Scribd
Upload
36 views11 pages

Impact of Water Pollution on Ecosystems

Water pollution is caused by human activities that release waste and pollutants into water sources. It affects both surface water like rivers and oceans, and groundwater. The main causes are untreated sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides. Effects of water pollution include damage to aquatic ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, illness and death in humans and other animals from pathogens and toxic chemicals, and destruction of habitats. Reducing pollution requires proper treatment of sewage and industrial waste, limiting agricultural runoff, and reducing plastic use and littering in general.

Uploaded by

hamza sheikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
36 views11 pages

Impact of Water Pollution on Ecosystems

Water pollution is caused by human activities that release waste and pollutants into water sources. It affects both surface water like rivers and oceans, and groundwater. The main causes are untreated sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides. Effects of water pollution include damage to aquatic ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, illness and death in humans and other animals from pathogens and toxic chemicals, and destruction of habitats. Reducing pollution requires proper treatment of sewage and industrial waste, limiting agricultural runoff, and reducing plastic use and littering in general.

Uploaded by

hamza sheikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

WATER POLLUTION AND ITS EFFECTS

BY HAMZA ALI OF 8 I
WATER POLLUTION

• Like air, water can also be polluted, due to the discharge of


many particulates and pollutants which are harmful for the
equilibrium of water and its living organisms. It is mainly
caused because of human activities, as humans are capable of
changing the dyanamic ecosystem. Human beings produce
alot of waste daily in large amounts. The activities range from
washing and cleaning activities and purposes that produce
waste water. Waste water from homes, schools, factories and
offices is usually discharged into the sewage system. Apart
from this, air pollution also contributes greatly towards water
pollution, as the harmful greenhouse gases which are in huge
amount, like sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide combine with
the rain water to form acid rain which destroys aquatic life.
WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION ?

• In some places, untreated waste water is released directly into lakes,rivers and seas.
Waste water contains pollutants such as poisons and harmful microorganisms which
can cause diseases. These pollutants can kill aquatic organisms or affect organisms on
land which feed on the organisms living in the polluted water. Oil from ships and oil
tankers can spill on to the sea water and pollute the water. Oil poisons and harms the
aquatic organisms and sea birds. The fur of sea mammals and the feathers of sea birds
can be damaged by the oil. People who litter contribute to water pollution as well.
Litter thrown on land can be washed into drains and rivers by the rain. The litter
makes the water dirty and harms seabirds and aquatic organisms. Sea animals may
swallow and choke on plastic products suchas plastic bags which are washed into the
sea. They may be strangled by rings,wires or nets that found their way into the water.
Fertilizers are sometimes washed off farms and gardens into rivers and lakes. The
fertilizers provide nourishment and encourage algae to grow in large quantities on the
water surface. The algae prevent sunlight from entering the water. This prevents the
water plants in the water from carrying out photosynthesis. These water plants are
food for the fish and other aquatic organisms. The algae can deplete most of the
dissolved oxygen in the water when they die and decompose. As a result, other aquatic
organisms die.
WATER POLLUTION

• Fresh water is a precious resource, and with only about 3 percent of


the water on our earth available for human consumption, it is
important to look after it. Water pollution is the contamination of
water by sewage, toxic chemicals, metals and other substances. It
affects both surface water- rivers, lakes, oceans- and ground water.
Like air, water has the capability to purify itself when there is a small
amount of waste in it, but when it comes to large amount of waste or
effluent, it can no longer do this. Each year more and more water ways
are clogged with harmful susbstances that range from oil, metals,
detergents and plastics to pesticides and fertilizers, and human and
animal waste. It is thought that about two million metric tonnes of
effluents are discharged into the world’s water every day. In
developing countries, it is estimated that over 90 percent of raw
sewage and 70 percent of untreated waste are flushed into surface
water resources.
THE CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
DESCRIPTION OF CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

• One of the main sources of water pollution is untreated sewage which is


released directly into waterways. Sewage is mostly made up of household
waste from toilets, laundries, and cooking as well as plastic, paper and
toxic substances. In Pakistan, it is estimated that only about 8 percent of
urban waste water is treated in municipal or city treatment plants and the
rest is drained into natural water sources without any treatment. Many
industries need water to process their goods. Setting up near a water
source gives them access to fresh water and a place to release their toxic
effluent. In Pakistan, the major contributors to water polllution are the
textile, pharmaceutical, ceramics, petrochemicals,sugar and food
industries, steel and oil mills, fertilizer factories, and leather tanneries. It
is estimated that only one percent of this industrial waste water is treated.
Agricultural waste, such as excess fertilizers and pesticides, are also major
causes of water pollution. They can enter surface waterways through run-
off when it rains, or seep through the soil into the ground water.
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

