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Water Pollution Essay

Water Pollution and How it Harms the Environment

Global pollution is a problem. Pollution can spread to remote areas where no one lives, despite the fact that urban areas are typically more polluted than the countryside. Air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution are the three main categories of pollution. Some contaminated water has a terrible smell, a muddy appearance, and floating trash. Some contaminated water appears clean, but it contains dangerous substances that you can't see or smell.

Together, developed and developing nations must fight to conserve the environment for present and future generations. Today, we dig deep into the subject of Water Pollution. This article can be an introduction to water pollution for kids as we will read many things such as the causes of water pollution further in the article.

What is Water Pollution?

Water contamination occurs when pollutants pollute water sources and make the water unfit for use in drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities. Chemicals, garbage, bacteria, and parasites are examples of pollutants. Water is eventually damaged by all types of pollution. Lakes and oceans become contaminated by air pollution. Land contamination may contaminate an underground stream, a river, and ultimately the ocean. As a result, trash thrown on an empty lot can eventually contaminate a water source.

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Water Pollution

The water cycle, called the hydrological cycle, involves the following steps:

Evaporation- Because of the sun's heat, the water bodies such as oceans, lakes, seas etc., get heated up, and water evaporates in the air, forming water vapours.

Transpiration- Like evaporation, the plants and trees also lose water from them which goes to the atmosphere. This process is called transpiration.

Condensation- As the water evaporates, it starts to become cool because of the cold atmosphere in the air and because of this cooling down of water leads to the formation of clouds.

Precipitation- Because of the high movements of the wings, the clouds start to collide and then fall back to the earth’s surface in the form of rain. Sometimes they also fall back in the form of snow, hail, sleet etc., depending upon the temperature.

Runoff or Infiltration- After precipitation, the water either flows to the water bodies called runoff or is absorbed into the soil, called infiltration.

Causes of Water Pollution

There are many reasons for water pollution. Some of the reasons are directly affected by water pollution and some indirectly. Many factories and industries are dumping contaminated water, chemicals, and heavy metals into major waterways as a result of direct water pollution.

One more reason for water pollution is the use of modern techniques in farms. Farmers apply nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the form of chemical fertilizers, manure, and sludge. It causes farms to discharge large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, and saline drainage into water bodies. It indirectly affects water pollution.

Pollutants can be of various types such as organic, inorganic, radioactive etc. Water pollutants are discharged either from one point from pipes, channels etc., which are called point sources or from various other sources. They can be agricultural areas, industries etc., called dispersed sources.

Some of the major forms of water pollutants are as follows:

Sewage- Domestic sewage from homes contains various forms of pathogens that threaten the human body. Sewage treatment reduces the risk of pathogens, but this risk is not eliminated.

Domestic sewage majorly contains nitrates and phosphates, and excess of these substances allows the algae to grow on the surface of water bodies. Due to this, the clean water bodies become nutrient-rich water body and then slowly, the oxygen level of water bodies reduces. This is called eutrophication or cultural eutrophication (if this step rapidly takes place by the activities of humans). This leads to the early death of water bodies.

Toxins- The industrial or factory wastes that are not disposed of properly and contain chemicals such as mercury and lead are disposed of in the water bodies making the bodies toxic, radioactive, explosive and cancerous.

Sediments- Sediments are the result of soil erosion that is formed in the water bodies. These sediments imbalances the water bodies ecologically. They also interfere in the reproductive cycle of various aquatic animals living in the water.

Thermal pollution- Water bodies get polluted because of heat, and excess heat reduces the oxygen level of the water bodies. Some of the species of fish cannot live in such water bodies with very low oxygen levels. The disposal of cold waters from the power plants leads to increased thermal pollution in the water bodies.

Petroleum oil pollution- The runoff of oil into the water bodies, either accidentally as happened in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, or intentionally, leads to an increase in water pollution.

As water is an important element of human health, polluted water directly affects the human body. Water pollution causes various diseases like typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, cancer, etc. Water pollution damages the plants and aquatic animals present in the river by reducing the oxygen content from the water. Polluted water washes the essential nutrients which plants need out of the soil and also leaves large amounts of aluminium in the soil, which can be harmful to plants.

Wastewater and sewage are a by-product of daily life and thus produced by each household through various activities like using soap, toilets, and detergents. Such sewage contains chemicals and bacteria which are harmful to human life and environmental health. Water pollution also leads to an imbalance in our ecosystem. Lastly, it also affects the food chain as the toxins in the water bodies are consumed by aquatic animals like fish, crabs etc., and then humans consume those animals forming turmoil.

Sometimes our tradition also becomes a cause for water pollution. Some people throw the statues of deities, flowers, pots, and ashes in rivers.

There are various standards to define water quality standards. Water meant for swimming may not be clean enough for drinking, or water meant for bathing may not be good for cooking. Therefore, there are different water standards for defined:

Stream standards- Standards that define streams, lakes, oceans or seas based on their maximum use.

Effluent standards- Define the specific standards for the level of contaminants or effluents allowed during the final discharge of those into the water bodies.

Drinking water standards- Define the level of contamination allowed in water that will be supplied for drinking or cooking in the domestic areas.

Different countries regulate their water quality standards through different acts and amendments.

While many of the solutions for water pollution need to be applied on a broader macro-level for that individual, companies, and communities can have a significant and responsible impact on the water quality. Companies, factories have to dispose of leftover chemicals and containers properly as per the product instructions. Farmers also have to reduce the use of nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers, pesticides, and contamination of groundwater.

The Swachh Bharat Mission of the government had led to reduced groundwater contamination. Under the Namami Ganga program, the government has initiated several major projects to clean Ganga. Along with all these steps, conservation of water is the very basic and important step towards water conservation and should be followed globally, treatment of sewage before their disposal in the water bodies and using environment-friendly products that do not form toxins when dissolved in water. These are some small steps that have to be taken into consideration by every human being.

As we all know, “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” We have to save water. We must keep the water clean. If everyone will follow their responsibility against water to protect it from getting polluted then it will be easy to get clean and healthy drinking water. Clean water is a must for us and our kids' present, future, and healthy environment.

We cannot just live with contaminated waters filled with toxins and no oxygen. We cannot see our wildlife being destroyed and therefore, immediate steps have to be taken by groups of people to first clean the already contaminated water bodies and then keep a check on all the surrounding water bodies. Small steps by every individual can make a huge difference in controlling water pollution.

Water Pollution Prevention

Conserve Water

Our first priority should be to conserve water. Water wasting could be a big problem for the entire world, but we are just now becoming aware of it.

Sewage Treatment

Cleaning up waste materials before disposing of them in waterways reduces pollution on a large scale. By lowering its dangerous elements, this wastewater will be used in other sectors or in agriculture.

Usage of Eco-Friendly Materials

We will reduce the amount of pollution produced by choosing soluble products that do not alter to become pollutants.

Water contamination is the discharge of pollutants into the water body, where they dissolve, are suspended, are deposited on the bottom, and collect to the point where they hinder the aquatic ecosystem's ability to function. Water contamination is brought on by toxic compounds that easily dissolve and combine with it and come from factories, municipalities, and farms.

Healthy ecosystems depend on a complex network of organisms, including animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi, all of which interact with one another either directly or indirectly. In this article, we read about water pollution, its causes and prevention. With this, we have come to the end of our article, in case of any other doubts, feel free to ask in the comments.

FAQs on Water Pollution Essay

1. What are the effects of water pollution?

Water pollution has a great impact on human health. Water pollution kills. It's been recorded that in 2015 nearly 1.8 million people died because of water pollution. People with low income are exposed to contaminated water coming out from the industries. Presence of disease causing pathogens in drinking water are the major cause of illness which includes cholera, giardia, and typhoid. Water pollution not only affects human health but also our environment by causing algal bloom in a lake or marine environment. Water pollution also causes eutrophication which suffocates plants and animals and thus causes dead zones. Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater contaminate waterways and harm aquatic life.

2. What are the causes of Water pollution?

Water being a universal solvent is vulnerable to pollution as it dissolves more substances than any other liquid on earth. Therefore, water is easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into water and mix with it, resulting in water pollution. Agricultural pollution is one of the major causes of contamination in rivers and streams. The use of excessive fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations lets the rain wash the nutrients and pathogens—such as bacteria and viruses—into our waterways. The other major cause of water pollution is used water, termed as wastewater which comes from our sinks, showers, toilets and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities. It's been reported that the world's 80% wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused. Oil spills and radioactive waste also cause water pollution to a great extent.

3. How to prevent water pollution?

It is important to keep our water bodies clean so we can take the following preventive measures to prevent from water pollution:

Chemicals like bleach, paint, paint thinner, ammonia, and many chemicals are becoming a serious problem. Dumping toxic chemicals down the drain or flushing them down the toilet can cause water pollution. Thus, proper disposal is important. Also, household chemicals need to be recycled.

Avoid buying products that contain persistent and dangerous chemicals. Buying non-toxic cleaners and biodegradable cleaners and pesticides cut down on water pollution.

Prevent from pouring fats or greasy substances down the drain as it might clog the drain resulting in the dumping of waste into yards or basement which can contaminate the local water bodies.

4. What is the role of medical institutions in polluting the water?

Pharmaceutical pollution affects aquatic life and thus there is a need to take preventive measures. Consumers are responsible for winding up pharmaceutical and personal care products in lakes, rivers, and streams. There's a lot of unused and expired medication that can potentially get into the water if not disposed of properly.

5. What are the major kinds of pollution?

The three main types of pollution are air pollution, water pollution or soil pollution. Some artificial pollution is also there, such as noise pollution. Factors leading to such pollution include:

Air Pollution: Industrial emissions, fires, traffic and transportation, burning of chemical waste, etc.

Water Pollution: No proper sewage disposal, pesticides in farms leaking into water bodies, industrial waste dumped into water bodies, etc.

Soil Pollution: Oil spills, acid rains, irresponsible disposal of trash, chemical waste, etc.

Noise Pollution: Honking of horns, construction activities, loud parties, etc.

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Essay on Water Pollution

Here we have shared the Essay on Water Pollution in detail so you can use it in your exam or assignment of 150, 250, 400, 500, or 1000 words.

You can use this Essay on Water Pollution in any assignment or project whether you are in school (class 10th or 12th), college, or preparing for answer writing in competitive exams.

Topics covered in this article.

Essay on Water Pollution in 150-250 words

Essay on water pollution in 300-400 words, essay on water pollution in 500-1000 words.

Water pollution is a pressing environmental issue that poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health. It occurs when harmful substances, such as chemicals, industrial waste, or sewage, contaminate water bodies, including rivers, lakes, oceans, and groundwater sources.

Water pollution has devastating consequences on aquatic life. Toxic pollutants can disrupt the balance of ecosystems, leading to the decline of fish and other marine species. Additionally, contaminated water can spread diseases to animals and humans who depend on these water sources for drinking, irrigation, and recreation.

Industrial activities, improper waste disposal, agricultural runoff, and urbanization contribute to water pollution. Efforts to reduce water pollution include stricter regulations on waste disposal, the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, and the development of advanced wastewater treatment technologies.

Awareness and individual responsibility are crucial in combating water pollution. Simple actions like properly disposing of waste, conserving water, and avoiding the use of harmful chemicals can make a significant difference. Education and advocacy are essential to raising public awareness about the importance of protecting water resources and implementing sustainable practices.

In conclusion, water pollution is a grave environmental issue that threatens aquatic ecosystems and human well-being. It is a global challenge that requires collective action and responsible behavior. By implementing effective regulations, adopting sustainable practices, and promoting awareness, we can safeguard our water resources and ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

Title: Water Pollution – A Growing Threat to Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Introduction :

Water pollution is a grave environmental issue that arises from the contamination of water bodies by harmful substances. It poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. This essay explores the causes and consequences of water pollution, as well as the measures required to address and prevent it.

Causes of Water Pollution

Water pollution can be attributed to various human activities and natural factors. Industrial discharge, improper waste disposal, agricultural runoff, oil spills, sewage, and chemical pollutants are among the leading causes. Rapid urbanization, population growth, and inadequate infrastructure for waste management contribute to the problem. Additionally, natural phenomena like sedimentation and erosion can exacerbate water pollution.

Consequences of Water Pollution

Water pollution has far-reaching ecological and human health implications. Contaminated water disrupts aquatic ecosystems, leading to the decline of fish and other marine species. It affects biodiversity, disrupts food chains, and damages habitats. Moreover, polluted water sources pose significant health risks to humans. Consuming or coming into contact with contaminated water can lead to waterborne diseases, gastrointestinal issues, skin problems, and even long-term health impacts.

Prevention and Remediation

Addressing water pollution requires a multi-faceted approach. Stricter regulations and enforcement regarding industrial discharge and waste management are essential. Promoting sustainable agricultural practices, such as reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and implementing proper irrigation techniques, can minimize agricultural runoff. Developing and implementing advanced wastewater treatment technologies is crucial to ensure that domestic and industrial effluents are properly treated before being discharged into water bodies.

Individual and Collective Responsibility:

Preventing water pollution is a shared responsibility. Individuals can contribute by practicing responsible waste disposal, conserving water, and avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. Public awareness campaigns and education programs play a vital role in promoting responsible behavior and fostering a culture of environmental stewardship.

Conclusion :

Water pollution is a critical environmental issue that jeopardizes the health of ecosystems and humans. It demands collective action and responsible behavior. By addressing the root causes of water pollution, implementing effective regulations, and promoting individual and collective responsibility, we can safeguard water resources and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Title: Water Pollution – A Looming Crisis Threatening Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Water pollution is a pressing environmental issue that poses a significant threat to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. It occurs when harmful substances contaminate water bodies, making them unfit for their intended uses. This essay delves into the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to water pollution, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action to address this global crisis.

Water pollution arises from various sources, both human-induced and natural. Human activities play a significant role in polluting water bodies. Industrial discharge, untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, oil spills, mining activities, and improper waste disposal are among the leading causes. Industrial wastewater often contains heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and organic pollutants, which can have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides, fertilizers, and animal waste, contaminates water bodies and contributes to eutrophication, depleting oxygen levels and harming aquatic life.

The consequences of water pollution are far-reaching and encompass ecological, economic, and health impacts. Aquatic ecosystems bear the brunt of pollution, with devastating consequences for biodiversity and food chains. Pollutants disrupt aquatic habitats, decrease water quality, and lead to the decline of fish and other marine species. This ecological imbalance has ripple effects throughout the ecosystem, affecting the entire food web.

Water pollution also has severe implications for human health. Contaminated water sources pose significant risks, as they can transmit waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis. Communities that rely on polluted water for drinking, cooking, and bathing are particularly vulnerable. Prolonged exposure to polluted water can lead to various health issues, such as gastrointestinal problems, skin irritations, respiratory illnesses, and even long-term health effects like cancer.

