Scribd
Upload
17 views23 pages

Water Pollution 1

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances affect water quality and threaten human and environmental health. It can result from direct discharge of pollutants into water bodies or runoff of air and land pollutants washed in by rain. Over 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation and water-associated diseases kill millions each year globally. Water scarcity will also be a major factor in countries' economic growth as demand for freshwater increases.

Uploaded by

YOSEF DERDESAWE
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
17 views23 pages

Water Pollution 1

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances affect water quality and threaten human and environmental health. It can result from direct discharge of pollutants into water bodies or runoff of air and land pollutants washed in by rain. Over 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation and water-associated diseases kill millions each year globally. Water scarcity will also be a major factor in countries' economic growth as demand for freshwater increases.

Uploaded by

YOSEF DERDESAWE
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 23

Water Pollution

Pollution
• Pollution is the effect of undesirable changes
in our surroundings that have harmful
effects on plants, animals and human
beings.
Water Pollution
• Physical or chemical change in water that
adversely affects the health of humans or other
organisms.
• Global problem.
What is Water Pollution?
• Occurs when pollutants are discharged
directly into water bodies e.g. rivers, lakes
and seas.
• Occurs when air and land pollutants are
blown by wind or washed by rain into water
bodies.
Water Pollution
• Over 1 billion people lack access to safe water
supplies, while 2.6 billion people lack adequate
sanitation.
• Water-associated infectious diseases kills 3.2
million lives each year, approximately 6% of
all deaths globally.
• The burden of disease from inadequate water,
sanitation, and hygiene totals 1.8 million
deaths.
• Water is the essential element that makes life on
earth possible.

• Without water there would be no life.

• We usually take water for granted. It flows from


our taps when they are turned on.

• Most of us are able to bathe when we want to,


swim when we choose and water our gardens.

• Like good health, we ignore water when we have


it.
• Although 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by
water only a tiny fraction of this water is available
to us as fresh water.

• About 97% of the total water available on earth is


found in oceans and is too salty for drinking or
irrigation.

• The remaining 3% is fresh water. Of this 2.997%


is locked in ice tops or glaciers.
• Only 0.003% of the earth’ total volume of water
is easily available to us as soil moisture,
groundwater, water vapour and water in lakes,
streams, rivers and wetlands.

• In short if the world’s water supply were only


100 liters our usable supply of fresh water would
be only about 0.003 liters (one-half teaspoon).
This makes water a very precious resource.
• The future wars in our world may will be fought
over water.

• By the middle of this century, almost twice as


many people will be trying to share the same
amount of fresh water the earth has today.

• As freshwater becomes more scarce, access to


water resources will be a major factor in
determining the economic growth of several
countries around the world.
Water Availability on the Planet
• Water that is found in streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands
and artificial reservoirs is called surface water.

• Water that infiltrates into the ground and fills the


pores in soil and rock is called groundwater.

• Porous water-saturated layers of sand, gravel or


bedrock through which groundwater flows are called
aquifers. Most aquifers are replenished naturally by
rainfall that infiltrates downward through the soil
and rock. This process is called natural recharge.
• If the withdrawal rate of an aquifer exceeds its
natural recharge rate, the water table is lowered.
• Any pollutant that is discharged onto the land
above is also pulled into the aquifer and pollutes
the groundwater resulting in polluted water in
the nearby wells.
The Importance of Water
• All living things need
water
▫ Composes majority of
the body of organisms
▫ Habitat for many
organisms
• Helps regulate climate
• Shapes earth’s surface
• Dilutes & degrades
wastes
Types of Water Pollution
1- Organic wastes from domestics.
2- Infectious agents contributed by domestic
sewage.
3- Plant nutrients as algae.
4- Synthetic organic chemicals as pesticides,
detergents.
5- Inorganic chemicals and minerals substances.
6- Sediments that fill stream channels and
reservoirs.
8- Radio–active pollution.
Water Pollutants
• Industrial wastes

• Mining and agricultural wastes

• Agricultural pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides

• Sewage disposal and domestic wastes


Causes of Water Pollution
Improper disposal of sewage
• Sewage refers to solid or liquid waste produced by
households or industries.
e.g. human waste, detergent

• When untreated sewage is discharged into rivers


and seas, water pollution occurs.
Causes of Water Pollution
Improper disposal of sewage
• Some substances in treated sewage are non-
biodegradable.
e.g. detergent
Causes of Water Pollution
Oil spills
• Oil spills occur when the body of an oil
tanker is torn by sharp rocks or when
a tanker strikes with another ship, causing
the oil it is carrying to spill into the sea.
Causes of Water Pollution
There are several classes of common water
pollutants.

• These are disease-causing agents (pathogens)


which include bacteria, viruses, protozoa and
parasitic worms that enter water from domestic
sewage and untreated human and animal wastes.
• Human wastes contain concentrated populations
of coliform bacteria such as Escherichia coli and
Streptococcus faecalis.

• These bacteria normally grow in the large intestine


of humans where they are responsible for some
food digestion and for the production of vitamin K.
These bacteria are not harmful in low numbers.

• Large amounts of human waste in water, increases


the number of these bacteria which cause
gastrointestinal diseases.
• Another class of water pollutants is
inorganic chemicals which are acids, salts
and compounds of toxic metals such as
mercury and lead.

• High levels of these chemicals can make the


water unfit to drink, harm fish and other
aquatic life, reduce crop yields and
accelerate deterioration of equipment that
use this water.
• Another cause of water pollution is a variety of
organic chemicals, which include oil, gasoline,
plastics, pesticides, cleaning solvents, detergent
and many other chemicals.

• These are harmful to aquatic life and human


health.

• They get into the water directly from industrial


activity either from improper handling of the
chemicals in industries and more often from
improper and illegal disposal of chemical wastes.
Marine Pollution
• Marine pollution can be defined as the introduction
of substances to the marine environment directly
or indirectly by man resulting in adverse effects
such as hazards to human health, obstruction of
marine activities and lowering the quality of sea
water.

• While the causes of marine pollution may be


similar to that of general water pollution there are
some very specific causes that pollute marine
waters.
• The most obvious inputs of waste is through
pipes directly discharging wastes into the sea.
Very often municipal waste and sewage from
houses and hotels in coastal towns are directly
discharged into the sea.

• Pesticides and fertilizers from agriculture which


are washed off the land by rain, enter water
courses and eventually reach the sea.

You might also like