What Does Water Pollution Do To The Environment – Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve experienced the water cycle in action. Rain falling from the sky, water seeping into the earth, a flowing river, plants sucking up moisture; each is an example of water movement from one ecosystem to another. Protecting the water cycle is vital to maintaining the health of people, animals and the environment. In the figure you can see the planet-wide transformations that drive the cycle. Salt water in the ocean evaporates into the atmosphere and forms clouds. Clouds deposit rain and snow on the landscape. Water flows on the surface or underground. Plants and animals, including humans, use this water to survive, then release some of it back into the environment.
At any moment, the water can pick up pollutants to be incorporated into future stages of the cycle. Debris, sediments, and invisible pollutants (such as fertilizers, oils, pesticides, and other chemicals) are carried overland and downstream to water bodies during heavy rain or snowmelt. Exhaust gases from industrial processes can travel through the air to the clouds and create acid rain. A combination of many different sources of pollution accumulates throughout the watershed and can harm the living things it comes in contact with. In Fort Wainwright, water passes through the ground into the municipal separate storm sewer system, which flows into wetlands and the Chena River. Every leaking vehicle, sewer backup, or pile of dog poop has the power to affect our precious water.
What Does Water Pollution Do To The Environment
A functioning ecosystem can filter some pollution, but it can only do so much. Permeable soils, vegetation, and wetlands are a few examples of natural filtration zones that absorb water and pollutants to create a “sink” to slow water down. These natural filters are often surrounded by man-made surfaces such as parking lots, roofs or culverts. While drainage systems can prevent flooding in an urban area, they also force all that runoff to bypass filtration and enter a wetland or waterway. Using strategies called “Green Infrastructure”, we can use projects that act as natural filtration zones and protect the water cycle. Examples of green infrastructure at Fort Wainwright include the trees and shrubs planted in front of Hangar 3 and the grass strips (gently sloping ditches) that wind through residential areas such as the Tanana Trails.
How Are Fish Affected By Water Pollution?
The planet already has a limited water supply, mainly in forms unusable by humans, such as salt water in the oceans, polar ice caps, permafrost, or fresh water contaminated with non-potable chemicals. In the United States, pollution has historically made 40 percent of the nation’s rivers and lakes unsafe for swimming or fishing. That’s why we all have to do our part to prevent pollution. Every little thing we do to protect water quality can change the water cycle! English poet W.H. Auden once said, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water,” and how true that is. Water is what keeps us alive and sustains us. Why then do we have such a problem keeping water clean and what does water pollution do not only to us but also to the environment? Let’s delve deeper into the topic of water pollution so that we can better understand it and its effects on the entire world.
Water pollution is caused when a toxic substance enters the water supply, whether it is a river, ocean, or underground aquifer, and contaminates it to the point that the supply becomes unsafe. Water is also particularly vulnerable to contamination because it is a “universal solvent”. Water can dissolve chemicals, biomaterials, and even solids that can enter lakes and rivers or even underground aquifers and contaminate water supplies.
Speaking of plastic, aquatic animals are harmed by plastic every day. They become entangled in nylon and lose limbs or are strangled. Most marine life ingests plastic all the time. A sea turtle was saved off the coast of South Africa after scientists removed an entire plastic bag from its throat.
In Norway in 2017, a goose-beaked whale had to be put down after eating 30 plastic shopping bags. The two animals that seem most sensitive to plastic damage seem to be sea turtles and sperm whales, but the stories of animals killed or injured by plastic go on and on.
Dying Waters: India Struggles To Clean Up Its Polluted Urban Rivers
The environment is also greatly affected by nutrient pollution. The nitrogen causes the algae in the water to multiply at an astonishing rate, and the algae in turn absorb all the oxygen in the water, causing mass destruction of marine life.
In Washington, DC, USA, the Environmental Working Group conducted a study and found that carcinogens in American drinking water may be the cause of over 100,000 cases of cancer. Although there are drugs available to treat cancer, proper care for many forms remains prohibitively expensive, and treatment often prolongs life but does not cure it.
In Flint, Michigan, an entire community faced serious problems due to water pollution from the Flint River. Despite many complaints, the city insisted the water was safe, but highly contaminated with lead and other chemicals. In 2018 and 2019, government officials finally took action on previously neglected issues and helped residents with health problems caused by this disaster. They also replaced the corroded pipes that were the source of the dangerous pollutants.
The US is not the only nation with pollution problems. It is much worse in developing countries. Out of 3119 settlements in India, only 209 of them have any kind of sewage treatment facilities. It is estimated that more than 3 million children die each year due to poor sanitation and toxic drinking water. Contaminated water causes conditions such as cholera, diarrhea and intestinal worms.
Types And Effects Of Water Pollution
In addition, in Africa, dirty water acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes that cause malaria and encephalitis. Over $7 million a year is spent on health care to treat waterborne diseases. Entire developing countries are suffering, with many unable to work or go to school due to illness. Companies like Waterdrop are taking action to provide reliable water projects to sub-Saharan African communities.
Both developing and industrialized countries, in addition to the world’s fish and wildlife, are in trouble due to water pollution, and it’s likely to get a lot worse before it gets better. Countries must step up and find solutions to effectively deal with this ongoing problem or the future of the entire world will be at risk.
Tagged Africa, water pollution, carcinogens, common water pollutants, drinking water, Flint River, India, major sources of water pollution, plastic bag, wastewater, water pollution. Mark the permalink.
About Frankie Wallace Frankie Wallace is a freelance writer with a particular interest in environmental and sustainability issues. When not writing, she can often be found tending to her garden.
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Water is a vital element if we are to survive on earth. But we are all well aware of the much damage we humans have done to the earth to pollute it to the core.
Solutions To Water Pollution: How To Improve Water Quality?
It has certainly become difficult for people to come across lakes and rivers that are filled to the brim with fresh water. And by chance, if we come across one, surely the reservoir may be contaminated with one thing or another.
Water pollution is a change caused in the chemical, physical or biological properties of water that has the ability to harm living organisms. In simple words, water pollution is the contamination of bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, groundwater or seas. Pollution is usually caused by human intervention.
Waste from households, factories or agricultural land is dumped into rivers or lakes. This waste can be in the form of liquid waste, garbage or sewage. Harmful chemicals leaching from these wastes can harm aquatic organisms.
Most water bodies are turned into dumping grounds by nearby areas. And this creates a huge problem because landfill contains everything from plastic, aluminum to glass, styrofoam, etc. And since all waste takes different time
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