Furthermore, water pollution has economic ramifications. Polluted water bodies reduce the availability of clean water for agriculture, industry, and domestic use. This leads to increased costs for water treatment, agricultural productivity losses, and economic disruptions in sectors that rely heavily on water resources, such as fisheries and tourism.

Solutions and Mitigation Strategies

Addressing water pollution requires comprehensive strategies and collaborative efforts. Governments, industries, communities, and individuals all have a role to play in mitigating pollution and safeguarding water resources.

a. Regulatory Measures

B. wastewater treatment, c. sustainable agriculture, d. waste management, e. education and awareness.

Effective regulations and enforcement mechanisms are essential to control and prevent water pollution. Governments should establish stringent standards for industrial effluents and enforce penalties for non-compliance. Laws should be enacted to ensure proper waste disposal and treatment practices. Additionally, zoning regulations can help prevent pollution by restricting industrial activities near sensitive water bodies.

Investing in advanced wastewater treatment infrastructure is crucial. Industries should implement appropriate treatment technologies to remove pollutants from their effluents before discharge. Municipalities must prioritize the treatment of domestic sewage to prevent contamination of water bodies. Developing countries, in particular, need support and resources to build and upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities.

Adopting sustainable agricultural practices can significantly reduce pollution from agricultural activities. Encouraging the use of organic farming methods, integrated pest management, and precision irrigation can minimize the reliance on harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Proper manure management and implementing buffer zones along water bodies can also mitigate nutrient runoff and protect water quality.

Improper waste disposal is a major contributor to water pollution. Implementing comprehensive waste management systems that include recycling, proper landfill management, and promotion of waste reduction strategies is crucial. Communities should have access to adequate waste collection services, and educational campaigns can raise awareness about the importance of responsible waste disposal.

Public education and awareness programs play a vital role in addressing water pollution. Promoting water conservation practices, encouraging responsible behavior, and highlighting the link between water pollution and human health can empower individuals to take action. Educational campaigns should target schools, communities, and industries to foster a culture of environmental stewardship.

Water pollution is a critical global issue that poses severe threats to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being. It demands collective action and sustainable practices to safeguard water resources. Through stringent regulations, advanced wastewater treatment, sustainable agriculture, proper waste management, and education, we can mitigate water pollution and preserve this vital resource for future generations. By recognizing the urgency of this crisis and working collaboratively, we can ensure a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable water future.

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Essay on Water Pollution: Samples in 200, 500 Words

Updated on
Mar 23, 2024

Essay on Water Pollution: Water pollution occurs when human activities introduce toxic substances into freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, leading to the degradation of water quality. The combination of harmful chemicals with water has a negative impact on these ecosystems.

Various human actions, particularly those affecting land, water, and underwater surfaces, contribute to this pollution, disrupting the natural supply of clean water and posing a significant danger to all forms of life, including humans.

Table of Contents

1 What is Water Pollution?
2.1 Contaminants
2.2 Solution
3.1 Reasons for Water Pollution
3.2 Methods of Water Pollution Management
3.3 Real-Life Encounter

What is Water Pollution?

When many pollutants such as garbage, chemicals, bacteria, household waste, industrial waste, etc get mixed in the water resources and make the water unfit for cooking, drinking, cleaning, etc. it is known as water pollution. Water pollution damages the quality of water. lakes, water streams, rivers, etc may become polluted and eventually they will pollute the oceans. All this will directly or indirectly affect the lives of us humans and the animals deteriorating our health.

Essay on Water Pollution in 200 Words

Water is plentiful on Earth, present both above and beneath its surface. A variety of water bodies, such as rivers, ponds, seas, and oceans, can be found on the planet’s surface. Despite Earth’s ability to naturally replenish its water, we are gradually depleting and mishandling this abundant resource.

Although water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and land constitutes the remaining 29%, the rapid expansion of water pollution is impacting both marine life and humans.

Contaminants

Water pollution stems significantly from city sewage and industrial waste discharge. Indirect sources of water pollution include contaminants that reach water supplies via soil, groundwater systems, and precipitation.

Chemical pollutants pose a greater challenge in terms of removal compared to visible impurities, which can be filtered out through physical cleaning. The addition of chemicals alters water’s properties, rendering it unsafe and potentially lethal for consumption.

Solution

Prioritizing water infrastructure enhancement is vital for sustainable water management, with a focus on water efficiency and conservation.

Furthermore, rainwater harvesting and reuse serve as effective strategies to curb water pollution. Reclaimed wastewater and collected rainwater alleviate stress on groundwater and other natural water sources.

Groundwater recharge, which transfers water from surface sources to groundwater, is a well-known approach to mitigate water scarcity. These measures collectively contribute to safeguarding the planet’s water resources for present and future generations.

Here is a list of Major Landforms of the Earth !

Essay on Water Pollution in 500 Words

The term “water pollution” is employed when human or natural factors lead to contamination of bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. Responsible management is now imperative to address this significant environmental concern. The primary sources of water contamination are human-related activities like urbanization, industrialization, deforestation, improper waste disposal, and the establishment of landfills.

Reasons for Water Pollution

The availability of freshwater on our planet is limited, and pollution only increases this scarcity. Every year, a substantial amount of fresh water is lost due to industrial and various other types of pollution. Pollutants encompass visible waste items of varying sizes as well as intangible, hazardous, and lethal compounds.

Numerous factories are situated in proximity to water bodies, utilizing freshwater to transport their waste. This industrial waste carries inherent toxicity, jeopardizing the well-being of both plant and animal life. Individuals living close to polluted water sources frequently suffer from skin problems, respiratory ailments, and occasionally even life-threatening health conditions.

Water contamination is also intensified by urban waste and sewage, adding to the problem. Each household generates considerable waste annually, including plastic, chemicals, wood, and other materials. Inadequate waste disposal methods result in this refusal to infiltrate aquatic ecosystems like rivers, lakes, and streams, leading to pollution.

Methods of Water Pollution Management

Raising awareness about the causes and consequences of water pollution is crucial in significantly reducing its prevalence. Encouraging community or organizational clean-up initiatives on a weekly or monthly basis plays a pivotal role.

To eradicate water contamination completely, stringent legislation needs to be formulated and diligently enforced. Rigorous oversight would promote accountability, potentially deterring individuals and groups from polluting. Each individual should recognize the impact of their daily actions and take steps to contribute to a better world for generations to come.

Real-Life Encounter

My affection for my town has always been heightened by its abundant lakes, rivers, and forests. During one of my walks alongside the river that flowed through my village, I was struck by the unusual hues swirling within the water. The once-familiar crystal-clear blue had been replaced by a murky brown shade, accompanied by a potent, unpleasant odour. Intrigued, I decided to investigate further, descending to the riverbank for a closer look at the source of the peculiar colours and smells. Upon closer inspection, I observed peculiar foam bubbles floating on the water’s surface.

Suddenly, a commotion behind me caught my attention, and I turned to witness a group of people hastening toward the river. Their frantic shouts and vigorous gestures conveyed their panic, prompting me to realize that a grave situation was unfolding. As the group reached the river, they were confronted with the distressing sight of numerous lifeless fish floating on the water’s surface.

Following a comprehensive investigation, it was revealed that a local factory had been releasing toxic chemicals into the river, resulting in extensive pollution and the devastation of the ecosystem. This investigation left me stunned and disheartened, acknowledging the significant effort required to restore the river to its own form.

Aditi Gupta

A bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication graduate, I am an enthusiastic writer. I love to write about impactful content which can help others. I love to binge watch and listen to music during my free time.

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National Geographic - What Is Water Pollution?
Frontiers - Effects of Water Pollution on Human Health and Disease Heterogeneity: A Review
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - Water Pollution
Environmental Pollution Centers - What Is Water Pollution?
National Resources Defense Council - Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know
Chemistry LibreTexts - Water Pollution
water pollution - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Table Of Contents

What is water pollution?

Water pollution is the release of substances into bodies of water that makes water unsafe for human use and disrupts aquatic ecosystems. Water pollution can be caused by a plethora of different contaminants, including toxic waste , petroleum , and disease-causing microorganisms .

What human activities cause water pollution?

Human activities that generate domestic sewage and toxic waste cause water pollution by contaminating water with disease-causing microorganisms and poisonous substances. Oil spills are another source of water pollution that have devastating impacts on surrounding ecosystems.

Sewage can promote algae growth, which can eventually result in eutrophic “dead zones” where aquatic life cannot survive because of a lack of oxygen. Microplastics are often found in marine wildlife and can become concentrated in humans who consume seafood because of biomagnification . Oil spills, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, strand and kill many different marine species.

While some studies point to human activity as a catalyst for red tide, scientists are unsure about its cause. Red tide is a common term for harmful algal blooms that often poison or kill wildlife and humans who consume contaminated seafood. Red tides can severely impact ecosystems and local economies.

Recent News

water pollution , the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or into lakes , streams, rivers , estuaries , and oceans to the point that the substances interfere with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning of ecosystems . In addition to the release of substances, such as chemicals , trash, or microorganisms, water pollution may include the release of energy , in the form of radioactivity or heat , into bodies of water.

Types and sources of water pollutants

Gitanjali Rao explains the fight for clean drinking water

Water bodies can be polluted by a wide variety of substances, including pathogenic microorganisms, putrescible organic waste, fertilizers and plant nutrients , toxic chemicals, sediments, heat , petroleum (oil), and radioactive substances . Several types of water pollutants are considered below. (For a discussion of the handling of sewage and other forms of waste produced by human activities, see waste disposal and solid-waste management .)

Water pollutants come from either point sources or dispersed sources. A point source is a pipe or channel, such as those used for discharge from an industrial facility or a city sewerage system . A dispersed (or nonpoint) source is a very broad unconfined area from which a variety of pollutants enter the water body, such as the runoff from an agricultural area. Point sources of water pollution are easier to control than dispersed sources, because the contaminated water has been collected and conveyed to one single point where it can be treated. Pollution from dispersed sources is difficult to control, and, despite much progress in the building of modern sewage-treatment plants, dispersed sources continue to cause a large fraction of water pollution problems.

Domestic sewage is the primary source of pathogens ( disease -causing microorganisms) and putrescible organic substances. Because pathogens are excreted in feces , all sewage from cities and towns is likely to contain pathogens of some type, potentially presenting a direct threat to public health . Putrescible organic matter presents a different sort of threat to water quality. As organics are decomposed naturally in the sewage by bacteria and other microorganisms, the dissolved oxygen content of the water is depleted. This endangers the quality of lakes and streams, where high levels of oxygen are required for fish and other aquatic organisms to survive. In addition, domestic sewage commonly contains active pharmaceutical ingredients, which can harm aquatic organisms and may facilitate antibiotic resistance . Sewage-treatment processes reduce the levels of pathogens and organics in wastewater, but they do not eliminate them completely ( see also wastewater treatment ).

Domestic sewage is also a major source of plant nutrients , mainly nitrates and phosphates . Excess nitrates and phosphates in water promote the growth of algae , sometimes causing unusually dense and rapid growths known as algal blooms . When the algae die, oxygen dissolved in the water declines because microorganisms use oxygen to digest algae during the process of decomposition ( see also biochemical oxygen demand ). Anaerobic organisms (organisms that do not require oxygen to live) then metabolize the organic wastes, releasing gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide , which are harmful to the aerobic (oxygen-requiring) forms of life. The process by which a lake changes from a clean, clear condition—with a relatively low concentration of dissolved nutrients and a balanced aquatic community —to a nutrient-rich, algae-filled state and thence to an oxygen-deficient, waste-filled condition is called eutrophication . Eutrophication is a naturally occurring, slow, and inevitable process. However, when it is accelerated by human activity and water pollution (a phenomenon called cultural eutrophication ), it can lead to the premature aging and death of a body of water.

Video thumbnail image shows a large amount of plastic trash collected from the ocean.

The improper disposal of solid waste is a major source of water pollution. Solid waste includes garbage, rubbish, electronic waste , trash, and construction and demolition waste, all of which are generated by individual, residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial activities. The problem is especially acute in developing countries that may lack infrastructure to properly dispose of solid waste or that may have inadequate resources or regulation to limit improper disposal. In some places solid waste is intentionally dumped into bodies of water. Land pollution can also become water pollution if the trash or other debris is carried by animals, wind, or rainfall to bodies of water. Significant amounts of solid waste pollution in inland bodies of water can also eventually make their way to the ocean. Solid waste pollution is unsightly and damaging to the health of aquatic ecosystems and can harm wildlife directly. Many solid wastes, such as plastics and electronic waste, break down and leach harmful chemicals into the water, making them a source of toxic or hazardous waste.

Of growing concern for aquatic environments is plastic pollution . Since the ocean is downstream from nearly every terrestrial location, it is the receiving body for much of the plastic waste generated on land. Several million tons of debris end up in the world’s oceans every year, and much of it is improperly discarded plastic litter. Plastic pollution can be broken down by waves and ultraviolet radiation into smaller pieces known as microplastics , which are less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length and are not biodegradable. Primary microplastics, such as microbeads in personal care products and plastic fibers in synthetic textiles (e.g., nylon ), also enter the environment directly, through any of various channels—for example, from wastewater treatment systems , from household laundry, or from unintentional spills during manufacturing or transport. Alarmingly, a number of studies of both freshwater and marine locations have found microplastics in every aquatic organism tested. These tiny plastics are suspected of working their way up the marine food chains , from zooplankton and small fish to large marine predators, and have been found in seafood. Microplastics have also been detected in drinking water. Their health effects are unknown.

Can reed beds clean contaminated groundwater?

Waste is considered toxic if it is poisonous , radioactive , explosive , carcinogenic (causing cancer ), mutagenic (causing damage to chromosomes ), teratogenic (causing birth defects), or bioaccumulative (that is, increasing in concentration at the higher ends of food chains). Sources of toxic chemicals include improperly disposed wastewater from industrial plants and chemical process facilities ( lead , mercury , chromium ) as well as surface runoff containing pesticides used on agricultural areas and suburban lawns ( chlordane , dieldrin , heptachlor). (For a more-detailed treatment of toxic chemicals, see poison and toxic waste .)

Sediment (e.g., silt ) resulting from soil erosion or construction activity can be carried into water bodies by surface runoff . Suspended sediment interferes with the penetration of sunlight and upsets the ecological balance of a body of water. Also, it can disrupt the reproductive cycles of fish and other forms of life , and when it settles out of suspension it can smother bottom-dwelling organisms.

