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Running Head: WATER POLLUTION

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Water Pollution
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Water pollution is the introduction of foreign material into the bodies of water
that make it harmful or unfit for use or consumption. This contamination occurs when the water
does not undergo treatment to clean up the water in time to make it suitable for use or for
consumption. These polluted water bodies may include aquifers, rivers, lakes, seas and oceans.
Water pollution is mainly caused by human beings while going about their daily business.
Unfortunately, people do it without thinking about the after-effects which then
end up affecting the human beings themselves as well as any other living organisms, making it
difficult to freely consume the water available. Water pollution is also caused by natural causes.
Both human and natural causes have adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystems therefore,
affecting the aquatic life.
Some may end up going extinct while other species reduce in great numbers. This
water pollution may also affect the health of human beings who access this water for
consumption in any way (Mishra, 2008). Water pollution can both be visible or invisible
depending on the type of contaminants that have affected the state of the water. This means
various tests have to be carried out to determine the cause and the extent to which the pollution
has affected the water.
There are various types of water pollution since there are various contaminants
that result in pollution. Water pollution could be caused by nutrients. These nutrients are
contained in sewage water, fertilizers used on farms and waste water from various places. Runoff from a field or farm into a water body, say a river, may carry with it the nutrients from
fertilizers. This may lead to the overgrowth of weeds and algae. An overgrowth of these plants
may also lead to a depletion of oxygen in the water. The organisms in the water, in turn, are then

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affected and may die as they also require oxygen to survive. This can also result in the water
being harmful to those using it as it is now contaminated by dead organisms.
Another type of water pollution is surface water pollution. This is the most visible
form of pollution as it affects the bodies of water on the surface of the earth, for instance, rivers,
lakes and oceans. It is mostly caused by humans and is most evidenced by cans, papers and
plastic bottles. This type of water pollution can also be caused by oil spillage in the large water
bodies by ships, which then acts as an inhabitant to the access of oxygen by the living organism
in the water as the oil spills cover the water surface blocking oxygen supply into the water. This
is quite a common form of water pollution occurring internationally.
Suspended matter is another type of water pollution. Suspended matter gets access
to the water bodies and does not dissolve in with the water. The suspended particles or matter
then settle on the beds of the water bodies. The aquatic habitat of the aquatic life is interfered
with. The nutrients are also covered by their settling on the beds preventing organism from
accessing their sources of food. This can also be a reason why aquatic organisms lose their lives.
Thermal pollution is a form of water pollution that has to do with the alternate
change in the temperature of the water in water bodies (Spooner, 2012). When this occurs, the
surrounding environment of the living organisms within the water changes and affects the
normal living conditions which are paramount for their survival. The cause of this type of
pollution is human beings.
Oil spillage is a type of pollution in itself. This has adverse effects on the wildlife,
living organism, birds and the fish that use the water for several uses. It might lead to death of
the fish and living organisms due to disruption of the oxygen flow into the water. Birds that

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enjoy the water from the surface may get their feathers and wings stuck due to the effects of the
oil. This may render them flightless. Oil spills usually have a localized effect on the aquatic
animals but end up spreading. These spills also have effects of humans since it can move for
miles thus contaminating water sources that humans use.
Microbial or microbiological pollution as a type of pollution that is as a result of
certain microorganisms in water that are a cause of water-borne diseases contracted through the
consumption of such water, swimming in this water or even carrying out cleaning practices in
such water. The water itself is in an untreated or contaminated state that is not safe or reliable for
use in the ways mentioned above. The bacteria, viruses and protozoa responsible for these
diseases have adverse effects such as death on aquatic life such as fish and other aquatic life
forms.
Ground water pollution exists as a result of the pesticides and other chemicals
used by farmers on their fields. The chemicals then seep through the various levels of soils and
rocks into the underground water, past the water table leading to its contamination. When human
beings come to digging wells and boreholes for the sake of water consumption, the water has to
be tested for water pollution so as to ensure its safety for use.
Chemical water pollution is as a result of chemicals from industries. These
contaminants can find their way there from the industry or through farmers using pesticides,
insecticides or weed control chemicals to help out on the farm. They end up polluting the water
making it harmful to both the humans using them and the organisms that live within the water,
eventually leading to death, health problems or even disruption of the ecosystem with organisms
fleeing to fresher waters. These organisms’ fertility may also be affected by the chemicals

