Types and Effects of Water Pollution

On Earth, water makes up around 70% of the surface. 70% of your body weight is vital to life. It sustains aquatic life and other ecosystems. Hence, we need to have an understanding of water pollution and its effects.

Types of Water Pollution

Water contamination is categorized based on the characteristics of the affected water body.

Groundwater Pollution

It happens when the risky substances that people apply to the ground's surface seep in through rains. The toxins contaminate subterranean water features like waterbeds and rivers. Wells and boreholes may consequently become polluted. Use of pesticides and fertilizers is the primary source of this form of contamination. This occurs when chemicals, oil, road salts, and other man-made pollutants contaminate groundwater, making it hazardous and unfit for human consumption.

Surface Water Pollution
Water that is naturally present on the surface of the earth is referred to as surface water. This occurs above ground such as Lakes, rivers, oceans, and lagoons. These water features become contaminated when contaminants dissolve or combine with the water. It can be unintentional, like when industries dump their garbage into rivers or the ocean, or inadvertent, or when oil spills in the ocean.

Oxygen Depletion Pollution

Aquatic bacteria thrive on materials that degrade easily. The quantity of microbes rises when many of these things enter the water. They exhaust all of the water's oxygen. Anaerobic organisms thrive when oxygen levels are low, while aerobic germs perish as a result.

Water contamination is caused by anaerobic microbes that produce poisons such sulfides and ammonia. All of them are dangerous for both people and aquatic life.

Chemical Pollution

The most frequent kind of water pollution is a chemical. They have an impact on both surface- and groundwater systems. The main contributors are industries and agricultural activities.

Metals and solvents used in industry can contaminate rivers and lakes. The other reason for soil pollution in farms is the use of pesticides to control weeds, insects, and fungi. Petroleum spills can potentially contaminate chemicals.

Nutrient Pollution

While nutrients are necessary for plants and aquatic life, having too many of them can be harmful. Both fertilizers and wastewater are rich in the nutrients needed for plant growth. As a result, when they enter the water, they quickly and uncontrollably stimulate the growth of vegetation and algae on the water's surface.

It causes drinking water to become contaminated and water filters to become clogged. Additionally, it depletes all available oxygen, which kills aquatic life.

Microbial Pollution

As a result of naturally occurring microbes including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, this form of water contamination is natural. Some of these microbes can cause cholera and bilharzia when they are present in water. Where individuals drink untreated water, microbial contamination is a prevalent problem.

Effects of Water Pollution

Pollution of water affects both humans and aquatic life. Most water sources close to cities and urban centres are polluted by garbage and dumping of chemicals, legally or illegally. Below are some of the common as well as adverse effects of polluting water bodies.

Destruction of Biodiversity

The ecosystem is distorted by the introduction or eradication of particular microbes. For instance, nutrient pollution causes a growth in algae, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, killing fish and other aquatic life.

Lack of Potable Water

Due to garbage and trash thrown in bodies of water. We make our water undrinkable for humans, especially animals who rely on natural water resources for hydration.

Death of Aquatic Life

Polluted water has a particularly negative impact on creatures and vegetation that rely on water for survival. An insightful look at how the Deep Horizon disaster affected the environment comes from statistics from the Centre for Biological Diversity. According to the research, more than 82,000 birds, 25,900 marine mammals, 6165 sea turtles, and an undetermined number of fish and invertebrates were injured by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill.

Contamination of the Food Chain

The endocrine systems of marine creatures are particularly disturbed by this. By shifting the poisons from lower levels of the food chain to higher levels, pollution disturbs the food chain. When a predator dies, these have an adverse effect on other species by either triggering excessive growth or death (if it wipes out the prey).

Diseases

Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks.

Infant Mortality

Water contamination during pregnancy can first have a negative impact on the mother's health before having an adverse effect on the fetus. Second, newborns' immune systems are immature, making them more prone to infectious illnesses like gastroenteritis and pneumonia.

BE ONE OF US, HELP PREVENT POLLUTION

Let us aim to change our polluted waters to a clean and sustainable resource

Water Pollution Prevention

1. Properly Dispose Toxic Chemicals → Many chemicals used in the home can be recycled. It's possible that your neighborhood has a recycling facility where you may recycle old paint, used motor oil, and other chemicals. There are also drop-off locations and community collection centers in some places. There may even be a hazardous waste collection day in your neighborhood where you can drop off those dangerous old chemicals for proper disposal.

2. Avoid Pouring Grease and Fat Down the Drain → Used cooking oil, grease, and other solid waste should be disposed away with normal trash or preserved in a "fat jar." It's possible for your pipes to clog, causing sewer lines to back up into basements and yards. Local bodies of water are also contaminated by pollution.

3. Prevent Vehicles from Leaking → Vehicles' oil and other fluid leaks cause the local water table or creeks and streams to become contaminated. Simply be vigilant about keeping and fixing your automobiles to solve this runoff issue.

4. Minimize Plastic Use → Due to its difficulty in decomposition, almost all of the plastic we consume finds its way into the world's water supplies. If you strive to use as few plastic goods as possible, you can help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our rivers and seas, where it is even more difficult to remove and safely recycle.

5. Eat More Organic Food → By eating organically, one can lessen the risk of harmful chemical pollution entering the water. Foods that are grown organically also frequently use fewer hazardous and poisonous chemicals. Additionally, animals grown for meat require large amounts of water for the food and grains they require for growth and survival, and frequently their waste ends up in groundwater, streams, creeks, lakes, and rivers.

PROTECT OUR WATERS

Water is a necessary natural resource for all living beings. It impacts our health and the state of our ecosystems. As we continue to consume water, the more the pollution increases. Any irresponsible behavior in the part of humanity affects all the other beneficiaries. We still have time to bring change so let's take action now before it's too late. Help prevent water pollution now.