water, Author at anu water

Types‌ ‌of‌ ‌Water‌ ‌Pollution‌

You may know by now how much water the earth has. And you would’ve heard by now that it’s getting more and more polluted.

Every day, plastic bottles, rubber tires, chemicals, drugs, and a lot of different pollutants are thrown into our oceans. Other than that, dirty waters from energy plants, industries, facilities, laboratories, irrigations, and even from our homes, pollute the oceans and the freshwater resources we have without being treated.

As a result, many people in developing countries got sick because of polluted waters, and many aquatic and marine animals are paying the price they shouldn’t. With all these developments and industrializations, are they really worth it? Are we still safe?

Water Pollution Facts

To know how serious this problem is, here are some facts about water pollution.

#1 Approximately 100 million animals in the seas and oceans die annually due to plastic waste

#2 Recent studies show that plastic is found 35% in seals, 60% in whales, and 100% in turtles

#3 The fishes we consume, both salt and freshwater, have consumed either plastic or microplastic.

#4 80% of untreated industrial and domestic waste is discarded to oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.

#5 The 2011 tsunami disposed of 11 million L of radioactive water and nuclear waste into the Pacific ocean.

#6 Cholera and typhoid are mainly caused by dirty water.

#7 15 million children aged 5 and below die annually due to the consumption of polluted water.

#8 3000 children die every day by drinking contaminated water.

#9 It is estimated that 700 million people around the world drink contaminated water.

#10 Cruise ships release about 200,000 gallons of sewage water to the ocean.

These are just some of the many truths about water pollution that we don’t hear about often. But the numbers tell us that it’s alarming and that it’s only getting worse.

Types of Water Pollution

Water is one of the simplest compounds on earth. It only has 2 elements: hydrogen and oxygen, and the molecules are widely spread from each other. Add to it the fact that it comprises most of the earth, water is the most easily polluted and contaminated compound.

Since water exists or has many forms, it’s only rational to consider each one to make out the causes of what pollutes it.

Surface

Surface water is the water that is on the earth. It includes oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, streams, and waterfalls. The latter four are called freshwater and they are the source of drinking water in most developed countries other than dams.

Unfortunately, more and more lakes and rivers have become unsuitable for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities. This is mostly due to nutrient pollution caused by fertilizers and pesticides from farms and irrigations.

Other pollution sources are industrial, commercial, and domestic waste, and not to mention the trash and garbage we directly throw to these bodies of water.

Ocean

Ocean pollution, also known as marine pollution, is caused mainly by polluted waters that come from land. The rest comes from polluted waters that travel vessels throw directly in the ocean.

Heavy metals, chemicals, radioactive materials, drugs, nutrients like nitrates, and biological waste from farms, industries, laboratories, energy plants, go into our oceans via rivers, streams, sewage systems, and drains.

Out in the sea, oil leaks and spills can also happen in addition to cruise ships, cargo ships, and other sea vessels that dispose of their wastes directly in the ocean.

Groundwater

This is the water that some people get most of their drinks out of. After it rains, the water gets absorbed by the ground and goes deeper into a bigger reservoir or storage area called an aquifer. This is called groundwater.

Groundwater is pumped to the surface to serve as drinking water. Rural areas, especially in other countries. It gets contaminated when sewage systems or landfill wastes, fertilizers, and other chemicals reach aquifers.

These aquifers, when polluted, can contaminate other aquifers. The worst part is that first, polluted groundwater is hard and almost impossible to purify. Second, the polluted aquifers cannot be used for decades to hundreds of years.

Point Source

This type of pollution stems from a single region or point by releasing wastewater by industries, facilities, laboratories, and other establishments that are regulated or not regulated by environmental protection agencies. But even if limits and regulations are set, some if not most still dump their waste illegally.

Even this pollution comes from a single point or source, it can affect far and wide stretches of water and nautical miles in the oceans and seas.

