Water Pollution. Dangers and Causes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Pollution. Dangers and Causes - Essay Example Most of the water on the surface of the earth is sea water which is not usable for most of water’s essential purposes, including drinking. Fresh water is the most essential form of water for survival of life. The events of past years have raised the concern over the perennial availability of fresh water and are slowly converting fresh water into a commodity rather than an available for all resource. Preservation of the quality and availability of fresh water has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the 21st century. This concern is very high for third world countries where there is an alarmingly high dearth of drinkable water, rendering scores of people to die due to diseases emanating from poisonous water. Pressures on water resources: The increasing stress on water resources is from several sources and can take various forms. The impact of these pressures can vary and contribute to the ever increasing problem of easily available fresh water. Several fa ctors contribute to increasing the stress on water resources. The growth of urban metropolises and changing lifestyles impacts the amount and pattern of water consumption. From using fresh water solely for necessary purposes, consumption patterns have changed to lavish and unessential patterns including embellishment of hotels, malls, etc. Increased industrial activity with respect to the use of water has increased the pressure on water resources. ... The excessive industrial waste has significantly hampered the natural cleansing process, leaving previously fresh water, polluted and not useful for the purposes it was meant for. Human waste contributes significantly to the problem also. Every day, approximately 2 million tons of human waste are disposed in water courses (UN Water). The dilemma of developing countries is alarmingly bad, approximately 70 percent of all industrial waste is dumped into waters, leading to the pollution of usable water supply. Dangers of water pollution: All water pollutants are dangerous to humans as well as lesser species. Some of the key ingredients of the most prevalent pollutants, including industrial waste, include sodium, which is implicated in cardiovascular diseases; nitrates are guilty of causing blood disorders, whereas mercury and lead can cause nervous disorders. DDT, which is found in some forms of industrial waste, is toxic and can not only impact living humans but can also affect chromoso mes. Another dangerous toxic ingredient found in industrial wastes, PCBs, is known to cause liver and nerve damage, skin eruptions, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and significant fetal abnormalities (Geol). The impact of pollution from sewage and human wastes is also lethal. Dysentery, salmonellosis and hepatitis are some of the diseases transmitted by sewage in drinking and bathing water. This problem is extremely frequent in developing and less developing countries where there is no clear mechanism to separate fresh and drinkable water from polluted water (Tripathi and Pandey). Causes of water pollution: The sources of water pollution can be divided into point sources and nonpoint sources. Point sources refer to factories, wastewater treatment facilities, septic systems, and other