Water Pollution
Definition:
The addition of
pollutants/particles/substances, which leads to the contamination of water bodies
and toxification, can be broadly defined as water pollution. This generally is
a result of adding untreated industrial waste and sewage directly into the
water bodies.
Premise:
Water is a scarce
resource. With rising population, demand on water usage is rising exponentially.
In this scenario we can ill-afford pollution of water bodies. Water pollution
is one of the most threatening problems in the present
world (Water Pollution, 2009)
Nowadays, when
water scarcity is widespread, water pollution is a big problem. To handle water
scarcity full measures should be taken to deal with water pollution. Proper
treatment of sewage and removal of chemicals and other harmful pathogens from
industrial waste would be the basic measure for handling water pollution. This
would help a lot in handling water scarcity ultimately resulting in the
measures tacking for water pollution.
But if the
different measures for stopping water pollution are not taken with immediate
action then it may lead to water turning into the most precious but scarce
natural resource in the world. (NRDC, 2013)
If we refer to UN Water
for Life we can see there is a self-explanatory presentation which says that
today in the present situation all over the 193 countries of the world, were 6,984,895,594
people suffer scarcity of water and those are all polluted as well. By the year
2050 almost 1.8 billion population will live in regions or countries with
absolute water shortage and polluted water and 2/3 of the world’s population
may live under the condition of water stress. The sub-saharan African region
has the maximum number of water stressed regions. Water scarcity and water
pollution have affected every continent of this world and now is the biggest
challenge for the people to overcome it.
Below are the main
reasons of water pollution in Asian countries like India:
First massive
industrialization and growth throughout the country; due to the increase in the
upcoming social change all the manufacturing wastes are discharged into the
water bodies. Which results in the addition of toxins in the water bodies which
are harmful for the people. The urban population continue doing their regular
work unknowingly. Animals’ bathing in the same water makes it disease prone.
Second, sewage add chemical (cancer causing agents) and other pathogens cause
disease; dangerous chemicals cause harm hence making it useless. We need to
pay more attention in taking care of the disposal of such deadly carrying
agents. Third, industrial accidents like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; in
the world’s history the largest marine accident is in the Gulf of Mexico where the oil
spilled into the water making it deadly and dangerous. Fourth, nuclear
accidents adding radio active waste. e.g. Fukushima Nuclear
accident; Fukushima Daichi accident occurred during the earthquake
which led to the water toxicity by the mixture of all nuclear wastage and
material in the water bodies. Fifth, deforestation; due to deforestation there
is lack of rain which leads to the full water levels, with no recycling of water.
So the water which was there before will be the same however polluted and unused.
A
climate report from the UN states that the Himalayas are the only source of
most of Asia’s biggest rivers like Indus, Ganges, Yangtze, Brahmaputra, Salween,
Mekong and Yellow and these are being polluted day by day and leading to much
toxicity of water and if this thing continues all the people will lose there lives and there will not be a life there.
It’s
the individual’s responsibility for taking care of the environment especially
regarding the water pollution as this is the main factor. Below are some of the
points:
First,
never throw any trash here and there; you always need to drop it in correct
trash bins so that it does not get disposed into the water bodies by the rain
water. Second, use water wisely. Never keep the tap open unnecessarily when not
using the flush in an appropriate way. Third, do not throw any of the toxic
chemicals or disinfectants into the sink or toilet because that is connected to
the nearby water bodies where all the things get accumulated and finally leads
to the water toxicity. Fourth, purchase more environmentally safe and hygienic
liquids for homes and public places. Fifth, if we live nearby water bodies then
we should plant more and more trees in order to avoid direct disposal of
chemical or pesticides of our garden into water bodies. Sixth, factories should
try to recycle their wastage or should think of better ways of disposal rather
than draining waste it out to rivers. Seventh, storage of rain water can play a
major role in saving the earth from water scarcity. Constructing tanks and reservoirs
with a design that can help in storing pure rain water is absolutely necessary.
Some
other steps are also taken by local organizations in India. Several nonprofit
organizations are working in this respect. The “Ganga Bachao” movement is an example
of these initiatives.
Bibliography
Agarwal, S. (2005). Water Pollution. APH
Publishing.
NRDC. (2013). Water.
Retrieved May 05, 2013, from http://www.nrdc.org/water/
Water Pollution. (2013). Retrieved May 03, 2013, from
http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/
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