Water is the most essential element of life and livelihood. And India is having a hard time, coping up with the severe crisis of water. India constitutes 16 per cent of the world’s population, but the country has only four per cent of the world’s freshwater resources. With the changing weather patterns and recurring droughts, India is now declared as “water stressed”.
Statistical representation of India‘s Water Crisis
Background
Archaeological researchers had assumed the fall of Great Indus Civilisation was due to a catastrophic water scarcity caused either by shifting rivers or by drastic climate change that forced people to abandon city settlements. And history seems to repeat for present day India again. According to a NITI Aayog report in 2018, about 600 million people, or nearly half of India’s population, are facing extreme scarcity of water. The three-fourths of India’s rural households do not have stable running water supply and rely on sources that can cause serious health risks. The report also stated that India has become the world’s largest extractor of groundwater, accounting for 25% of the total. Moreover, 70% of the water sources were labelled as contaminated .And the conclusion of the report was ‘India is suffering from its worst water crisis in its history.’ It also pointed out 21 Indian cities to be run out of groundwater by 2020.
Reasons behind Water Crisis in India
1. Climate Change : The North-East monsoon is responsible for 10%-20% rainfall of the total rainfall in India, while the South-West monsoon provides approximately 80% of rainfall. In 2018, the North-East monsoon decreased by 44% and the South-West monsoon was deficient by 10%, causing the total rainfall in the area to decrease by 36 percent in comparison to the 50-year average. Because of the lower rainfall, water levels in reservoirs across the country decreased and led to extreme shortages of water in many major cities of India
. 2. Ground Water Extraction: Groundwater meets more than half of the country’s need of water supply and nearly 89% of the groundwater extracted in India is used for irrigation purposes. The traditional techniques of irrigation are also to blame for the water crisis as they result in a majority of water loss and evaporation during the irrigation process.
3. Pollutions in Our Rivers: Due to the lack of long term water management plans, most of the country’s rivers either run dry or have remained polluted over decades. The national river of Ganges is also the one that is most severely polluted, which is mainly resulted from untreated sewage of densely populated cities, industrial waste as well as due to religious ceremonies in and around the river.
4. Wastage of Unmanaged Water : According to the Central Water Commission, even though climate change has resulted in a reduction in rainfall and lack in underground water reservoirs, the country still receives enough rainfall to meet the needs of over 1 billion people. However, India only catches only 8 percent of its annual rainfall due to poor rainwater harvesting. Also for lacking the treatment of wastewater reuse, approximately 80% of domestic wastewater is drained out as waste and ends up flowing into salt water bodies.
Struggle for daily water collection in water-stressed areas of India
Effects of Water Crisis in India: Where We Stand Today
As many as 256 of 700 districts have reported ‘critical’ or ‘over exploited’ groundwater levels, according to a data from the Central Ground Water Board (2017). Fetching water in India has been perceived as a women’s job for centuries, especially in the rural areas. As groundwater resources come under increasing pressure due to over-reliance and unsustainable consumption, wells, ponds drying out fast, escalating the water crisis and placing even greater burden of accessing water on women. A rural woman in Rajasthan walks over 2.5 kilometres to reach a water source, according to a report by the National Commission for Women. Moreover, according to a non-profit named Water, women around the world spend a collective 200 million hours fetching water for their family. In addition to the time spent collecting water, millions may also spend significant amounts of time finding a place to go to relieve themselves. This makes up an additional 266 million hours lost each day. The acute crisis has even led to polygamy in one drought-prone village of Maharashtra. This involves having more than one spouse to collect water. The arrangement is termed as ‘water wives’.
The struggle for women
The Solution to the Crisis: Future Stands
Children also becoming victims of Water Crisis
The Government has taken up the most important role to eradicate the crisis by forming the Ministry of Jal Shakti and launching “Jal Jeevan mission”- Rural in 2019 to promote “Har Ghar Jal” by 2024. Goa and Telengana have achieved the first two Indian states to reach “Har Ghar Jal“, while Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry became first Indian Union Territories to reach the milestone. In 2021, “Jal Jeevan mission”-Urban was launched to complement the project. “Jal ShaktiAbhiyan-Catch the rain” is also introduced to capture and reuse of rain water at the grassroot level as a Jan Andolan. Along with this, for the cleaning and filtration of Ganges river “Namami Gange” had been rolled out as a national flagship mission. Coastal Reservoirs, Desalination of sea water and improved irrigation techniques are now been adopted to address the crisis.
Conclusion
Along with time, active participation from every layer of society in solving the water crisis of India is being witnessed. The youth has come forward with an appealing message to properly addresses the crisis and solve the drawbacks together. Now, the emerging awareness spreading among masses India can hope for a better future to handle the crisis more effectively.
“Best of rivers, born of all the sacred waters,” the Ganges, Described in the Mahabharata.
Ganga river, also deemed as the Ganges River, flows 2,700 km from the Himalayas mountains to the Bay of Bengal in northern India and Bangladesh The Ganga rises from the Gangotri glacier about 4,000 metres above sea level on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Alps. The Bhagirathi is joined by the tributaries Alaknanda and Mandakini to form the Ganga in the Himalayan region. Its river basin covers over 1 million square kilometres and is home to more than 650 million people. The Ganges is vital for the survival of millions of people and a diverse range of biodiversity.
The Ganga and its tributaries support a diverse range of fauna and flora. The Ganges supports 104 species of Rotifers, or minute creatures, 378 species of fish, eleven amphibian species, twenty-seven reptile species, eleven types of mammals, and 177 species of aquatic birds, according to the Zoological Survey of India. The Ganges River dolphin, the Sundarbans’ Royal Bengal tiger, freshwater turtles, Gharial crocodiles, Sarius Crane, egrets, herons, and terns are just a few well-known species.
