Water Pollution

Surface water

is any body of water above ground, including streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and creeks. The ocean, despite being saltwater, is also considered surface water.

Ground Water

The part of precipitation that seeps into the ground as a result of gravity and fills the pores between soil particles and rocks under it is called ground water.

aquifers

The water bearing layers of soil and rocks are called _____. Ground water is very important for agricultural and industrial purposes. Ground water in the form of wells and springs is often the only source of water supply especially in villages and small towns.

Water pollution

is the contamination of water in water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes and swamps. This means that one or more substances have built up in water to the extent of causing problems to people, animals and plants.

Physical parameters

Color, odor, turbidity, taste, temperature and electrical conductivity constitute the physical parameters and are good indicators of contamination.

Chemical Parameters

These include the amount of carbonates, sulphates, Chemical parameters- chlorides, fluorides, nitrates, and metal ions. These chemicals form the total dissolved solids, present in water

Biological Parameters

This include matter like algae, fungi, viruses, protozoa and bacteria. The life forms present in water are affected to a good extent by the presence of pollutants.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

represents the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic (oxygen is present) conditions at a specified temperature

Chloride

is a naturally occurring element that is common in most natural waters and is most often found as a component of salt (sodium chloride) or in some cases in combination with potassium or calcium.

Color

is organic material that has dissolved into solution, while turbidity consists of tiny particles suspended in the water

dissolved oxygen (do)

is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water - the amount of oxygen available to living aquatic organisms. The amount of dissolved oxygen in a stream or lake can tell us a lot about its water quality.

Fecal Coliform

Total coliforms include bacteria that are found in the soil, in water that has been influenced by surface water, and in human or animal waste. Fecal coliforms are the group of the total coliforms that are considered to be present specifically in the gut and feces of warm-blooded animals.

Nitrate

is a chemical found in most fertilizers, manure, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks. Natural bacteria in soil can convert nitrogen into nitrate. Rain or irrigation water can carry nitrate down through the soil into groundwater.

pH

is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from O to 14, with 7 being neutral. PHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. The pH of water is a very important measurement concerning water quality.

Phosphates

are chemical compounds that contain phosphorous. Phosphorous is a key nutrient that both plants and animals use for growth and development. Whilst phosphate is essential for plant and animal life, too much of it can cause a form of water pollution known as eutrophication.

Temperature

is a critical water quality and environmental parameter because it governs the kinds and types of aquatic life, regulates the maximum dissolved oxygen concentration of the water, and influences the rate of chemical and biological reactions.

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

are solids in water that can be trapped by a filter. TSS can include a wide variety of material, such as silt, decaying plant and animal matter, industrial wastes, and sewage. High concentrations of suspended solids can cause many problems for stream health and aquatic life.

Water pollutants

this refer to the substances which are capable of making any physical, chemical or biological change in the water body. These have undesirable effect on living organisms. Fresh water pollution may be classified into two types: Surface water pollution and Ground water pollution.

Surface Water Pollution

When pollutants enter a stream, river or lake these gives rise to surface water pollution. The surface water pollution has a number of sources.

Ground Water Pollution

gets polluted in a number of ways. The dumping of raw sewage on soil, seepage pits and septic tanks cause pollution of groundwater.

Point Source Pollution

The well-defined sources that emits pollutants or effluents directly into different water bodies of fresh water are called point sources. Domestic and industrial waste are examples of this type. The point sources of pollution can be effectively checked.

non-point source pollution

on the other and, the ______ of water pollution are scattered or spread over large areas. This type of sources deliver pollutants indirectly through environmental changes and account for majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes.

Natural and Anthropogenic Sources

As mentioned earlier, an increase in the concentration of naturally occurring substances is also termed pollution. The sources of such an increase are called natural sources. Siltation (which includes soil, sand and mineral particles) is one such natural source. It is a common natural phenomenon, which occurs in most water bodies. Indiscriminate deforestation makes soil loose and flood waters bring silt from mountains into streams, rivers and lakes.

Domestic and Municipal Pollutants

The sewage contains garbage, soaps, detergents, waste food and human excreta and is the single largest sources of water pollution. Pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms (bacteria. fungi, protozoa, algae) enter the water system through sewage making it infected.

Industrial Pollutants

Many industries are located near rivers or fresh water streams. These are responsible for discharging their untreated effluents into rivers like highly toxic heavy metals such as chromium, arsenic, lead, mercury, etc. along with hazardous organic and inorganic wastes (e.g., acids, alkalies, cyanides, chlorides, etc.).

Agricultural Waste

Manure, fertilizers, pesticides, wastes form farms, slaughterhouse, poultry farms. salts and silt are drained as run-off from agricultural lands. The water body receiving large quantities of fertilizers (phosphates and nitrates or manures becomes rich in nutrients which leads to eutrophication and consequent depletion of dissolved oxygen. Consumption of water rich in nitrates is bad for human health especially for small children.

Radioactive Waste

Radioactive (or nuclear) waste is a byproduct from nuclear reactors, fuel processing plants, hospitals and research facilities.

Thermal Water Pollution

Surface water that is heated can lead to what is called thermal water pollution. Heat is sometimes considered point source pollution. Main contributors to thermal pollution are the companies that process our food and generate our electricity. Electrical generating plants can create thermal water pollution when they use surface water to condense steam, which is used to turn turbines, back to the liquid state where water can be used again.

Sediments

Soil particles carried to streams, lakes or oceans form the sediments. The sediment become polluting due to their large amount. Soil erosion defined as the soil carried by flood water from crop land, is responsible for sedimentation. The sediments may damage the water body by introducing a large amount of nutrient matter.

Petroleum products

these are widely used for fuel, lubrication, plastics manufacturing, etc. and happen to be poisonous in nature. Crude oil and other related products generally get into water by accidental spoilage from ships, tankers, pipelines etc. Besides these accidental spills, oil refineries, oil exploration sites and automobile service centers pollute different water bodies. Oil slick which floats on the water surface causes death of marine life and severely affects the ecosystem Of the ocean.