The paper seek to explain what water pollution is and the overall impacts of water pollution to its immediate environment. As the saying goes water is life, it’s a basic utility without water many things would go wrong. Water should be taken care of by all means. As previously stated most of the living organism depends on water for survival growth and existence. Two third of the earth is under water cover, however human environment conflict has adversely affected water though contamination of same entity that gives them life. Water pollution is too general to be closed under toxic chemical and physical disturbance or just or industrial waste dispose. Soil erosion itself is water pollution. So what is water pollution? There have been different angles of explaining but none can wholly explain water pollution because it depends on which angle one is tackles it from.
Water pollution in simple word can be said as the act of contaminating water bodies from groundwater to water reserve such as streams, rivers, lakes and oceans as a result of human activities around this areas. This is quiet evident in many parts of the world, the extent of water pollution is beyond measure, across the globe from time in memorial water pollution has adversely increase as human activities has rapidly increased from farming around water reserves to directing human waste to water sources. The USA which has been in existence for long and one of the most revolutionize country has a history with water pollution which can be dated back in the great industrial revolution in the early 20 century. With ripples of water pollution being greatly felt by mid-20 century the US government was quick to introduce measures to curb this menace by introducing regulations and laws to prevent water pollution (Prats, et al 29). However over the years this has not yield good results. US is still one of the countries affected by this menace. Currently in the US 47%, 45% and 32% of lakes, streams and bays respectively are still adversely affected by water pollution. Industrial waste taking the lead with a whipping 80% of pollution in this water reserve. This can be attributed to the great industrialization in the county and poor waste management in the industries. Another great cause of water pollution is oil spilling especial in oceans as crude oil is being transported. This is quiet vivid in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill which saw 11 million gallons of oil into the sea greatly affecting marine life. other cause of water pollution include; dumping of solid waste such as plastic, aluminum and glass which do not degrade affecting aquatic life, however many of the countries have implemented laws curbing dispose of such waste into water bodies. Acid rain, when acidic particles are disposed into air through air pollution they combine with water vapors from the atmosphere producing acid rain. Global warming also has a hand in water pollution due to increased temperatures which results to death of aquatic life bleaching reefs in water.
It’s evident from the essays that water pollution has greatly affected the living environment especially aquatic life, the Human health and the overall economic progression in the modern world. Going into details of this water pollution. Marine life has been greatly affected in the following ways; oxygen is key for any living thing, oil spills spread on the water surface cutting off air circulation the aquatic life ends up suffocation due to lack of enough oxygen supply. Some metals such zinc and copper are hazardous in water when the content goes beyond the natural measure the effect is toxic to marine life. This affect the respiration of aquatic animals and also led to defects such as poor eye sight. Plastic waste is also hazardous it traps fish and turtles suffocating them to death. Health implication due to water pollution. When water is unfit for human consumption the overall effect is unnecessary health complication. Water is a basic commodity in every household from cooking washing to cleaning. If water is conterminated every household using water from the same source will always end up being affected if necessary health measure are no put in place. If for example water is polluted through sewage or human waste disposal disease such as cholera and diarrhea will start affecting people who get water from that source. Human waste and sewage have high content of this bacteria and viruses. This disease have affected and killed millions of people around the globe especially the children below the age of five. This is a big problem in the developing countries with poor drainage system and poor health personnel. Some chemicals such as pesticide when used on the farms remain in the soils once it rains they seep into the underground water. This contaminates water and if this water finds its way into people’s households, the effects include allergic reactions, inflammation on the digestive system and bowel depending on the type of chemicals dissolved. As underground water penetrate through porous rocks, water end up dissolving arsenic in high content arsenic can cause bloating in human stomach (Carpenter 127).
Lead has been used in manufacturing water pipes in many household in the developing countries over the years it has been observed that lead when it dissolves in high contents in water available for human consumption cause headaches and nausea especially in children. Low content of acidification in water is not necessarily a pollution but once in high quantity is hazardous and not only affects the human health but other aspect related to water in the world. Acidification causes burns, welt and other skin defects this is vivid especially in areas around nuclear power plant. When mineral salts such as sodium hydroxide find their way into water source in large quantity causes discoloration on teeth and weak bones formation. Economic effect of water pollution are enormous, it requires a lot of resource to curb water pollution effects; countries with large water bodies have a responsibility of taking care of their waters as it provide livelihood for the people. If enough preservation measure are not put into place and the water bodies end up polluted, eradicating this pollution becomes expensive. When there is too excess waste into the water this becomes food for the algae increasing their growth, most of the fish suffocate. Fishing also becomes a challenge this forces any government to use a lot of resource in trying to eradicate the challenge the undertaking is expensive and economically challenging if there are many water bodies. Good health is paramount for any economy, water pollution breeds disease such cholera and diarrhea which require resource to combat in the even there is a break out of one of the water borne disease family spend most of their finances in trying to get medical attention. This reduces the growth of any economy because most of the money is spend on medication rather than saving and investment.
CONCLUSION
Curbing water pollution require good will from every party involved, from industries in controlling their waste to goodwill from different government in eradicating the menace in their water bodies. There is also need for international policies formulating on how to solve water pollution especially on shared waters like oceans and lakes. Good farming practices should be such as use of natural was to control pest to avoid excessive use of chemicals which contaminate ground water. People should be educated on different ways of taking care of their environment and importance of maintaining a clean environment in relation to water. Nature has a way off hitting back if the natural resources such as water are not taken good care off, diseases will increase people will die and the economy progress will deteriorate (Twardowska, et al 319). Nature is not selective and everyone will be affected. Clean water bodies is everyone’s responsibility and there is need for collective effort to curb water pollution menace to ensure good health and a prosperous economy. This can be achieved through proper disposal of industrial waste, human waste proper dumping of household waste, recycling of plastic materials and use of natural ways to control pests in farms.
Works Cited
Carpenter, David O. Effects of Persistent and Bioactive Organic Pollutants on Human Health. Wiley, 2013.
Prats, Rico D, et al. Water Pollution: Ix. WIT P, 2008.
Twardowska, Irena, et al. Viable Methods of Soil and Water Pollution Monitoring, Protection and Remediation. Springer, 2006.