WATER POLLUTION- Little Hope for the Future

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies like lakes, rivers, oceans and
other water forms. It occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into
bodies of water without adequate treatment to remove harmful components.

Specific contaminants lead to pollution in water includes chemicals, pathogens

and physical or sensory changes such as elevated temperature and discoloration. Many
of the chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce waterborne diseases in
either human or animal hosts. Alteration of waters physical chemistry includes acidity,
electrical conductivity, temperature and eutrophication. An increase in the concentration
of chemical nutrients in ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary productivity
of the ecosystem.

On the other hand, contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances.
Detergents, disinfectants are products or chloroform. Food processing waste like fats,
grease, insecticides and herbicides, gasoline, lubricants, fertilizers, heavy metal and silt.

Two major types of pollution are Point-Source Pollution that can be traced to s
definite point at which it enters the environment. It can come from industries that dump
wastes chemicals or heavy metals into the environment. Toxic wastes dumps and waste
water treatment plants are also point-source pollution sites.

Non point-source pollution is more difficult to identify because it doesnt enter at a

definite easy-to-locate place, often its caused herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers that
eventually enter a waterway and harm the food chain.

Water pollution is the major cause of various diseases like cholera, diarrhea and
typhoid. On an average 250 M people worldwide succumb to diseases. Based on
researches 3.2 M under the age of five in developing nations die each year as a result
of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.