Water Pollution (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what water pollution is, its origin and its causes. Also, its consequences and possible solutions.

What is water pollution?

Water pollution or water pollution is the presence of chemical, toxic components or microorganisms in the water, which alter its natural properties and they make it unusable, that is, not suitable for consumption or to harbor life, and it can affect the soil and other water channels.

The toxic components of contaminated water can be diverse: microbes, heavy metals, sediments, bacteria, organic waste, radioactive substances or industrial fluids with chemicals. The toxic components reach the water, both through the direct discharge of waste into the water and through the contamination of the soil, which ends up depositing the polluting substances in the underground layers.

Depending on the type and degree of contamination, that is, the density of certain polluting agents that may be present in the water, can be treated and purified through component separation processessuch as precipitation, filtration and disinfection of impurities.

Sometimes some water sources that used to be highly contaminated, after being treated and recovered, once again housed animal and plant life (although they are not suitable for human consumption), in addition to ceasing to be a risk for soils and other tributaries of water. nearby water.

Origin of water pollution

Water pollution dates back to very ancient times of urban development, especially from the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century which stood out for the use of new technologies for mass production.

The large-scale manufacturing model promoted the indiscriminate use of natural resources, the overproduction of goods and incalculable amounts of garbage. This model has been maintained in an increasingly accelerated manner, until today.

The advancement of a large-scale production system, without the prudent use of natural resources and Without adequate treatment of garbage and waste, it caused environmental collapse which is currently evident that, among other consequences, it caused water pollution.

Causes of water pollution

The main causes of water pollution are:

Indiscriminate deforestation. The soil and vegetation perform the function of draining water that comes from rain or floods. The plants help contain the water so that it does not destroy the land and the different layers of the soil filter the water slowly and naturally. Once it reaches the underground layers, the pure water nourishes the soils. Indiscriminate logging leaves unprotected soils that become infertile and unable to filter water adequately.
Garbage and sewage. Cities concentrate high levels of environmental pollution, both soil, air and water. Through technological advances, it is possible to extract water from underground layers, which is suitable for consumption, or from natural water channels, except in areas of large cities and surrounding areas where excessive soil contamination, which comes from industries, , the sewage drains, unprocessed waste and garbage, ends up impacting the quality of the water. Demographic growth is usually faster than citizen awareness and the implementation of adequate legislation to control industries, which aggravates the level of pollution generated by life in society.
Agricultural-livestock activities. The agriculture and livestock industry involves excessive use of drinking water, which is a limited natural resource, and contributes to soil degradation. Intensive agriculture uses large quantities of chemical fertilizers that affect soils and groundwater, causing irreversible damage. Intensive livestock farming requires large quantities of drinking water, for example: about 20,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of meat. In addition, it generates disproportionate amounts of organic waste as a result of the large populations of overcrowded animals and their remains that are dumped in waterways and cannot be processed naturally.
Indiscriminate fishing. The fishing industry is one of the causes of ocean pollution, both due to the amount of plastic produced by massive fishing nets and tools, and due to the indiscriminate killing of animals that end up destabilizing aquatic ecosystems. Fishing vessels use net systems that are capable of capturing a large number of marine animals, not just those they intend to hunt. This activity, carried out with increasing intensity and less control, over a prolonged period of time, causes irreversible damage such as the extinction of animal species.
Oil exploitation. Water contamination by oil is caused by accidental spills during extraction that end up destroying the life of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, aggravating its residual effect for many years. In addition, there is a risk of contamination due to spills during transportation and the production of derivatives, such as the conversion to compressed natural gas that pollutes the air, and due to contamination of the final product destined for the massive use of fuels for transportation and industrial machinery.

Consequences of water pollution

Contaminated water generates negative consequences for ecosystems and, in many cases, the damage is irreversible. Water is a natural resource essential for the life of all living beings. of the planet, animals and plants.

The scarcity of drinking water, due to the exploitation of this natural resource by industries and human negligence combined with growing pollution, is increasingly affecting more animal species, human and non-human, that do not have access to this key resource for life.

Among the main consequences of contaminated water are:

Increase in poverty and deterioration in quality of life in human societies due to the lack of drinking water, an essential resource for food hygiene and health.
Increase in toxic foods that come from contaminated sources, such as fishing, livestock and agriculture, which can harm people's health.
Increase in people suffering diseases from ingesting contaminated watersuch as cholera, botulism or hepatitis A.
Deterioration of biodiversity due to the damage of the soils that become infertile and are not suitable for the vegetation that serves as food for various animal species. Furthermore, toxic water harms plants and animals and all aquatic life whose ecosystem is increasingly contaminated. Most damage is irreversible, such as the destruction of an ecosystem or the extinction of entire species.

Solutions to water pollution

Despite the irreversible consequences, there is still much to do to stop water pollution and reverse some of the damage. Some possible solutions that help stop water pollution are:

Reduce the use of chemical fertilizers for monocultures.
Treat and purify wastewater so that they are not toxic to the rest of the water channels or the soil.
Limit the use of plasticsespecially single-use ones, and recycle them whenever possible.
Reduce animal consumption and derivatives, in addition to promoting the consumption of agro-ecological vegetables, without pesticides.
Reduce excessive consumption of goods materials that are not necessary or that are presented with disposable packaging full of various plastics.
Raise awareness about the proper use of natural resourcesfrom the importance of obtaining it to the post-consumption impact of the final product manufactured with these natural resources.
Raise awareness about the difference between garbage and recyclable wastein addition to incorporating the habit of making compost.
Intensify relevant legislations to the care of resources and, especially, the adequate treatment of waste in order to avoid contamination.
Propose and implement new production and consumption strategies more environmentally friendly.
Size that every action of every person generates an impact on the planet. If negative actions can be reduced and positive actions increased, improvement will be achieved.

References

“Water pollution: everything you need to know” at https://www.nrdc.org/
“Water pollution: how to protect our source of life” at https://www.iberdrola.com/
“Causes and consequences of water pollution” (video) at Acciona https://www.youtube.com/
“What is water pollution?” at https://www.iagua.es
“How much water does it take to produce food?” at https://www.fundacionaquae.org/