Water is one of the key elements on our planet. But, can you believe that approximately 2 million tons of waste are thrown into the world’s water every single day? According to the UN, around 1,500 km3 of wastewater is made every year. Despite these numbers, still, we have not been thoughtful or accountable for the causes of water pollution and its effects. So, today, in this blog, let’s learn some pollution related facts so that you can address this global issue.

Causes of Water Pollution

The most common causes are industrial activities, discharge of household wastewater, oil spills, and agricultural run-offs.

Water, being very good at dissolving substances, can be polluted by more things than any other liquid. Depending on the sources there are two types of pollution: point source and non-point source.

  • Point source pollution comes from a single, known source, like a sewage pipe or a factory pipe.
  • Diffuse pollution comes from many sources, which are hard to trace.

A very important type of water pollution is the absence of sanitation which affects 2.4 billion individuals. For the year 2022, we have a global estimation saying that a minimum 1.7 billion people consumed water containing fecal matter.

Below are some of the major reasons for water pollution.

causes of water pollution

1. Industrial Effluents: These contaminate water which are reused or disposed of safely but sometimes it is just dumped untreatedly into nearby water bodies. The compositions of the industrial wastewater pollutants are different based on the production process. The main pollutants from industrial wastewater are

  • Petroleum products
  • Heavy metals
  • Hazardous wastes
  • Sediments
  • PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds)

Also See: Average Water Usage and Wastage Stats Per Person Per Day

2. Sewage and Waste Water: Unprocessed human and industrial waste poisons many US rivers with bacteria, chemicals, and nutrients. This in turn brings harm to health, animals, drinking water, and recreation. One fifth of US houses are equipped with septic tanks that can result in nitrogen and phosphorus leaks if not serviced.

3. Agricultural Run-Offs: Agro activities can disrupt the soil and sediments; nutrients, pesticides, and herbicides are carried into the water bodies by means of runoff. These pollutants deteriorate the water quality of rivers, waterways, lakes and wetlands. The foremost hazards of water quality developing from agriculture are poverty erosion, loss of nutrients, manure bacteria, and pesticides.

4. Oil Spills: In U.S. waters, oil spills occur often and through different methods. Even small spills like those from refueling can harm beaches or wetlands. A big spill occurs when a pipeline bursts or there is an accident with a tanker or drilling goes wrong. Some amount of oil pollution is from natural sources because the ocean floor can release oil or rocks could wear away and create leaks.

5. Radioactive Pollution: Radiation from natural or human sources can pollute water bodies. Naturally occurring substances include radioactive materials present in soil that impact groundwater. Some examples of radioactive pollutants are uranium, radium, strontium, cesium, and tritium.

6. Marine Dumping: Vessels, aircraft, platforms or similar structures dispose of waste or other substances into seawaters. Marine dumping harms ocean creatures, causes lands to erode and become salty, and also makes water quality worse. Garbage, plastics, metals, chemicals and organic stuff are the main pollutants in marine dumping.

7. Atmospheric Deposition: Air pollutants are physically knocked into water bodies through dry or wet depositions. Impurities like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, mercury, lead and pesticides might initiate further quality deterioration by increasing the level of acidity, temperature and metals in a river.

Similarly, they can be detrimental to aquatic organisms through various disturbances like acidification, thermal stress, toxicity and bioaccumulation.

Cross-reference: Influence of atmospheric deposition on surface water quality and DBP formation potential

8. Mining Activities: This leads to the release of substances such as chemicals, metals, organic materials and sediments into water bodies. The result is a direct decrease in oxygen levels and an increase in the acidity of the water because it becomes more turbid with a higher metal content. The pollutants that are found include sulphuric acid, cyanide, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead.

9. Thermal Pollution: Power plants release warm water into rivers and this can increase the river temperature by around 15 °C (27 °F). Heat lowers the oxygen carrying capacity of water making survivability difficult for cold water fishes such as trout. It harms the aquatic environment, decreases biodiversity, and changes the food chain.

Note that water wastage is also responsible for pollution, posing threats to human health and wildlife.

Effects of Water Pollution

effects of water pollution

After exploring the various factors that contribute to water pollution, we will now examine how they affect the quality and availability of water resources.

1. Health problems: Drinking or the use of polluted water can result in a number of health troubles for both human beings and animals. These include skin issues, forgetfulness, deteriorating eyesight, hair thinning, and lead concentrations in the bloodstream. The culprits behind these problems are arsenic, lead, chemicals used in fracking, as well as ailment inflicting germs.

2. Environmental damage: When water pathways get contaminated, it can disrupt the natural equilibrium of ecosystems, biodiversity and food chain. The increase in algal blooms because of nutrient pollution decreases oxygen levels in water leading to fish and other aquatic life disappearing. Oil spills, radioactive waste, and thermal pollutants also can harm the surroundings.

3. Economic losses: Polluted water can hurt different parts of the economy like tourism, fishing, real estate and farming fields. It may reduce interest in fun activities such as swimming, driving boats or snorkeling. It increases the expenses required for treating drinking water due to more frequent occurrence of pollution events.

4. Social and ethical issues: Water contamination problems bring social justice and human rights issues to the forefront as certain groups of people could suffer more than others. For example, it is most likely that poverty will be associated with this pollution when the poor people are near the polluters, have no access to clean water, and have less power.

5. Eutrophication: As an extra dose of nutrient in water, eutrophication will be an outcome of pollution and overgrowth of algae and plants. These phenomena serve as a source of oxygen depletion in the water, discouraging aquatic life and causing the regular occurrence of algal blooms, hypoxia, fish kills, loss of biodiversity, and production of toxins.

Cross-reference: Mechanisms and assessment of water eutrophication

6. Loss of coral reefs: The biotic communities of coral reefs that harbor over 25 percent of the marine species could be endangered due to the impending water pollution. The threats to reef coral can be caused by sedimentation, nutrient eutrophication, ocean acidification and water contamination with oils.

7. Aquifer depletion: Groundwater is a source of freshwater and pollution can decrease its availability. The contamination of groundwater by chemicals, salts, and metals can be a result of the runoff of water from agricultural land or industrial effluents as well as wastewater from landfills.

8. Loss of recreational value: Inadequate water conditions result in the reduction of water functionality and people cannot use it for recreational and commercial purposes. It usually gives off foul smells, changes the color of the water, and allows solids to float on the water. It can also turn unfit for swimming, boating, and other activities.

Causes of Water Pollution and its Corresponding Effect

CauseEffect
Climate changeWorsens water quality and ecosystems
Nuclear wasteCauses radioactivity and health risks
Oil spillsContaminates water and coastlines
Detergents and fertilizersLeads to eutrophication and algal blooms
Algal bloomsDepletes oxygen and creates dead zones
Pathogenic microorganismsSpreads diseases and infections

Finally, the causes of water pollution are multidimensional and its effects are detrimental to both nature as well as living organisms. So, it is critical to seek the solutions to the worldwide problems beforehand. By implementing practical measures to reduce water pollution, we can secure a clean and safe supply for ourselves and future generations.

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Olivia is committed to green energy and works to help ensure our planet's long-term habitability. She takes part in environmental conservation by recycling and avoiding single-use plastic.

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