TOP 5 causes and effects of water pollution
Water pollution refers to the contamination of water sources such
as oceans, rivers, groundwater, or lakes with toxic substances that
make the water unsuitable for consumption and the normal functioning of
natural ecosystems. While the world has made significant progress
towards ensuring safe drinking water for the largest part of the global
population (71% or 5.3 billion people in 2017), around 80% of global
wastewater is still returned back into the environment without proper
treatment. Many international organizations, such as the UN, are
encouraging political and economic stakeholders to make the necessary
efforts to ensure an adequate wastewater management infrastructure that
can keep pace with the rapid rates of urbanization.Water is polluted by
multiple human-induced and natural factors. Those originating from
human activity have by far the largest negative impact on the
environment and the top five causes of water pollution are: 1- Sewage
and industrial wastewaters which are considered to be the primary
polluting factors that contaminate the environment with various
pathogens, organic matter, and chemical pollutants /2-
Agriculture which leads to the discharge of agrochemicals, drug
residues, organic matter, and sediments into the soil and water bodies/
3- Daily household activities and waste products lead to water
pollution. Chemical and organic substances, such as soaps or
pharmaceutical elements, once discharged into the sewage system are
then difficult to remove. Moreover, household garbage disposed outside
of designated dumping sites ends up in natural ecosystems or even in
the oceans./ 4- Mining practices harm the environment and water
ecosystems in particular. While the mining community and regulatory
bodies have been working towards improving mining practices in recent
years, the risks of pollution are still high. Drilling disturbs
groundwater systems while mine waste sediments and tailings pollute the
water/ 5- Accidental, natural, or intentional oil leaks and spills
cause significant damage to water sources and ecosystems. As oil is
less dense than water, it spreads quickly over the surface
significantly slowing response efforts.
Contact information | n/a |
---|---|
News type | Inbrief |
File link |
https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/142284/effects-and-causes-of-water-pollution?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=NewsDigest&token=517409d3-7652-432a-b8e6-2c377fc90df4 |
Source of information | developmentaid |
Subject(s) | WATER QUALITY |
Geographical coverage | n/a |
News date | 06/05/2022 |
Working language(s) | ENGLISH |