But due to the rapid rise of urbanization, farming, and commercialization in recent decades, the Ganges currently faces serious concerns. The Ganga has now become one of the five highly polluted rivers on the planet. Excessive water drawn-out for cultivation and other purposes, barrages, dams hindrance in the natural movement of the Ganges, and trash from households and industries have irreparably damaged this once pure and mighty, free-flowing river.
River pollution’s key sources
Hazardous trash from textile mills, slaughterhouses, abattoirs, hospitals, distilleries, and chemical facilities, being discharged into the river in large quantities.
The massive number of fertilizers and pesticides regularly employed in agriculture activities is washed into the Ganga with rainwater, endangering marine life.
Dams disrupting the river’s natural movement are also responsible for polluting the Ganga.
Open defecation on the river banks, some 70% of those living in rural areas have no access to toilets.
Disposal of lost loved ones’ remains in the river since it is a river worshipped by a larger religious community.
Sewage- themost prominent contaminant
A report published by The Inter-Ministerial Group, established by the Indian government to study the pollution sources in the Ganga River, revealed that sewage and contaminated water dumped in the river are the principal sources of pollution in the Ganga. It also discovered a significant disparity between the quantity of garbage produced along the Ganga and the scale of waste treatment. It identified that plenty of cities along the Ganga’s banks, such as Kanpur, Varanasi, and Allahabad, lack any kind of sewerage systems at all. Approximately 2.9 billion liters of sewage, residential, and industrial wastewater are discharged straight into the Ganga daily. Millions of people who rely on the Ganga for all of their water needs are harmed by pollution. Many of these individuals have little choice but to continue to rely on the Ganga’s contaminated waters for survival, exposing themselves to waterborne diseases like dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid.
OVerburdened Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)
Among wastewater treatment capacity and ‘official estimated’ production, there is an 80% disparity. As per the Central Pollution Control Board, sewage is produced at a rate of 6,087 million liters per day (MLD), with a treatment capacity of 1,208.8 MLD. Since most cities are already established and overpopulated, constructing new conveyance and treatment systems isn’t just a difficult but an enormously expensive undertaking. Many of the already set up STPs are no longer functional or are underused due to a lack of financing from cities and local municipalities.
INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL WASTE
More than 500 million liters of industrial wastewater is thrown straight into the Ganga daily. With toxic chemicals and pollutants flooding its waters at levels far past any form of permissible or safe levels, the Ganga has now become a toxic supplier of drinking and bathing water. 764 of the factories, approximately utilize 1123 MLD of water and dump 500 MLD of contaminated water in the Ganga’s mainstream. Tanneries produce the most hazardous types of toxins, and in a location like Unnao, more than 790 times the permitted level of chromium (about 1,125 tonnes), is dumped into the river. Small-scale companies continue to pollute the Ganga with over a billion gallons of toxic chemicals due to the lack of efficient and economical treatment methods.
FLAWED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Many cities along the Ganga and its tributaries lack solid waste management systems, & even if they have, they are never adequate to handle the volume of waste generated each day. This solid trash is carried into the Ganga and its tributaries, either deliberately or because of rains during the monsoon. Vast quantities of biodegradable debris in the water consume a lot of oxygen as it breaks down, inflicting illness or death in aquatic animals like the threatened Gangetic dolphin. There were once tens of thousands of Ganges River dolphins in the river, but there are currently only about 1,200-1,800 left. Non-biodegradable materials float through rivers, obstructing the natural flow of air and gradually releasing their harmful toxins into the river. Aquatic species frequently eat these items obliviously and perish as a consequence. The general public lacks environmental awareness and education, inadvertently throwing their litter into the surroundings, utterly oblivious to the effects.
INAPPROPRIATE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Over 80% of the river’s water is used for irrigation, while numerous hydro-power projects dry out vast swathes of the river, upping levels of pollution drastically. Evaporation and other variables cause around half of the water drawn from the Ganga for irrigation to be wasted before it can nurture a single crop. Out-of-date infrastructures, such as damaged and poorly assembled pipes and unsustainable farming techniques, are to blame for much of this damage. Groundwater depletion as a consequence of over-extraction for irrigation purposes.
The Ganges River nurtures the entire country and is crucial for everyone’s survival. Therefore, it must be rescued from its current plight. The public must be educated and made aware of the problem; efficient drainage systems must be built; and illegal dumping of harmful and hazardous materials by industries and households must be prohibited, promotion of water conservation for irrigation, Enactment of rules to keep dangerous chemical run-off out of the Ganga, Increasing farmer awareness of the practices and benefits of sustainable, organic farming, Solid waste collection and treatment at the source, minimizing and repurposing solid waste need to be done.
To paraphrase a line from Ron Burgundy, the ocean is a big thing. Big enough for scientists to point out that the term “Earth” is a misnomer. Water may be a more accurate name for a world that is nearly 3/4 covered in water, with marine plants contributing a whopping 50 percent or more of the oxygen we breathe. With all of that stated, it’s past time (high tide?) for us to band together to save the resource that has been depleted.
The bad news is that human activity is wreaking havoc on the environment. The good news is that there are several things we can do to help stop (and even reverse!) those detrimental behaviors, which is why this is a message about hope and empowerment rather than doom and gloom.
Plastic pollution is destroying the ocean
A non-profit that works to protect the ocean Every year, 17.6 billion pounds of plastic is estimated to escape into the ocean from land-based sources, according to Oceana. Every 60 seconds, a garbage truck full of plastic is dumped into our waterways. The world’s most renowned (and largest) rubbish dump is located in the ocean.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres and contains 1.8 trillion bits of plastic in an estimated 80,000 metric tonne landfill. Plastic garbage in the ocean is believed to kill over one million sea animals each year, including sea turtles, sharks, and coral reef (yes, coral reef is an animal!).
