Water Pollution and its Effects

State of water
• Natural Water has,
– Physical attributes ( Temperature, smell, Colour )
– Chemical attributes – pH, DO, ions
– Biological attributes – microorganisms

Organisms and users are adapted to water

with particular physical, chemical and
biological attributes
– Salty sea
– Fresh Water
• Water Pollution
– Alteration of the water features/attributes to the
detriment of its inhabitants and users
State of water cont;
Water Quality
– The degree of pollution from the point of view of
organisms living in or using the water.
Pollution Sources
1. Point sources
• Piped (sewage,oils)
• Stormwater drains
2. Non- Point sources
• Agricultural runoff
• Atmospheric pollution
• Seepage from mine/urban areas
 What is water pollution ?

"Water pollution" is defined as the addition of

harmful or objectionable material causing an
alteration of water quality.
 How does water pollution occur?

Mankind through socio-economic activities introduce

pollutants to the environment.

“Then the Earth’s waters cycle, carry and spread the

pollutants all around the planet.”
 Precipitation
Evaporation Evaporation
Evapo-transpiration

Discharge
treated water

Soil
moisture

Soil moisture Water

Supply Ocean
Infiltration
Recharge runoff

Extraction
Aquifer Precipitation
Salt Water Intrusion
Evaporation/ET
Soil moisture
Surface Water
Infiltration (Art) Return flow
Aquifer intrusion Groundwater
Extraction Treated water
Pollution types
Thermal Pollution (Heated factory water or cooler water from
another basin)
Warmer …less dissolved Oxygen
Cooler …More dissolved Oxygen
Suspended solids (Silts, Clay, living organisms, dead
organic Matter).
Dissolved solids (chemicals)
Acid rain water (Nox and sox) Leaching effects
Trace elements (Heavy Metals)
Human activities that contribute to water pollution
Overgrazing
Poor agricultural land management
Removal of riparian vegetation
Sewage, industrial, and domestic discharges
Construction, Mining
Release of gases and aerosols to the atmosphere
 Mismanagement of reservoirs
Accidental spills
Water pollutants (polluting elements)
• Sewage/waste water;
• Fertilizers/Pesticides;
• Alien species
• Global Warming
• Atmospheric Deposition;
• Pathogens; from untreated sewage, storm drains, septic tanks, runoff
from farms
• Petroleum;
• Radioactive substances;
• Heat;
• Siltation/sediments;
• Salinization- Increased salinization and salt runoff from irrigated
farms causes salinization of major rivers.;
• Heavy metals cause unpleasant taste and odour to drinking water;
• Suspended particles like sediments
 Effects of polluted water
1. Effects on Agriculture;-use of wastewater and polluted
surface and groundwater which contaminate crops and
transmit disease to consumers and farm workers;
Depositions of deleterious chemicals in soil leading to
loss of soil fertility;

2. Effects on Environment/ecosystems;-pungent smell,

discolouration; increased temps; contamination; change
the pH; decreased oxygen; detergents that create a mass
of white foam in the river waters; Enrichment of
groundwater with salts, nutrients from irrigated lands;
eutrophication/algal blooms-what is the effect on
recreational activities, water treatment plants/water
providers; loss of aesthetic value; Algae clogs our
waterways
 Effects of polluted water
4. Domestic effects;-toxic substances such as lead,
mercury, cadmium, and chromium
or cyanide, which may affect the use of the receiving
water for domestic use or for aquatic life.
5. Effects on industry; boiler scales, Heavy metals
cause unpleasant taste and odour to drinking water;
Suspended particles cause unpleasant taste &
discoloration to drinking water;
 Effects of polluted water
6.Economy
• Unsightly color, reduced clarity, and obnoxious odor of the
receiving waters also make it unfit for recreation and other
productive uses;

• Adverse effects of water pollution lead to economic losses

in terms of reduced health, reduced agricultural productivity,
and low-quality tourism.

• There is also economic losses to family income due to the

desire for safe bottled water which is more expensive than tap
water.
• When water is polluted, fish and other aquatic resources
can perish, which leads to a decline in fisheries production.
Erosion from degraded uplands and pollution from silt and
sedimentation, as well as untreated sewerage, cause
productivity losses in fisheries. Silt and sedimentation are
major causes for losses in fishery
production.

