Water Pollution
If unwanted impurities are found in the water, then the water is no longer drinkable. Such water is called polluted water. Nowadays, the problem of water pollution is becoming so serious that even the water of the rivers, seas, lakes, ponds, etc., is getting much polluted.
Causes of Water Pollution
Water pollution is due to unwanted impurities found in the water of rivers. The extent of pollution depends on the flow of rivers, the sewage effluents found in them, and the amount of waste from industries.
Some harmful bacteria like insects and mosquitoes make their habitat in lakes, ponds and stagnant water. Water is also polluted by washing clothes and bathing animals in them.
Water has become very polluted due to dead bodies and waste materials and other unwanted impurities of plants and animals living aquatic life in the sea. That is why some efforts have to be made for the purification of seawater. The stagnant water of lakes and ponds is more polluted than the flowing streams of rivers and covered wells.
Disadvantages of polluted water
- Polluted water causes many infectious diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, etc.
- Pollution makes the water dirty, so that it cannot be used in any work like washing clothes, etc.
- Algae in water cause foul smell and make its color dirty. Algae make aquatic life unsafe (adding copper sulphate to water can make it algae free).
Prevention of water pollution
Water is life. Therefore, people should be aware to prevent water pollution. A law should be made to prevent pollution factors.
Dirty drains left in rivers should be stopped. To treat harmful impurities, plants should be planted.
To treat the excreta, it is filled in large tanks and stirred rapidly. By running it, air enters into it, which causes oxidation of harmful compounds. Harmless substances are formed in this process.
Industrial wastes contain toxic substances. They can be extracted by chemical methods. Industrial waste should not be allowed to be released into the rivers without refining to prevent water from getting polluted.
Covering wells can save water from pollution.