Heat is considered to be a water pollutant because it decreases the capacity of water to hold dissolved oxygen in solution, and it increases the rate of metabolism of fish. Valuable species of game fish (e.g., trout ) cannot survive in water with very low levels of dissolved oxygen . A major source of heat is the practice of discharging cooling water from power plants into rivers; the discharged water may be as much as 15 °C (27 °F) warmer than the naturally occurring water. The rise in water temperatures because of global warming can also be considered a form of thermal pollution.

Petroleum ( oil ) pollution occurs when oil from roads and parking lots is carried in surface runoff into water bodies. Accidental oil spills are also a source of oil pollution—as in the devastating spills from the tanker Exxon Valdez (which released more than 260,000 barrels in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989) and from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig (which released more than 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010). Oil slicks eventually move toward shore, harming aquatic life and damaging recreation areas.

Groundwater —water contained in underground geologic formations called aquifers —is a source of drinking water for many people. For example, about half the people in the United States depend on groundwater for their domestic water supply . Although groundwater may appear crystal clear (due to the natural filtration that occurs as it flows slowly through layers of soil ), it may still be polluted by dissolved chemicals and by bacteria and viruses . Sources of chemical contaminants include poorly designed or poorly maintained subsurface sewage-disposal systems (e.g., septic tanks ), industrial wastes disposed of in improperly lined or unlined landfills or lagoons , leachates from unlined municipal refuse landfills, mining and petroleum production, and leaking underground storage tanks below gasoline service stations. In coastal areas, increasing withdrawal of groundwater (due to urbanization and industrialization) can cause saltwater intrusion: as the water table drops, seawater is drawn into wells.

The impact of plastic waste on marine life

Although estuaries and oceans contain vast volumes of water, their natural capacity to absorb pollutants is limited. Contamination from sewage outfall pipes, from dumping of sludge or other wastes, and from oil spills can harm marine life, especially microscopic phytoplankton that serve as food for larger aquatic organisms. Sometimes, unsightly and dangerous waste materials can be washed back to shore, littering beaches with hazardous debris. In oceans alone, annual pollution from all types of plastics was estimated to be between 4.8 million and 12.7 million tonnes (between 5.3 million and 14 million tons) in the early 21st century, and floating plastic waste had accumulated in Earth’s five subtropical gyres, which cover 40 percent of the world’s oceans.

Understand global warming as a factor in the decline of dissolved oxygen in the ocean

Another ocean pollution problem is the seasonal formation of “ dead zones” (i.e., hypoxic areas, where dissolved oxygen levels drop so low that most higher forms of aquatic life vanish) in certain coastal areas. The cause is nutrient enrichment from dispersed agricultural runoff and concomitant algal blooms. Dead zones occur worldwide; one of the largest of these (sometimes as large as 22,730 square km [8,776 square miles]) forms annually in the Gulf of Mexico , beginning at the Mississippi River delta.

Although pure water is rarely found in nature (because of the strong tendency of water to dissolve other substances), the characterization of water quality (i.e., clean or polluted) is a function of the intended use of the water. For example, water that is clean enough for swimming and fishing may not be clean enough for drinking and cooking. Water quality standards (limits on the amount of impurities allowed in water intended for a particular use) provide a legal framework for the prevention of water pollution of all types.

There are several types of water quality standards. Stream standards are those that classify streams, rivers , and lakes on the basis of their maximum beneficial use; they set allowable levels of specific substances or qualities (e.g., dissolved oxygen , turbidity, pH) allowed in those bodies of water, based on their given classification. Effluent (water outflow) standards set specific limits on the levels of contaminants (e.g., biochemical oxygen demand , suspended solids, nitrogen ) allowed in the final discharges from wastewater-treatment plants. Drinking-water standards include limits on the levels of specific contaminants allowed in potable water delivered to homes for domestic use. In the United States , the Clean Water Act and its amendments regulate water quality and set minimum standards for waste discharges for each industry as well as regulations for specific problems such as toxic chemicals and oil spills . In the European Union , water quality is governed by the Water Framework Directive, the Drinking Water Directive, and other laws . ( See also wastewater treatment .)

Essay on Water Pollution for Students and Children

500+ words essay on water pollution.

Water is the most important resource for survival on a planet. It is the essence of life on our planet – Earth. Yet if you ever see a river or lake around your city, it would be evident to you that we are facing a very serious problem of Water pollution. Let us educate ourselves about water and water pollution . Two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water , seventy-six perfect of your body is made up of water.

Water and Water Cycle

As you already know water is everywhere and all around. However, we have a fixed amount of water on earth. It just changes its states and goes through a cyclic order, known as the Water Cycle. The water cycle is a natural process that is continuous in nature. It is the pattern in which the water from oceans, seas, lakes, etc gets evaporated and turns to vapor. After which it goes through the process of condensation, and finally precipitation when it falls back to earth as rain or snow.

What is Water Pollution?

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (like oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, aquifers, and groundwater) usually caused due to human activities. Water pollution is any change, minor or major in the physical, chemical or biological properties of water that eventually leads to a detrimental consequence of any living organism . Drinking water, called Potable Water, is considered safe enough for human and animal consumption.

Sources of Water Pollution

Domestic Waste
Industrial effluents
Insecticides and pesticides
Detergents and Fertilizers

Some of the water pollutions are caused by direct Sources, such as factories, waste management facilities, refineries, etc, that directly releases waste and dangerous by-products into the nearest water source without treating them. Indirect sources include pollutants that infuse in the water bodies via groundwater or soil or via the atmosphere through acidic rain.

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Effects of Pollution of Water

The effects of Water Pollution are:

Diseases: In humans, drinking or consuming polluted water in any way has many disastrous effects on our health. It causes typhoid, cholera, hepatitis and various other diseases.

Eradication of Ecosystem: Ecosystem is extremely dynamic and responds to even small changes in the environment. Increasing water pollution can cause an entire ecosystem to collapse if left unchecked.

Eutrophication: Chemicals accumulation and infusion in a water body, encourages the growth of algae. The algae form a layer on top of the pond or lake. Bacteria feed on this algae and this event decreases the amount of oxygen in the water body, severely affecting the aquatic life there

Effects of the food chain: Turmoil in food chain happens when the aquatic animals (fish, prawns, seahorse, etc) consume the toxins and pollutants in the water, and then the humans consume them.

Prevention of Water Pollution

The best way to prevent large-scale water pollution is to try and reduce its harmful effects. There are numerous small changes we can make to protect ourselves from a future where water is scarce.

Conserve Water: Conserving water should be our first aim. Water wastage is a major problem globally and we are only now waking up to the issue. Simple small changes made domestically will make a huge difference.

Treatment of sewage: Treating waste products before disposing of it in water bodies helps reduce water pollution on a large scale. Agriculture or other industries can reuse this wastewater by reducing its toxic contents.

Use of environment-friendly products: By using soluble products that do not go on to become pollutants, we can reduce the amount of water pollution caused by a household.

Life is ultimately about choices and so is water pollution. We cannot live with sewage-strewn beaches, contaminated rivers , and fish that are poisonous to drink and eat. To avoid these scenarios, we can work together to keep the environment clean so the water bodies, plants, animals, and people who depend on it remain healthy. We can take individual or teamed action to help reduce water pollution. As an example, by using environmentally friendly detergents, not pouring oil down the drains, reducing the usage of pesticides, and so on. We can take community action too to keep our rivers and seas cleaner. And we can take action as countries and continents to pass laws against water pollution. Working together, we can make water pollution less of a problem—and the world a better place.

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Essay on Water Pollution

Students are often asked to write an essay on Water Pollution in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Water Pollution

Introduction.

Water pollution is a major issue in today’s world. It involves the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes, and groundwater.

Water pollution is primarily caused by human activities. Industrial waste, sewage, oil spills, and littering are common causes.

Water pollution harms aquatic life and disrupts ecosystems. It also poses health risks to humans who consume contaminated water.

Preventing water pollution requires collective efforts. We need to reduce waste, recycle, and enforce stricter pollution laws.

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250 Words Essay on Water Pollution

Water pollution is an escalating problem with far-reaching implications for the health of both ecosystems and human populations. It involves the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes, and groundwater due to human activities, leading to a deterioration in water quality.

The Causes of Water Pollution

Water pollution arises from various sources, including industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and domestic sewage. Industrial waste often contains harmful chemicals and heavy metals, while agricultural runoff is replete with pesticides and fertilizers. Domestic sewage, on the other hand, is a source of pathogens and organic pollutants.

Impacts of Water Pollution

The effects of water pollution are manifold and severe. It disrupts ecosystems, leading to the loss of biodiversity and the death of aquatic species. Moreover, it poses significant health risks to humans, causing diseases like cholera and dysentery. Polluted water also affects agriculture, reducing crop yield and quality.

Solutions to Water Pollution

Addressing water pollution requires a multi-pronged approach. Legislation and enforcement are necessary to regulate waste discharge from industries and agriculture. Technological solutions, such as wastewater treatment and recycling, can also play a pivotal role. Additionally, public awareness and education about water conservation and pollution prevention are essential.

500 Words Essay on Water Pollution

Water pollution is an escalating global concern that threatens the health of our planet and its inhabitants. It refers to the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes, and groundwater, caused by human activities. This pollution affects not only the quality of water but also the broader ecosystem, impacting both aquatic and terrestrial life forms.

Water pollution can be attributed to a myriad of sources, broadly categorized into point sources and non-point sources. Point sources relate to pollutants directly discharged into water bodies from identifiable locations such as factories, sewage treatment plants, and oil spills. Non-point sources, on the other hand, are diffuse and harder to control, including agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and atmospheric deposition.

The Consequences of Water Pollution

Water pollution also poses a significant threat to public health. Contaminated water is a breeding ground for waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. With over 780 million people lacking access to clean water, the health impact is substantial and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.

Addressing Water Pollution

Public awareness and education are also key in addressing this issue. By understanding the causes and effects of water pollution, individuals can make informed decisions and contribute to the solution, whether through responsible consumption, waste disposal, or advocacy.

Water pollution is a pressing issue that requires immediate and sustained attention. While the situation is dire, it is not insurmountable. Through collective action, stringent regulations, technological advancements, and increased awareness, we can mitigate water pollution and safeguard our water resources for future generations. The fight against water pollution is not just an environmental obligation, but also a prerequisite for our survival and well-being.

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Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions

Introduction, causes of water pollution, effects of water pollution, solutions to water pollution, reference list.

Rivers are common sources of water in the world. Water is useful in various ways both domestically and in industries. It is imperative that such water remains clean and safe and free from any pollution. Unfortunately, water pollution takes place in various water bodies all over the world. This essay seeks to examine the concept of water pollution, its causes, effects, and solutions to water pollution.

Water pollution refers to dirtying of water resulting in a chemical, physical or biological alteration in the condition of water making such water harmful to anyone who utilizes it. In other words, pollution makes water unfit for consumption (Go Green Academy, 2013). There are various causes of water pollution. Disposing solid waste in water sources is the main cause of water pollution (Go Green Academy, 2013). Most of these wastes are made of plastic, which by nature, is non-biodegradable. Plastics take over four hundred years to decompose in water and as such, they move in different places before they finally decompose.

Effluence from industries and factories cause water pollution (Go Green Academy, 2013). Coffee factories use fresh water to transport waste to rivers. Effluence from industrial plants adds pollutants like lead and mercury into rivers. Oil spills from ships on transit also cause water pollution. Oil is indissoluble in water and consequently forms thick patches on the water surface making it hard for organisms in such a water body to survive. Overall, such contaminated water destroys an ecosystem (Go Green Academy, 2013).

Sewerage disposal from households and commercial houses cause water pollution. In some places, sewage can be treated or recycled but in most places, such waste finds a way into rivers. Due to chemical substances used in maintaining hygiene in washrooms, effluence from such places is destructive to water sources into which it flows (Go Green Academy, 2013). Cauterizing of fossil fuels leads to building up of acidic particles in the air, which in turn leads to acidic rains falling on water bodies (Go Green Academy, 2013).

Groundwater polluted through the use of chemicals in farming causes destruction to plants, which in turn affect human beings and animals that feed on them (Go Green Academy, 2013). Secondly, polluted water causes skin rashes and even cancer to swimmers. In addition, such water can cause reproductive difficulties and typhoid fever, which if untreated, leads to death. Water pollution leads to flooding when solid wastes accumulate to very high levels (Go Green Academy, 2013).

Global warming leads to increased water temperatures and this leads to the destruction of aquatic plants. Coral reefs, for instance, suffer destruction because warm water has a discoloring effect on them. In addition, plastic materials can easily entangle organisms such as fish leading to their suffocation and death hence reduction in available organisms for human consumption. Water polluted by oil spills also leads to the death of aquatic animals (Go Green Academy, 2013).

Several measures are necessary to tackle water pollution. Relevant authorities should enforce existing regulations concerning water pollution and come up with an even stricter penalty for those who pollute water (Hearn, 2013). Secondly, people should use less plastic and avoid littering by using designated dumping sites. Farmers, as well as householders, should minimize the use of chemicals such as fertilizers and adopt the use of environmental friendly fertility boosters like animal wastes. Since cars emit particles that lead to acidic rains, people should drive less and where possible use public transport to minimize emissions into the atmosphere (Hearn, 2013)

Go Green Academy. 2013, Causes and effects of water pollution . Web.

Hearn, M. 2013, Solutions to water pollution . Web.

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StudyCorgi. (2020, September 8). Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions. https://studycorgi.com/water-pollution-causes-effects-and-solutions/

"Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions." StudyCorgi , 8 Sept. 2020, studycorgi.com/water-pollution-causes-effects-and-solutions/.

StudyCorgi . (2020) 'Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions'. 8 September.

1. StudyCorgi . "Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions." September 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/water-pollution-causes-effects-and-solutions/.

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StudyCorgi . "Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions." September 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/water-pollution-causes-effects-and-solutions/.

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What Causes Water Pollution and How Do We Solve it?

Water pollution is putting our health at risk. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Meanwhile, less than 1% of the Earth’s freshwater is actually accessible to us and it’s in our best interest to protect what we have, especially considering that by 2050, global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now. Here are six causes of water pollution, as well as what we can do to reduce it.

Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution because it’s able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, which causes water pollution as a result.

6 Most Common Causes of Water Pollution

1. sewage and wastewater .

According to the UN , more than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Harmful chemicals and bacteria can be found in sewage and wastewater even after it’s been treated. Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life. Also, the bacteria and pathogens found in wastewater breed disease, and cause health-related issues in humans and animals.

