What is Water Pollution?

Water contamination occurs when pollutants pollute water sources and

make the water unfit for use in drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and
other activities. Chemicals, garbage, bacteria, and parasites are examples
of pollutants. Water is eventually damaged by all types of pollution. Lakes
and oceans become contaminated by air pollution. Land contamination
may contaminate an underground stream, a river, and ultimately the
ocean. As a result, trash thrown on an empty lot can eventually
contaminate a water source.

The water cycle, called  the hydrological cycle, involves the following
steps:

1. Evaporation- Because of the sun's heat, the water bodies such as

oceans, lakes, seas etc., get heated up, and water evaporates in the
air, forming water vapours.
2. Transpiration- Like evaporation, the plants and trees also lose
water from them which goes to the atmosphere. This process is
called transpiration.
3. Condensation- As the water evaporates, it starts to become cool
because of the cold atmosphere in the air and because of this
cooling down of water leads to the formation of clouds.
4. Precipitation- Because of the high movements of the wings, the
clouds start to collide and then fall back to the earth’s surface in the
form of rain. Sometimes they also fall back in the form of snow, hail,
sleet etc., depending upon the temperature.
5. Runoff or Infiltration- After precipitation, the water either flows to
the water bodies called runoff or is absorbed into the soil, called
infiltration.
 
Causes of Water Pollution
There are many reasons for water pollution. Some of the reasons are
directly affected by water pollution and some indirectly. Many factories
and industries are dumping contaminated water, chemicals, and heavy
metals into major waterways as a result of direct water pollution. 
One more reason for water pollution is the use of modern techniques in
farms. Farmers apply nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and
potassium in the form of chemical fertilizers, manure, and sludge. It
causes farms to discharge large quantities of agrochemicals, organic
matter, and saline drainage into water bodies. It indirectly affects water
pollution.
Pollutants can be of various types such as organic, inorganic, radioactive
etc. Water pollutants are discharged either from one point from pipes,
channels etc., which are called point sources or from various other
sources. They can be agricultural areas, industries etc., called dispersed
sources. 

Some of the major forms of water pollutants are as follows:

1. Sewage- Domestic sewage from homes contains various forms of

pathogens that threaten the human body. Sewage treatment
reduces the risk of pathogens, but this risk is not eliminated. 

Domestic sewage majorly contains nitrates and phosphates, and

excess of these substances allows the algae to grow on the surface
of water bodies. Due to this, the clean water bodies become
nutrient-rich water body and then slowly, the oxygen level of water
bodies reduces. This is called eutrophication or cultural
eutrophication (if this step rapidly takes place by the activities of
humans). This leads to the early death of water bodies.

2. Toxins- The industrial or factory wastes that are not disposed of

properly and contain chemicals such as mercury and lead are
disposed of in the water bodies making the bodies toxic, radioactive,
explosive and cancerous.
3. Sediments- Sediments are the result of soil erosion that is formed
in the water bodies. These sediments imbalances the water bodies
ecologically. They also interfere in the reproductive cycle of various
aquatic animals living in the water.
4. Thermal pollution- Water bodies get polluted because of heat, and
excess heat reduces the oxygen level of the water bodies. Some of
the species of fish cannot live in such water bodies with very low
oxygen levels. The disposal of cold waters from the power plants
leads to increased thermal pollution in the water bodies.
5. Petroleum oil pollution- The runoff of oil into the water bodies,
either accidentally as happened in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, or
intentionally, leads to an increase in water pollution.
As water is an important element of human health, polluted water directly
affects the human body. Water pollution causes various diseases like
typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, cancer, etc. Water pollution damages the
plants and aquatic animals present in the river by reducing the oxygen
content from the water. Polluted water washes the essential nutrients
which plants need out of the soil and also leaves large amounts of
aluminium in the soil, which can be harmful to plants. 
Wastewater and sewage are a by-product of daily life and thus produced
by each household through various activities like using soap, toilets, and
detergents. Such sewage contains chemicals and bacteria which are
harmful to human life and environmental health. Water pollution also
leads to an imbalance in our ecosystem. Lastly, it also affects the food
chain as the toxins in the water bodies are consumed by aquatic animals
like fish, crabs etc., and then humans consume those animals forming
turmoil. 
Sometimes our tradition also becomes a cause for water pollution. Some
people throw the statues of deities, flowers, pots, and ashes in rivers.
There are various standards to define water quality standards. Water
meant for swimming may not be clean enough for drinking, or water
meant for bathing may not be good for cooking. Therefore, there are
different water standards for defined:

 Stream standards- Standards that define streams, lakes, oceans or

seas based on their maximum use.
 Effluent standards- Define the specific standards for the level of
contaminants or effluents allowed during the final discharge of
those into the water bodies.
 Drinking water standards- Define the level of contamination
allowed in water that will be supplied for drinking or cooking in the
domestic areas.

Different countries regulate their water quality standards through

different acts and amendments.
While many of the solutions for water pollution need to be applied on a
broader macro-level for that individual, companies, and communities can
have a significant and responsible impact on the water quality.
Companies, factories have to dispose of leftover chemicals and containers
properly as per the product instructions. Farmers also have to reduce the
use of nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers, pesticides, and
contamination of groundwater. 
The Swachh Bharat Mission of the government had led to reduced
groundwater contamination. Under the Namami Ganga program, the
government has initiated several major projects to clean Ganga. Along
with all these steps, conservation of water is the very basic and important
step towards water conservation and should be followed globally,
treatment of sewage before their disposal in the water bodies and using
environment-friendly products that do not form toxins when dissolved in
water. These are some small steps that have to be taken into
consideration by every human being.
As we all know, “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium.
There is no life without water.” We have to save water. We must keep the
water clean. If everyone will follow their responsibility against water to
protect it from getting polluted then it will be easy to get clean and healthy
drinking water. Clean water is a must for us and our kids' present, future,
and healthy environment. 
We cannot just live with contaminated waters filled with toxins and no
oxygen. We cannot see our wildlife being destroyed and therefore,
immediate steps have to be taken by groups of people to first clean the
already contaminated water bodies and then keep a check on all the
surrounding water bodies. Small steps by every individual can make a
huge difference in controlling water pollution.

Water Pollution Prevention

Conserve Water 
Our first priority should be to conserve water. Water wasting could be a
big problem for the entire world, but we are just now becoming aware of
it.

Sewage Treatment 
Cleaning up waste materials before disposing of them in waterways
reduces pollution on a large scale. By lowering its dangerous elements,
this wastewater will be used in other sectors or in agriculture.

Usage of Eco-Friendly Materials

We will reduce the amount of pollution produced by choosing soluble
products that do not alter to become pollutants.
Summary
Water contamination is the discharge of pollutants into the water body,
where they dissolve, are suspended, are deposited on the bottom, and
collect to the point where they hinder the aquatic ecosystem's ability to
function. Water contamination is brought on by toxic compounds that
easily dissolve and combine with it and come from factories,
municipalities, and farms.

Healthy ecosystems depend on a complex network of organisms,

including animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi, all of which interact with one
another either directly or indirectly. In this article, we read about water
pollution, its causes and prevention. With this, we have come to the end of
our article, in case of any other doubts, feel free to ask in the comments.