Plastics in the ocean will surpass fish in the ocean (!?) by 2050, according to research, and 99 percent of seabirds will have plastics in their GI tract. Plastic pollution is not only destructive to the ocean; there is also evidence that it is harmful to humans.
Acidification in the ocean
Carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by the oceans over decades have changed the underlying chemistry of our ocean, resulting in an increase in acidity. Acidification causes small decreases in shell density in small creatures, which support entire ecosystems despite their small size.
As the world’s seas warm, species are moving in large numbers to new locations, posing new challenges or simply failing to develop as they should, while millions of people rely on fish as their primary source of nutrition. It’s also causing the Great Barrier Reef to perish. Coral reefs require all of the protection we can provide, given the disastrous effects of climate change.
Because it has the potential to cause the most apparent and immediate human misery, sea-level rise may be the most well-known of these concerns. Low-lying areas such as Miami and the South Pacific islands are growing increasingly vulnerable; 10% of the world’s population lives on the low-lying coast.
Meanwhile, deoxygenation, which is most typically caused by algal blooms fed by nutrient-rich fertilizer run-off, is causing enormous dead zones and suffocating marine life.
Overfishing
Fishing techniques that are illegal, uncontrolled, and unreported are common. Humans have already brought the giant grouper, several skates and rays, and a dozen or more other sturgeon species to the brink of extinction through fishing.
Bluefin tuna is one of the fish species whose populations may never recover as a result of unsustainable fishing techniques. Other apex predators, such as sharks, are among the most endangered.
Places like Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary have shown how impactful policy changes can be in helping species rebound.
Ocean conservation isn’t just a hobby for those who enjoy the water. You might not be a scuba diver, a fisherman, or a seaside dweller. Perhaps you have a seafood allergy and despise surfers! Even so, chances are you still breathe air and enjoy life when there is less human suffering.
Plants and trees are oxygen-producing powerhouses. But wait till you see what oceanic greens can accomplish! (Hint: it’s not just trees.) More than half of the oxygen on the earth is produced by marine plants.
Thoughts famous people have about ocean
Jacques Cousteau: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Beyoncé Knowles: “I’m always happy when I’m surrounded by water, I think I’m a mermaid or I was a mermaid. The ocean makes me feel really small and it makes me put my whole life into perspective… it humbles you and makes you feel almost like you’ve been baptized. I feel born again when I get out of the ocean.”
William Wordsworth: “The ocean is a mighty harmonist.”
John F. Kennedy: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came.”
Step 1: Land and sea are far more intertwined than most people think, and activities taken on land have substantial consequences in the ocean. The good news is that there are a plethora of tools available—Pinterest offers a plethora of ocean-saving categorieS.
2. Opt for Ocean and Earth-Friendly Products
Oceana’s #1 is to demand plastic-free alternatives to items such as plastic water bottles, straws, plastic cutlery, coffee cups, bags, balloons, plastic-wrapped produce, and take-out food containers.
Pollution is described as the introduction of different wastes into the environment. These material wastes are called pollutants. Pollutants may be either natural which is thrown away by natural disasters, volcanic eruptions or man-made trashes like factory washouts, plastic wastes. Pollutants are harmful as they damage the quality of natural resources such as air, water, and land. Pollutants mixing in the air have a direct impact as they enter the body directly while breathing. Pollutants that mix in water also creates a hazardous effect on people’s life. People residing near the construction and manufacturing work areas are diagnosed with relatively higher hearing ailments. This contributes to noise pollution. Similarly, there are varieties of pollution in our surrounding world, some of which are unaware of by us. The fact is, we humans are the ones creating all this pollution without thinking about neither our life nor the future world and life. It is very difficult to construct a zero-pollution world. Still, the level and consequences of pollution could be decreased by taking some measures and being more sensible.
TYPES OF POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION – Increasing industrialization has paved the way for poisonous gases to enter the atmosphere. This in turn creates adverse effects like respiratory and other diseases in human beings. The carbon and its oxides released by the burning of coal and fossil fuels are absorbed by the trees. But as we started cutting trees to find areas for accommodation, these carbon oxides mix the atmosphere and pollutes it. The fresh oxygen we breathe thus gets contaminated and can give rise to many skin diseases and respiratory disorders like asthma, bronchitis, etc. These impacts could be decreased by following afforestation and reforestation and adopting the use of natural gases and biogas.
WATER POLLUTION – Introduction of industrial effluents, pesticides and insecticides, domestic waste, detergents, and fertilizers contaminate the water bodies. Water pollutants are released directly to the nearby water sources without proper treatment. These pollutants in water mix up with all the water bodies and finally contaminate the ocean by the formation of algae which creates a threat to aquatic life. It also generates unfavorable effects on humans and affects the food chain. It causes communicable and non-communicable diseases like cholera, typhoid, dengue, etc. This could be prevented by conserving water, treating sewage before it is disposed and use of eco-friendly products.
SOIL POLLUTION – Soil pollution refers to the existence of chemicals, toxic compounds, salts, and radioactive elements in the layers of soil. Discharge of toxicants from industries, stagnation of polluted water, heavy metals, and other solvents stay in the soil and make it infertile for cultivation. Due to this, the texture and quality of the soil are lost damaging the growth of plants and organisms living in the soil. Percolation of dirty water, dumping of fuels and oils, dumping of pharmaceutical and other medical wastes also adds to soil pollution. These influence humans indirectly through the plants that we consume as food. Industrialists should follow the environment protection norms strictly and individuals must start practicing the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle the to lessen soil pollution.
NOISE POLLUTION – This form of pollution is increasing and creating an unsafe environment. The increase in sound levels becomes dangerous for living creatures and causes several disturbances in society. An increase in industries, technology, use of vehicles, parties, bursting crackers, and loud political meetings contribute a lot to noise pollution. Unlike, other pollution, noise pollution can also bring about serious issues like hearing impairment and other troubles in the eardrums. Not only humans, but this kind of pollution also badly hits the wildlife. We must become aware of these unnoticed yields and help in building a safer and better society.