Non-point Source

This pollution is caused by a combination of polluted water such as runoff mixed with agricultural water, or stormwater mixed with wastewater dumped by factories. It’s hard to regulate this type of pollution since phenomenons like runoff or storms are natural events and cannot be controlled. They can be predicted but they would still have the same effects.

Cross-border Pollution

As mentioned, water is widespread. It is a universal solvent and agent and whenever it’s polluted in one region, it will eventually get polluted in another. It cannot be isolated.

Cross-border pollution occurs when a country with polluted or contaminated water discharges it to another whether intentionally or not. Some examples are storms, oil spills under sea beds, runoff, or industrial spills.

Conclusion

As our population is growing, so is our need for water. The food we eat, the products we use, and the services we avail – all of these need water to be produced. There’s so much use for water and we are polluting it.

The crisis now is that while we still have enough to use, 50 years from now, it will get depleted. It’s easy to point our fingers to oil companies, big industries, or the government, each of us is also responsible to some degree.

The best we can do is to start with ourselves and start making wise decisions when it comes to the utilization of water, chemicals, food, everyday products, and even services. It may be small, but it makes a big impact.

Simple Ways to Save Water

Save Water

Water is a precious commodity. Not everyone realizes it, but we all should because there might come a time that water will be so valuable, more valuable than gold or fuel, that people will fight for it.

I am not exaggerating. Our water supply is fine for now but how will it be 60 years from now when the population is estimated to be more than 9 billion? The sooner we realize how important it is, the more likely we can delay water shortage, if not prevent it.

We can start saving water in our own small ways at home, at work, or at school. But before we discuss the simple ways we can save water, let us first examine its effects so we can have a clearer understanding of how water shortage could be a serious problem.

Effects of Water Shortage

Vanishing Wetlands

Since the 1900s, about ½ of the world’s total wetlands have disappeared. This disappearance has a great impact on the animals that live there. Moreover, wetlands also help filtrate the water and protect against storm and extreme flooding.

Little to No Access to Potable Water

There more than 1 billion people worldwide who have no access to safe and potable freshwater. This has a great impact on the health of these people.

Our bodies can only survive without water for only 3-4 days. This is sadly why a lot of people die in third-world countries. Other than dehydration, water-borne illnesses can be contacted by the desperation of drinking and using water due to thirst and hygienic purposes.

15 million children 5 years and below die each year because of diseases they’ve contacted through unsafe drinking water and 2.5 billion people have no access to health facilities.

Lack of Education

Children and people that are hungry or sick cannot go to school. They will be spending their time looking for food, water, and hopefully some medicines even just herbal ones to help with the disease, or at least alleviate the pain.

Food Shortage

Food shortage leads to poverty and hunger. If there is no more water to water the crops, vegetables, trees, and other food sources, especially during drought, crops, vegetables, and fruits won’t grow and farm animals will die from dehydration.

This can spark violence and conflict among people because everyone will be desperate to have food to eat and water to drink.

Energy Shortage

Energy sources are getting higher and higher demand as the population grows and industrialization takes place. But this also means a higher demand for freshwater.

Thermoelectric plants need freshwater to withdraw electricity. Oil and fuel also need water in order to be mined and produced. These are just some of the many energy sources that require water for processing.

Dip in the Economy

There will be a slowdown in buying and selling. The same goes for the currents of currency. Water prices will go up and households have to cut down their consumption including drinking which can lead to diseases, and therefore low productivity.

Simple Ways We Can Conserve Water

Turning off the faucet

When we wash our hands, brush our teeth, or shave, we can turn off the tap and not leave a clean and potable water to just go to waste. As much as 5 liters of water can be saved in every minute the tap runs.

Shower less and shower faster

A shower head uses more water than a faucet. Every minute yields about 15 liters of water on average. Now you can calculate how much you use if you take long to shower.

Aside from showering faster, try showering less throughout the day, and instead wipe yourself with a damp cloth. You can also change your shower head into a more saving one so not only will you spend less water, but you’ll also have lower water bills.

Fix leaky toilet

One test you can do to know if your toilet has a leak or not is to put food coloring in the tank. If colored water comes out of the toilet even if it’s not being flushed, then your toilet has a leak. Leaking toilets waste much water.

