Pollution of Oceanic Waters and Its Impact

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PROJECT REPORT

POLLUTION OF OCEANIC WATERS AND ITS IMPACT

TYBFM

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POLLUTION OF OCEANIC WATERS AND ITS IMPACT

Pollution in the ocean is a major problem that is affecting the ocean and the rest ofthe Earth, too. Pollution in the ocean directly affects ocean organisms and

indirectly affects human health and resources. Oil spills, toxic wastes, and

dumping of other harmful materials are all major sources of pollution in the ocean.

People should learn more about these because if people know more about pollution

in the ocean, then they will know more about how to stop pollution.

What are toxic wastes?

Toxic wastes are poisonous materials that are being dumped into the ocean. They

harm many plants and animals in the ocean and have a huge impact on our health.

Toxic waste is the most harmful form of pollution to sea life and humans. When

toxic waste harms an organism, it can quickly be passed along the food chain and

may eventually end up being our seafood. In the food chain, one toxic organism

gets eaten by another, larger animal, which gets eaten by another animal, and can

end up being our seafood. Toxic waste gets into seas and oceans by the leaking of

landfills, dumps, mines, and farms. Farm chemicals and heavy metals fromfactories can have a very harmful effect on marine life and humans.

Many fishermen believe that the toxic chemicals in the ocean are killing much of

the fish population. One of the most harmful chemicals in the ocean is lead. Lead

can cause many health problems. It can damage the brain, kidneys, and

reproductive system. Lead can also cause birth defects for people. It has been

shown to cause low IQ scores, slow growth, and hearing problems for small

children. House and car paint and manufacturing lead batteries, fishing lures,

certain parts of bullets, some ceramic ware, water pipes, and fixtures all give off

lead.

Many things found in the ocean may cause seafood to be dangerous to human

health. The effect on humans from contaminated seafood may include birth defects


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and nervous system damage. Medical waste found in the ocean is being tested to

see if swimmers have a chance of developing Hepatitis or AIDS. Other waste has

been known to cause viral and bacterial diseases. This type of pollution can be

stopped by watching what pollution we are letting into the ocean. People are trying

to decrease the amount of waste in the oceans by recycling as much garbage as

they can so there is a smaller amount of very harmful materials in the ocean.

Boating Pollution Prevention Tips

Whenever someone takes their boat onto the water for a

ride, it is creating pollution that can be very harmful to

the sea life. Boating pollution is the pollution that comes

from the boats engine when it is running, and it pollutesthe water, killing animals with the chemicals in the

exhaust from the engine. The engine gives off excess

gasoline, which pollutes the waters and ends up killing the animals. In order to

make as little pollution as possible, what everyone can do to help is:

Only turn a boat engine on all the way when you need to.

Dont take your boat out into the water if you dont need to.

Be sure to store and transport gasoline in places where there isnt any directsunlight because the gasoline will evaporate, and all of the gases that have been

evaporated will pollute the air.

Every year, buy new or cleaner marine engines for your boats.

Garbage Dumping

Garbage dumping is the dumping of harmful materials into the ocean like human

waste, ground-up garbage, water from bathing, and plastics. Most of the waste that

has been dumped into the ocean in the early 1990s is still there

today. One main cause of garbage dumping occurs when sewage

pipes share their space with storm water drains. Rainfall causes

the sewage pipes to overflow and the sewage waste mixes with

the storm water drain, which flows into another water source such


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as a lake or river. After that, the garbage pollutes the ocean, kills plants and

animals in the water (for example, the plastic rings that are around pop cans can

get around an animals neck, causing it to suffocate), and makes the water dirty.

Wastewater

Wastewater is a disposal problem that needs to be taken care of. Wastewater is run-

off from rainwater and usually ends up in rivers, lakes, and oceans. In order to

reduce the amount of wastewater, we need to make sure that the water that ends up

in the ocean is clean. We can do this by watching how much pollution we put into

the ocean. Whenever even a small amount of pollution gets into the ocean, it

damages the environment. A lot of people dont realize that this same pollution is

going into the ocean every day and all the small amounts add up to a majorproblem. To decrease the threat to public health, safety, and the environment, we

need to watch how much wastewater we produce.

Other Sources of Pollution

Pollution causes a lot of plant and animal deaths in

the ocean. In addition to boat pollution, other

things that cause water pollution are agriculture(like pesticide run-off), land clearing, and people

that pollute the environment without thinking

about what harm it can do to animals and humans.

