What Are The Causes And Effects Of Water Pollution?
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What are the causes and effects of water pollution?
Over two thirds of Earth's surface is covered by water; less than a third is taken up by land. As Earth's population continues to grow, people are putting ever-increasing pressure on the planet's water resources. Pollution- is a human problem because it is a relatively recent development in the planet's history: before the 19th century Industrial Revolution, people lived more in harmony with their immediate environment. As industrialization has spread around the globe, so the problem of pollution has spread with it. Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and underground water caused by human activities, which refer to any body of water which harmfully disrupts the balance of ecosystem.
There are actually many specific reasons behind what causes water pollution, however there are two general categories: direct and indirect contaminant sources.
Direct sources include effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, waste urban water supplies.
Firstly, one major cause of water pollution that has seriously affect environmental and health problems are pollutants coming from chemical and industrial processes. When factories directly pour their wastes into streams and rivers, the water becomes poisonous which causes many aquatic animals to die. These wastes include very harmful substances, and most of them are not bridgeable. For example: paper mills and automobile factories dispose waste into rivers.
The second thing is heated water from power stations. This kills aquatic animals and plants by reducing oxygen content. Power stations use water to cool their machineries, thus changing the temperature of the water.
Thirdly, aside from thermal pollution, there are also organic and inorganic pollutants. The organic wastes include refuse...