Saving dirty laundry

Save up your laundry and wash them in one go. Washing them in two or more separate loads will use about the same amount of water as one wash. That means you spend more water than you would in one wash.

Steaming vegetables rather than boiling them

Boiling food requires liters of water. Steaming food is a better alternative, and it will keep the nutrients intact.

Avoid food waste

We always tend to buy more than what we can consume. Agriculture is one of the producers that use the most freshwater use. It means that A LOT of water is used to produce the food we have.

If we waste our food, we also waste the water that was used for it. Buying and eating only what we need saves food, water, and money.

Water the garden only when needed

Water only when needed. You don’t have to time your sprinklers every day. Up to 2 inches of topsoil can stay wet for up to 3 days.

You can also water the plants early in the morning so the water won’t evaporate as soon as the sun is getting a little high up.

Conclusion

It is heart-braking to know that billions of people struggle just to have safe and potable drinking water, while here we are leaving the faucets open and leaving the leaks unfixed until it is too late, and basically just wasting water and food.

It may seem like we don’t see or feel the shortage of water today, but if we don’t do our part, we surely will witness it in no time. We don’t have to do drastic measures, but the above-mentioned ways can really make a difference.

What small actions today can be big tomorrow which the generations to come will surely be thankful for.

What Causes Water Pollution?

Water Pollution

Water pollution is an even when bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, and even the one underground (aquifer) are polluted by chemicals, toxins, microorganisms, oil, radioactive materials, plastics, and other dangerous substances, negatively affecting water quality and making it unsafe for use or consumption.

Humans can only survive so long without water. In fact, the human body won’t be able to make it without water for 3-4 days. This is because we are 60% water.

The world is also mostly made up of water. Water covers most of the surface of the earth at 75%. It is fluid and can mix with anything hence its vulnerability to getting polluted and contaminated.

Causes of Water Pollution

Water gets polluted if it gets contaminated with chemicals, nutrients (unnaturally-occurring), microorganisms, radioactive material, toxins, plastics, and others. Here’s what can cause them:

Agriculture

As much as it’s hard to believe, agriculture can cause water pollution. Although this isn’t true for all agricultural practices, logging of small trees to make way for wider planting vegetables, building roads, and overgrazing can cause soil erosion.

The use of fertilizers can add to pollution as well as pesticides. Fertilizers have phosphates and nitrates to increase soil nutrition. But they can contaminate the waters. Pesticides and insecticides are also chemical-based which adds to water pollution.

Mining

Mining has never been in any way good for the environment. Aside from increasing the temperature of the earth and contributing to global warming, mining increases the salt and mineral levels of both soil and water since it’s digging down the ground and can easily reach water reservoirs.

This increase will change the pH of the soil and water which is not good for the health. More treatments will be needed to regulate the water back if it were to be used for drinking. Mining also makes the water dark and cloudy.

Oil mining can directly affect the water if the oil is mined underneath sea beds. However small the leak will be, it will pollute the waters.

Deforestation

Clearly, cutting down of trees for the purpose of trade, development, roads, infrastructures, agriculture, etc. has been, and always will contribute to soil erosion. We’ve seen it happen many times over yet it still always happens even if the consequences have gotten worse.

Whatever it is the soil has like nutrients, chemicals, waste, will go to the waters. The soil itself can be bad for the fishes and aquatic animals. It can block their eyesight and gills and impede movement.

Loss of Wetlands

When wetlands are destroyed, a number of things happen: algae will proliferate because of nutrients from a landmass covering the wetlands, there will be inefficient filtration due to sediments, heavy metals, and minerals, many animals will lose their habitat, and lastly, there will be flooding.

Industrial Activities

Industries produce wastewater that can cause changes to the pH of the water to be either too acidic or alkaline, temperature, nutrient content, salts and other minerals, and clarity of the water. Needless to say, industries have a lot to do with water pollution. In fact, they contribute to 70% of the wastewater pollution.