2. Oil Spills

Large oil spills and leaks are some of most significant causes of water pollution. These are often caused by oil drilling operations in the ocean, but nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into marine environments each year come not from oil tankers, but from land-based sources like factories, farms and cities. In England and Wales, there are about 3,000 pollution incidents involving oil and fuel each year. Oil makes drinking water unsafe and a substantial amount of oil released into oceans or become river water pollution, will destroy marine life and the ecosystems that support them. What’s more, oil reduces the oxygen supply within the water environment. Oil is also naturally released from under the ocean floor through fractures known as seeps.

You Might Also Like: How Do Oil Spills Affect the Environment?

3. Industrial Waste

Industrial waste is one of the biggest sources of water contamination. Many industrial sites produce waste in the form of toxic chemicals and pollutants, and some don’t have proper waste management systems in place. Sometimes, industrial waste is dumped into nearby freshwater systems. The toxic chemicals leached from this waste can make the water unsafe for human consumption, and they can also cause the temperature in freshwater systems to change, making them dangerous for marine life. Finally, industrial waste can cause “ dead zones ,” which are areas of water that contain so little oxygen that marine life cannot survive in them.

sources of water pollution, oil spill, gulf of mexico

4. Agricultural Runoff

To protect crops from pests, farmers use pesticides, however when these substances seep into the groundwater, they can harm animals, plants and humans. Additionally, when it rains, the chemicals mix with rainwater, which flows into waterways and creates further pollution. Other agricultural processes such as uncontrolled spreading of slurries and manures, tillage and ploughing the land can also cause water pollution.

5. Marine Dumping and Plastic Pollution in the Sea

Most items collected and dumped into oceans by many countries can take anywhere from two to 200 years to decompose completely! Other sources of waste at sea include plastic and other materials blown or washed from land. Currently, about 11 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year. Research has found that should this rate of pollution continues, the amount of ocean plastics will grow to 29 million metric tons per year by 2040. The damage to wildlife habitats and to life on land is incalculable.

You Might Also Like: 8 Shocking Plastic Pollution Statistics to Know About

6. Radioactive Waste

Radioactive waste can persist in the environment for thousands of years , making disposal a major challenge and one of the most harmful water contaminants. Radioactive waste released from facilities that create nuclear energy can be extremely harmful to the environment and must be disposed of properly; uranium, the element used in the creation of nuclear energy, is a highly toxic chemical. Accidents occur at these facilities from time to time, and toxic waste is released into the environment.

In April 2021, Japan discharged contaminated water containing radioactive materials from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Though the Japanese government claims potential health risks and damage to marine life to be minimal as the waste water have been treated, close monitoring is required to ensue there are no environment effects from the water pollution.

You Might Also Like: The Nuclear Waste Disposal Dilemma

How Can You Reduce Water Pollution?

Reduce your plastic consumption and reuse or recycle plastic when you can.
Properly dispose of chemical cleaners, oils and non-biodegradable items.
Use phosphate-free detergents – phosphates lead to algae blooms and kill fish and other aquatic animals by reducing the oxygen in the water.
Dispose of medical waste properly.
Eat more organic food, which is produced without the use of pesticides.
Cut down on your meat consumption – raising animals for meat takes lots of water for the grains and other feed they need. Furthermore, the antibiotics and solid waste are both likely to end up in groundwater and rivers.

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Water Pollution: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions Expository Essay

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Introduction

Causes and effects of water pollution, possible solutions for water pollution.

Water pollution is any form of activity that may lead to contamination or addition of pollutants into water body. It is an important issue to the world to put into consideration because human beings need clean water. Other living creatures need good water as well.

Therefore, water is a very important requirement in the daily activities of people, and it is a very useful resource in industries, hospitals, schools and even in food manufacturing companies. This is why clean water is required in all the places to make sure the people and all the living creatures in the planet live a good and healthy life.

Water pollution cases have been increasing in the contemporary world, despite all the efforts to reduce it. Despite all these efforts, the question remains as to what steps the world should take to end this problem of water pollution.

Harmful and toxic pollutants cause most cases of water pollution. The pollutants may cause the water to change both its physical or chemical nature by causing mixed reactions with its contents. One of the major pollutants is waste chemicals from manufacturing industries or factories.

Most of these institutions are careless with this matter of water pollution. This is actually a very serious matter because most of the people concerned know the effects of this activity but they end up ignoring it. Moreover, these wastes contain very harmful and toxic chemicals that may cause health problems to human beings and other living creatures in the water body.

Another major pollutant is sewage. Sewage dumped to various water bodies such as rivers, lakes or sea is a direct harm to the nearby occupants, given that it is there main source of water. This will mean that these people will lack clean water and will have one option of drinking the dirty water. The toxic contents of the sewage may also harm or kill aquatic animals present in that particular water body. Indeed, this is a government concern, though it seems that it is being neglected all the time.

Oil spillage to water bodies is another cause of water pollution, as it leads to more harmful effects to the living creatures and human beings around. Oil spillage will definitely affect the health of aquatic organisms, as well as other living things dependent on the water body being polluted. Garbage and other toxic substances are also the other causes of water pollution. All these directly affect human health and the natural environment in the surrounding areas. It is therefore up to the government to put more efforts to reduce these problems.

One of the best solutions to water pollution is the enactment and implementation of rules against those industries and institutions that carelessly dump waste chemicals, garbage, and other toxic pollutants to the water bodies without considering human life and the natural habitat around. The government would need to be very strict on this matter.

People should also avoid dumping litter, household waste, or garbage to water bodies. Individuals should also avoid throwing dirty and harmful substances to their water lines that drain to sewage. Individual farmers must try to use the right amount of fertilizer when applying chemicals, as excess amount of fertilizer may drain to the nearby water body.

Water pollution issues are currently increasing in the world because of neglect of the governments and ignorance of the people. Water pollution issue should not only be issue to the government, but also all the people in the society. Therefore, people should join hands together with the government to reduce this world’s major problem. Nevertheless, water is a very important resource in the world, and it should therefore be kept clean and safe.

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Wind Energy: The Use of Wind Turbines
Fertilizer Plant Explosion Assessment
Garbage Pollution
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill's Environmental Effect
Pollution as a Big Problem That Faces the World
Contribution of Education in Carbon Emissions
Earth’s Global Energy Budget
Alternative Sources of Energy: Solar, Wind, and Hydropower
The Temperate Forest Biome's Greatest Sustainability Threats
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IvyPanda . 2018. "Water Pollution: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions." October 31, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/environmental-issues-2/.

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Essay on Water Pollution

List of essays on water pollution in english, essay on water pollution – essay 1 (150 words), essay on water pollution – essay 2 (250 words), essay on water pollution – essay 3 (300 words), essay on water pollution: causes and impact – essay 4 (500 words), essay on water pollution: causes and effects – essay 5 (500 words), essay on water pollution – essay 6 (750 words), essay on water pollution with conclusion – essay 7 (1000 words), essay on water pollution: sources and effects – essay 8 (1500 words).

Water pollution is a serious environmental issue. Water is said to be polluted if its physical, biological, and chemical properties are deteriorated via anthropogenic and natural activities. Water pollution has affected the lives of humans and animals in all aspects. Water pollution is very hazardous to the environment.

The water we drink daily looks clean; however, it is contaminated with microscopic pollutants. Many families have installed water purifiers at home to ensure that their family members get to drink healthy water. However, this will not help curb the water pollution problem on the global level. We should pledge not to pollute the water and preserve the natural reservoirs in order to curb water pollution. A number of campaigns such as ‘clean Ganga’ are run by the government and NGOs that have helped enlighten the population about the issue. More steps are required to be taken to ensure an adequate level of clean and pollution-free water for the survival of life on the planet.

Introduction:

The consumption of water forms a large part of our physical health. Aside from this obvious fact, water is an important aspect of our ecosystem. However, for water to perform its various functions, it has to be kept pure as contaminated water would lead to adverse environmental and health consequences.

Water pollution is the introduction of foreign material into our water bodies like lakes, streams, rivers or groundwater. This introduction, 9 times out of 10 is usually a result of human interference. Through various activities, sometimes inadvertently, we pollute our ecosystem with toxic materials dumped into our water.

Causes of Water Pollution:

One of the most popular features of water is also the cause of water pollution. Water is a “Universal Solvent” which simply means that it can dissolve almost any substance. Consequently, it is also why toxic substance mixes with water effortlessly. These toxic materials could be from traceable sources such as factories, farms, sewage etc. They are sometimes less traceable sources such as pollution in the air.

Water Pollution Effect on our Environment:

The first organisms that come in contact with polluted water are creatures living in the water. The effect of water pollution on aquatic animals depends on the kind of material introduced into the water. In extreme cases, it can lead to death of aqua species. It can also lead to a serious disrupting of the food chain. Finally, water pollution can lead to serious diseases in humans such as cholera and hepatitis.

Preventive Measures:

While the obvious way to reduce or eliminate water pollution is to stop industrial waste, doing just that and nothing more would not be enough. Preventive measures such as reduction in plastic consumption, controlling leaks in cars, using fewer pesticides or efficient disposal of chemicals would help us go the extra mile.

Clean environment is the basic life supporting system and pure water plays a prominent role in balancing the ecosystem. The environment provides us with the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and a shelter to protect ourselves. Access to fresh and clean water is a basic necessity of any living being for existence. But now it is least available. The adage, “Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink,” rightly fits the current scenario.

No human activity can be possible without pure water. We face an acute shortage of clean drinking water and millions of people have been suffering from the shortage of pure drinking water. Despite knowing all these facts, people continue to contaminate water bodies recklessly exploiting the natural source of drinking water and risking the lives of millions of aquatic species.

Address the issues:

Water pollution poses a significant threat to the ecology and sustenance of life. The first and foremost cause of water pollution is the dumping of industrial wastes directly into the water bodies, and catchment areas without proper treatment. Aquatic species consume these harmful chemicals and become a huge menace to the ecosystem. It also leads to the reduction of oxygen content in the rivers and lakes.

Also, ruthless usage of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, are a reason to pollute water bodies. Uncontrolled discharge of wastes and improper sanitation also contribute to water pollution. When humans and animals intake water from these polluted rivers and lakes, it affects the health adversely. You can easily identify impure water from its color.

Moreover, such polluted water bodies become the breeding center of microbes and a reason to spread waterborne diseases and epidemics such as typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, etc. The underground water resources also get polluted when the contaminated water seeps through the soil.

The most critical step to prevent water pollution is to adopt appropriate waste management policies. Setting up of wastewater treatment plants can resolve this issue and hence we can protect our natural water resources from contamination and embrace an eco-friendly life.

Water pollution is the contamination of water by pollutants. World has faced an environmental challenge as a result of water pollution. In the whole of India, most of the water sources are polluted, about 80 percent of the total water surface. The country has made headlines in global environmental pollution statistics, which includes rain water that is being harnessed. The highest sources of pollutants are the manufacturing and processing industries that release sewerage directly into water bodies without treating it and domestic sewerage. Water pollution is so adverse that there is insecurity of water yet the population is continuously increasing. As a third world country, the pollution rate is high and since it is still growing, there are limited resources that can be used to curb the damage and the situation remains the same over the years.

Causes of water pollution:

Water pollution results from a various human activities and developmental factors. One of the human activities that pollute water bodies is the release of untreated wastes into water, which affects both surface and ground water. In the rural parts, liquid waste disposal has not been developed and in urban areas, only 56.4 percent of sewage systems have been developed. The lack of sewage systems result in about 80 percent of the wastes directed to water bodies. Another human activities that contribute to water pollution are agricultural chemicals that end up flowing to water sources. Developmental factors causing water pollution in India are mostly the unregulated industries. The large scale industries are usually regulated by the government in terms of waste management but some small industries have do not have regulations and they tend to discharge industrial effluents that are untreated into water bodies.

The impacts of water pollution in India:

Water pollution affects the quality of life in more ways than one. The living component of the environment is adversely affected especially aquatic animals. The untreated sewage contains harmful chemicals that cause death in aquatic animals. The chemicals in water disrupt the nature of soil by altering the pH and reducing the fertility thus adversely affecting agricultural activities. When humans consume water that is polluted, they suffer from illnesses. Waterborne diseases like cholera are life threatening. Water pollution has also resulted in scarcity of safe water for consumption by people and the government is currently battling water insecurity.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, water pollution has effects on the general economy and prevention methods should be initiated. Prevention strategies should involve strict policies that govern the discharge of untreated wastes into water bodies and the development of adequate sewage systems. The government should also look into the issue of water security and ensure that there is adequate water for all citizens through effective planning and management.

India is a country enriched by majestic Ocean bodies, gigantic rivers, mammoth waterfalls and beautiful lakes. Unfortunately, these beautiful water bodies are getting polluted due to heavy industrialization and urbanization in India. Water pollution in the country is resulting a havoc in the lives of common people.

Causes & Effects of Water Pollution:

Fresh water scarcity is a growing problem faced by Indian cities. Due to less rainfall places like Marathwada region in Maharashtra face severe drought conditions. At the time of such calamitous conditions India must focus on saving the natural sources of water and especially fresh water from getting polluted. Let us discuss some the primary causes and effects of water pollution.

1. Sewage Water:

A huge amount of garbage from households, agricultural lands and other commercial places is dumped into lakes and rivers. These wastes contain harmful chemicals and toxins which creates poisonous water and damages the aquatic flora and fauna.

2. Polluted river banks:

In the villages people go for defecation near the river bank. They wash clothes and cattle and pollute the rivers and lakes. Every year massive piles of litter and solid waste are accumulated at the banks of the rivers and lakes during various festivals and celebrations.

3. Industrial Waste:

The Industries hugely contribute to the pollution of water bodies. The industries at Mathura have caused nearly irreversible damage to the condition of river Yamuna. A huge amount of industrial waste is also dumped in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal which has impaired the marine life.

4. Oil Pollution:

Oil spilled from ships and tankers is hugely responsible for polluting the sea water. As the oil floats on the water surface, it prevents the flow of oxygen into the water and thus sabotages the life expectancy of marine animals and plants.

5. Eutrophication:

Eutrophication is a process where an increased level of nutrients in water bodies results in growth of algae in water. It depletes the oxygen in water. This destructively affects water quality, fish and other aquatic inhabitants.

Preventive Actions Taken:

The Indian Government has undertaken strict regulatory action against industries who are responsible for polluting water bodies. It has implemented National Water Quality Maintenance Program (NWQMP) which keeps check on the water pollution level in the water bodies. Programs like ‘Namami Gange’ and ‘Yamuna Action Plan’ are implemented on a large scale. The Government is providing funds to build toilets in every household of the villages and remote areas in the country. Movies, advertisements, and skits are predominantly playing a big role in educating the people about the hazards of water pollution and ways to prevent it. Water treatment plants and Septic tanks are built to treat the sewage water.