How are cars polluting the oceans?

Cars pollute the ocean a lot. Whenever a car gets driven, you may have noticed a

lot of smoke that is coming out from the back of the car. This smoke doesnt go

directly into the ocean. It ends up being in acid rain. Acid

rain is pollution mixed with regular rain, and when acid

rain gets into the ocean, it pollutes the waters and kills

many fish over a period of time. Cars are big pollution

source. If pollution from cars cannot be stopped or at least


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cut down, then pretty soon the amount of fish and other creatures in the ocean will

decrease.

How is agriculture polluting the oceans?

Chemical pesticides, chemical substances used to kill harmful animals or insects,

and fertilizers, chemical or natural substances put on the land to make crops grow

better, are another source of pollution. When it rains, the pesticides and fertilizers

get taken off of the plants and end up in our oceans, killing ocean plants and

animals. They are used by animal and agricultural farms, plantations, industries

(especially illegal ones), and believe it or not, our very own gardens. A way to

decrease the amount of pesticides and fertilizers polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans

is by watching the amount of pesticide spray that you put on the plants in yourgarden. You can also buy organic products, which are grown with only natural

pesticides and fertilizers.

Chemical detergents, batteries, plastics, and sewage are all produced by homes and

everyday human activity. Every day humans create and use these things, and every

day, people are creating a risk to the plants and animals that live in the oceans and

lakes by doing things like driving without carpooling and making sure batteries are

not leaking. Some ways that you can protect the oceans are by recycling plastics,

disposing of batteries properly, using rechargeable batteries instead of regular

batteries, using less water, carpooling, and recycling.

The Ocean Zones

From the shiny, clear sunlight zone to the dark, murky midnight zone, lie

facts about the three different zones of the ocean. Even though the very

bottom zone is about ninety percent of the ocean, more than ninety percent

of the oceans sea life lives in the top zone, which is why it is important that

we do not pollute our oceans.


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Sunlight Zone

The sunlight zone is also called the Euphotic Zone. This zone is the top

zone, and it is also the smallest. The sunlight zone is only about 600 feet

deep, but ninety percent of the oceans sea life lives in the sunlight zone.This zone is home to a wide variety of marine life because plants can grow

here. Plants can grow here because sunlight can get to the plants in this

zone, so the plants can do photosynthesis and grow. Also, the water

temperature is warmer than any other zone in the ocean. The sunlight can

reach this zone and warm the ocean water, so it is warm enough for fish and

other sea life. Sharks, tunas, mackerels, jellyfish, sea turtles, sea lions, seals,

and stingrays are a few of the animals that live in the sunlight zone.

Oil Pollution

Pollution is major problem in the sunlight zone. The main kind of pollution

that occurs in this zone is oil pollution. The two main causes of oil pollution

in the ocean are big ships leaking oil or ships carrying oil crashing into

things in the ocean.

Global Warming

Global warming is affecting many different parts of the ocean as well. It is

causing the water to rise, and when it rises, it covers things such as low land

islands with plants, animals, and even some peoples homes on them. This

can hurt animals in the different layers of the ocean.

One other way ocean layers are affected by global warming is that warm

water, caused by global warming, is hurting and even killing algae which is

what some fish in the sunlight zone eat. These fish would die because all oftheir food would be gone. When the fish die, it is a break in our food chain,

which would lead to a big problem for all of the animals that rely on the

algae-eating fish for their food.


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Twilight Zone

The twilight zone is also called the Disphotic Zone. In depth, the twilight

zone is about 2,400 feet, making it the second largest zone. As the water

becomes deeper, the water pressure becomes higher. Almost no sunlight canreach this zone. Therefore, very few plants can grow here. The only

animals that can live here are those that can adapt to very little sunlight,

really cold temperatures, and very high pressure. The few animals that can

live in the twilight zone are lantern fish, rattalk fish, hatchet fish, viperfish,

mid-water jellyfish, octopus, and squid.

Many animals that live in the twilight zone have bodies that protect them

from predators. The viperfish and the ratchet fish have fangs so they caneasily protect themselves and help them eat their prey. Other fish are so thin

that when a predator looks at them, they do not even see them! Some fish

are colored red and black to blend in with their surroundings.