Nuclear Power Plants

The earth produces radiation but only in small amounts. Uranium mines and nuclear power plants produce radioactive and nuclear waste in large amounts. Clinics, laboratories, and research facilities also produce radioactive materials and waste for research, medical, and military purposes.

Like plastic, and worse than some plastic, radioactive waste, unfortunately, has a rather long lifespan of thousands of years. And disposing of radioactive waste is very, very, VERY expensive.

Population Growth

The world’s population has never slowed down. It’s not even somewhere near constant. This means that more and more people are in need of a place to stay. This also means that more natural habitats have to be made human habitats.

The more the trees are cut down, the bigger the probability of flooding is. There’s also more waste produced since there is more need for food, water, clothing, and the necessities of living, which leads us to the next cause.

Irresponsibility

Leaving your trash wherever you go is still a direct cause of water pollution. Remember that the more trash you leave or worse, throw into the ocean or river or even on land, the more the animals die, the more the world warms, and the more it will all come back to haunt us.

Being responsible, considerate, and wise when it comes to our choices is really the best thing we can do.

Incidental Water Pollution

Sometimes, accidents can happen like burst pipes, leaking sewage systems, oil spills, etc. But no matter how small these may be, they can still cause severe damage and pollution to the waters over time.

Urbanization

If we could sum up the causes or gather all of them together, it will all lead to urbanization. As more and more people are walking the earth, there’s no denying that the resources have gone low. People also have to look for jobs and a place to stay.

Urbanization paves the way to more jobs, more roads to take on, more options to choose from, just plainly, more of everything. While this might sound like a good thing to us, it can mean the other way around for the environment and other living beings like animals. It can also come full circle and affect us.

In fact, it already has.

Since there is more of everything, there’s also more chemicals, toxic substances, plastic, minerals, heavy metals, microorganisms, and other things that can harm our waters.

Conclusion

There’s no stopping population growth. The same goes for urbanization. We might still have enough water for our generation today, the coming generations may have to suffer for the lack thereof.

But while we can’t stop these from happening, we can, however, make informed decisions and choices on how we can help the environment, ourselves, and the generations to come by having less waste than we used to, properly disposing our garbage, and choosing natural foods, products, and services over artificial ones.

Benefits of Drinking Water

Drinking Water

If the earth is composed of 75% water, the human body is made up of 60%. That’s more than half of the total. This simply means that water is an integral part of life.

It only makes sense, therefore, to replenish the body with water all the time, except of course when we sleep. If you have experienced dizziness or general fatigue without even knowing why it might just be that you are dehydrated. Moreover, water has more benefits than just hydrating the body.

Water helps regulate body temperature, boosts the brain, aids in digestion, ward of sickness, and many other benefits.

The Benefits of Drinking Water

Water regulates the body’s temperature.

Like big bodies of water regulate the earth’s temperature, so does water when inside the human body. When subjected to heat like exercise, sauna, or long exposures under the sun, the body loses water.

The water inside the body goes to the surface of the skin via sweat and will try to cool the body down. But if left unreplenished, the body’s temperature will rise because plasma and some electrolytes are also lost in the process.

It helps get the best out of your exercise.

Exercise makes you lose water in your body because of heat, and because of the full use of several muscles because this requires water. Athletes perspire more than the average person, especially during endurance sports and exercises. This case needs more water to be consumed to make up for the lost water and electrolytes.

It excretes waste through sweat, urine, and stool.

If the body can’t perform any of these, then you’re doomed.

The body needs to excrete the waste it has produced through various processes. And these wastes need to exit the body because they have the potential to do harm. Without water, your body will use up the water it has stored even if it still needs it for various functions, hence, you get dehydrated and faint.

The kidneys also need water to effectively filter out waste and excrete it through the urine and prevent the formation of kidney stones. The large intestines also need water to be able to efficiently form the stool so you don’t have to constipate.

It helps increase your overall energy.

While metabolism may be determined through age and genetics, it can be improved by a healthy lifestyle. Drinking water has never been unhealthy. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.