‘Water is a driving force of all nature’- Leonardo Da Vincci.
A children holding a poster with the request SAVE WATER is actually sending across a severe warning……………
We are headed for a water crisis and a very serious one at that. Do you really think it is an issue we can dare to neglect? I do not think so.Water is very essential for all life forms to survive and grow. For any personal, commercial, industrial, or any other use the water is required.Life without water is impossible. Also, the drinkable water is quite low and if we continue to wastewater at the speed we do today, the day is not far when we will have to fight for water. But still, let me ask you one question, are we actually working in the direction of saving water? The rightful answer would be no.
Water management & conservation of resources:
The problem with these issues (water management and conservation of resources) is that there are numerous parties with vested interests that tend to play down these serious threats staring us in the face in a not so distant a future. While most authorities that are respected are unanimous in their conclusion of global warming as a serious threat, there are others who look upon the very phenomenon of global warming as a typical case of environmental Cassandras trying to hog the limelight. If you have to seriously address issues like global warming or water crisis, one leading to the other, corporate houses which depend on numerous factories that create all the filth shall have to take steps that would seriously create a big dent in their pockets. No corporate house would be eager to do this.
Therefore, they purposely overlook the fact that the sources of fresh water are limited. If you are so concerned with your immediate profit that you tend to overlook the disastrous results in the long run for all life on this earth, you are no less than plain stupid! The extent to which the corporate sector can be callous can be clearly understood from the following example:-
A proposal by South India Bottling Company Private Limited (SIBCL), a Coca-Cola franchisee, to set up a 280 million (US $ 6,500,000) soft -drinks unit in Gangaikondan village of Tirunelveli district in southern Tamil Nadu, has run into trouble. Many local residents, political parties and environmentalists have raised concerns that the water-intensive plant will deplete and contaminate groundwater and draw from Tamiraparani River, that cannot fully meet even drinking water and agricultural needs of local communities. Research by the India Resource Centre revealed a number of discrepancies and misinformation in SIBCL’s public statements regarding its water usage and daily production. We can also remember in this context that the world leaders really fight it out when something as dangerous as poisonous gas emissions bave to be curtailed. Indeed, how myopic can people be!
However, blaming corporates and factories would not be a complete part of the solution. There is the other side of the picture too. A 2006 United Nations report focuses on issues of governance as the core of the water crisis, saying There is enough water for everyone’ and “Water insufficiency is often due to mismanagement, corruption,lack of appropriate institutions, bureaucratic inertia and a shortage of investment in both human capacity and physical infrastructure.” Official data also shows a clear correlation between access to safe water and GDP per capita.
While the observation made by the UN is true, the role of climate change in aggravating a terrible water crisis around the globe is also An Inconvenient Truth as Al Gore calls it. According to a UN climate report, the Himalayan glaciers that are the sources of Asia’s biggest rivers-Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yellow-could disappear by 2035 as temperatures rise. Approximately 2.4 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan Rivers. India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by droughts in coming decades. In India alone, the Ganga provides water for drinking and farming for more than 500 million people. The west coast of North America, which gets much of its water from glaciers in mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, would also be affected.
What would happen if this wastage of water is allowed to continue? News reports about the Gangotri Glacier receding have become fairly common. Can you imagine India without the Ganga? Are we going to silently bear with the progressive destruction of the most precious resource, and leave our future generations to face some bloody war for the control of water resources?
How can we Save Water?
you know there is many points you can do in your day to day life for water conservation.Each of these methods of water conservation is simple and easy and certainly things that anyone can take advantage of.
1. Turning the water off when brushing your teeth or washing your hair can save a lot of water. In fact, as much as 160 gallons of water can be conserved each month when you turn the water off.
2. Purchase water-efficient products and appliances for your home. This includes dishwashers, sink systems, bathtubs and more. These products pay for themselves in no time at all.
3. Plant you garden in the spring and you can save since water requirement levels are less during this season.
4. Do not use water to defrost foods. Although many people do use this method it requires a lot of water consumption to do this.
5. Check for leaks. This includes the toilet and the sinks in the home. Even a small leak could cause an extensive amount of extra water usage and more money added to the water bill.
6. Stop using extra water when you flush by avoiding placing anything in the toilet. This includes tissue and cigarette butts. Using this method to eliminate these items will cost you an additional 5 to 6 gallons of water per flush.
7. Insulate your pipes. This will prevent them from freezing in the winter while also helping heat water up faster, among other benefits.
8. When washing clothes, make sure that you are washing full loads of laundry only. You are wasting a lot of water washing only half of a load.
Talking about our most crucial resource “Water”, our rivers, lakes, seas are flooding with chemicals, waste, plastic, and other pollutants. Every living being’s life has become nothing but a threat. Yet we trash water anyway. A British poet named W.H Auden once said “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” Polluted water takes away more life than any war/form of violence. With access to less than 1℅ of freshwater resources, it is estimated that by 2050 demand for freshwater will increase by 1/3 than it is today.
In this article, you’ll know:-
★What is water pollution?
★What are the causes?
★What are the ways to prevent water pollution?
What is water pollution?
Water pollution is caused when water bodies are contaminated with chemicals, wastes, or microorganisms, that end up turning water bodies toxic to humans and the environment.
Causes of Water Pollution:-
Water is a Universal Solvent, and it can dissolve more substances than any other liquid on earth. That’s why water is easily polluted. Toxic Substances from factories, farms, and towns mix with it and make it polluted.
I) Groundwater Pollution- Groundwater gets polluted when pollutants like pesticides, fertilizer runoff, waste are leached from the trash yard and septic systems.
II) Surface Water Pollution- Surface water gets polluted by fertilizer runoff, farm waste, municipal and industrial waste, dumping garbage directly, etc.
