So what is water pollution? The answer in general is:- when contaminants from various sources get into any water bodies and change its physical, chemical and biological characteristics and make it harmful to any living species and make the water unsuited for its desired use; water pollution occurs.
To understand 'What is water pollution' and its impact, we have to know the current states of water resources. Water is an essential and important resource not only for human
but also for many other living species and biological communities. According to
United States Environmental Protection Agency only 3% of world’s water is fresh
water and the rest 97% is salt water. Then the water we found in earth surface
(lake, rivers, streams, ponds and swamps) makes up only 0.3% of the world’s
fresh water. The rest 68.7% of it is trapped in glaciers and 30% of it is in
the ground. So naturally this resource has a limited availability to us. On top
of that every day huge amount contaminants are entering into water bodies in
numerous ways and making that water unsuitable for our desired use and
sometimes even make it threatening and dangerous for the survival of our very
existence.
Water pollution has different causes and different sources. But the major contributor of it is human activity due to rapid industrialization, massive waste generation and their unmindful dumping to the water bodies. Also lack of knowledge about pollution and water purification contribute significantly in water pollution. Discover the major causes of water pollution in details in the following link:
Water pollution is one of the major environmental issues that affect all the major water bodies of the world such as lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater. Water pollution affects the ecosystem as whole. Polluted water causes harmful water borne diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, typhoid to human being and also possesses harmful effect to other living species like fish, birds, plants and animals. Pollution makes water unsuitable for drinking, recreational use, agricultural uses and industrial uses. Pollution sometimes destroys aquatic life such as coral reefs, fishes and even reduces or alters their reproductive abilities. It also decreases the aesthetic quality of major water bodies like lakes and rivers. Nobody can escape the effects of water pollution as the entire ecosystem gets affected by it. Discover the major effects in details and some infamous incidents of water pollution in the following link:
Find about some alarming facts about water pollution and their references in the following link:
Water pollution solutions require some concentrated and organized efforts both at government and individual levels. Find out what can we do at every level in the following link:
See Water Pollution in Pictures!
Some Water Pollution References
Discover more on 'What is Water Pollution?' Here.
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