Water pollution is also posing a real time threat to the health condition of the Indian people who consume contaminated water. To curb water pollution all the laws and regulations implemented by the government will be a futile practice without active participation of the local people. It is the responsibility of every citizen to contribute in conserving water bodies and keep them pollution free.

Water is the most important resource on earth on which all the living and non-living beings depend on. On a serious note, a countless litre of water is needed for running a day’s chore, across the globe from drinking, farming activities, industrial activities, household chores, and not to forget, the entertainment and leisure activities like water game theme park, swimming pool etc. Regardless of our dependence on this precocious commodity, we have a tendency to use it very carelessly, causing pollution and water scarcity.

Almost over two-thirds of Earth’s surface is filled by water. But, as the population explodes, the human race is giving an ever-increasing pressure to the planet’s water resources. To put it in an understandable way, the inland and underground water are being squeezed from Mother Earth due to the irresponsible activities of humans which depleted the quality of good water drastically. Poorer water quality can otherwise be said as, “Polluted Water”.

Although we have various definitions for water pollution, the essence of it is that the amount of pollutant present in water over a period of time, making water unfit for use. Upon the introduction of harmful materials, water loses its natural qualities and is transformed to contaminate one, which we call it as polluted water. Additionally, the offensive smell, unbearable taste or sight makes water a polluted commodity.

One of the most common reasons for water pollution is the direct disposal of human and industrial waste into the water bodies. Another reason that needs to be mentioned on a highly worried note is the oil spill occurring in the oceans. Ever since the industrial revolution occurred, we have got factories that discharge high amounts of toxic chemicals, metallic compounds, sulphites and many other toxins that poison the water bodies. Even in the process of waste disposal by dumping, the industrial waste has toxins that can penetrate and contaminate the underground water table, thus contaminating the whole resource of water.

Other notable causes of water pollution include improper sewage or the seepage of sewage into the underground water table, misuse of the wastewater, marine dumping and the radioactive waste, atmospheric deposition, eutrophication, etc.

Effects of Water Pollution:

The first and foremost effect of water pollution is water scarcity. The polluted water is highly unfit for the use of humans and will need processing. Some toxins in the water can enhance the growth of aquatic weeds while killing the major aquatic life. This causes an ecological niche and imbalance in the ecosystem. When the aquatic weeds grow in excess, they can clog the water canals, quickly dissolve oxygen, and can also block the light rays into deep water. As a result, this process kills almost all the aquatic animals. The introduction of toxins in the food chain of the aquatic ecosystem can also affect the humans who consume the fish and other animals.

Some of us believe pollution is an inevitable result of human activity: we also tend to argue that if we opt for urbanization with ultra-modern resorts and cities, some extent of pollution is sort of sure to result. In alternate words, pollution could be a necessary evil that we all should place up with if we need to form progress. As luck would have it, not everybody agrees with this point of view. One reason individuals have woken up to the matter of pollution is that it brings prices of its own that undermine any economic edges that crop up by polluting. Water Pollution is now an important trouble that needs an immediate solution as it affects the ecosystem that we depend on. This can never be distanced as we are a part of the environment.

We know that pollution is a human problem because it is a comparatively a recent happening in the Earth’s history. As such, before the 19 th century Industrial Revolution, humans used to live in harmony with their immediate habitat. As industrialization expanded around the world, so the use of pollution has also expanded with it. When the population on Earth was much smaller, no one though pollution would ever become such a serious issue. It was once widely believed that the water bodies, such as oceans were too huge to get polluted. But now, with almost seven billion people on Earth, it is now very evident that we have limits and water pollution is one big sign that we have crossed those already.

To conclude, water pollution is majorly the result of those oil spills and industrial, as well as human waste disposal. This gravely affects our environment and eventually, the life of humans and animals. The deterioration of drinking water requires a prevention method on an urgent basis, which is possible only by the proper understanding, as well as support from each and every one of us.

Water pollution can be said to mean the contamination of bodies of water largely due to human activities. Examples of water bodies include rivers, lakes, groundwater, aquifers and oceans. Water pollution occurs when contaminants are added to the water bodies. In other words, water is said to be polluted when it is adulterated due to anthropogenic contaminants. Water that is polluted due to contaminants is not fit for human use like drinking.

Water pollution is a worldwide problem that requires serious evaluation of various policies in water resources. Water pollution can be classified into marine pollution, surface water pollution and also nutrient pollution. Water pollution sources can either be non-point sources or point sources. Point source as the name indicates has just one cause of pollution that is identifiable such as wastewater treatment facility, storm drain, or stream. Non- point pollution sources are quite diffuse and an example is the runoff from agriculture. Pollution is a result of a cumulative effect with respect to time.

Types of water pollution:

Surface water pollution has pollution of lakes, rivers and oceans as examples and is basically of water bodies that are open. Marine pollution is a sub-category of surface water pollution. It is the introduction of contaminants or their entry into large water bodies. Rivers are means by which seas are polluted due to rivers emptying into seas. A typical example is the discharge of industrial waste and sewage into the ocean and this is very common in nations that are just developing.

Groundwater pollution is also known as groundwater contamination and there are slight relationships between surface water and groundwater. Groundwater is quite exposed to contamination from some sources that are not contaminants for surface water. It is important to note that the difference between point and non-point sources is quite irrelevant.

Classification of pollution sources:

Surface water and groundwater, even though they are separate resources are interrelated. It is surface water that percolates into the soil and it becomes groundwater. Also, groundwater can become surface water by feeding water bodies. Sources of water pollution are classified into two categories based on the origin.

Point source water pollution is contaminants that enter a water body through an identifiable and single source like a ditch or a pipe. A point source includes industrial storm water, storm sewer systems of municipals, and discharge from a sewage treatment facility, a factory or even a storm drain in the city.

Non-point source pollution is contamination that is not originated from just one single source. This form of pollution occurs from the agglomeration of little quantity of contaminants collected from a huge area. A typical example is the process of leaching of compounds of nitrogen from agricultural fields that are fertilised.

Sources of contaminants:

The particular type of contaminants that lead to pollution of water includes quite a wide range of pathogens, chemical and physical changes including discoloration and temperature elevation. Even though a number of the substances and chemicals that go under regulation occur naturally (calcium, manganese, iron, sodium, etc.) it is the concentration that determines what level is contamination and what level is a natural water component. It should be noted that negative impacts can arise from a high concentration of substances that occur naturally.

Substances that deplete oxygen can be materials that occur naturally like plant matter (e.g., grass and leaves) and also chemicals that are man-made. Other anthropogenic and natural substances may lead to turbidity which disrupts growth of plants by blocking light and blocks the gills of a few fish species. The alteration of the physical chemistry of water includes electrical conductivity, acidity (pH change), eutrophication and temperature. Eutrophication is basically the concentration increase of chemical nutrients of an ecosystem to a level that causes an increase in the primary productivity in the ecosystem.

Pathogens are microorganisms that cause diseases. Waterborne diseases can be produced by pathogens in either animal or human hosts. A popular indicator of water pollution is Coliform bacteria; it does not cause any disease but is a good bacterial indicator. Poor onsite systems of sanitation (pit latrines, septic tanks) or insufficiently treated sewage can result in high pathogens levels. Older cities have ageing infrastructures that may include sewage collection systems (valves, pumps, pipes) that are leaky and can lead to overflow of sanitary sewers. There are also combined sewers that sometimes discharge sewage that is untreated during storms. Poor management of livestock operations is also a major cause of pathogen discharges.

Inorganic and organic substances:

Inorganic and organic matter can also be contaminants. A lot of chemical substances are very toxic. Examples of water pollutants that are organic include: waste from food processing, detergents, herbicides and insecticides, by-products of disinfection, petroleum hydrocarbons, drug pollution, etc. examples of water pollutants that are inorganic on the other hand include: ammonia, fertilizers, acidity, chemical waste, heavy metals and silt.

Pollution Control:

Municipal waste water treatment:

Sewage is basically treated by sewage treatment plants that are centralised.

Safely managed and on-site sanitations:

If a household or business is not covered by a municipal waste treatment facility, there may be need for separate septic tanks that gives first treatment to the wastewater and infiltrates the wastewater into the ground. If this is not carefully and properly done, it can cause groundwater pollution.

Industrial wastewater treatment:

Most industrial facilities churn out a lot of wastewater that is quite like domestic wastewater and can also be treated by wastewater treatment plants. Some industries generate wastewater with very high concentration of nutrients like ammonia, toxic pollutants (e.g., organic compounds that are volatile, heavy metals), organic matter (e.g., grease and oil), need extra and well suited treatment systems.

Water is a very important resource to the survival of human race and covers more than 70% of the surface of the earth so it is crucial that we look into the study of water. Water pollution harms this important resource by making it unfit for human use and invariably causes harm to human health and the environment if proper measures are not taken to battle water pollution.

The presence of such substances in the environment which can be harmful to the various forms of life on the earth is what we term as pollution. Under this category, the contamination of water bodies is specifically referred to as water pollution. Lakes, oceans, rivers and groundwater mainly constitute the water bodies on the earth. However, due to various activities, especially of the human beings, this water has been contaminated to such an extent that researches have been forced to study the effect of this phenomenon on the life on earth.

Types of Water Pollution:

The contamination of water bodies can be classified into three types, mainly, groundwater pollution, marine pollution and surface water pollution. Contaminated water from drains and industries which flows above the topmost layer of the soil usually creeps into the soil and gets mixed with the groundwater, thereby polluting it. This contaminated water then interacts with the nutrients present in the soil and alters their quality. This is termed as groundwater pollution.

Similarly, the wastewater released from the industries flows into the river and thereby reaches the seas and oceans. This is termed as marine pollution. It only affects humans but has an adverse effect on marine life as well.

In the case of surface water pollution, the wastewater remains on the surface of the earth and polluted it. This leads to the deficiency of nutrients in the soil as nutrients from other sources are not able to penetrate in the soil due to the presence of this contaminated water.

Sources and Effects of Water Pollution:

Different activities of humans have led to the contamination of the water bodies. For instance-

Industrial Waste – Pollutants such as mercury, asbestos, lead and petrochemicals which are released as industrial waste, find their way in the water bodies and contaminate them. Often this makes the water unfit not only for drinking but also for domestic use and survival of marine life as well. There have been numerous occasions where groups of dead fish have swept ashore at a given time due to the sudden increase of such chemicals in the water. Moreover, the spillage of oil from the ships often creates a hindrance for the oxygen in the air to get dissolved in water, thereby making it difficult for the marine animals to breathe.

Sewage and Waste Water – Another instance where the water bodies get contaminated is due to the release of sewage and wastewater directly into the bodies without being treated. Untreated wastewater can at times pose to be very poisonous not only for human life but for fishes as well.

Global Warming – Global warming is another phenomenon which has been often credited with the cause of increasing water pollution. There has been a rise in water temperature levels due to global warming which has even led to the death of water animals as well as plants as they were not able to survive in the increased temperatures.

Radioactive Waste – Radioactive waste is another major cause of water pollution. Radioactive substances are utilized in atomic power plants, mechanical, medicinal and other logical procedures. They can be found in watches, glowing timekeepers, TVs and x-beam apparatus. There are likewise normally occurring radioisotopes from creatures and inside the earth. If not appropriately discarded, radioactive waste can result in genuine water contamination episodes.

Dumping – Dumping of strong squanders and litters in water bodies cause water pollution. Litters incorporate glass, plastic, aluminium, Styrofoam and so on. They influence amphibian plants and creatures.

Measures to Control Water Pollution:

It has become utmost importance for all of us that we must seriously think over executing some strong steps so as to decrease, if not stop, this ever growing menace of water pollution. Some of the measures which can be incorporated are –

Educating People – First and above all measure, we ought to teach individuals on the harmful impacts of water pollution. In cities where lack of education is high among the rustic individuals, there ought to be state-funded training from those talented in these fields to assist the provincial individuals with stopping the release of waste in the water bodies. Moreover, open defecation and wrong fishing practices should be controlled.

Fines and Laws – In the urban zones, Industries and production lines let out a considerable measure of their waste into the water bodies. An appropriate fine forced on them and in addition publication on their wrongdoing will enable them to stop these practices. Laws ought to be likewise authorized to guarantee that such industries stop from rough spillage strategies which wreck water assets like fish, lobsters and so on.

Media contribution – Using radio and TV with adverts on the impacts of water contamination additionally ought to be urged to get the message crosswise over and also Public Service Announcements. The more developments there are to lessen water pollution, the more secure the water bodies will be.

Appropriate transfer of waste – There ought to be legitimate transfer of both strong and fluid waste. Experts in charge of waste administration in the nation must give territories to discard waste so that waste is not spilt all around. Businesses ought to be set up to reuse waste materials.

Appropriate utilization of chemicals on farms – Water pollution can be controlled if agriculturists are made to apply agro-synthetic concoctions legitimately on their farms through state-provided instructions. This will reduce the spillage of such synthetic compounds into waterways, lakes, tidal ponds and streams when rain falls. Farmers ought to be warned not to wash the compartments of the synthetics into water bodies.

Cleaning of Drains – To avoid water pollution, the drains are required to be cleaned all the time. In the provincial territories, pucca channels are required to be made, on the grounds that the water is going wherever in a proper way and not just reaching the rives and seas straightaway without being properly treated. We ought to build up an innovation to repel the channels from the water sources.

The inclusion of cleaning water bodies in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan – Here is the need to actually implement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in totality and make India open defecation free. By and by, the issue of open poo and the dumping of rubbish out in the open places still exist. When it rains, all the earth, trash and excreta get into streams or lakes, dirtying water sources. Generally, individuals themselves stream squander materials into waterways or lakes without legitimate seepage framework. Lakes and streams are additionally utilized for showering and washing purposes because of which gigantic amount of soil and contaminations get gathered into the water bodies. Additionally, because of these exercises, trash, excreta, fiery remains of the dead old garments and ruined materials are released into waterways and even at times, dead bodies are likewise tossed into the streams and water bodies. There are for all intents and purposes no toilets in the ghetto settlements situated close city-residences, or regardless of whether there is one, it can’t work easily. This calls for rehearsing great cleanliness in the genuine soul of Swachh Bharat.

Everyday Steps for all to Curb Water Pollution –

i. Keep your vehicle all around kept up and promptly benefit it on the off chance that you see any oil spilling from the vehicle.

ii. Buy ecologically friendly cleaning items that don’t hurt the land in the event they happen to be flushed or purged into a water body.

iii. Moderate your water use and don’t leave the water running when you are not utilizing it.

iv. Use, reuse and recycle everything you can. Plastics and papers might be sent to the reusing canister while a portion of your glass materials might have the capacity to be reused or re-purposed so that they don’t pollute the water.

v. Ensure non-recyclable waste is contained legitimately with the goal that it doesn’t spill into the land or road and contaminate it.