III) Ocean water Pollution- Chemicals, nutrients, and many toxic substances from farms, industries, cities are carried by streams and rivers to the sea. Hence, ocean water gets polluted. It is also polluted because of oil spills and leaks.
IV) Radioactive Pollution- Radio Active wastes are generated by uranium mining, nuclear power plants, and by universities and hospitals using radioactive material for research. Unknowingly released or improper disposal of these pollutants can threaten groundwater, surface water, and marine resources.
What are the ways to prevent water pollution?
The ways by which one can prevent water pollution are:-
I) Reduce, reuse and recycle plastic.
II) Maintenance of vehicles(especially checking oil leakage or coolant leakage.
III) Proper disposal of chemicals, factory waste, oils, and non-biodegradable substance.
IV) By avoiding the usage of pesticides and herbicides.
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water bodies include for example lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants are introduced into the natural environment. For example, releasing inadequately treated wastewater into natural water bodies can lead to degradation of aquatic ecosystems. In turn, this can lead to public health problems for people living downstream. They may use the same polluted river water for drinking or bathing or irrigation. Water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of death and disease, e.g. due to water-borne diseases.
Water pollution can be classified as surface water or groundwater pollution. Marine pollution and nutrient pollution are subsets of water pollution. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. Point sources have one identifiable cause of the pollution, such as a storm drain or a wastewater treatment plant. Non-point sources are more diffuse, such as agricultural runoff.] Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. All plants and organisms living in or being exposed to polluted water bodies can be impacted. The effects can damage individual species and impact the natural biological communities they are part of.
Introduction :-
Water pollution occurs when unwanted materials enter in to water, changes the quality of water and
harmful to environment and human health . Water is an important natural resource used for drinking
and other developmental purposes in our lives . Safe drinking water is necessary for human health all
over the world. Being a universal solvent, water is a major source of infection. According to world
health organization (WHO) 80% diseases are water borne. Drinking water in various countries does
not meet WHO standards 3.1% deaths occur due to the unhygienic and poor quality of water.
Discharge of domestic and industrial effluent wastes, leakage from water tanks, marine dumping,
radioactive waste and atmospheric deposition are major causes of water pollution. Heavy metals that
disposed off and industrial waste can accumulate in lakes and river, proving harmful to humans and
animals. Toxins in industrial waste are the major cause of immune suppression, reproductive failure
and acute poisoning. Infectious diseases, like cholera, typhoid fever and other diseases gastroenteritis,
diarrhea, vomiting, skin and kidney problem are spreading through polluted water. Human health is
affected by the direct damage of plants and animal nutrition. Water pollutants are killing sea weeds,
mollusks, marine birds, fishes, crustaceans and other sea organisms that serve as food for human.
Insecticides like DDT concentration is increasing along the food chain. These insecticides are harmful for humans.
Objective of the study :-
The main objective of the project work is role of water in our life. How important it is. Controlling city pollution by water pollution.
Definition of water pollution :-
Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants. Due to
these contaminants it either does not support a human use, such as drinking water, or undergoes a
marked shift in its ability to support its biotic communities, such as fish. Natural phenomena such
as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and
the ecological status of water.
Prevalence :-
Water pollution is a major global problem. It requires ongoing evaluation and revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual aquifers and wells). It has been suggested that water pollution is the leading worldwide cause of death and diseases.] Water pollution accounted for the deaths of 1.8 million people in 2015. The organization Global Oceanic Environmental Survey (GOES) consider water pollution as one of the main environmental problems that can present a danger for the existence of life on earth in the next decades. One of the main concerns, is that water pollution, heart phytoplankton who produce 70% of oxygen and remove a large part of carbon dioxide on earth. The organization proposes a number of measures for fixing the situation, but they should be taken in the next 10 years for being effective.
Water pollution in India and China is wide spread. About 90 percent of the water in the cities of China is polluted. In addition to the acute problems of water pollution in developing countries, developed countries also continue to struggle with pollution problems. For example, in a report on water quality in the United States in 2009, 44 percent of assessed stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30 percent of assessed bays and estuarine square miles were classified as polluted.
Reason :-
The causes of water pollution include a wide range of chemicals and pathogens as well as physical parameters. Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Elevated temperatures can also lead to polluted water. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decrease oxygen levels, which can kill fish and alter food chain composition, reduce species biodiversity, and foster invasion by new thermophilic species. Water pollution is measured by analysing water samples. Physical, chemical and biological tests can be conducted. Control of water pollution requires appropriate infrastructure and management plans. The infrastructure may include wastewater treatment plants. Sewage treatment plants and industrial wastewater treatment plants are usually required to protect water bodies from untreated wastewater. Agricultural wastewater treatment for farms, and erosion control at construction sites can also help prevent water pollution. Nature-based solutions are another approach to prevent water pollution.Effective control of urban runoff includes reducing speed and quantity of flow. In the United States, best management practices for water pollution include approaches to reduce the quantity of water and improve water quality.
TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION:-
1. SURFACE WATER POLLUTION :-
Surface water pollution includes pollution of rivers, lakes and oceans. A subset of surface water
pollution is marine pollution.
Water pollution from human activity, including oil spills and also presents a problem
for freshwater resources. The largest petroleum spill that has ever occurred in fresh water was caused
by a Royal Dutch Shell tank ship in Magdalena, Argentina, on 15 January 1999, polluting the
environment, drinkable water, plants and animals Chemical contamination of fresh water can also
seriously damage eco-systems.
In industrialized areas rain can be acidic because of dissolved oxides of sulfur and nitrogen formed
from burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories, trains and aircraft and from the atmospheric emissions
of industry. In some cases this acid rain results in pollution of lakes and rivers.