Drinking the recommended amount of water daily, and more when exercising, helps the body expend more energy, increasing metabolic rate, and burning more calories. The result is that you will feel invigorated and energized.

It helps with weight loss.

Water helps with metabolism and burning extra calories. It excretes wastes as well as excess in them. It also minimizes hunger pangs and makes you feel full.

If you are exercising, it will help keep you hydrated and your muscles functioning properly.

It helps with the proper circulation of oxygen in the body.

Water is a carrier of oxygen, electrolytes, and nutrients. It helps oxygen to circulate properly in the body. Most processes in the body require oxygen (oxidation), which means that water is vital for major processes in the body.

It maximizes brain function.

The brain is 73% water. That’s almost 3-quarters of its total composition. Drinking water will boost many brain functions.

Water is made up of oxygen. And while water itself is a transport medium, it helps deliver itself to the brain to provide oxygen and help the brain work at its fullest. You will see the difference in your exam, organization skills, and office efficiency.

It helps with better digestion.

Water changes the consistency of the food you eat and makes it softer so it can be digested more easily. The harder the stomach and intestines work hard to digest the food, the more acid and air is produced. And the more they are present, the more you will be bloated.

When food is broken down into smaller pieces, the easier the nutrients will be absorbed. Moreover, water helps soften the stool so you avoid being constipated.

It absorbs nutrients.

Ever heard of water-soluble nutrients? These nutrients are mostly micronutrients such as vitamins B (all of them) and C. They dissolve in water so they can be absorbed by the villi in the small intestines.

It helps improve the appearance of the skin.

Water helps improve the texture and elasticity as well and it helps the collagen make its magic. It hydrates the skin so it won’t look dull, puffy, or lack-luster. Skincare works from the skin level down, while water works from the inside-out.

Most skincare ingredients have water, but it is only used as a solvent and disappears into the air easily. Other skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid can draw the moisture that’s in the air and trap it into the skin to keep it hydrated. But if you just drink water, your skincare won’t have to work too hard and too long for results to show.

It hydrates the whole body.

Hydration isn’t just specific to one part of the body when you drink water. It also hydrates the whole body, the organs, up to the cellular level. And because it is required by all parts of the body, it should be supplied in recommended amounts.

Dehydration can cause mild to serious problems in the body like headaches, fatigue, heat injury, kidney failure, seizures, and even death in worst cases.

Conclusion

All this information about the importance of drinking water. We all need to drink water and we all need to drink it in the recommended amounts.

But while some people easily reach their goal of 8 glasses of water a day, other people, like me, have a hard time achieving it. And the more I try to chug more, the harder it gets. But there is a trick I can teach you to help make sure you get your water intake.

I time myself every hour or an hour and a half to drink a glass of water. By the end of my day shift, I’d have completed my 8 glasses if I drink every hour. If I drink every 1 ½ hour, I’d just have 3 more glasses to drink when I get home!

5 Ways to Reduce Water Pollution

Water Pollution

Water is vital in every living being. It’s even more vital than food. Without food, the human body can survive for up to three weeks. Without water, the body can only survive for three to four days.

The problem is, our waters are getting polluted, even the ones that we drink. The environment isn’t happy. The animals, no less.

It’s a problem of our own making and we ought to do something about it. But before addressing it as a problem that needs a solution, we first need to discuss what it is, what causes it, and what its effects are to better understand what it’s really all about and how big of a concern water pollution is.

What is water pollution?

Water pollution is the event when bodies of water like rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, and even aquifers (groundwater reservoirs) become polluted or contaminated by chemicals, wastes, nutrients, microorganisms, toxins, oil, radioactive materials, plastics, and other wastes.

What causes water pollution?

There’s no one cause of water pollution.

Untreated Sewage Water

If your sewage system is treated, luck you. Not many people have treated sewage systems, especially in third world countries. This water can infiltrate groundwater which is the main source of drinking water in other countries.