Some squid and fish can use their bodies to make light with special organs in

their bodies called photophores. These photophores give off a greenish

colored light, which helps them see. Most fish in this zone dont chase their

prey. They wait for their pray to swim by. Then they snatch their prey and

eat it.

Coastal waters receive a variety of land-based water pollutants, ranging from

petroleum wastes to pesticides to excess sediments. Marine waters also

receive wastes directly from offshore activities, such as ocean-based

dumping (e.g., from ships and offshore oil and gas operations).

. Human sewage largely consists of excrement from toilet-flushing; wastewater

from bathing, laundry, and dishwashing; and animal and vegetable matter fromfood preparation that is disposed through an in-sink garbage disposal. Because

coasts are densely populated, the amount of sewage reaching seas and oceans is of

particular concern because some substances it contains can harm ecosystems and

pose a significant public health threat. In addition to the nutrients which can cause

overenrichment of receiving waterbodies, sewage carries an array of potentially

disease-causing microbes known as pathogens.


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Animal wastes from feedlots and other agricultural operations (e.g., manure-

spreading on cropland) pose concerns similar to those of human wastes by virtue of

their microbial composition. Just as inland rivers, lakes, andgroundwater can be

contaminated by pathogenic microbes, so can coastal waters. Runoff from

agricultural areas also contains nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, whichcan cause overenrichment in coastal regions that ultimately receive the runoff.

The major types of ocean pollutants from industrial sources can be generally

categorized as petroleum, hazardous, thermal, and radioactive. Petroleum products

are oil and oil-derived chemicals used for fuel, manufacturing, plastics-making,

and many other purposes. Hazardous wastes are chemicals that are toxic

(poisonous at certain levels), reactive (capable of producing explosive gases),

corrosive (able to corrode steel), or ignitable (flammable). Thermal wastes are

heated wastewaters, typically from power plants and factories, where water is used

for cooling purposes. Radioactive wastes contain chemical elements having anunstable nucleus that will spontaneously decay with the concurrent emission of

ionizing radiation.

Sewage and Agricultural Wastes

Sewage originates primarily from domestic, commercial, and industrial sources. In

many developed countries, these wastes typically are delivered either to on-site

septic systems or to centralized sewage treatment facilities. In both methods,

sewage is treated before being discharged, either underground (in the case of septic

tanks) or to receiving surface-water bodies (in the case of sewage treatment plants),typically a stream, river, or coastal outlet.

Although sewage treatment facilities are designed to accommodate and treat

sewage from their service area, partly treated or even untreated sewage sometimes

is discharged. Causative factors include decayed infrastructure ; facility

malfunctions; or heavy rainfall events which overwhelm systems using combined

sewers and stormwater drains (known as combined sewer overflows). In

unsewered areas, improperly designed or malfunctioning septic tanks can

contaminate groundwater and surface water, including coastal waters. In some

developed regions (e.g., Halifax Harbor in Nova Scotia, Canada), raw sewage

continues to pour into harbors, bays, and coastal waters. In developing countries

with no on-site or centralized sanitation facilities, no opportunity exists for any

type of treatment, and human wastes go directly into surface waters, including the

coastal ocean.
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Human Health.

Sewage, particularly if partially treated or untreated, brings high microbe

concentrations into the ocean. Human diseases can be caused by waterbornepathogens that contact the skin or eyes; waterborne pathogens that are accidentally

ingested when water is swallowed; or foodborne pathogens found in the tissues of

fish and shellfish consumed as seafood.*

Beach pollution consequently is a persistent public health problem. Annually,

thousands of swimming advisories and beach closings are experienced because

high levels of disease-causing microbes are found in the water. Sewage often isresponsible for the harmful microbial levels.

Seafood contaminated by sewage-related pathogens sickens untold numbers of

people worldwide. Regulatory agencies will close a fishery when contamination is

detected. However, many countries lack regulatory oversight or the resources toadequately monitor their fisheries.

Industrial Wastes

Industrial wastes primarily enter coastal waters from terrestrial (land-based)

activities. Industries, like municipalities and other entities that generate wastes,

dispose of many liquid wastes through wastewater systems (and ultimately towaterbodies), whereas they dispose of their solid wastes in landfills.

The quantity and characteristics of industrial wastewater depends on the type of

industry, its water and wastewater management, and its type of waste pretreatment

(if any) before delivery to a wastewater (sewage) treatment plant. Because

industrial waste frequently goes down the same sewers as domestic and


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commercial nonindustrial waste, sewage often contains high levels of industrialchemicals and heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic).

