ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

WATER POLLUTION

THEORY

Water Pollution

Water pollution occurs when a body of water is adversely affected due to the addition of large amounts
of materials to the water. The unfavorable, hostile, and unpleasant change in the state of water when
contaminated with unsafe and perilous substances is water pollution. Water pollution takes place when
pollutants are released directly or indirectly into bodies of water without sufficient treatment to
eliminate damaging compounds.
Water pollution is the second most imperative environmental concern along with air pollution. Any
change or modification in the physical, chemical and biological properties of water that has a
detrimental consequence on living things is water pollution.
Water bodies of the world such as lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater are affected by such problem.
Polluted water is unfit, unhealthy, and dangerous for drinking and for other consumption processes. It is
also not apt for agricultural and industrial assistance.
The contributors to the existing and seem-to-be undying water pollution are domestic and agricultural
waste, and industrial effluents. Other sources comprise of oil spills, atmospheric deposition, marine
dumping, radioactive waste, global warming and eutrophication. This water pollution is harmful to
human beings, plants, animals, fish and birds.
Contaminated water also houses and contains viruses, bacteria, intestinal parasites, and other harmful
microorganisms, which can originate waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. Due
to water pollution, the entire ecosystem is being disturbed.

Sources of Water Pollution

1. Agriculture:
Farms often use large amounts of herbicides and pesticides, both of which are toxic pollutants. These
substances are particularly dangerous to life in rivers, streams and lakes, where toxic substances can
build up over a period of time.
Farms also frequently use large amounts of chemical fertilizers that are washed into the waterways and
damage the water supply and the life within it. Fertilizers can increase the amounts of nitrates and
phosphates in the water, which can lead to the process of eutrophication.
Allowing livestock to graze near water sources often results in organic waste products being washed into
the waterways. This sudden introduction of organic material increases the amount of nitrogen in the
water, and can also lead to eutrophication.
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WATER POLLUTION

THEORY

Excessive amounts of sediment in waterways can block sunlight, preventing aquatic plants from
photosynthesizing, and can suffocate fish by clogging their gills.

2. Industrialization:
Waste and sewage generated by industry can get into the water supply, introducing large organic
pollutants into the ecosystem.
Many industrial and power plants use rivers, streams and lakes to dispose waste heat. The resulting hot
water can cause thermal pollution. Thermal pollution can have a disastrous effect on life in an aquatic
ecosystem as temperature increase decreases the amount of oxygen in the water, thereby reducing the
number of animals that can survive there.
Water can become contaminated with toxic or radioactive materials from industry, mine sites and
abandoned hazardous waste sites.
Acid precipitation is caused when the burning of fossil fuels emits sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.
The sulfur dioxide reacts with the water in the atmosphere, creating rainfall which contains sulfuric acid.
As acid precipitation falls into lakes, streams and ponds it can lower the overall pH of the waterway,
killing vital plant life, thereby affecting the whole food chain. It can also leach heavy metals from the soil
into the water, killing fish and other aquatic organisms. Because of this, air pollution is potentially one of
the most threatening forms of pollution to aquatic ecosystems.

3. Water Pollution due to households:

Sewage generated by houses or runoff from septic tanks into nearby waterways, introduce organic
pollutants that can cause eutrophication.
Fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides used for lawn care can runoff and contaminate the waterway. As
with agricultural fertilizers, home fertilizers can lead to the eutrophication of lakes and rivers.
Improper disposal of hazardous chemicals down the drain introduce toxic materials into to the
ecosystem, contaminating the water supplies in a way that can harm aquatic organisms.
Leaks of oil and antifreeze from a car on a driveway can be washed off by the rain into nearby
waterways, polluting it.

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WATER POLLUTION

THEORY

The classification can also been done as natural and anthropogenic (man-made).

Natural sources

Important natural sources are surface run-off, seepage from ground water and swamp drainage. In
urban areas, rain water is reported to be acidic. This is due to reaction between water droplets and
atmospheric oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The atmospheric sulphur dioxide (S02) is always
accompanied by a little amount of sulphur tri-oxide (S03) which, under humid condition, reacts with
water vapour to form sulphuric acid thus causing acid rain. The chemical reaction involved in this
process is represented as follows:
Leachates from animal excreta, decaying bodies of animals and plants, solid waste landfill sites and the
decay of large quantities of organic matter in swamps or deep ponds also introduce appreciable
amounts of soluble organics and microorganisms which in turn contaminate the adjacent ground water.

Anthropogenic sources

Anthropogenic sources are the result of industrial, domestic, agricultural and mining activities of man.

1. Industrial sources

Nowadays, industries are the major contributors of water pollution. Water is an essential raw
material in almost all manufacturing plants. In India, industries such as tanneries, sugar mills,
pulp and paper mills, distilleries, oil refineries, etc. generate a large quantity of wastewater
which is discharged into natural waterways either without treatment or after partial treatment.
The characteristics of industrial wastewater depend primarily on the type of industry and the
chemicals used in various processes.

2. Domestic sources
In urban areas, municipal sewage is discharged into the nearby canal, thus polluting the canal
and also deteriorating the ground water. Municipal sewage includes wastewater from houses,
commercial buildings and institutions. The important pollutants present are biodegradable
organic matter, coliforms and pathogens.

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WATER POLLUTION

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3. Agricultural sources
Pollutants discharged into water courses due to agricultural activities include:

Soil and silt removed by erosion

Agricultural run-off
Synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides
Plant residue.

Receiving water bodies get fertilised with nutrients, thus resulting in Eutrophication. Some
common insecticides in use are chlorinated hydrocarbons such as DDT (dichloro diphenyl
trichloroethane), aldrin, heptachlor, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) etc. Most of the
chlorinated hydrocarbons are persistent to degradation and hence remain in the environment
for a very long time. Indiscriminate use of insecticides could make them an integral part of the
biological, geological and chemical cycles of the earth. Measurable quantities of DDT residues
may be found in air, soil and water several thousand kilometres away from the point where it
originally entered the ecosystem.

4. Mining sources
Natural or man-made geochemical alterations are also sources of wastewater pollution. Fines
from ore washings disposed off in water suspension may be transferred to the natural water
bodies to pollute them in due course. Mining operation also produces soluble toxic materials
depending on the geological formation. Acid drainage from coal mines and arsenic residue from
gold mines are some of the burning problems of environmental concern.

Other sources of Water Pollution:

1. Oil Pollution
Oil spillages affect water quality in a number of ways. Oil can make drinking water unsafe to drink. A
substantial amount of oil released into oceans and seas will destroy wildlife and the ecosystems that
sustain them. Oil spills also reduce oxygen supplies within the water environment. The main causes of
oil related water pollution are:
1. loss from storage facilities
2. spillage during delivery and;
3. deliberate disposal of waste oil to drainage systems

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WATER POLLUTION

THEORY

2. Radioactive Substances
Radioactive waste is another source of water pollution. Radioactive substances are used in nuclear
power plants, industrial, medical and other scientific processes. They can be found in watches, luminous
clocks, television sets and x-ray machinery. There are also naturally occurring radioisotopes from
organisms and within the environment. If not properly disposed of, radioactive waste can result in
serious water pollution incidents.