2. GROUNDWATER POLLUTION:- Groundwater pollution (also called groundwater contamination) occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way down into groundwater. This type of water pollution can also occur naturally due to the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent, contaminant or impurity in the groundwater, in which case it is more likely referred to as contamination rather than pollution. The pollutant often creates a contaminant plume within an aquifer. Movement of water and dispersion within the aquifer spreads the pollutant over a wider area. Its advancing boundary, often called a plume edge, can intersect with groundwater wells or daylight into surface water such as seeps and springs, making the water supplies unsafe for humans and wildlife. The movement of the plume, called a plume front, may be analyzed through a hydrological transport model or groundwater model. Analysis of groundwater pollution may focus on soil characteristics and site geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, and the nature of the contaminants. Pollution can occur from on-site sanitation systems, landfills, effluent from wastewater treatment plants, leaking sewers, petrol filling stations or from over application of fertilizers in agriculture. Pollution (or contamination) can also occur from naturally occurring contaminants, such as arsenic or fluoride. Using polluted groundwater causes hazards to public health through poisoningor the spread of disease.Different mechanisms have influence on the transport of pollutants, e.g. diffusion, adsorption, precipitation, decay, in the groundwater. The interaction of groundwater contamination with surface waters is analyzed by use of hydrology transport models.
3.CHEMICAL POLLUTION :- dustrial and agricultural work involves the use of many different chemicals that can run-off into water and pollute it.Metals and solvents from industrial work can pollute rivers and lakes. These are poisonous to many forms of aquatic life and may slow their development, make them infertile or even result in death.Pesticides are used in farming to control weeds, insects and fungi. Run-offs of these pesticides can cause water pollution and poison aquatic life. Subsequently, birds, humans and other animals may be poisoned if they eat infected fish.Petroleum is another form of chemical pollutant that usually contaminates water through oil spills when a ship ruptures. Oil spills usually have only a localised affect on wildlife but can spread for miles. The oil can cause the death of many fish and stick to the feathers of seabirds causing them to lose the ability to fly.
4.MARINE POLLUTION:-
ne common path of entry by contaminants to the sea are rivers. An example is directly discharging
sewage and industrial waste into the ocean. Pollution such as this occurs particularly in developing
nations. In fact, the 10 largest emitters of oceanic plastic pollution worldwide are, from the most to
the least, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, and
Bangladesh,[15] largely through the rivers Yangtze, Indus, Yellow, Hai, Nile, Ganges, Pearl, Amur,
Niger, and the Mekong, and accounting for “90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world’s
oceans.
Large gyres (vortexes) in the oceans trap floating plastic debris. Plastic debris can absorb toxic
chemicals from ocean pollution, potentially poisoning any creature that eats it. Many of these longlasting pieces end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. This results in obstruction of
digestive pathways, which leads to reduced appetite or even starvation.
There are a variety of secondary effects stemming not from the original pollutant, but a derivative
condition. An example is silt-bearing surface runoff, which can inhibit the penetration of sunlight
through the water column, hampering photosynthesis in aquatic plants.
IMPACT IN HUMAN HEALTH
:-
There is a greater association between pollution and health problem. Disease causing
microorganisms are known as pathogens and these pathogens are spreading disease
directly among humans. Some pathogens are worldwide some are found in well-defined
area]. Many water borne diseases are spreading man to man Heavy rainfall and floods are
related to extreme weather and creating different diseases for developed and developing
countries [10% of the population depends on food and vegetables that are grown in
contaminated water [Many waterborne infectious diseases are linked with fecal pollution of
water sources and results in fecal-oral route of infection]. Health risk associated with polluted
water includes different diseases such as respiratory disease, cancer, diarrheal disease,
neurological disorder and cardiovascular disease Nitrogenous chemicals are responsible for
cancer and blue baby syndrom]. Mortality rate due to cancer is higher in rural areas than
urban areas because urban inhabitants use treated water for drinking while rural people
don’t have facility of treated water and use unprocessed water. Poor people are at greater
risk of disease due to improper sanitation, hygiene and water supply . Contaminated water
has large negative effects in those women who are exposed to chemicals during pregnancy;
it leads to the increased rate of low birth weight as a result fetal health is affected
Poor quality water destroys the crop production and infects our food which is hazardous for
aquatic life and human life [Pollutants disturb the food chain and heavy metals, especially
iron affects the respiratory system of fishes. An iron clog in to fish gills and it is lethal to
fishes, when these fishes are eaten by human leads to the major health issue Metal
contaminated water leads to hair loss, liver cirrhosis, renal failure and neural disorder.
Bacterial diseases :- Untreated drinking water and fecal contamination of water is the major cause of diarrhea. Campylobacter jejuni spread diarrhea 4% to 15% worldwide. Fever, abdominal pain, nausea, headache are major symptoms of diarrhea. Good hygienic practices and use of antibiotics can prevent this disease. Disease cholera is caused by the contaminated water. Vibrio Cholerae is responsible for this disease. This bacterium produces toxins in digestive tracts. The symptoms of this disease are watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and watery diarrhea leads to dehydration and renal failure. Anti- microbial treatment is used to get rid of this disease. Shigellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Shigella bacteria. It affects the digestive tract of humans and damages the intestinal lining. Watery or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and nausea are symptoms and it can be cured with antibiotics and good hygienic practice. Salmonellosis infects the intestinal tract. Salmonella bacteria are found in contaminated water and it results in inflammation of intestine and often death occurs. Antibiotics are prescribed for this disease.
