WATER POLLUTION EFFECTS

State of water
• Natural Water has,
– Physical attributes ( Temperature, smell, Colour )
– Chemical attributes – pH, DO, ions
– Biological attributes – microorganisms
Organisms and users will adapt 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.”
 Water Cycle

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 on;

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,discolourisation; 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 on;
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 on;
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 unbottled 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 on;
• Improvement of water quality- Removal of organic
matte thru aerobic decomposition; chlorination to
remove bacteria, suspended solids; precipitation of
salts, desalination etc during water treatment is
expensive for polluted water;

• 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 on;

• 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 on;
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 on;
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 on;
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
 Major water related diseases
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 Dysentery  Eating food
carried in contaminated  Avoid unprotected
water) food water 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
related River  Semolina worm Aches larvae breeding sites
blindness Blindness  Use mosquito netting
 Introduce fish in ponds
river water