It is estimated that about 250 million people get infected by diseases brought about by contaminated water and 15 million children aged five and below die annually because of these diseases.

Agriculture

Agriculture, particularly farming, contributes a lot to water pollution. Through vegetation and growing of crops, it uses fertilizers and pesticides. Through raising animals, it uses water which can be polluted with their waste, animal food, and the fertilizers and pesticides used on crops.

Runoffs will happen and directly pollute the water when it reaches other bodies of water, or, these runoffs will pave the way for algal blooms.

Low Ocean pH

Water pollution can lower the acidity of the water which shellfish and coral reefs are most vulnerable to. According to studies, 25% of carbon emissions goes to the ocean. This carbon turns into carbon dioxide and is what lowers the pH level of the ocean water thereby making it acidic.

This acidification greatly harms the coral reefs and shellfish and other smaller marine life in the ocean.

Industrialization

As the population grows, so does the need of supply for food, water, clothes, hygienic and sanitary products, and other basic necessities. Aside from the fact that these things need water in order to be produced, they also create waste while being made and when you decide to discard them.

Global Warming

Ah. The effect of our own ways.

Greenhouse gases produced by chemicals and other toxic substances, when reaches the waters, will warm them up to a few degrees, making the water no longer fit for living for many marine and aquatic life.

Global warming also disrupts the natural processes of the world, changing processes, destroying habitats, changing weather patterns, etc. In other words, we are all affected.

What are the solutions to water pollution?

Ozone Water Treatment

This treatment uses a generator to turn oxygen into ozone. It uses either UV radiation or electric flow to do so. The ozone then becomes reactive and when added to water, it becomes a biocide weapon that kills bacteria, viruses, mold, and other microorganisms by oxidizing them.

Waste and Sewage Water Treatment

Industrial wastewater and sewage can be treated to make so won’t be able to contaminate or pollute the ocean, lakes, rivers, or other bodies of water. Wastewater treatment plants have several chambers where wastewater undergoes chemical treatments.

This way, wastewater can be contained. And if it were to be released, it would no longer be polluting other bodies of water.

Septic Tank

Almost all septic tanks also have chambers. These chambers separate the solid and liquid components of sewage. Unlike industrial waste treatment plants, septic tanks are dependent on biological processes instead of chemicals.

The liquid part flows to the drainage system while the solids get degraded.

Denitrification

Denitrification is an environmental process of converting nitrates into nitrogen gas. Bacterias are mostly responsible for this.

Fertilizers are rich in nitrates. When runoffs happen and these nitrates reach bigger bodies of water, eutrophication can happen. Eutrophication means the proliferation of algae which is a form of water pollutant.

Accountability

Last but not least. No matter how much we point and blame industries and big companies, we are just as responsible as they are in water pollution. We sometimes leave our trash somewhere or dispose of our garbage improperly.

We are just as accountable as the government or any industry or factory.

A Few Facts About Water Pollution

About 2 million tons of waste materials (human) are exposed to bigger bodies of water.

Most rivers and lakes have become unfit for fishing and swimming because of algal bloom, toxic materials, too many chemicals, or radioactive waste present.

On a global scale, 3000 children die daily because of drinking contaminated water.

Industrial waste accounts for 70% of the total wastewater dumped to the ocean, rivers, lakes, and even soil.

The ocean acquires 14 billion pounds of plastic each year

Conclusion

Think water pollution is not real? Think again. The numbers are staggering and these facts are horrifying.

If you’re imagining beds full of tires and plastic, coral reefs decorated with plastic, and the water looking sparkly because of microparticles of plastic, you’re right.

The ocean is the home of about 230,000 known species of marine life and about 2 million that are unknown. If the ocean continues to be destroyed, there’ll be no chance of seeing even just 1/8th of that number.

What can we do then? Well, truth be told, it started with us, it will also end with us. We can help the environment and all the living beings in it including ourselves live and grow in a safe and habitat.

We can lessen our use of plastic and chemicals, be responsible for our trash, and share our goals with others so we can make the earth a safe and beautiful place like it always has been.