Science / Health

Water Pollution and its Impact in Our Life

From the start of industrialization, pollution has always been a part of our lives. Contamination is present in everything whether it is air, land, or water. Pollution, in any form affects our lifestyle and very source of existence. Water pollution is caused by the presence of toxic chemicals or substances (sometimes some – microorganisms) that degrades the water in lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans and other water bodies especially if it is stagnant. Water plays a major role in our lives. Water is essential for our everyday necessities such as drinking, washing clothes and utensils, cleaning floors, watering plants and many more. Water purifiers play a major role in current times to combat water pollution.

Causes of Water Pollution

According to a study, many people all across the globe die annually because of unsafe drinking water. This is often because the water treatment plants are unable to treat water leading to contaminated water which get consumed unaware.

 Below are Some of the Major Causes of Water Pollution:

Industrial Waste

Most industries are generally set-up near water bodies. The waste products that are generated gets discarded into water bodies therefore contaminating the water. Waste material may include metallic waste which could be very poisonous to consume.

Uncontrolled Washing

People use water for washing clothes and utensils. This leads to contamination due to the soap detergents being used.

Agricultural Wastes

Water pollution can also be caused due to agricultural waste. After the crop harvesting, there is usually a lot of remaining crops waste which eventually gets disposed in the water body. Moreover, a lot of pesticides and fertilizers are used in crops and they to end up being in water thus making it unsafe for consumption.

Other Factors

There are some other major factors behind water pollution such as accidental oil leakage, plastic waste disposal, mining, radioactive waste and so on.

Effects of Water Pollution on Human Lives

The impact of water pollution on human lives is significant primarily because water is a basic and daily need of human beings. Safe drinking water is the need of every human. According to WHO, 80% of people are affected by the poor water intake (as per a 2018 study). The poor water quality has led to several water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and other diseases as well.

Water pollution can cause several health hazards. Some of these are follows:

  1. Water polluted due to the disposal of heavy metal can cause kidney problems, acute poisoning, and far more. Disposal of heavy metals and radioactive waste in water bodies can suppress the immune system and lead to neural disorders, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illness and much more.
  2.  As a matter of fact, sometimes water also contains agricultural waste or pesticides which are also harmful. The presence of nitrogenous chemicals in water is often cancerous to humans on consumption. Such water quality is not good especially for pregnant women as it can give rise to blue baby syndrome.
  3. Water pollution can also cause problems in crop production. It is due to the reason that the contaminants will affect the growth of crops. In addition to this, such water won’t be able to meet the requirements of minerals needed for crop production.
  4. It can also adversely affect aquatic life. The pollutants present in water bodies increases the death rate of fishes, and many organisms. When marine life is compromised, it is not only a threat to aquatic organisms, it also leads to a considerable degree of threat to human beings.

Why Drinking Water Needs to be Absolutely Safe?

Our earth is made up of 70% water and so is the human body with almost 60% water. For proper functioning of the body, an appropriate quality of water is required. Water treatment plants are used to treat water to make it viable for consumption.

In such treatment plants, water undergoes several steps to get purified. However, at times the water treatment plants are unable to treat water as per the needs to maintain the required safety standards and end up being unsafe for consumption.

As a result, many households have initiated the use of water purifiers at their places. As per Soumya, editor-in-chief of Homeplace, water purifiers are the best way for purifying water, if in case it contains some harmful impurities and high TDS.

Why Water Purifiers are an Important Buying Decision?

  1. Water purifiers can reduce the number of chemicals such as chlorine present in water. The presence of high amount of chlorine can be harmful and can cause various problems like asthma, kidney damage, heart disease and much more. Chlorine is the major reason behind skin problems such as irritation, allergies, etc. Water purifiers are a boon to remove impurities from the water. Many people nowadays face problems with dirty water. Well, water purifiers are just the right solution for you to remove such dirty impurities.
  • Sometimes, water-borne diseases can be caused due to the presence of bacteria in it. Presence of such bacteria can be life-threatening. Due to the evolution of technology, water purifiers are the most convenient method by which bacteria can be removed. Water purifier eliminates harmful bacteria and therefore curbs diseases related to the gut such as diarrhoea or dysentery and gastric issues.

Water purifiers are costly to use based on a lot of factors such as brand, filtering quality, capacity and features among many more. It is a good and wise investment, so if you have been saving your money for some other leisure activity and not buying a good water purifier, it is a good idea to buy one first.

Some water purifiers are smart with auto sensors that can stop the flow of water once your bottle or can has been filled up. But an individual needs to be wise enough to take care of the features of a water purifier while purchasing. A water purifier must be capable of providing safe water for consumption. Before purchasing, you must see that the water purifiers don’t kill the essential minerals present in water which are beneficial for consumption. Moreover, a water purifier requires timely maintenance. Therefore, it is important to note all the factors well enough before buying one.        

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