Water has played a pretty much noticeable role is the sustenance of life on the earth. Present-day practices have regularly disregarded the old practices of saving water leading to undesired results in the form of increasing water pollution.

In any case, in the present social orders, we frequently observe a recovery of old conventions and a more normal and manageable utilization of water. Finding the correct blend among ‘old’ and ‘present day’ rehearses finds practical answers for adapt to environmental change.

Water pollution has turned into a consistent expanding issue on the earth which is influencing human and creature lives in all viewpoints. Water contamination is tainting the drinking water by the harmful toxins produced by the human exercises. The entire water is getting dirtied through numerous sources, for example, urban spill over, rural, mechanical, sedimentary, syphoning from landfills, creature squanders, and other human exercises. Each one of the toxins is exceptionally destructive to nature. Human populace is expanding step by step and in this way their requirements and rivalry driving contamination to the best dimension. We have to pursue some extreme changes in our propensities to spare the water on earth and also proceed with the likelihood of life here. Or else, the day is not far off when life would not be able to survive on earth to the enormous levels of water pollution.

Pollution , Water Pollution

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Essay About Water Pollution Water is basic to life requirements and more than 70% of the earth’s surface is cover by water. W.H.Auden said that “thousands have lived without love, not one without water”. Water is one of our most valuable and important resources because all living organisms require water to survive their life. The human body consists of more than 50% of water, so it proves that humans can survive without food but cannot survive if without water. Fish and other living organisms need water which forms lakes, rivers and oceans as their shelter. Water pollution caused by when humans started discarding sewage and toxic chemical into the ocean, effluents from industries, manufacturing and agro-based industries, dumping, oil pollution, acid rain and so on. Sewage that causes water pollution is one of the most important problem in the earth today. Rivers contaminated by sewerage contain high levels of organic pollutants, and they become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and viruses that may cause fish and other aquatic organisms impossible to survive and become extinct. Sewage also causes many diseases such as cholera and typhoid that will detrimental to humans. For a few more times, water has been infected with sewage and human cannot enjoy clean water. Recently, the Amazon rainforest had some of the highest deforestations in the world, which has hugely affected the access to and quality of water. This causes the area of the earth to lose a lot of freshwater due to this problem. This is heartbreaking and terrifying to think that the Amazon is the largest rainforest on the planet which creates 20% of the earth’s oxygen, basically is the “lungs of the world”. People are literally destroying the miracle of home and waste a lot of water to put out the fire. Through deforestation, trees are being removed, naturally, there is a loss of support on the soil and leads to more loss of soil. Thereby causing higher rates of soil erosion that seeps into the nearby lakes, affecting the water quality of the lake. It also makes it impossible for sea creatures to survive because of the lack of clean water and the collapsed soil that fills the river’s space, the creatures cannot multiply. In Malaysia, the environmental problem that becoming more serious from time to time is water pollution. This pollution occurs when pollutants are not treated properly to remove harmful compounds are discharged into water bodies. So it is very important to prevent polluting of water bodies and remove existing contaminants or reducing the concentration of these contaminants and use it as desired. Dealing with water pollution is something that everyone including the government and local people need to get involved with. The ways of treating polluted water are industrial wastewater treatment which the raw sewage is needed to be treated carefully and correctly in a water treatment plant before it can be released into the environment. Therefore, all manufacturing industries should assure they have a well-designed treatment facility that can prevent water pollution. Besides, we should never throw rubbish away anyhow. If the rubbish bin is none around, we can take the rubbish home and put it in the rubbish bin. These include places like beaches, riverside and water bodies. We must use water wisely and do not keep the water pipe running when not in use. It can significantly prevent water shortages and reduce the amount of dirty water that needs treatment plants. Anti-pollution laws and regulations must be applied to everyone because it always played an important role to ensure water pollution are kept to the minimum. Anti-pollution laws can as well establish measures that put restrictions for water pollution. These laws are usually directed to industries, hospitals, schools and market areas on how to dispose of, treat and manage sewage.

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Essay on Water Pollution for Children and Students

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Essay on Water Pollution: Water pollution is a topic of great environmental concern in today’s context. Water is a rare resource, much essential for life on earth. It is not only water that is essential but it also must be clean and safe to use. Polluted and contaminated water is good for nothing and is also hazardous to use or consume. The main causes of water are human-induced and include activities like industrialization, agricultural activities, improper waste disposal, etc.

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Short and Long Essay on Water Pollution

We have provided below short and long essays on water pollution in English for your knowledge and information. After going through the essays, you will know what water pollution is and what are its main causes; how to stop water pollution; water pollution prevention etc. These essays will be helpful in your school/college assignments of essay writing, speech giving or paragraph writing, etc.

Water Pollution Essay 100 Words – Sample 1

Water Pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies and underground resources of water by any of the several human activities or natural causes. Human activities like, urbanization, industrialization, deforestation, waste disposal, landfills are primarily responsible for water pollution.

Some of the natural causes responsible for water pollution are volcanoes and debris from floods. Another natural cause of water pollution is algae bloom. The term “algae” is used to refer to a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms. Algae bloom means an increase in the population of algae in a water body, consequently resulting in its discoloration and contamination.

Water Pollution Essay 150 Words – Sample 2

The term “Water Pollution” is used when a water body like a river, lake, ocean, etc is polluted due to human activity or a natural cause. Today, water pollution has become a major environmental concern and needs to be responsibly dealt with.

Fresh water is very scarce on the planet and pollution is making it even scarcer. Every year we lose millions of liters of freshwater to industrial and other types of pollution. Pollutants consist of visible small and big pieces of garbage as well as invisible, harmful and toxic chemicals.

The visible impurities can be easily removed from a water body by manual cleaning or filtration, but the chemical pollutants are more hazardous and difficult to remove. Chemicals get mixed into water and change its properties, making it harmful to use and life-threatening.

It is only through sincere individual and collective efforts, that we can overcome the problem of water pollution and prevent a severe water crisis in future.

Water Pollution Essay 200 Words – Sample 3

Water Pollution is a matter of environmental concern as well as life and health of all living species. For a population of 7.8 billion growing at a rate of 82 million every year we have very little freshwater.

Only 2.5% of all the water available on earth is freshwater that we use for our daily needs. But, human’s desire to expand boundaries and explore commercial avenues have put stress on our freshwater resources, making them polluted as never before.

Many industries are set up near water bodies and use freshwater to carry industrial waste to the nearby water bodies. This industrial waste is toxic in nature and poses a health hazard to the flora and fauna. People in the settlements in the vicinity of polluted water bodies are observed to be suffering from serious skin, respiratory and sometimes even life-threatening other ailments.

Other the main cause of water pollution is urban waste and sewage. Every household produces tons of waste annually, consisting of plastic, wood, chemicals, and other compounds. In the absence of a proper waste disposal mechanism, this waste reaches our water bodies like rivers, lakes, streams and pollutes them. Water pollution must be prevented if we want the earth to be green, healthy and filled with life.

Water Pollution Essay 250 Words – Sample 4

Water is an essential resource for life on earth. Without water, or to be more specific, without clean and safe water, life on earth would be unimaginable. You may think that we still have plenty of water with it constituting 97.5% of the total volume of earth. But, there is a catch – that 97.5% is salt water that is found mainly in oceans; the water we do not use for our daily needs.

The remaining percentage, that is, only 2.5% is freshwater what we use. Moreover, only 0.3% of that 2.5% is the water found on the surface of the earth. To be more specific, the total volume of water on earth is 1,386,000,000 Km 3 , out of which only 10,633,450 Km 3 is freshwater. Leaving very less freshwater for a population of 7.8 billion as on December 2019 and every year 82 million people are being added to that figure. On the other hand, the volume of freshwater used by the world population took centuries to be produced and thus it can’t be afforded to be polluted at any cost.

If the pollution of water continues as it is today, within a couple of decades we could face an acute water crisis. Then we might be left with no option but only to regret what we have done. There is still time and things can be normalized if we take action today. Whether it is an individual action or a collective one, an action to conserve water and prevent its pollution is the need of the day.

Water Pollution Essay 300 Words – Sample 5

Introduction

Water Pollution occurs when external pollutants enter the otherwise clean and safe natural water resources. Due to the growing human intervention and expansion of urban settlements, water pollution has become a painful reality today.

Water Pollution Sources

The sources of water pollution are many and almost all of them are generated due to human activities. Industries emit millions of gallons of toxic smoke and material waste which is left directly into the air, water bodies and natural resources. Most of such waste from the industries are left directly into the water bodies without any kind of treatment. Most of the industrial waste is toxic in nature and in turn, increases the toxicity of the water it reaches.

Also, the domestic waste that is generated every day in the millions of households around the world contains waste plastic materials, chemicals, oils, metals, etc. Most of the households lack a proper waste disposal mechanism and mostly the waste is directly dumped into the environment.

How to Stop Water Pollution

Water pollution could be prevented considerably by making people aware of its causes and its effects on life and the planet. People must take part in cleaning campaigns wherein a group or community takes up the task of cleaning the water bodies every weekend or at least once in a month.

Moreover, strict laws need to be formed and strictly implemented with the objective of eliminating water pollution. Strict monitoring could prevent people and organizations from polluting and will improve accountability as well.

Water pollution today has become a topic of hot debate and concern for environmentalists and scientists. It threatens the future of all the living species on the planet earth. Water is an essential commodity to live added by the fact that only 2% of the water on earth is fresh water that we use. We can’t afford to pollute it further and must take steps for the reversal of the damage that we have already done.

Water Pollution Essay 350 Words – Sample 6

Water Pollution refers to the introduction of pollutants into our water bodies. These pollutants are primarily generated by human-induced activities and pose a threat to our natural water resources.

Water Pollution Prevention

There are several things one could do to prevent water pollution. Some of them are simple enough to be taken by an individual while some require collective efforts. However, the efforts need to be repeatedly done in order to preserve our natural water resources. Some of the implementable ways to prevent water pollution are given below-

Keep your drain free of Contaminants and Chemicals.

An average household generates all kinds of waste including chemicals, disposed medicines, and other hazardous compounds. We must take care while disposing of our household waste and ensure that any such waste didn’t reach the sewage system.

Prevent use of Polythene

Polythene bags are widely used today in every household. They are light, could carry heavyweight, and easy to store. But polythene bags constitute a major threat to water resources. The polythene that we dispose of our houses, finds its way into the water bodies. Being non-biodegradable, it just lays there, polluting water and making it toxic.

Conserve Water

Always try to conserve water while doing your daily activities, whether it’s cooking, shaving, bathing, gardening or cleaning, etc. Water conservation can also be achieved by repairing all the faulty taps in your house and locality as well.

Reuse and Recycle

Much of the waste that we generate in houses could be reused and recycled if only we make a little effort for it. Wastes like automobile oil are disposed into the drain and easily reach into rivers and streams. This is really hazardous to the purity of water and also to the life of organisms that live in water. On the other hand, automobile oil can be reused for several other lubrication purposes.

Water pollution today has become a cause of great concern for human health as well as the environment. Water is an essential commodity without which life can’t be imagined. It is the duty of all to take steps for keeping water pollution-free and also to conserve it, for a healthy future of the planet.

Water Pollution Essay 400 Words – Sample 7

Water Pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies like rivers, lakes, ponds and oceans. It is caused when the pollutants generated by human activities like industrialization, urban waste, littering, etc., enter our water bodies and pollute them.

Types of Water Pollution

As water comes from many sources, there are many types of water pollution. The most common types of water pollution are described below.

Agricultural/Nutrients Pollution

Some of the waste water and agricultural waste contain high nutrients levels. These nutrient-rich contaminants cause algae growth, making the water unfit for drinking and other purposes. Algae use the oxygen content in water making oxygen scarce for other organisms, resulting in their death.

Sewage and Waste Water

Sewage and waste water from urban settlements is rich in various soluble and non-soluble impurities like mercury, plastic, rotten food, debris, chemicals etc. When these pollutants reach water bodies, some of them float over the surface while some sink at the bottom. The soluble impurities change the composition of water as well. This is a dangerous situation for all the living organisms in the water body.

Oxygen Depletion

Any water body contains several microorganisms including aerobic and anaerobic organisms. When the biodegradable waste reaches into the water bodies and decays, it encourages the growth of more microorganisms, consequently using more oxygen, in turn, depleting the oxygen level.

Pollution of Ground Water

Use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers pollute the groundwater resources. The chemicals get mixed with soil and are soaked into the ground with rain, reaching the underground water reserve. This contaminated water reaches our wells and other sources of water, making its consumption harmful.

Prevention of Water Pollution

Water Pollution can be prevented by taking these simple steps –

Don’t pour down fat or oil in your kitchen sink.
Avoid improper disposing of harmful chemicals and other contaminants.
Never let unused or expired medicines reach the house drainage system.
Segregate the waste as solid, liquid, degradable and non-degradable and ensure its proper disposal.
Avoid using pesticides and chemical fertilizers as much as you can.

Water pollution is a growing environmental concern which depletes one of our very essential natural resources. It is only through great determination and political will that we can succeed in saving water from getting contaminated.

Water Pollution Essay 500 Words – Sample 8

Water Pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies, primarily due to human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, ponds, oceans and underground water resources. Water Pollution occurs when waste from industrial and other sources enter into the water bodies, resulting in the contamination of water, moreover, it is also harmful to aquatic life as well as to humans.

Causes of Water Pollution

Water is an essential natural resource and very useful for life on earth. Causes of water pollution are many and always include human activities. The various causes of water pollution are given below-

Urban Sewage: The sewage from urban settlements is usually treated with chemicals and then released into the water bodies after mixing with fresh water. Most of the time, the sewage is not treated and is left into the water bodies. It contains harmful, bacteria and pathogens, which is extremely harmful to aquatic life and to humans as well.
Industrial Waste: Large amount of toxic waste is produced by the industries. Industrial waste includes pollutants such as mercury, lead, sulfur, asbestos, and nitrates. These chemicals are not only harmful to flora and fauna but also render the water unfit to use. Due to the absence of a proper waste management system, many industries still dump harmful waste in natural water resources.
Garbage Dumping: Common household garbage contains plastic, food, wood, paper, rubber, aluminum, etc. This garbage is directly dumped into oceans and rivers or else reaches them indirectly and takes a couple of years to centuries to degrade. In both cases, it pollutes the water bodies and threatens marine life as well as the life of flora and fauna over the adjoining lands.
Oil Spills: Oil is non-soluble in water and being lighter in density, floats over it. Though the oil spills have been considerably reduced in the past decades, the incidents of oil spills still happen. For instance, in 2018, there were 137 oil spills in the United States alone. Out of 137 spills, 65 were reported as the maximum potential spills, releasing gallons of oil into the water.
Landfills Leakage: Landfills are the huge piles of garbage usually found on the outskirts of a city or urban settlement. The garbage from the landfills leaks into the water bodies with rain or reaches with the wind, resulting in their contamination. They contain a large amount of several contaminants harmful for aquatic life.