Substances that are not removed by wastewater treatment processes are discharged

via the treated effluent to a receiving stream, river, or coastal outlet. Inland waters

ultimately reach the ocean, carrying with them some residual chemical that are not

attenuated, stored, or degraded during their journey through the watershed. Other

land-based sources of industrial pollutants in the ocean are pipeline discharges and

transportation accidents, leaking underground storage tanks, and activities at ports

and harbors. Intentional, illegal dumping in inland watersheds and in inland

waterbodies also can deliver industrial wastes to drainageways, and ultimately tothe ocean.

In coastal watersheds, some industries discharge their wastes directly to the ocean.

Like industries located inland, these industries must first obtain a permit under theClean Water Act. Industrial pollutants also can directly enter the ocean by

accidental spills or intentional dumping at sea.

Wet and dry deposition of airborne pollutants is a sometimes overlooked, yet

significant, source of chemical pollution of the oceans. For example, sulfur dioxide

from a factory smokestack begins as air pollution. The polluted air mixes with

atmospheric moisture to produce airborne sulfuric acid that falls on water and land

as acid rain. This deposition can change the chemistry and ecology of an aquatic

ecosystem. The major transport of PCBs to the ocean, for example, occurs through

airborne deposition.

Industrial chemicals can adversely affect the growth, reproduction, and

development of many marine animals. Pollutants are appearing not only in the

Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans and their marginal seas, but also in the more

remote and once-pristine polar oceans. An array of contaminants have been found

in the flesh of fish and marine mammals in polar regions. In addition to the

environmental and ecological issues, there is growing concern over the potential

human health impacts in aboriginal communities whose residents depend on fishand marine mammals for daily sustenance.

A major public health concern is the safety of seafood as it relates to the chemical

pollution of waters used for commercial and recreational fishing andmariculture .

Heavy metals (e.g., copper, lead, mercury, and arsenic) can reach high levels inside

marine animals, and then be passed along as seafood for humans. A well-known

case of human poisoning occurred in Japan, where one industry dumped mercury
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compounds into Minimata Bay from 1932 to 1968. Methyl mercury that

accumulated in fish and other animals was passed along to humans who consumed

them. Over 3,000 human victims and an unknown number of animals succumbed

to what became known as "Minimata Disease", a devastating illness that affects the

central nervous system.

Monitoring by fisheries, environmental, and public health agencies can prevent or

minimize cases of human illness caused by chemical contaminants in seafood.

Some shellfish-producing areas off the U.S. coasts have been either permanently

closed or declared indefinitely off-limits by health officials as a result of this type

of pollution. A large percentage of U.S. fish and shellfish consumption advisoriesare due to abnormally high concentrations of chemical contaminants in seafood.

THE RECENT MUMBAI OIL SPILL

Two cargo ships collided off the Mumbai coast on August 7 causing an oil spill

that spread quickly through Maharashtra's coastline. MSC Chitra ruptured its tank

when it hit incoming MV Khalijia and ran aground at Colaba, near Prongs Reef

Lighthouse. The vessel contained about 1,200 tonnes of fuel oil in its tanks of

which 800 tonnes spilled into the Arabian Sea before the leaks could be plugged

two days later.

The collision damaged Khalijia's prows. Chitra tilted precariously at a 75o angle

which caused 400 containers on its deck to fall off and float in the sea. Some of

these containers had toxic organophosphate pesticides (See Also:Dangerous

cargo).

Mangroves wear black slick

In scale, the spill was much smaller than the one in the Gulf of Mexico in April.

But it is proving a major threat to the marine ecology of the area and the coast."Entire mangroves in our area turned black. It was a scary sight," said Dipesh

Khattu, a teenager from Pirwadi village in Uran taluka of Raigad, one of the

affected districts about 100 km from Mumbai. But the extent of the damage would

be known only after the oil spill's environmental impact is assessed.
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The Union environment ministry has hired the services of two research institutesthe National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (neeri) in Nagpur and

the National Institute of Oceanography at Goato assess the impact of the spill.The Indian Oil Corporation will study the marine life in the affected areas.

