We have now set up communities and have developed around the sources of drinkable and clean water since the beginning of time. It is very important for our endurance and continuity as a species.
It is not a secret that we can survive many days without food but we cannot survive several days without water. It is however sad to know that there are millions of people still around the world who do not have access to clean drinking water which is one of the most basic need. People are dying of water borne diseases and thirst every day.
How Is The Water Getting Polluted?
There are many sources of water pollution some of which are listed down below:
- Raw sewage discharge from factories and households
- Factories’ chemical dumps
- Urbanization
- Run offs from agriculture into groundwater sources and streams and rivers.
- Increasing use of plastic
- Oil spills
- Acid rain from burning fossil fuels
- Littering in oceans, rivers, lakes and such water bodies.
Harmful Chemicals in Drinking Water
Many infectious diseases are spread by polluted water. Some of the water-borne diseases are:
- Cholera
- Typhoid
- Paratyphoid fever
- Jaundice
- Dysentery
- Malaria and
- Amoebiasis
There are also many negative effects from the chemicals in water. Here are some examples-
- Pesticides can cause cancer and destroy the nervous system because of the phosphates and carbonates in them.
- Petrochemicals can also cause cancer.
- Arsenic can cause skin cancer, vascular diseases and liver damage.
- Nitrates can cause ‘blue baby syndrome’ in babies.
- Lead can damage the central nervous system.
- Fluorides can damage your spinal cord and make your teeth yellow.
Preventive Measures
Let us all do our part and prevent threat to humans by keeping the water clean. Here are some bits that we can do so by:
- By not littering the water bodies
- By not disposing off the paints, chemicals in water
- Reporting to the authority when we see anyone littering the water body
- Creating awareness in our surroundings.