Viral diseases :- Hepatitis is a viral disease caused by contaminated water and infects the liver. Jaundice, loss of appetite, fatigue, discomfort and high fever are symptoms of hepatitis. If it persists for a long time it may be fatal and results in death. Vaccine is available for hepatitis and by adopting good hygienic practice; one can get rid of this disease Encephalitis is inflammatory disease spread by bite of infected mosquitoes. Culex mosquito lays their eggs in contaminated water. Most people don’t show any symptoms but some symptoms are headache, high fever, muscle stiffness, convulsions however in severe cases coma and paralysis results. No vaccine is available for this disease Poliomyelitis virus is responsible for poliomyelitis. Sore throat, fever, nausea, constipation and diarrhea and sometimes paralysis are symptoms of poliomyelitis. Vaccine is available for this disease Gastroenteritis is caused by different viruses including rotaviruses, adenoviruses, calciviruses and Norwalk virus. Symptoms of gastroenteritis are vomiting, headache and fever. Symptoms appear 1 to 2 days after infecting. Sickness can be dangerous among infants, young children and disabled.
Parasitic diseases :- Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by the cryptosporidium parvum. It is worldwide disease and symptoms are diarrhea, loose or watery bowls, stomach cramps and upset stomach [28]. Cryptosporidium is resistant to disinfection and affects immune system and it is the cause of diarrhoea and vomiting in humans Galloping amoeba is caused by the Entamoeba histolytica and affects stomach lining. This parasite undergoes cyst and non-cyst form. Infection occurs when cyst found in contaminated water and it is swallowed. Symptoms are fever, chills and watery diarrhea According to WHO, diarrheal case jootes are about 4 billion and results in 2.2 million deathsGiardiasis is caused by Giardia lamblia. Cells of intestinal lining may become injure. Giardia is resistant to wintry temperature and disinfectant. Sometimes it is known as travelers’ disease. People suffering from giardiasis have symptoms bloating, excess gas, watery diarrhea and weight loss .
Plastics are the most used product nowadays. These are cheap and easily accessible and usable which makes them more available for the humans.
Plastics cost lesser than other alternatives like paper and cloth. This is why it is so common. Plastic can be used for almost anything either liquid or solid. Moreover, it comes in different forms which we can easily mold.
“Plastic pollution free world is not a choice but a commitment to life – a commitment to the next generation.”
Plastic is a non-biodegradable material. It does not leave the face of the Earth. We cannot dissolve plastic, in land or water, it remains forever. People throw garbages including plastics in the water bodies and these plastics do not get dissolved and so they pollute the water and the marine lives.
Water pollution
Thus,more and more use of plastic means more plastic which won’t get dissolved. Thus, the uprise of plastic pollution is happening at a very rapid rate.
“Our commitment to the next generation is toxic chemical free world – not just plastic pollution free world but also nuclear weapons free world.
Great things happen through great commitments.”
Plastic pollution is affe ring the whole earth, including mankind, wildlife and aquatic life. It is spreading like a disease which has no cure. Plastic polluted our water. Each year, tonnes of plastics are dumped into the ocean. As plastics doesn’t dissolve , it remains in the water thereby hampering it’s purity.
Plastic pollutes our land as well. When humans dump plastic waste into the landfills, the soil gets damaged . It ruins the fertility of the soil. In addition to this, various disease-carrying insects collect in that area, causing deadly illness.
“If we say no to plastic bags, it will save millions of people down the line.”
Most importantly, plastic pollution harms the marine life. The plastic litter in the water is mistaken for food by the aquatic animals. They eat it and die eventually. For instance, a dolphin died due to a plastic ring stuck in its mouth. It couldn’t open its mouth due to that and died of starvation.
Thus,it is our duty to decrease the plastic pollution otherwise many innocent lives will be gone, those creatures living in the water and soils.
“Plastic disposal not only pollutes the land but the water and the air, the three primary elements for any living being on the earth.”
“Ban every form of plastic before plastic bans every form of life on the earth.”
More than 25 crore people of our nation are being forced to drink water contaminated with arsenic.
In a study carried out by IIT Kharagpur using an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based inference model it was found that the poisonous substance arsenic was present in more than 20% of the country’s underground water.
According to the estimates made by a few government and non-government organizations it was found that a large percent of the total population is being affected by the contamination. With the increasing water pollution, we need to take strict measures when it comes to collecting water samples from different regions and studying it for more chemical contamination.
According to the Assistant Professor Abhijit Mukherjee of IIT Kharagpur, it was reported that these high arsenic zones are present mostly along the Indus Ganga-Brahmaputra river basin and in the peninsular areas.
Health Effects- According to the World Health Organization, arsenic is highly toxic in inorganic form. Prolonged exposure to consuming contaminated water can cause cancer, skin lesions and other diseases when it reaches the body. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.
Sources of Exposure-
Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. People are exposed to high levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food preparation and irrigation of food crops, industrial processes, eating contaminated food.
Dietary Sources– Seafood, Poultry and dairy products contain arsenic although the amount is very low in comparison and arsenic is present in its less toxic organic form.
Industrial Processes– Arsenic is used widely in industries as an alloying agent, in processing of glass, pigments, paper, wood etc., and also in a limited extent in making pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Smoking tobacco– Tobacco plants can take up arsenic naturally present in soil so people who smoke tobacco are exposed to natural inorganic arsenic.
Prevention and control–
Substituting high arsenic sources such as groundwater, with low arsenic sources such as rain water and treated surface water.
Install arsenic removal systems and ensure the appropriate disposal of the removed arsenic. Technologies for removal of arsenic include oxidation, coagulation-precipitation, absorption, ion exchange, and membrane techniques. The most important action in affected communities is the prevention of further exposure to arsenic of a safe water supply.
Discriminate between high-arsenic and low-arsenic levels and paint tube wells or hand pumps with different colours.
Arsenic is one of WHO’s 10 chemicals of major public health concerns. WHO’s work to reduce arsenic exposure includes setting guideline values, reviewing evidence, and providing risk management recommendations.
Educating others about the dangers and necessities of this problem is crucial and community engagement is important for ensuring successful interventions. There is a need for community members to understand the risks of high arsenic exposure and the sources of arsenic exposure, including the intake of arsenic by crops (e.g. rice) from irrigation water and the intake of arsenic into food from cooking water.
