Water pollution
The entry of undesirable waste materials in water which will deteriorate the quality of water and makes the water useless or harm the consuming animals, called water pollution.
Causes of water pollution
● Domestic sewage
Big cities discharge their domestic sewage in the near by rivers or oceans through sewage system. It contains animal and human excreta, food residues and various types of cleaning of waste. These are rich in nitrogen compoud and organic matter. Decomposition of the biodegradable pollutants depletes oxygen content of water. This makes the survival of aquatic organisms difficult.
● Industrial wastes
The custom to drain out industrial wastes in near by resources of water, contaminates it. The industries are of various nature. Depending upon the kinds of industries their wastes may contain zinc, lead, mercury, arsenic, phenol, cyanide and many other organic as well as inorganic pollutants.
● Fertilizers
These contain mainly phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and sulphates. Excessive amount of these chemicals reaches to the ground water by seeping. Sometimes these also enter surface water by drainage. The enter of these substances into the drinking water causes several health hazards.
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Control of water pollution
- Raw sewage should be treated properly in the sewage treatment plant to such an extent that discharged product must become harmless.
- Industrial effluents should be treated chemically before releasing into the rivers and lakes.
- Utilization of water such as excreta of man and cattle in preparing biogas is also helpful in controlling water pollution.
- Legal restrictions should be imposed on releasing wastes into the rivers and other water resources without proper water treatment or processing.
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