Article On River Pollution

River Pollution Article

In introduction of river pollution we will see how rivers of World and India are getting dirty day by day due to various reasons like untreated sewage, oil spills etc. River pollution concern is increasing now because 70% of the earth is covered in water, yet only 3% of it is fresh. Of that 3%, 2.6 of it is locked away in glaciers and polar ice caps. Water Pollution is main Issue that we are facing, as more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is water-covered. A 1992 World Health Organization study reported that out of India’s 3,119 towns and cities, just 209 have partial sewage treatment facilities, only 8 have full wastewater treatment facilities. A 1995 report claimed 114 Indian cities were dumping untreated water used sewage and partially cremated bodies directly into the Ganges River. Lack of toilets and sanitation facilities causes open defection in rural and urban pill areas of India, like many developing countries. The largest source of water pollution in India is untreated sewage. 

 Other sources of pollution in river is agriculture runoff and unregulated small scale industry. Most rivers, lakes and surface water in India are Polluted due to industries, untreated sewage and solid wastes. The uncollected waste accumulates in the urban areas causing unhygienic conditions and releasing pollutants that leach into surface and groundwater. Oil spill is also the major reason and problem of river pollution. An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity and is form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. Oil spills may be due to release of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) which make river dirty and disturb marine ecosystem.

 Agriculture is also playing major role in river pollution. Farmers put fertilizers and pesticides can be washed through the soil by rain, to end up rivers. Fertilizers and pesticides are harmful because they cause algae to grow. The algae then destroy water plants green algae. Factories use water from rivers to power machinery or to cool down machinery. Effects of river pollution kills water plants and animals. Polluted water also carries diseases. When animal drinks the water they may get diseases which can kill them. People can even get diseases by eating the infected animal. This happens a lot in Africa. Example of food chain little fish eat tiny organic particles then big fishes eat tiny fishes then human also eat fish. Some of these water-borne diseases are typhoid, cholera, paratyphoid fever, dysentery, jaundice, amoebiasis and malaria. Chemicals in the water also have negative effect on our health. Pesticides – can damage the nervous system and cause because of the carbonates and organophosphates that they contain. Drinking untreated water nowadays and your body will immediately react to it. You will get a stomach ache at least. Water–borne diseases account of 3,575,000 people a year! That’s equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every hour, and the majority of these are children. Infectious diseases can be spread through contaminated water, chemicals, pesticides (can damage the nervous system and cause cancer because of the carbonates and organophosphates that they contain. Chlorine can cause reproductive and endocrinal damage). I have seen one lake named sanjay lake in mayur vihar locality where there is so much dirt in lake but still people do fishing and there is green algae layer in lake which I was watching day by day lake was getting so much dirty and authority was doing nothing. The major actions which our government has taken in past years are in 1985 congress government started a ganga action plan to clean the river ganga, which is considered sacred by millions of Indians. In 1995, the then central government started a national river conservation plan and a ‘Yamuna action plan’ to clean the river Yamuna. The simplest solution for water pollution prevention is to be responsible with any chemical use: … Dispose of the leftover chemicals and container properly per the product instructions, or check with your local municipality. Do not apply near water systems such as wells, streams, lakes, or curb inlets/drains. 

Various simple and implementable ways can be used to limit the pollution of our water resources. These actions can be taken individually or collectively and must be done repeatedly to reduce the impacts on water systems. Practice responsible use of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides. Plant trees or any plants near bodies of water, do not make your toilet as your wastebasket, practice refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle. I believe we must respect our river and we need to focus on very serious issue of river pollution.