Environmental issues arose across the world after the Industrial Revolution, during the 19th CE, there was a wide need for a change and development at that time. People desired for a speedy process of production and because of this, it set into motion changes which were unexpected.
Smoke was released across Europe and North America. Plains had turned into deserts, and various other issues had cropped up in USA and Canada too. It was only by the half of the 20th CE, there arose a concern for air and water pollution. The same cannot be said for land pollution, it only came into limelight after the introduction of pesticides. People were overjoyed with the agricultural revolution that they forgot to notice its defects, it was Rachel Carson who brought in the negative impacts of the usage of pesticides in her book ‘Silent Spring’. This gave the environmental movement a boost too. It paved way for a great number of researches across the world.
This made the people the need to have a world wide conference to discuss about the environmental issues and a need to change them. And thus the first global conference was held, it is named as Stockholm Conference. This conference was a pivotal event in the growth of the global concern for environment. This was the first time, countries of the world came to discuss the problems and make up good measures to correct them.
These were the following outcomes of the Stockholm conference
Firstly, people were of the perception that humanity and environment were different and had no connections. This was not the case. After the conference it was made sure that such a thinking has to be shifted off people’s mind in order to save our environment.
Stockholm created a comparison between the developed and developing countries. There were arguments from both sides but it was considered and decisions were made too. The least developed and developing countries were given priority in determining the international policy.
The importance and role played by NGO’s gave more importance to governmental and intergovernmental organizations.
The introduction of United Nations Environmental Program. This program was the best possible solution to the problems of the global world.
After the 1980’s there was a second wave of the environmental movement. This movement focused more on the complex issues and highlighted unresolved ones. Immediate action was taken for this, and this time it was more suitable and better understood than the previous times. Examples are World commission on Environment and Development(1986), Rio Conference(1992), Kyoto Protocol(1997) and the Johannesburg summit (2002).
The World Commission on Environment and Development is popularly known as Brundtland Commission. The commission focused on Sustainable development. The commission wanted to put forward new ideas that could create growth and sustainable development across the country. This promoted the Earth Summit of 1992 Rio de Janerio.
Major outcomes of Rio Summit are
The Framework Convention on Climate Change
The Convention on Biological Diversity
Agenda 21
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
Forest Principle
The Rio conference gave birth to the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in 1997. 160 countries, especially the developed ones came together and promised to cut off their level of emission of greenhouse gases. But this wasn’t the case for every countries, the United States of America withdrew due to its pressure. The next Summit was held in Johannesburg, its main focus was also on sustainable development, many new policies and timetables were made but nothing was quite effective as they had calculated it to be.
Nation states wanted a plan which would help their self- interest rather than the interests as a whole. If we look closely we can see that the globe is divided into two, one set of countries are developed and they add to most of the greenhouse emissions, while the other set of countries are struggling to feed their citizens. And so when policies are to be made, it is to be ensured that it is accordingly to their interests.These were the recent changes brought in by the international systems
Water pollution is a rising global crisis. According to the UN, today 2.1 Billion people live without safe drinking water. Nowadays water pollution is increasing at an alarming rate, which makes the use of water unsuitable for human consumption.Experts believe that India also face a huge challenge regarding water scarcity as they fear the country has just five years to solve its water crisis . Otherwise hundreds of millions of lives will be in danger.
Water bodies can be polluted by a variety of substances including toxic chemicals, radioactive substances. etc but the main sources of water pollution include:
1.There are various sources of water pollution, but the domestic source is the primary reason for water contamination. Around 80% of water pollution is caused by untreated domestic sewage
2.Another source of pollution is the industrial effluents along with the raw, untreated sewage discharged from drains into the rivers and canals. Oil leaks from ships , pollutants released from processing plants and waste disposal areas , effluents from factories and industries using radioactive material have harmful effects on marine habitats such as if the level of water pollution increases vigorously then algae would flourish rapidly which releases dangerous toxins causing damage and harm to the fish, dolphins, sea turtles and other aquatic life.
3.A significant source for the pollution in the river Ganga is the dumping of dead bodies, animal carcasses, and corpses into the holy river. Washing of dirty things in the water, and human excreta along the river banks also contribute to pollution. Also a large number of dairy farms in urban areas discharge their wastes into the river.
4.India generates 26000 tonnes of plastic everyday , but 40% of it remains uncollected causing littering of the marine life and hazardous effects to river systems. Single use plastic is being used worldwide and is considered to be the main reason for land pollutants and water pollution.
5. Animal agriculture uses about 70% of agricultural land, and is one of the leading causes for deforestation and water pollution.
6. Mining also causes water pollution which includes metal contamination, increased sediment levels and acid mine drainage.
Various solutions and other implementable ways can be used to limit the pollution of our water resources. These include:
1.Organic farming ,expanding wetlands, growing mangroves reduces water pollution.
2.Capturing rainwater, reusing treated wastewater for irrigation along with proper sewage treatment and management curbs the water crisis.
3.Trees moderate air and water pollution, reduce heating and cooling costs, and provide shade and shelter. Afforestation helps in reduce water pollution and preventing soil erosion.
4.Dispose waste properly.
5. Plan an active role in conserving water. Spread awareness and support projects and initiatives for water treatment
Environmental monitoring shows that the 3 month nationwide lock down due to the corona virus outbreak has resulted in rivers shows sign of overall improvement in quality of water along with decreasing water pollution. Also the critically endangered , enigmatic South Asian River dolphin, or ‘Ganga dolphin’ has been spotted making a comeback to Kolkata with many experts citing intense river pollution is to be the main reason for the dolphins disappearance.
Water remains the most essential mankind need that nature has so easily provided. Let’s all commit to conserving water, using it judiciously and helping the environment thrive.
Eduindex News 
You must be logged in to post a comment.