Initial observations by non-profit Bombay Natural History Society (bnhs),

conducting its own ecological assessment study, indicate the slick has spread to the

beaches in Alibaug in Raigad, 108 km from Mumbai. Deepak Apte, assistant

director of bnhs, said two scientists groups from the organization would look into

how the mangroves have been damaged and the impact of the oil on the

ecosystems. The non-profit will complete its rapid assessment study in threemonths.

Ecologists said the picture is grim. "The oil spill will affect fish species; many of

them breed in mangroves. The chemicals sprayed to disperse the oil too wouldaffect the marine ecology," said B F Chhapgar, a marine biologist. "The chemical

dispersants break the oil into small droplets which then settle at the bottom of the

sea and affect marine life," he explained. Chhapgar also expressed concern over

the threat posed by the chemical containers still afloat in the sea. If the pesticidesleak, marine animals would be severely impacted, he said.

Oil spill or accidental discharge?

The oil spill caught the government agencies unaware. The state pollution control

board (spcb), the state environment department and the port authorities couldprovide no details as to who was liable. "We are dealing with the present incident

not as an oil spill but as an accidental discharge as defined in the Environment

Protection Act (epa) of 1986. There is no law covering oil spill as such and the

consequential environmental damage," said Y B Sontakke, regional officer of spcb

stationed in Mumbai. So, the fir was filed against the companies under epa and the

Indian Penal Code sections relating to rash navigation (Section 280) andendangering life of others (Section 336).

The agencies passed the buck to each other when asked about fixing liability and

responsibility. Though the Maharashtra spcb has released 80 lakh towards initial

clean-up operation, its officials claimed it was not the responsibility of the board to

fund the cleaning.

Minister of state for environment Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha that

both shipping companies would be made to pay the clean-up cost. But it is not

clear how they would be made to pay since the ships bear foreign registration;


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Chitra is registered in Panama while Khalijia is registered in St Kitts. Liability is

covered by the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution

Damage of 2001, but India is not a signatory to it. (See Also:India pledges to signBunker Convention after the spill).

State environment secretary Valsa R Nair Singh said a maritime lawyer, hired by

directorate general (DG) for shipping at Mumbai, would conduct negotiations with

the polluters for compensating all claims. When contacted, joint director general of

shipping, Satish Agnihotri, denied this. "DG-Shipping will not make claims for any

other agency. All concerned agencies would make separate compensation claims,"

Agnihotri said, refusing to comment on liability.

Contingency plan only on paper

Only one document deals with the subjectthe National Oil Spill DisasterContingency Plan of 1996 (See Also:What the disaster plan says). The document

was issued by the Ministry of Defence in 1996; it was last updated in March 2006.

The nos-dcp, as the plan is commonly known, gives the Indian Coast Guard the

mandate to co-ordinate with state departments, ministries, port authorities andenvironmental agencies to assist in oil spill cleaning operations.

It mandates that all major ports in India should have basic, minimum equipments,

like inflatable booms and oil skimmers, to tackle oil spill. It also specifically states

that the Mumbai Port Trust should have a tier-I response system, capable of

handling oil spills up to 700 tonnes. The Mumbai oil spill exposed lack ofpreparedness of the port trust; it could provide no help to the Coast Guard. The

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust that shares the Mumbai port's navigational channel,was of no help either.

"Timely action would have helped reduce the impact of oil spill," said Baban

Ingole, senior scientist with National Institute of Oceanography.

Regulatory Controls

The 1890 River and Harbors Act prohibited any obstruction to the navigation of

U.S. Waters, and hence regulated the discharge of dredged material into inland and

coastal waters. By weight, dredged material comprises 95 percent of all ocean

disposal on a global basis. Its regulation (administered by the U.S. Army Corps of
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Engineers) increasingly is being accomplished in concert with broader concerns,including ecological integrity and other public interests.

In 1972, the U.S. Congress passed the Marine Protection, Research, and

Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act) and the Federal Water Pollution Control

Act Amendments (Clean Water Act) that, among other goals, prohibited the

disposal of waste materials into the ocean, and regulated the discharge of wastes

through pipelines into the ocean. The Ocean Dumping Act requires the federal

review of all proposed operations involving the transportation of waste materials

for the purpose of ocean dumping, and calls for an assessment of the potential

environmental and human health impacts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implement the permit programs associated

with these laws.

In the United States, ocean dumping of industrial wastes is prohibited. Yet the

vastness of the open sea provides a haven for illegal dumping.

The Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988 significantly amended portions of the 1972

Ocean Dumping Act, and banned ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge and

industrial wastes (with limited exceptions) by phased target dates. The disposal of

sewage sludge in waters off New York City was a major motivation for its

enactment. Ocean disposal of sewage sludge and industrial waste was totally

banned after 1991. Narrow exceptions were created for certain U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers dredge materials that occasionally are deposited offshore. Dredging is

necessary to maintain navigation routes for trade and national defense.

Consequently, allowable ocean dumping in the United States since 1991 has

essentially been limited to dredge material and fish wastes.

Two international conferences in 1972the UN Conference on the HumanEnvironment, and the Intergovernmental Conference on the Convention on the


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Dumping of Wastes at Seawere the result of international recognition of theneed to regulate ocean disposal from land-based sources on a global basis. These

conferences resulted in an international treaty, the Convention on the Prevention of

Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (also known as the

London Convention).

Another treaty addressing the issue of wastes disposed from vessels was adopted in

1973. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (or

MARPOL) calls for signatory nations to enforce bans on dumping oil and noxious

liquids into the ocean from ships, but the disposal of hazardous substances,

sewage, and plastics remains optional.

As per the U.S. regulations, the dumping of industrial wastes, radioactive wastes,

warfare agents (chemical or biological), sewage, and incineration at sea are directly

prohibited. Moreover, the ocean disposal of other waste materials containinggreater than trace amounts of certain chemicals is strictly prohibited. Allowed

under strictly regulated conditions are the ocean disposal of relatively

uncontaminated dredged material (harbor sediments), geologic material, and some

fish waste; burial at sea; and ship disposal.

Environmentalists are worried that MT Pavit, which was carrying nearly 30 metric

tonnes of oil, may lead to an ecological disaster if the vessel tilts and rescue

operation is unsuccessful. Marine biologists said that monsoon is a crucial time foraquatic life, as the animals swim to the shore for breeding. Any untoward incident

could wreak havoc on marine life, the said. Although the ship was abandoned, itstill has a large quantity of oil. The fear of leakage and subsequent contamination

ofthe coastal waters and marine life is always there, said Debi Goenka of theConservation Action Trust.

Goenka added that the despite the recent incident where MV Wisdom was stranded

at Juhu beach for several days, the authorities do not seem to have learnt any

lessons. Pavit is a smaller ship than Wisdom. However, it is not salvaged, it may

have to be scrapped at the same place, he said. Experts said that pollution has amajor impact on many levels. Oil leakage can also disturb the marine food chain.

For instance, the leakage could affect zooplankton, which act as food for many

marine creatures, said Rahul Chowhan, an environment researcher.


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THE IMPACT OF WATER POLLUTION ON ENVIRONMENT

Water pollution is together with air pollution the most serious form of

environmental pollution. Water pollution not only does huge damage to our

environment but also to our health. Water is the most precious resource on our

planet, and water pollution is the main reason why freshwater resources are

constantly declining, and the worst part in the whole story is the fact that there are

still many people in the world who do not take water pollution problem seriously.

The contamination of water bodies has tremendous negative impact onenvironment, it has ability to destroy many animal habitats, and cause irreparable

damage to many ecosystems. Water pollution is not only killing millions of people

around the globe each year, it is also killing millions of plants and animals that

simply cannot cope with the increasing levels of water pollution caused by

different chemicals and other waste.

In some areas of the world water pollution issue is totally out of control, and in

these areas polluted water spreads different toxins and other chemicals into

environment, making it dirty, and above all unhealthy place to live in.

The main problem with water pollution is the fact that in many countries around

the globe large industries still continue to dump different types of waste into

streams and rivers because there is the lack of controlling mechanisms that would

keep their eyes on these industries and prevent them from dumping industrial

waste into water bodies.

If this world really wants clean environment, then the crucial thing to do is to stopthe two most common types of pollution, namely the air and the water pollution.

However, world still looks to be lacking global will needed for such an action and

this is the reason why these two forms of pollution will continue to deteriorate our

environment for years to come.


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The aquatic life is mostly affected with water pollution, and water pollution can

even lead to an extinction of some animal species, like this was the case with the

Yangtze River Dolphin.

Chemical compounds and other water pollutants cause aquatic animals difficultieswith breathing while on the other hand these chemicals can also be quite toxic for

land animals once they drink this polluted water.