Effects of Water Pollution

The most immediate effect of water pollution is on the organisms that live in water. Moreover, it is also harmful to the surrounding plants, animals and humans those use or consume water in some form or the other.

Chemical pollutants are most harmful in this regard as they are difficult to separate physically and alter the properties of water. They get mixed with the water alter its chemical properties, making it harmful to consume or use.

Use of contaminated water causes several serious diseases in humans like – diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery, etc and could be life-threatening.

Water Pollution today has become a serious issue that concerns the health of the planet and its inhabitants. Water is a very useful resource, much needed for drinking and other essential activities by humans and animals alike. If the already scarce freshwater is made contaminated then the chances of life on the planet are considerably reduced. To save life on earth we must first save the water by keeping our water bodies clean.

Frequently Asked Questions on Water Pollution

What are the objectives of water pollution.

Water pollution is not the objective but the result of contaminants entering water bodies, harming aquatic life and ecosystems.

How do we detect water pollution?

Water pollution can be detected through various tests and measurements of water quality, including chemical analysis and biological monitoring.

What is the effects of water pollution?

The effects of water pollution include harm to aquatic life, ecosystem disruption, health risks for humans, and damage to the environment.

Why do we stop water pollution?

We aim to stop water pollution to protect aquatic ecosystems, ensure safe drinking water, and safeguard public health.

How can we protect water?

We can protect water by reducing pollutant discharge, conserving water resources, and adopting eco-friendly practices.

What is the main source of pollution?

The main sources of water pollution are industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, sewage, and improper waste disposal.

How to prevent water pollution?

Preventing water pollution involves regulating pollution sources, promoting eco-friendly practices, and raising awareness about water conservation.

What's the cause of water pollution?

The causes of water pollution include chemical pollutants, sewage, oil spills, and excessive nutrient runoff from agriculture and urban areas.

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What Causes Water Pollution? 8 Must-Know Reasons

Industrial Effluents

Industries often release untreated waste directly into rivers, containing harmful chemicals and heavy metals. Industrial effluents are the key causes of water pollution.

Agricultural Runoff

Pesticides, fertilisers, and insecticides used in agricultural lands often seep into groundwater or run off into rivers. Agricultural Runoff is another crucial cause of water pollution.

Domestic Waste

Untreated sewage is frequently dumped into rivers, introducing pathogens and toxic substances.

Liquid contaminants from landfills can percolate through the ground, polluting the groundwater. Furthermore, landfills are also one of the important water pollution causes.

These disastrous events introduce massive amounts of hydrocarbons into the oceans, proving fatal for marine life.

Mining Activities

Mining can introduce acidic compounds and heavy metals into water bodies.

Deforestation

Forests act as buffers for pollutants. Cutting them down can increase the runoff of pollutants into water bodies.

An essay on causes of water pollution would be incomplete without mentioning the negligence of regulatory bodies, lack of public awareness, and inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure, which exacerbate the problem.

Did you know that writing an essay about water pollution can help children develop awareness towards preserving nature?

What Can Be Done? Strategies to Curtail Water Pollution Causes

Public Awareness

Schools and institutions should focus on imparting knowledge about the consequences of water pollution. Every essay on water pollution should be shared widely to spread the word.

Government Regulations

Strict regulations should be enforced to prevent industries from dumping waste into water bodies.

Research and Technology

Investment in research can lead to innovative solutions for treating and recycling wastewater.

Sustainable Practices

From sustainable agriculture to reducing, reusing, and recycling, adopting sustainable practices can curtail water pollution.

Community Initiatives

Community-driven initiatives like beach clean-ups and awareness campaigns can make a significant impact.

Do your kids know that being aware of water pollution by writing an essay helps them reflect on nature?

The Global Perspective on Water Pollution

While this essay on water pollution has largely focused on a general overview, it’s essential to understand the global perspective of this issue. Water pollution isn’t constrained by borders; rivers that originate in one country often flow into another, carrying with them the pollutants from the former.

For instance, many Asian rivers that start in one nation flow across several countries, gathering pollutants along their journey. The Ganges River, revered by millions, is a stark example. Its waters are not only spiritually significant but also a primary water source for countless citizens. Yet, the river has been beleaguered by relentless pollution from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and domestic waste.

Similarly, in Africa, the Nile River stretches through several nations, each contributing to its pollution load. And the issue isn’t just confined to developing countries. Developed nations, with all their technological advancements, have faced a crisis due to water pollution. The Flint water crisis in the USA is a prime example.

Water Scarcity and Pollution

A crucial offshoot topic in any essay on water pollution is the looming water scarcity crisis. Currently, nearly 2 billion people live in areas of high water stress, and by 2050, about half the world’s population may face water scarcity. When the available freshwater sources are polluted, it exacerbates the problem manifold. Polluted water not only reduces the quantity available for consumption but also hikes up treatment costs, putting a strain on economies.

Public Action and Water Pollution

An interesting phenomenon has been observed globally – that of public action against water pollution. Many movements, driven by ordinary citizens, have risen against the degradation of their local water bodies. From the Chipko movement in India, which was not just about forests but also the preservation of the Himalayan waters, to the protests in Flint, Michigan, people around the world are becoming more vocal and proactive. It’s vital that every essay on causes of water pollution highlights this power of collective public action. When communities come together, they can compel industries and governments to implement change.

It’s evident that water pollution is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time. However, with collective efforts, it’s possible to combat this menace. In this article, we have discussed the crisis of water pollution. The students are the torchbearers of the future, and it’s upon our children to lead the way. Every discussion, every essay on water pollution, brings us a step closer to a cleaner, brighter future. Please share your valuable thoughts.

Parents, for a brighter future, it’s essential to begin early. Ensure your child gets the right start. Enrol them in the nearest EuroKids Preschool and lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning and environmental consciousness.

https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/water-pollution-information-and-facts-for-kids/

https://www.twinkl.co.in/teaching-wiki/water-pollution#:~:text=Water%20pollution%20is%20what%20happens,creatures%20and%20the%20surrounding%20environment .

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know#whatis

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It’s hard to imagine that just over 50 years ago, our lakes, ponds, and oceans were open dumping grounds for waste and sewage—and that it was legal! The hodgepodge of local and state rules governing the treatment of waterways were little match for the scale of pollution flowing from industry and municipalities.

So when the Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted in 1972, it drastically changed the course of public and environmental health. The bipartisan law gave the federal government the authority to set limits for water pollutants, help fund wastewater infrastructure, and support research and technology to improve water quality.

We still have a ways to go before all of our waters are truly “clean.” In fact, the CWA has faced many challenges, including lawsuits from polluters intent on loosening regulations.

Here’s everything you need to know about the CWA, from its origins to today.

What is the Clean Water Act?

When was the cwa passed, why was the cwa created, how does the cwa work, has the cwa been successful, what challenges does the cwa face, what does the future of the cwa look like.

The CWA is a bedrock environmental law that aims to end water pollution in the United States by regulating pollutants and setting standards for water quality.

The main goal of the CWA is “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” To do this, the law declared that “the discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful” without a permit that specifies how much pollution can be released.

The ambition of the law marked a sharp turn from how waste was previously managed—which is to say, hardly managed at all. Two of its original goals included making all waters “fishable and swimmable” by 1983 and having zero water pollution discharge by 1985. While we failed to reach those goals, the CWA has helped many of our once-dying waterways to recuperate. And it keeps many aquatic ecosystems healthier by regulating industrial and municipal activities that can also damage our health.

The CWA, as we know it today, refers to the 1972 amendments made to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA). The FWPCA was originally passed in 1948 and was the first major law to address water pollution. While it provided state and local governments with funds to research water pollution, there was minimal federal oversight—no goals, guidelines, objectives, or limits to pollutants. It was essentially a figure-it-out-yourself fund for each state.

The CWA was amended in 1977, 1981, 1987, and 2014, and lawmakers have passed several additional pieces of legislation to expand on some of the CWA’s provisions.

A black and white image of firefighters spraying water onto a fire burning near a boat on the Cuyahoga River

Clockwise from top left: A fire burning on the Cuyahoga River in 1952; Senator Wayne Morse holding his nose against the stench of the Potomac River in 1953; a worker hosing off rocks following the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969

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By the 1960s, bodies of water across the United States were considered to be on the brink of death : 240 million gallons of sewage waste were dumped into the Potomac River every day; an oil well blowout near Santa Barbara, California, spewed 100,000 barrels of oil into the Pacific Ocean; an oil slick creeping across Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught on fire—an incident that quickly became a symbol of the country’s deteriorating water quality.

So strong was the public support for these environmental protections that a bipartisan Congress overruled a veto from then president Richard Nixon to get the CWA passed.

Across the country, people were galvanized by these awful conditions. Rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies were no longer seen as dumps but rather as precious resources. And Congress wrote a law that reflected that sentiment.

The CWA includes a mandate that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to eliminate pollution from surface waters, referred to as “waters of the United States.”

The law requires the agency to set standards for water quality and issue pollution permits—allowing industries and municipalities to continue doing business while striving to lessen their negative impacts. As with other major laws, such as the Clean Air Act , the federal government typically sets the nationally applicable rules, and then states implement and enforce them on a day-to-day basis.

An aerial view of groups of people swimming at a beach, sediment is being stirred up near the shoreline

The beach on Belle Isle in the Detroit River, Michigan

Peter Essick/Cavan

The CWA remains a powerful toolbox for citizens, the environment, and the economy. Among other things, its provisions empower those impacted by pollution to sue polluters and motivate private businesses to invest in new technologies. (The law does have limits, however: It does not address groundwater contamination or drinking water standards, at least not directly.)

Here are some of its most important functions.

The CWA sets and maintains water quality standards

To start, the CWA requires states, territories, and Tribes to implement plans to maintain measurable water quality standards (WQS), which are based on recommended pollution limits developed by the EPA and must be reviewed and approved by the agency. These aren’t blanket standards for all bodies of water; rather, they vary based on a given waterbody’s designated uses, including:

protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife
public drinking water supply
agricultural, industrial, navigational, and other purposes

Another component of WQS is the antidegradation requirement, which protects the existing quality of healthy waters and might require the implementation of additional measures to prevent decline.

The EPA maintains a WQS Handbook to help states develop their standards.

The CWA regulates pollution

By regularly updating guidelines and permits, the CWA seeks to continuously limit the amount of water pollution allowed over time. To ensure these guidelines make scientific and economic sense, the law distinguishes factors like the source of the contaminants and whether that source existed before, or was built after, the latest pollution-fighting technology became available. Here’s what the regulations take into account.

Water tinted orange by mining waste runoff flowing from pipes into a river

Mining waste runoff flowing into the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River, in Pennsylvania

Kordite via Flickr, CC BY-NC 4.0

Point source pollution

Point source pollution, put simply, is contamination that comes from a single identifiable source, like a pipe. To discharge most effluent (that is, water pollution) from a point source, the polluter needs to obtain a permit through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program—sometimes called a Section 402 permit. The permits are issued for up to five years at a time, after which they must be renewed.

Each NPDES permit is tailor-made for the type of discharger, such as a factory or town wastewater treatment plant, and for the waterbody that is impacted. The EPA sets and periodically updates national minimum discharge standards, called “effluent limitations guidelines.” These guidelines consider available technologies and, since new facilities can more easily utilize new technologies than existing ones, they also consider whether the facility is already operating or not. Effluent limitations guidelines require the use of the best available tools to control pollution.

In addition to technology-based limits, NPDES permits may also incorporate water quality–based limits. Take those issued for coal-fired power plants. Any plant operator anywhere in the country will have to limit the releases of mercury, arsenic, and other pollutants as required by the effluent guidelines. But if a particular facility is located on a river where there's a water quality standard to protect people who fish (and eat their catch), the operator might need to control those releases even more.

A low angle close-up view of rainwater sluicing from a lawn into a storm grate that is labeled ‘Dump no waste! Drains to waterways!’

Rainwater sluicing into a storm grate that drains into local waterways

Ryan Bemben/Getty Images

Nonpoint source pollution

So what about pollution that comes from many different and diffuse sources? An example of this “nonpoint” source pollution occurs when rainfall picks up lawn care chemicals and carries them into a local stream.

As you can imagine, nonpoint source pollution is much harder to manage—but it’s no less important to control. The CWA’s Section 319, added in 1987, requires states to identify harmful nonpoint source pollution and to manage it, such as with green infrastructure .

An aerial view of two bulldozers moving fill material in opposite directions on a construction site

Fill material being moved at a construction site for an earthen dam on the San Luis Reservoir in California

California Department of Water Resources

Dredge and fill materials

In addition to the NPDES permit that governs pollution, the CWA’s Section 404 permit regulates the discharge of “dredged” or “fill” materials into water, including wetlands. This usually includes solid material, such as rock, sand, soil, or construction debris dumped into a waterbody. To issue these permits, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) looks at potential negative impacts of the materials on public water supplies, fishing and recreation areas, and/or wildlife. The permits commonly apply to things like commercial development, mining, and the construction of dams, levees, or highways.

An aerial view of an oil slick moving past a containment boom and out into the waters of a river

An oil slick moving past a containment boom and into the waters of the Mississippi River in Louisiana

U.S. Coast Guard

Oil spills and other hazardous accidents

While the point source pollution governed by CWA permits is meant to be very controlled and even predictable, the CWA also covers unplanned events, like spills of oil and other hazardous substances. In fact, Section 311 of the law requires the EPA to adequately prepare for and respond to these incidents.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 amended the CWA to make it easier to recover the costs of cleanup from the companies responsible. This was in direct response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which dumped 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound. More recently, the CWA has helped U.S. taxpayers recoup more than $18 billion from oil company BP following its Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and $50 million from petrochemical manufacturer Formosa Plastics for illegally dumping plastic and other pollutants into Texas waterways.

The CWA invests in wastewater treatment

One of the reasons our waterways were so polluted before the CWA came into play was because of our aging, insufficient wastewater treatment processes. Imagine if the water we flushed down our toilets wasn’t treated before being released into the environment. (This still happens in places where stormwater overwhelms combined sewer systems . And yeah: It’s gross.)