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therefore, affecting their ability to reproduce further thus leading to the extinction of certain
species of aquatic organisms.
Oxygen depletion is another and final type of water pollution. In water, there exist
aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms. When an influx of biodegradable matter finds its way to
the water bodies, growth of the micro-organisms increases to a point of depleting the amounts of
oxygen in the water. This ends up killing the aerobic organisms which depend on oxygen while
anaerobic organisms end up thriving in these conditions. Their growth leads to their great
numbers. Their survival leads to the production of harmful and threatening toxins, which include
ammonia and sulfides.
There are many sources of water pollution. They can be categorized into direct
and indirect sources or even point and nonpoint sources. These categories are still inclusive of
the various individual sources of water pollution.
Sewage and wastewater are a major source of water pollution. Sewage is a form
of waste water. Waste water can be from people’s households or domestic waste water,
agricultural practices for instance when watering or irrigating plants in farms and from
industries. Sewage usually contains after-use laundry water and excretion waste from humans
and animals. Unfortunately, this waste water is among the various after-effects of urbanization.
This type of waste depletes the oxygen in the water therefore making it difficult
for organisms in water bodies to survive. The aquatic ecosystem is majorly affected by this
source of water pollution. The larger the number of people disposing of waste especially, the
wrong way the greater the amount of waste therefore resulting in greater water pollution. With

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untreated sewage come greater opportunities for the contraction of water-borne diseases by the
people using such water for consumption purposes (Goel, 2006).
Untreated waste water harbors viruses and bacteria, both of which are of health
concerns to the human population considering consumption of the contaminated water.
Detergents used in laundry contain a compound, phosphate, that is encourages the growth of
algae in water bodies. The algae goes on to affect any activities being carried out in the water
bodies, for instance, fishing, navigation and the production of power to generate electricity.
Industrial waste or effluents are another source of water pollution. These are
inclusive of those contaminants from industries that are released as waste. They are extremely
harmful, especially to humans and living organisms within the water bodies. The waste is usually
flushed out by way of clean water into water bodies. These wastes can be of metallic or organic
compounds that are synthetic.
They cause both water and air pollution putting the environment at risk. The toxic
chemicals that are disposed off into water bodies are not properly disposed which then leads
them to draining into water bodies. They have adverse effects on these water bodies as they
might lead to changing the water temperature interfering with the normal surrounding conditions
of the living organisms, eutrophication and may be hazardous to living organisms in the water
since they might lead to the death of these poor organisms.
Agricultural pollution occurs when pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides are used
on farms. Agricultural processes such as ploughing, weeding and manure use on the also
contribute to water pollution. The various compounds found in these chemicals or even the
manure and the sediments from soil can be carried off as run-off into the water. Algae thrive in

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such conditions which then adversely affects the various activities carried out in water bodies.
The manure may be pollutant in terms of odor and letting loose of organisms that might be
harmful to other aquatic organisms and human beings, therefore rendering it unsafe for human
consumption.
Marine dumping is another source of water pollution. Human beings tend to dump
their litter or trash in the seas and oceans. It can be in any form, ranging from metal, paper and
food. Some of these items may get stuck on the aquatic life and render them motionless. They
also take quite a while to undergo decomposition in such a way that they do not get to affect the
animals anymore. The resultant dumping into the seas may be as a result of littering on the land
then washed off into the water.
Thermal pollution is considered another cause. The power plants responsible for
thermal and electric power direct their wastes into the water, mostly while warm. This changes
the temperature of the water. Warm water reduces the oxygen-holding ability of the water as
compared to the cold water, which is what the aquatic life is used to for survival and respiration.
Thermal pollution is considered to be global warming as the temperatures of both the atmosphere
and the water rise then put the aquatic animals in harm and at risk of dying (Agarwal, 2008).
This results in many of these animals including fish dying or emigrating to more
oxygenated water that is suitable for their survival. Once the temperature continues increasing to
a point of reducing the oxygen levels to a great low, the surrounding conditions are made
suitable for anaerobic organisms, which then thrive leading to foul smells being encouraged.
This kind of pollution is still considered hazardous for the aquatic animals which are forced to
survive or go extinct in very unsuitable conditions.

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Mining activities are definitely great sources of water pollution as well as
environmental pollution in general. Mining is the process of extracting raw minerals from the
ground. These ores release chemicals that are absolutely harmful to the organisms in the water as
well as the humans who use the water for consumption. With such chemicals, mixing in with the
water makes it difficult to trace the chemicals in the water, which is quite unfortunate as they
could lead to death or even health conditions that are difficult to shake off.
Oil pollution is yet another source. This type of pollution to the water happens
when ships and other marine vessels happen to undergo leakage while on their sails. Also, oils
spills and run-off from land is another way through which oil pollution. Dumping is not
exempted from this form as well. With the localized problem caused by oil, marine life in the
waters is put in harm’s way which may eventually lead to death of these animals and organisms.
Also, the birds that enjoy the water every now and then may have their feathers
and even wings get caught in the oil rendering them flightless thus motionless. Oil does not mix
well with water at all therefore, suffocation is what animals suffer from w...