HYDROSPHERE

Legal and Natural problems of water

What Is Water Pollution?
• Water pollution occurs when harmful substances
—often chemicals or microorganisms—contamin
ate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other
body of water, degrading water quality and rend
ering it toxic to humans or the environment.
 Two types of Sources
• If the pollution comes from a single source,
such as pipe factory, it is called point-sourc
e pollution.
• Direct discharge into water
• If the pollution comes from many sources, it
is called nonpoint-source pollution.
• Indirect discharge into water
Point-Source Pollution
Examples:
Non-point Source Pollution
Examples:
Transboundary pollution is the result of cont
aminated water from one country spilling int
o the waters of another.
TYPES OF WATER
 TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION
• Chemical Water Pollution
• Suspended Matter
• Microbiological water pollution
• Nutrients and their Effect on Water
• Groundwater Pollution
• Oxygen Depleting Water Pollution
Chemical Water Polluti
on
 Suspended Matter
• Particulate matter ca
n cause water polluti
on.
• The suspended partic
les eventually settle a
nd cause a thick silt a
t the bottom.
 Microbiological water polluti
on
• Many types of microorganisms live in water and
cause fish, land animals and humans to become
ill. Microorganisms such as:
Bacteria Viruses Protozoa
Nutrients and their Effect on Wa
ter
Groundwater Pollution
 Oxygen Depleting Water Pollutio
n
Microorganisms that live in water feed on
biodegradable substances. When too much is added
to water ， the number of microorganisms increase
and use up the available oxygen. This is called
oxygen depletion
Causes of Water Pollu
tion
 CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
• Eutrophication
• Global Warming
• Atmospheric Water Pollution
• Underground Storage Leakages
• Oil Pollution in Water
• Nuclear Waste
• Industrial Water
• Marine Dumping
• Sewage and Wastewater Pollution
Eutrophication
Eutrophication is when the environment becomes enri
ched with nutrients. This can be a problem in marine h
abitats such as lakes as it can cause algal blooms.
•
Global Warming
• Global warming is a process where the average glob
al temperature increases due to the greenhouse eff
ect.
• An increase in water temperature can result in the
death of many aquatic organisms and disrupt many
marine habitats.
• For example, a rise in water temperatures causes co
ral bleaching of reefs around the world.
Atmospheric Water Pollution

• Atmospheric deposition is the pollution of water

caused by air pollution.
• When it rains the water is polluted with these gas
es, this is called acid rain.
•
Underground Storage Leakages
• A tank or piping network that has at least 10 perc
ent of its volume underground is known as an un
derground storage tank (UST).
• Over time the steel corrodes and causes leakages
, affecting surrounding soil and groundwater.
•
Oil Pollution in Water
• An oil spill from a tanker is a severe problem beca
use there is such a huge quantity of oil being spilt
into one place.
• Oil cannot dissolve in water and forms a thick slu
dge in the water.
• This can stop marine plants receiving enough ligh
t for photosynthesis. Petrochemicals – This is for
med from gas or petrol and can be toxic to marin
e life.
Nuclear Waste
• Nuclear waste is produced from industrial, medi
cal and scientific processes that use radioactive
material
• Operations conducted by nuclear power station
s produce radioactive waste.
• Nuclear-fuel reprocessing plants
 Industrial Water
• Pollutants from industrial sources include:
• Asbestos – Asbestos fibres can be inhaled and cause il
lnesses such as lung cancer, intestinal cancer and liver
cancer.
• Nitrates and phosphates – The increased use of fertili
sers means that nitrates and phosphates are more oft
en being washed from the soil and into rivers and lake
s. This can cause eutrophication
Marine Dumping
Different items take different lengths of time to de
grade in water:
Cardboard – 2 weeks to degrade.
Newspaper – 6 weeks to degrade.
Foam – 50 years to degrade.
Styrofoam – 80 years to degrade.
Aluminium – 200 years to degrade.
Plastic packaging – 400 years to degrade.
Glass – It takes so long to degrade that we don’t k
now the exact time
Sewage and Wastewater Pollution
• Sewage is the term used for wastewater that oft
en contains faeces, urine and laundry waste.
• Untreated sewage water in such areas can cont
aminate the environment and cause diseases su
ch as diarrhoea.
• Sewage is mainly biodegradable and most of it i
s broken down in the environment.
• sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacter
ia into the environment causing health problem
s.
PREVENTION OF WATER POLLUTI
ON
What Can You Do?
• Conserve water by turning off the tap when run
ning
• This helps prevent water shortages and reduces
the amount of contaminated water that needs t
reatment.
• Be careful about what you throw down your sin
k or toilet.
What Can You Do?
• Don’t throw paints, oils or other forms of litt
er down the drain.
• Use environmentally household products, su
ch as washing powder, household cleaning ag
ents and toiletries.
•
What Can You Do?
• Take great care not to overuse pesticides an
d fertilisers.
• This will prevent runoffs of the material int
o nearby water sources.
What Can You Do?
• By having more plants in your garden you are
preventing fertiliser, pesticides and contaminat
ed water from running off into nearby water s
ources.
• Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans.
What Can You Do?
• Help clean up any litter you see on beaches o
r in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to co
llect the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin.
• Laws and conventions