MANNAM FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
PORUVAZHY,EDAKKAD








SUBMITTED TO, SUBMITTED BY,
GEETHA JOSE RAJASREE.S.R
NATURALSCIENCE TEACHER OPTIONAL SUBJECT: NATURAL SCIENCE
REG NO:13 373 013




TOPIC :



WATER POLLUTION





INTRODUCTION


.
Water pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing
evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international
down to individual aquifers and wells). In the most recent national report
on water quality in the United States, 45 percent of assessed stream miles,
47% of assessed lake acres, and 32 percent of
assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted national
poisoned
The use of hazardous chemicals in manufacturing industries and agriculture
cause severe water pollution as waste from these industries goes directly into
rivers lakes and ponds. This not only affects the quality of water but also pose
danger to several endangered aquatic species. water is typically polluted
by anthropogenic contaminants and either does not support a human use,
such as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support
its constituent biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such
as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes
in water quality and the ecological status of water. Water pollution is the
contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and
groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are directly or
indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove
harmful compounds Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in
these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to
individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological
communities.
Surface water and groundwater are interrelated. Surface water seeps
through the soil and becomes groundwater. Conversely, groundwater can also
feed surface water source


CAUSES
The specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide
spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and physical changes such as elevated
temperature and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances
that are regulated may be naturally occurring (calcium, sodium,
iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often the key in determining what
is a natural component of water, and what is a contaminant. High
concentrations of naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts
on aquatic flora and fauna.
Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials, such as plant matter
(e.g. leaves and grass) as well as man-made chemicals. Other natural and
anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light
and disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species
Many of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can
produce waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts.
[12]
Alteration of
water's physical chemistry includes acidity (change in pH), electrical
conductivity, temperature, and Eutrophication. Eutrophication is an increase
in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that
increases in the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the
degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative environmental effects such
as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and severe reductions in water quality may
occur, affecting fish and other animal populations.


Pathogens
Disease-causing microorganisms are referred to as pathogens. Although the
vast majority of bacteria are harmless or beneficial, a few pathogenic bacteria
can cause disease.
High levels of pathogens may result from inadequately
treated sewage discharges. This can be caused by a sewage plant designed
with less than secondary treatment (more typical in less-developed countries).
Pathogen discharges may also be caused by poorly managed livestock
operations.

Types of Water Pollution

Toxic Substance -- A toxic substance is a chemical pollutant that is not a
naturally occurring substance in aquatic ecosystems. The greatest
contributors to toxic pollution are herbicides, pesticides and industrial
compounds.
Organic Substance -- Organic pollution occurs when an excess of organic
matter, such as manure or sewage, enters the water. When organic matter
increases in a pond, the number of decomposers will increase. These
decomposers grow rapidly and use a great deal of oxygen during their growth.
This leads to a depletion of oxygen as the decomposition process occurs. A
lack of oxygen can kill aquatic organisms. As the aquatic organisms die, they
are broken down by decomposers which lead to further depletion of the
oxygen levels.
A type of organic pollution can occur when inorganic pollutants such as
nitrogen and phosphates accumulate in aquatic ecosystems. High levels of
these nutrients cause an overgrowth of plants and algae. As the plants and
algae die, they become organic material in the water. The enormous decay of
this plant matter, in turn, lowers the oxygen level. The process of rapid plant
growth followed by increased activity by decomposers and a depletion of the
oxygen level is called eutrophication
Thermal Pollution -- Thermal pollution can occur when water is used as a
coolant near a power or industrial plant and then is returned to the aquatic
environment at a higher temperature than it was originally. Thermal
pollution can lead to a decrease in the dissolved oxygen level in the water
while also increasing the biological demand of aquatic organisms for oxygen.
Ecological Pollution -- Ecological pollution takes place when chemical
pollution, organic pollution or thermal pollution are caused by nature rather
than by human activity. An example of ecological pollution would be an
increased rate of siltation of a waterway after a landslide which would
increase the amount of sediments in runoff water. Another example would be
when a large animal, such as a deer, drowns in a flood and a large amount of
organic material is added to the water as a result. Major geological events
such as a volcano eruption might also be sources of ecological pollution.

Causes and other contaminants
Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances.

