Tuesday, 12th January, 2021

WALA: Water Pollution

WALT: Identify the causes and effects of water pollution

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans,
aquifers and groundwater), very often by human activities.

Water pollution occur when pollutants (particles, chemicals or substances that make
water contaminated) are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without
enough treatment to get rid of harmful compounds. Pollutants get into water mainly by
human causes or human factors.

Sources of Water
www.cdc.gov

Here are six sources of drinkable water:

 Natural springs. In the olden days, one could just drink from a spring. ...
 Lakes and rivers. These days, these are quite polluted. ...
 The ocean. Salt ocean water can be made drinkable through desalinization.
 Streams, filtered or chemically decontaminated. ...
 Wells. ...
 Rainwater.

The major causes of water pollution include:

1. Industrial waste– this includes waste like lead, mercury or sulfur that is
drained into fresh water supplies.
2. Sewage water produced by households– sewage water is chemically treated
before being released to the ocean. This sewage carries harmful bacteria and
chemicals that can cause disease.
3. Mining– mining is a major source of pollution in Canada. When elements like
coal are mined, they can come into contact with water creating harmful
conditions.
4. Dumping trash into the ocean- in some countries where efficient waste
management is lacking, garbage from households is often dumped into the
ocean.

5. Burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil- when fossil fuels are burned they
produce ash that is emitted into the atmosphere and can result in acid rain and
global warming.

6. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides- used by farmers to control the amount of

insects and bacteria that affects crops, these chemicals leech into
groundwater, rivers and canals and pose threats to humans and sea creatures.