• Water pollution can damage the water ecosystems, which are biological communities
of interacting organisms that need to survive. People rely on many of these
ecosystem for food, and they are vital for the well being of our planet. Loss of
ecosystems leads to loss of biodiversity, or the loss of variety of plant and animal
life. Sewage can increase the acidity o water and interact with sediment to release
heavy metals which can kill or cause disease in aquatic life. Industrial effluents,
which include a range of chemicals and heavy metals, can accumulate within animal
tissues and have long-term toxic effects. They can also negatively impact fish by
impairing growth and reproduction,which wcan reduce fish populations. Waste that
contains high levels of manure and fertilizers can raise the levels of nutrients in
water, which can increase amounts of plankton create algal blooms which use up the
available oxygen and make it impossible for other aquatic life to exist in that area.
The amount of light and the temperature of the water are also affected by pollution.
Sediment from sewage can make the water turbid, or cloudy. Turbidity reduces the
amount of light available for plant growth, while sediment can smother underwater
life and damage fish gills. Sewage water that is warmer or colder than the water it
enters can create a change in temperature which decreases the survival rates of fish
eggs and aquatic insects.
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

• The effects of water pollution can be far


reaching, ranging from illnesses,
poisoning, and death for humans and
other animals, to the destruction of
aquatic ecosystems and loss of
biodiversity.
PATHOGENS

• Untreated sewage that enters the drinking water


system carries pathogens, such as
bacteria,viruses, and other disease-causing
organisms. These can cause serious diseases like
hepatitus,diarrhoea, typhoid, intestinal worms,
and cholera in humans, and also affect the health
of other animals and plants. It is believed that 9
percent of all deaths of children under the age of
five in 2015 worldwide were caused diarrhoea,
which is a waterborne disease.
POISONING

• Sewage and industrial and agricultural efluent,all


contain toxic chemicals and metals that can poison
humans,other animals, and plants. Some kill or cause
immediate illness, while others have long term toxic
effects. Forexample, chromium is a mineral used in
dyes and the leather industry. In large doses it is linked
to lung and other cancers. Lead, which is used in
mining, can cause changes to human metabolism and
intelligence, convulsions, coma,kidney failure, and
death. Arsenic,used in car batteries and in the building
industry, is a poison linked to skin problems and to
many cancers.
HOW TO REDUCE WATER POLLUTION?

• These are the steps which you can take


to reduce water pollution:
• Use less plastic
• Reuse items
• Make use of recyclable items
• Donot dispose oils in the sink
• Donot dispose cleaning chemicals
• Do not litter
• Limit the use of detergents and bleaches

Common questions

Powered by AI

Agricultural activity affects water quality primarily through runoff of fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals can lead to increased nutrient levels in water bodies, causing algal blooms which deplete dissolved oxygen needed by aquatic life, leading to dead zones where aquatic organisms cannot survive. This disrupts food chains and leads to losses in biodiversity .

Heavy metals in industrial effluents can have profound toxic effects on aquatic organisms, leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification up the food chain. This not only affects individual species but can impair reproductive and developmental functions, reducing overall biodiversity. Long-term, this can weaken ecosystem resilience, disturb food webs, and compromise the ecological functions of water bodies, affecting both aquatic and terrestrial organisms that depend on these ecosystems .

Algae growth is stimulated by nutrient pollution, often from agricultural runoff containing fertilizers. In excessive amounts, algae can form blooms that block sunlight needed for underwater plants, while their decomposition consumes oxygen, creating hypoxic conditions that can kill fish and other aquatic organisms. Conditions that exacerbate these effects include warm temperatures and stagnant water, which accelerate blooms and decomposition .

Untreated sewage significantly impacts aquatic ecosystems by increasing acidity, releasing heavy metals, and introducing pathogens. It can lead to loss of biodiversity by harming aquatic organisms and the ecosystems they form. For humans, this untreated sewage carries pathogens that cause diseases like hepatitis, diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera, contributing to significant mortality rates, particularly in children under five years old .

Human activities lead to the release of greenhouse gases, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide, which in the atmosphere can combine with rainwater to form acid rain. This acid rain contributes significantly to water pollution by lowering the pH of aquatic ecosystems, which can destroy aquatic life .

Ecosystem loss from water pollution is significant as it disrupts biological communities and reduces biodiversity critical for ecosystem services such as food supply and climate regulation. The decline of fish populations and habitats undermines fisheries and jeopardizes food security and livelihoods. The broader environmental impacts include imbalanced ecosystems and the diminished ability of rivers and lakes to act as natural buffers and filters, exacerbating pollution issues .

Water pollution can increase turbidity, making the water cloudy, which reduces light penetration and inhibits photosynthesis of aquatic plants. Moreover, sewage water often has different temperatures than natural water bodies, leading to thermal pollution that can decrease survival rates of sensitive species like fish eggs and aquatic insects, further impacting the ecosystem .

Individuals can mitigate water pollution by using less plastic, reusing items, recycling, avoiding disposing oils and cleaning chemicals in sinks, not littering, and limiting the use of detergents and bleaches. Collectively, these actions can significantly reduce solid waste and chemical pollutants entering waterways if adopted widely, reducing the burden on natural water purification processes .

Plastic waste contributes to marine life fatalities as animals, such as sea birds and marine mammals, ingest plastics or become entangled in them. Ingestion can lead to choking, malnutrition, or internal injuries which often result in death. Entanglement can lead to suffocation, infections, or impaired mobility, reducing survival and reproduction rates, and thus negatively impacting marine biodiversity .

The primary industrial contributors to water pollution include textile, pharmaceutical, ceramics, petrochemicals, sugar and food industries, steel and oil mills, fertilizer factories, and leather tanneries. These industries release untreated waste water containing toxic effluents, heavy metals, and various other pollutants into natural water sources .

You might also like