Water pollution problems
| Subject: | 🌷 Environment |
| Type: | Cause and Effect Essay |
| Pages: | 3 |
| Word count: | 854 |
| Topics: | Water Pollution, Environmental Issues, Health, Nature, Ocean Pollution |
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Table of Contents
Introduction
At present, it is universally acknowledged that water pollution is a crucial global problem. Water pollution is a kind of phenomenon that contaminants discharge into the water body such as lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater, and they are not removed (Dictionary.com). Water can be the most important resource on the earth. First of all, water is really relevant to people’s lives because it is the source of life and an indispensable substance in human life. The human body is approximately 60% water, and people are not able to live more than three days without water (Siri, W.E., 1961). Therefore, the bad quality of water may cause a lot of problems and diseases for people. For instance, Minamata disease (Harada, M., 2016) was a kind of disease that newborn infants were suffering from severe mercury poisoning. The reason for this event is that pregnant women eat fishes from the river that was contaminated by mercury during pregnancy (Harada, M., 2016). This shows that people should keep water clean, and they should never pollute them.
On the other hand, some bad human activities have caused the problem of water pollution more and more serious. For example, Songhua River used to have a major pollution accident in 2005 (Chui. & Liu. 2006). At that time, 10 tonnes of arsenic inflowing into the river caused much fish to die, and nearly half a month people could not use the water in the river. Another event happened in Wuhan, China. East Lake was the biggest city lake in China; at the same time, it had a lot of small pollution problems. It raised the water cost because of the pollution, and the smell of the lake seriously affected people’s quality of life (Zhu, Gao, Li, Li, & Qin. 1993). This kind of problem may not cause really serious accidents they are really causing trouble on people’s lives. On the contrary, there are some rich people who do not care about the water pollution. They have enough money to create a safe and enjoyable life for themselves; nevertheless, there are just a small group of people. The vast majority of people do not have the ability to overcome the effects of water pollution. Therefore, people should understand the causes and effects of water pollution and get solutions to cure the water pollution.
Causes
There are a lot of events that bring about water pollution, such as septic tanks, sewage and waste water, underground storage and tube leaks, ocean and marine dumping, , and atmospheric deposition. Sewage refers to waste water containing laundry water, urine and feces. Sewage treatment should be a major concern because there are many people on the earth. In developing countries, sewage disposal is a major concern because any areas do not get clean water and sanitary conditions. Dumping in the sea is a major concern because materials degrade over different periods. Some types of litter can also lodge themselves in marine animals and cause their death.
Substances such as petroleum stored in underground tanks can be harmful to the surrounding environment if they are contaminated. If the steel is corroded, leakages can occur affecting the surrounding ground water and soil. A huge source of water pollution comes from industries as many industrial facilities use freshwater to transport waste from the factory into lakes and oceans. Air pollution can also result in water pollution when acid rain is formed. the acid rain destroys water bodies such as lakes and rivers, harming aquatic life.
Effects
All causes of water pollution harm both humans and animals. The effects may not be immediate but after long-term exposure, they can be harmful. Heavy metals from industrial processes and be toxic to aquatic life when they accumulate n rivers and lakes. When these metals are consumed by humans they lead to birth defects, cancers, immune suppression, acute poisoning and reproductive failure. Infectious diseases result from drinking water polluted with microbial products from sewage. Diseases such as cholera and typhoid are a major cause of infant mortality in developing countries. Particles suspended in fresh water harms marine life as it causes suffocation of fish and other aquatic organisms. The quality of drinking water for humans is reduced.
Solutions
Preventing water pollution and preserving the quality of water in rivers, lakes and groundwater can be ensured by following these guidelines. Citizens should be taught to use environmentally safe household products such as cleaning agents, washing powder and toiletries. Care should be taken not to overuse fertilizers and pesticides in order to prevent runoffs into nearby water sources. Laws should be enacted to reinforce the ban on municipal and industrial waste water into lakes, rivers and oceans. Water should be conserved by collecting rainwater and turning off the taps when not using them.
Conclusion
People should understand the causes and effects of water pollution and get solutions to cure the water pollution. In the light of the above discussion, it is the responsibility of the citizens to act against the causes of water pollution and put in place strategies to prevent it. Water is life; in order to preserve life water should be conserved.
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