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), added in 1987, is a loan and grant program to help communities build out and improve their water infrastructure, including sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, and sewage overflow controls. The 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included a much-needed boost in funds to the CWSRF: $11.7 billion, with an additional $1 billion to address PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka “ forever chemicals ”) and other emerging contaminants.

The CWA empowers citizens

The CWA doesn’t just empower the government to protect our waters. It also allows for citizens to bring lawsuits against those responsible for harmful, illegal discharges. Section 505 grants that anyone who might be affected by the violation of the CWA—assuming a government agency hasn’t already taken sufficient action—can file a civil action. The law also enables citizens to sue the EPA for failing to carry out its responsibilities under the CWA.

A humpback whale leaping from the waters of Monterey Bay, one flipper raised and water splashing from its body

A humpback whale breaching the waters of Monterey Bay, California

Chase Dekker Wild-Life Images/Getty Images

Yes! The CWA has substantially cleaned up our waters over the last few decades:

Technology-based standards prevent more than 700 billion pounds of toxic pollutants from entering our waters every year.
The NPDES program regulates approximately 200,000 point source polluters, including sewage treatment facilities, oil refineries, and construction sites.
A total of $650 billion has gone toward improving wastewater treatment plants.
Rates of wetland losses dropped, following the initial passage of the CWA.
Wastewater from the majority of homes and businesses is now treated.
People around the country are able to more safely swim and fish in their local waterways.

Even some of the waters that were catalysts for public advocacy, like the Cuyahoga River and Monterey Bay, California, have become popular tourist and recreation sites as marine life has rebounded.

Many clean water advocates say that the CWA has failed to go far enough, especially to meet its original goals, which include the complete elimination of water pollution discharges.

And most of our waters do still face serious issues today. The EPA’s most recent National Lake Assessment from 2017 found that around 45 percent of lakes across the country were in poor biological condition. The main issue was nutrient pollution, which can lead to harmful algal blooms and dead zones. Meanwhile, the agency’s river- and stream-related assessment found that less than one-third of these channels were in good biological condition.

On top of that, the CWA is under frequent and intense attacks from polluting industries and their political allies.

Continued pollution and lack of enforcement resources

Without regular data collection, it’s easier for polluters to illegally dump their waste and face few repercussions. The CWA requires states and territories to monitor the status of protected bodies of water but the EPA’s water quality report showed only half of the waters had been assessed.

A close-up overhead view of a pile of microplastics and plastic waste

Microplastics and plastic waste collected from waterways in Florida

Florida Sea Grant, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

New types of pollution

Untold numbers of new pollutants and sources of pollution have emerged since the CWA was passed—some naturally occurring but many man-made. These “emerging contaminants” are substances and microorganisms that may pose risks to human health or the ecosystem.

Microplastics and PFAS are of growing concern, especially because of their risk to human health. These and other contaminants, including the pharmaceuticals we ingest that make their way through our sewage, are not broken down in the standard wastewater treatment process that the CWA requires.

Legal challenges

For decades, polluting industries have sought to undermine the CWA by limiting which pollutants and sources can be regulated, as well as which waterbodies qualify for protection. (This, despite how important clean water supplies are to many lucrative industries.)

Here are some of the most recent attacks on the CWA.

The Trump administration’s Dirty Water Rule: Anti-science and illegal

In 2015, then president Barack Obama’s EPA and Army Corps published the Clean Water Rule to clarify the scope of protections in the CWA—and specifically included wetlands and streams.

But developers have long argued that wetlands should not be protected because they are not navigable waters. And in 2019, the Trump administration repealed the 2015 rule and replaced it with what environmental advocates called the “ Dirty Water Rule ” because of how it drastically eliminated protections for millions of miles of waterways. The administration couldn’t even estimate this rule’s potential impacts, and the EPA’s own advisors warned that parts of the rule were not based on science at all.

The Dirty Water Rule was rejected by a federal judge in 2021. But these attacks continued…

Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency : Reducing which waters are protected

In May 2023, a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision gutted the Clean Water Act’s protections for wetlands and many streams. Before the Sackett v. EPA case, Congress, agencies, and the courts all understood the CWA to protect most surface waters: oceans, lakes, streams, and wetlands. But the Sackett decision ruled out protections for an estimated tens of millions of acres of wetlands across the country, including swamps, marshes, and bogs—all havens for biodiversity .

The case centered around an Idaho couple who ran an excavation company and dumped 1,700 cubic yards of gravel and sand into wetlands without a permit. The Supreme Court’s decision to side with the polluters ultimately narrowed the CWA’s wetlands protections to just those with a “continuous surface connection” to a larger body of water. This redefinition also eliminated protections for rain-dependent streams.

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo : Weakening agency authority

In another Supreme Court decision, this one in June 2024, the Court’s conservative majority decided in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo to upend 40 years of precedent known as the Chevron deference , a long-standing principle that when a law is vague, a federal court should defer to a federal agency’s expertise and reasonable interpretation of the law.

This new decision will allow judges to substitute their own views about the meaning of a statute when reviewing actions by not only the EPA but all government agencies. It’s too early to know how exactly it will specifically impact environmental and health protections, but it will likely make it harder for agencies to solve complex problems like water pollution—therefore putting public health at risk.

People swimming and relaxing near trees on a rocky peninsula on the shore of a lake, an orange and purple sunset sky overhead

Promontory Point Peninsula on the shore of Lake Michigan in Hyde Park, Chicago

ChiStock Images

With the understanding that rulings like Sackett will have far-reaching impacts, many legislators are taking action to codify water protections into the law. For example, in 2023, more than 100 members of the House introduced the Clean Water Act of 2023 to reinstate wetland, river, and stream protections.

But major pieces of federal legislation like this can take years to pass, especially with powerful opponents fighting against it. In the meantime, it will be up to the states, Tribes, and localities to protect the wetlands and streams in their jurisdictions.

What is NRDC doing to defend the CWA?

As part of a coalition that includes states, Tribes, cities, businesses, and conservation groups, NRDC has joined the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge, announced by the Biden White House in April 2024, to protect and restore 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams by 2030.

NRDC also collaborates with partners across the country, like the Clean Water for All coalition and Brewers for Clean Water , to bring greater awareness to the need for water protections.

Alongside these initiatives, we’ll continue our work in the courts and on Capitol Hill to advocate for the full restoration of the CWA to its original purpose—to clean up our waterways and keep them free of pollutants for future generations.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

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Trouble by the water: Minnesota's vanishing natural lakeshores

Are Minnesotans loving their lakes to death? Nearly half of wild shorelines that protect lakes from pollution are now gone.

It’s possible to repair the damage, but is the will there to do it?

Join MPR News correspondent Kirsti Marohn as she explores these questions and takes us for a lake tour to see how suburban-style development is changing Minnesota’s lakeshores.

Funding for this series is provided in part by the Four Cedars Environmental Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

10 key data points and graphs about loss of shoreline on Minnesota’s lakes

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Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

In NW Wisconsin, a county finds paying homeowners to keep shorelines natural pays off

‘Quit mowing’: Turning Minnesota lake homeowners into shoreline stewards, one lawn at a time

Unchecked development, lax regulation push Minnesota lakeshores to the edge

A no-swim advisory is issued for Sarasota Bay after Debby caused a sewage spill

A woman wearing blue gloves, a cap and sunglasses, points a beaker at the Sarasota Bay

For the second week in a row, tests show it's not safe to swim in Sarasota Bay, after more than 17 million gallons of waste spilled there, and 25 million gallons went into the Manatee River.

The sun is shining, the water looks glassy and smooth on Sarasota Bay, and the smell of sewage is gone from the air. But don't be fooled.

Just a week ago, 17 million gallons of waste overflowed here after heavy rain and flooding from Hurricane Debby.

On Wednesday morning, Abbey Tyrna rolled up her pant legs and waded out far enough to reach elbow-deep in the brownish green water to test how much poop remains.

"Last week, we found lots of fresh water moving into this bay, which carried with it a lot of sewage. So we did find high levels of fecal indicator bacteria," said Tyrna, executive director of the nonprofit Suncoast Waterkeeper.

Anything greater than 71 units of this enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of tidal water would be considered unsafe for swimming, according to state water quality standards.

If you swallow this water, you could get diarrhea, vomiting, a rash or worse .

Last week's water test, on Aug, 7, at Sarasota Bay by Marina Jack showed 2,143 — or 30 times higher than the safe limits.

Results from Aug. 12, released Friday, show 1,722. Still far too high.

"The bay is still not safe for recreational activities," Tyrna said.

Three abandoned boats washed ashore on the banks of Sarasota Bay

After testing 11 locations around the bay, Suncoast Waterkeeper issued a no-swim advisory for 10 of them, mostly those areas closest to shore, including Indian Beach, Palma Sola Causeway North and Robinson Preserve.

Longboat Key's Bayfront Park is the only area Suncoast Waterkeeper deemed safe for swimming.

Tyrna said the warm ocean waters have meant poor water quality in the bay and high levels of disease-causing bacteria, even prior to Debby's deluge.

A woman ina blue hat, shirt and sunglasses checks her phone with pen in hand as she prepares a water quality test.

"We did a sampling event one week before the storm, and all sites that we went to had high enterococci levels. And really that's a factor of warmer water. Warmer water can make bacteria just reproduce like crazy," Tyrna said.

Each week, Suncoast Waterkeeper, which relies on donations and has a staff of two people, tests 11 locations around Sarasota Bay and sends the data to the state.

Tyrna also posts the results on social media.

Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health tests water quality at beaches .

The latest data show levels of human and animal waste are well below harmful limits at most beaches, including Venice, Lido and Siesta Key, meaning the water is safe for swimming.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for local authorities to close beaches due to water quality problems.

"In the law, it says it's recommended, and this bill would have changed it to 'required,' " Tyrna explained.

Some health departments do close beaches when bacteria is too high, some don't.

Tyrna said she and other community advocates would like to see better reporting of water quality issues so the public can understand the dangers.

Tyrna said she is in talks with the Multicultural Health Institute in Sarasota and the Department of Health about how to proceed.

"There should be a centralized reporting system where people can report their sicknesses so that it can be understood how water quality is impacting visitors and residents. But there isn't such a tool right now."

Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Human Impact — Water Pollution

Essays on Water Pollution

Hook examples for water pollution essays, "the hidden peril: unveiling the depths of water pollution" hook.

"Beneath the serene surface of water lies a hidden peril. Dive into the depths of water pollution, uncovering the threats to our environment, wildlife, and health."

"From Crystal Clear to Murky: The Transformation of Water Bodies" Hook

"Once-pristine water bodies now bear scars of pollution. Explore the transformation of lakes, rivers, and oceans from crystal clear to murky, and the factors responsible."

"A Taste of Contamination: The Effects of Polluted Water on Health" Hook

"What we drink and consume affects our health. Discuss the alarming consequences of consuming contaminated water, from diseases to long-term health issues."

"Industrial Giants and the Price of Progress: Pollution's Impact" Hook

"Industrialization has brought progress, but at a cost. Analyze the role of industries in water pollution and their responsibility in mitigating environmental damage."

"The Ripple Effect: How Water Pollution Impacts Ecosystems" Hook

"Water pollution's effects ripple through ecosystems, disrupting fragile balances. Explore its impact on aquatic life, biodiversity, and the delicate web of life."

"Turning the Tide: Solutions for Combatting Water Pollution" Hook

"It's not too late to turn the tide against water pollution. Discuss innovative solutions, policies, and individual actions aimed at safeguarding our water resources."

"Guardians of the Waters: Inspiring Stories of Environmental Activism" Hook

"Meet the guardians of our waters—environmental activists who dedicate their lives to fighting pollution. Share their inspiring stories of dedication and change."

Against Water Pollution: a Call for Sustainable Practices

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Water Pollution: Problem and Solution

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The Effects of Water Pollution on People and Animals

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Water pollution: what we can expect, clean water and sanitation: review of the issue of water pollution, water pollution: the causes of trash in the ocean, the issue of water pollution in the drinking water in brisbane, tragic effects of water pollution, the causes of ocean pollution and the need for humans to save marine life, a study of plastic pollution in the pacific ocean, the importance of keeping water from contamination, informative pollutions, their types, causes, impacts, and solutions, the urgent problem of pollution in modern world, how ocean pollution impacts earth, the effects of water pollution on kzn citizens, water quality assessment of five southern maine beaches: comparing escherichia coli levels, the actions p.u.f.f will be taking to clean the oceans, e-coli outbreak and the significance of drinking water safety management, the issues of managing water resources in india, a water crisis in india and its impact on women and children, the struggle for water at plachimada, kerala, the water pollution prevention in oceanic areas.

Water pollution is the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or into lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans to the point where the substances interfere with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning of ecosystems.

Some of the primary sources water pollution are: domestic sewage, solid waste, toxic waste, sediment, thermal pollution, petroleum (oil) pollution.

Water pollution can result in the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, spread of gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections, eutrophication, and ocean acidification.

Around 70% of industrial waste is dumped to water. 80% of the water pollution is caused due to domestic sewage. More than 6 billion pounds of garbage, mainly plastic end up in the oceans every year. 15 million children under the age of five years die every year from diseases caused by drinking contaminated water. The Ganges river in India is considered the most polluted river in the world.

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Water, the essence of life itself, becomes a dire threat when tainted. The causative factors of water pollution span from the reckless discharge of hazardous chemicals to the insidious effects of acid rain, an offshoot of air pollution. This contamination of water reserves precipitates a dual crisis: a staggering loss of biodiversity and the ...
A no-swim advisory is issued for Sarasota Bay after Debby caused a
If you swallow this water, you could get diarrhea, vomiting, a rash or worse. Last week's water test, on Aug, 7, at Sarasota Bay by Marina Jack showed 2,143 — or 30 times higher than the safe limits. Results from Aug. 12, released Friday, show 1,722. Still far too high. "The bay is still not safe for recreational activities," Tyrna said.
Buddha Nullah water pollution: 3 CETPs found not complying with green
Filing its reply on the status of extreme water pollution in Ludhiana's stream Buddha Nullah due to the alleged dumping of toxic discharge by dyeing units, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Wednesday that three Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) in the city have been found non-complying with environmental norms, exceeding the ...
Free Water Pollution Essays and Papers
Essay grade: Good. 1 page / 749 words. Addressing the pressing issue of water pollution is essential in today's world, and finding a viable solution to water pollution is a matter of utmost significance, given its pervasive impact on humanity. Water, the essence of life itself, becomes a dire threat when tainted.

Water Pollution and How it Harms the Environment

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Causes of Water Pollution

Consequences of Water Pollution

Prevention and Remediation

Individual and Collective Responsibility:

Conclusion :

Solutions and Mitigation Strategies

a. Regulatory Measures

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Water Pollution Causes, Effects and Solutions

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