Organic water pollutants include:
Detergents
Disinfection by-products found in chemically disinfected drinking water,
such as chloroform
Food processing waste, which can include oxygen-demanding substances,
fats and grease
Insecticides and herbicides, a huge range of organohalides and
other chemical compounds
Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels,
and fuel oil) and lubricants (motor oil), and fuel combustionbyproducts,
from storm water runoff
[17]

Tree and bush debris from logging operations
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as industrial solvents, from
improper storage.
Chlorinated solvents, which are dense non-aqueous phase liquids
(DNAPLs), may fall to the bottom of reservoirs, since they don't mix well
with water and are denser.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)
Trichloroethylene
.Various chemical compounds found in
personal hygiene and cosmetic products
Drug pollution involving pharmaceutical drugs and their metabolites

Macroscopic Pollution in ParksMilwaukee, WI
Inorganic water pollutants include:
Acidity caused by industrial discharges (especially sulfur
dioxide from power plants)
Ammonia from food processing waste
Chemical waste as industrial by-products
Fertilizers containing nutrients--nitrates and phosphateswhich are
found in storm water runoff from agriculture, as well as commercial and
residential use
Heavy metals from motor vehicles (via urban storm water runoff) and acid
mine drainage
Silt (sediment) in runoff from construction sites, logging, slash and
burn practices or land clearing sites.
Macroscopic pollutionlarge visible items polluting the watermay be
termed "floatables" in an urban storm water context, or marine debris when
found on the open seas, and can include such items as:
Trash or garbage (e.g. paper, plastic, or food waste) discarded by people
on the ground, along with accidental or intentional dumping of rubbish,
that are washed by rainfall into storm drains and eventually discharged
into surface waters
Nurdles, small ubiquitous waterborne plastic pellets
Shipwrecks, large derelict ships.

The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant discharges heated water to
the Connecticut River.


A polluted river draining an abandoned copper mine on Anglesey

Water pollution control



Non-point source control relates chiefly to land management practices in the
fields of agriculture, silviculture, mining and urban design and sanitation.
Agricultural practices leading to the greatest improvement of sediment
control include: contour grading, avoidance of bare soils in rainy and windy
seasons, polyculture farming resulting in greater vegetative cover, and
increasing fallow periods. Minimization of fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide
runoff is best accomplished by reducing the quantities of these materials, as
well as using application times removed from periods of high precipitation.
Other techniques include avoidance of highly water soluble pesticide and
herbicide compounds, and use of materials that have the most rapid decay
times to benign substances.
The chief water pollutants associated with mines and quarries are aqueous
slurries of minute rock particles, which result from rainfall scouring exposed
soils and haul roads and also from rock washing and grading activities.
Runoff from metal mines and ore recovery plants is typically contaminated by
the minerals present in the native rock formations. Control of this runoff is
chiefly derived by controlling rapid runoff and designing mining operations to
avoid tailings either on steep slopes or near streams.
CONCLUSION
Water pollution is bad and its not good for people to drink the water thats
polluted and for all organisms that need water to survive. There are millions
of people that dont have good clean access to water and that they even have
to drink the bad polluted water for them it survive, Sewage can cause water
pollution along with the toxic chemicals from Industrial business. There are a
bunch of water pollutions like toxic and organic and thermal water. And
solutions to stop the water pollution are to clean up the garbage and keep
your yard clean. To try to stop the water pollution clean up your yard and
make sure there is no garbage left anywhere around in the area you live like
the streets and neighborhood.


References
1. ^ Charles A, Pigott. 2002. China in the world economy: the domestic policy
challenges. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 813
pages
2. ^ D. Richardson, J. Plewa, D. Wagner, R. Schoeny and M. Demarini.
2007. Occurrence, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of regulated and emerging
disinfection by-products in drinking water: a review and roadmap for
research. Mutation research 636 (1-3): 178242.
3. ^ Patricia V. Rich, Mildred A. Fenton, Carroll L. Fenton and Thomas H.
Rich. 1996. The fossil book: a record of prehistoric life. 740 pages
4. ^ George O.Poinar and Roberta Poinar. 2008. What bugged the dinosaurs?:
insects, disease and death in the Cretaceous. 264 pages
Citation
Hogan, C. (2013). Water pollution. Retrieved from
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156920