The environmental damage of water pollution doesn't stop there, water pollution

also increases the impact of air pollution, because the more polluted water gets the

better chance there is that some of these pollutants will evaporate into air. Polluted

water is also one of the major contributing factors to acid rain creation, and

generally speaking this is certainly one of the biggest environmental problems.

Id world currently doing enough to tackle water pollution issue? I will answer this

question by saying that almost one billion people in the world still do not have

access to safe drinking water. So much about the 21th century.

GLOBAL IMPACT :

The Effects of Water Pollution

One afternoon in 1991, my next door neighbor and I packed up our five children

for an afternoon at the lakeand embarked on a nightmare that lasted nearly a

month and brought the effects of water pollution uncomfortably close to home. The

seven of us spent a relaxing, active day at the beach, swimming and sunning. My

eight year old daughter and five year old son barely surfaced from the water for the

entire day, and even my six month old daughter got her share of being bounced anddunked in the cool, refreshing lake. My neighbors eight and ten year old sons

were no different, and as the sun went down, we all headed back home, content

and refreshed.

Six days later, my neighbor and I took another trip together, this one to the


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emergency room of the local hospital. Both her eight year old and my five year old

son were suffering from dehydration brought on by violent, alternating bouts of

diarrhea and vomiting. Within an hour, both boys were hooked up to IVs for re-

hydration therapy, and the two of us were being grilled by a nurse from the health

department about our activities over the last several days. Over the next two weeks,we were kept busy caring for one after another of our children, taking stool

samples, giving antibiotics and cleaning up after violently ill childrenand

ourselves. At the height of it, I spent a terrifying night at my oldest daughters

bedside, counting the beats of her pulse against her throat as her mother filled out

the necessary paperwork to admit her to the hospital.

What we didnt know on that sunny afternoon at the lake was that a thunderstorm

the night before had triggered an overflow of our citys old sewer system, washinguntreated waste into the water of the nearby reservoir, and from there into the lake

where we were swimming. The culprit was giardia lamblia, a parasite that is found

in the stool of humans and animals. Over the past 20 years, it has become

recognized as the most common cause of waterborne diseases in the United States.

Giardia is so common, in fact, that youll find links to information on giardiasis on

the Environmental Protection Agencys web site about water quality.

Giardia lamblia is only one of many bacteria and viruses that pollute our water.

Others include shigella, which causes dysentery; clostridium perfringens, which

causes enteritis; salmonella typhi, poliovirus and hepatitis A.

The effects of water pollution became a very personal thing for mebut water

pollution has global effects that are far harder to cure than a giardiasis infection.

When we hear water pollution, we tend to think of oil tankers and petroleum, of

toxic chemicals pouring into rivers and lakes from factories, of garbage scows

dumping mountains of waste at sea. Those are all obvious sources of water

pollution with harmful effectsbut many threats to the water supply are far less

obvious, almost innocuous.

Effects of Agricultural Water Pollution

When rain and irrigation water runs off cultivated land that has been fertilized and

treated with pesticides, it carries with it the excess nitrogen and poisonsright into


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the water supply. Pesticides are poisonous, but the fertilizers pollute the water in a

different way. By encouraging the growth of aquatic plants, they bring about the

de-oxygenation of water, eventually killing off plant and animal life in the stream,

lake or river into which they flow.

At the same time, the fertilizer encourages the growth of bacteria that occurs

naturally in water, raising the concentration of bacteria to unacceptable levels.

The Effects of Thermal Water Pollution

Many factories cool their machinery with water drawn from lakes and rivers. The

heat dissipates in the waterwhich carries it away and is returned to the river

still hot. The heated water reduces the ability of the aquatic system to hold oxygen,

and encourages the growth of warm water species. It can entirely change the

ecosystem of an aquatic environment.

The Effects of Heavy Metal Water Pollution

Water sources that are near factories and manufacturing plants may be

contaminated with heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, iron, magnesium

and aluminum. If the metals attach to the sediment, they may find their way into

the food chain via plants and aquatic animals. The end result is heavy metal

poisoning if the concentration in the water is high enough.

Making polluted water fit for consumption and use again is not an easy process. No

one purification or filtration method works for all types of water pollution. In order

to make water usable again after water pollution, it must be treated with a variety

of filtration and purification methods.

Pollution of Oceanic Waters and Its Impact

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