• High levels of turbidity leads to economic losses;

 Effects of polluted water
during water treatment is expensive for polluted water;
 Improvement of water quality
 Removal of organic matter through aerobic decomposition;
 chlorination to remove bacteria,
 suspended solids;
 precipitation of salts,
 desalination etc

Increased salinization and salt runoff leading to

salinization of major rivers.;
Heavy metals cause unpleasant taste and odour to
drinking water;
Suspended particles cause unpleasant taste &
discoloration to drinking water;
 Effects of polluted water
Hard water with usually high levels of calcium and
magnesium can cause a build-up of minerals in
pipelines/boiler scales and cause erosion and
blockage problems. Water softeners and conditioners
can be used in the water to reduce limescale but can
be expensive.
 Effects of polluted water
7. Leisure
• Swimming pool water can become contaminated with a number of different pollutants and may
cause changes in water colour and odour, some pollutants may also be harmful to human health.

• Discolouration of the swimming pool water could be due to a number of reasons. It may be dirty
and cause the water to change a milky colour if the filter is inadequate or blocked. Algae
contamination can also cause discolouration, black algae cause black spots to appear in the pool.
Other forms of algae contaminate pools when chlorine levels are too low, these often turn the
water a green colour.

• Chlorine is used in many swimming pools to keep them clean. There are certain substances, such
as certain types of detergents and some forms of make-up, that don’t mix well with chlorine.
These can cause adverse effects to human health such as skin and throat irritations.

• Pond water can also become polluted with different chemicals or microbes. This can make the
pond less attractive and can be harmful to aquatic life within the pond. An overgrowth of algae
and accumulation of leaf debris are often the main problems with ponds in the home; UV filters
are efficient at reducing algae levels in ponds and also remove decaying vegetation. These are
useful for long term maintenance of your pond.
 Effects of polluted water
8. Effects on human health;
Increased incidence of tumours, ulcers due to nitrate pollution;
Increased incidence of skin disorders due to contact with
pollutants; Increased incidence of constipation, diarrhea, and
infections to intestine; Dangerous effects on growing foetus in
pregnant women; Concentration of pollutants due to
bioaccumulative pesticides through secondary and tertiary food
chains in case of non-vegeterians; Still births, abortions, and birth
of deformed children; Blue baby disease caused by
methaneglobinema-which results in asphyxia (reduced oxygen
supply);Reduced activity of immune system; Loss of memory
power and reduced mental sharpness; Water borne diseases like
jaundice, hepatitis, gasteroenteritis, will be more prevalent due to
water pollution; Reduced bone development and muscular
development; Reduced male fertility; Shifts in physiological cycles
of human body.
 Effects of polluted water
9. Effects on animal health;
Large scale death of aquatic and terrestrial animals;
Reduced reproduction rate; Increased disease
incidences; Imbalances created in secondary
foodchains; Accumulation of bioaccumulative and
nonbiodegraddable pollutants in animal bodies;
Bioaccumulation eg of organochlorine pesticides;
Biomagnification;Cause health hazards like
impotence, cancerous tumours etc
 Type Diseases Cause Effects Prevention
1 Water borne Cholera  Drinking Dehydration  Use clean water for
(Disease Typhoid contaminated drinking
causing Diarrhoea water  Keep flies away from
vector carried Dysentery  Eating food
in water) contaminated  Avoid unprotected water
food sources
2 Water Scabies  Not washing Itchy lashes  Increase water
washed Eye  Lack of enough Sore eyes availability for washing
(Resulting infections water for Blindness  Improve personal
from lack of Diarrhoea washing Fever from lice hygiene
water or diseases
improper use
of water)
3 Water Based Bilharzias  Worms from the Blood in stool  Reduce contact with
(Vector lives snails enter Pain in stomach infected snails
in water) through the skin  Control snails
in infected water

4 Insect vector Malaria  Mosquitoes bites Fever  Removal potential larvae

related River  Semolina worm Aches breeding sites
blindness Blindness  Use mosquito netting
 Introduce fish in ponds
river water
What we can do?
Keep out oils, fat, or grease from the sink. ...
Abstain from flushing contaminated liquids, pills,
drugs, or medications down the drain. ...
Desist from using the toilet as a bin. ...
Ensure minimal use of bleach or detergents. ...
Reduce the use of herbicides, pesticides, and
fertilizers.
Proper sewage treatment and management.