by minimizing the usage of plastic. As we know the growing impact of plastic pollution on our oceans will be one of big cause to this issue. We need to figure out ways that can use less plastic, especially plastic storage bags. This type of plastic is easy for wildlife to swallow and eventually causes death. Apart of that, we should simply say no to bottle. Even it is convenient to drink bottled water but the environment impact of bottled water plastic is huge. A much healthier and less expensive solution to bottled water is to invest in refillable glass water bottles or stainless steel water bottles and fill them with filtered drinking water. As a conclusion, it is essential that all individuals, community and organizations to involve and work together with the government in order to prevent this disaster to going to critical level.

Brown pipe water

The soil erosion has made the water to become polluted. The polluted water may contain harmful substances such as Bromine, Ammonia and Sulphur.

Polluted river
River, which is the most important water source, has been polluted by toxic pollutants. The picture has shown a river in India. Based on researches that had done, rivers in India are the most polluted in the world due to the high population in the country.

Unhealthy water
If we keep polluting the water without taking actions or thinking about the effect of water pollution, one day we will drink a glass of water that contains sands and stones as what shown in the picture.