Water Pollution : Sources, Effects and

Engineering control Strategies

What is water
Water pollution is the
pollution?
contamination of water bodies (e.g.
lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and
groundwater), very often by human
activities.
It occurs 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
factors. Water pollution is the
second most imperative
environmental concern along
with air pollution. Any change or
modification in the physical,
chemical and biological
properties of water that will have
a detrimental consequence on
living things is water pollution.
 Sources of Water
Pollution
There are various
classifications of water pollution.
The two chief sources of water
pollution can be seen as Point
and Non-Point.
POINT SOURCE
 pollution flowing from a single and
identifiable source such as
discharge pipe from a factory,
roadway, or leaking underground
storage tank

NON-POINT SOURCE
 pollution collected by rain falling
over a larger watershed which is
then carried by runoff to a nearby
lake or stream, or by infiltration
into the groundwater
1.Point source
pollution
Point source pollution refers to
contaminants that enter a waterway
through a discrete conveyance, such as
a pipe or ditch.
Examples-
▫ discharges from a sewage treatment
plant, a factory,
▫ a city storm drain.
• Hazardous and toxic
materials from
manufacturing and
industry discharged
directly into the water -
usually through a pipe or
a leaky underground tank
• Oil and gasoline
• Solvents (toxic liquids)
• Toxins and poisons
• Heavy metals
(arsenic, lead, mercury,
etc.
)
• THERMAL POLLUTION -
heated water causes the
dissolved oxygen (DO)
content in a body of
water to decrease - can
A HARDER PROBLEM TO SOLVE
2. Non-point source
pollution
Non-point source (NPS) pollution refers to
diffuse contamination that does not
originate from a single discrete source.
NPS pollution is often accumulative effect
of small amounts of contaminants
gathered from a large area
•The leaching out of nitrogen
compounds from agricultural land
which has been fertilized is a typical
example.
 What are the types of
water pollution?

There are many types of water

pollution because water comes
from many sources. Here are a
few types of water pollution
1. Nutrients Pollution
Some wastewater, fertilizers and
sewage contain high levels of
nutrients. If they end up in water
bodies, they encourage algae and
weed growth in the water. This will
make the water undrinkable, and
even clog filters. Too much algae will
also use up all the oxygen in the
water, and other water organisms in
the water will die out of oxygen
starvation.
2. Surface water pollution
Surface water includes natural
water found on the earth's
surface, like rivers, lakes,
lagoons and oceans. Hazardous
substances coming into contact
with this surface water,
dissolving or mixing physically
with the water can be called
3. Oxygen Depleting
Water bodies have micro-organisms. These
include aerobic and anaerobic organisms.
When to much biodegradable matter (things
that easily decay) end up in water, it
encourages more microorganism growth,
and they use up more oxygen in the water. If
oxygen is depleted, aerobic organisms die,
and anaerobic organism grow more to
produce harmful toxins such as ammonia
and sulfides.
4. Ground water pollution
When humans apply pesticides and
chemicals to soils, they are washed deep
into the ground by rain water. This gets to
underground water, causing pollution
underground. This means when we dig wells
and bore holes to get water from
underground, it needs
hecked for to be c er pollution.
ground
wat
5. Microbiological
In many communities in the
world, people drink untreated water
(straight from a river or stream).
Sometimes there is natural pollution
caused by micro-organisms like
viruses, bacteria and protozoa. This
natural pollution can cause fishes
and other water life to die. They can
also cause serious illness to humans
who drink from such waters.
6. Suspended Matter
Some pollutants (substances,
particles and chemicals) do not
easily dissolve in water. This kind of
material is called particulate matter.
Some suspended pollutants later
settle under the water body. This can
harm and even kill aquatic life that
live at the floor of water bodies.
7. Chemical Water Pollution
Many industries and farmers work with
chemicals that end up in water. This is
common with Point-source Pollution.
These include chemicals that are used
to control weeds, insects and pests.
Metals and solvents from industries
can pollute water bodies. These are
poisonous to many forms of aquatic
life and may slow their development,
make them infertile and kill them.
8. Oil Spillage
Oil spills usually have only a
localized effect on wildlife but can
spread for miles. The oil can cause
the death to many fish and get stuck
to the feathers of seabirds causing
them totolose
fly. their ability
 Industrial causes of water
pollution
Industrial waste
Industries cause huge water pollution
with their activities. These come mainly
from: Sulphur – This is a non-metallic
substance that is harmful for marine life.
Oil Pollution by Oil Industries
Routine shipping, run-offs and
dumping of oils on the ocean surfaces
happen everyday. Oil spills cause major
problems, and can be extremely harmful to
local marine wildlife such as fish, birds and
sea otters and other aquatic life. Because
oil does not dissolve, it stays on the water
surface and suffocates fish. Oil also gets
caught in the feathers of sea birds, making
it difficult for them to fly. Some animals die
as a result.
 Other causes of water
pollution
Sewage and waste water
Sewage is the term used for
wastewater that often contains feces,
urine and laundry waste. The sewage and
waste water that is produced by each
household is chemically treated and
released in to sea with fresh water. The
sewage water carries harmful bacteria
and chemicals that can cause serious
health problems. Pathogens are known as
a common
A pathogen water that
is any organism pollutant.
causes
disease. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and
parasites are all examples of pathogens
Mining
activities
Mining is the process of crushing
the rock and extracting coal and
other minerals from underground.
These elements when extracted in
the raw form contains harmful
chemicals and can increase the
amount of toxic elements when
mixed up with water which may result
in health problems.
Ocean and marine dumping
Again, think of the rubbish we all
make each day. Paper waste, food
waste, plastic, rubber, metallic and
aluminum waste. In some countries,
they are deposited into the sea. All
these waste
e timetypes
to tak
decompose.
 Underground storage and
tube leakages
Many liquid products (petroleum
products) are stored in metal and steel
tubes underground. Other sewage
systems run in underground tubes.
Overtime, they rust and begin to leak.
If that happens, they contaminate the
soils, and the liquids in them end up in
many nearby water bodies.
 Effects of Water Pollution
The effects of water pollution are
varied and depend on what chemicals are
dumped and in which locations.
Many water bodies near urban areas
(cities and towns) are highly polluted.
This is the result of both garbage
dumped by individuals and dangerous
chemicals legally or illegally dumped by
manufacturing industries, health centers,
schools and market places.
Death of aquatic (water)
animals
The main problem caused by
water pollution is that it kills life
that depends on these water
bodies. Dead fish, crabs, birds
and sea gulls, dolphins, and
many other animals often wind
up on beaches, killed by
pollutants in their habitat (living
environment).
Disruption of food-chains
Pollution disrupts the natural food chain
as well. Pollutants such as lead and
cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later,
these animals are consumed by fish and
shellfish, and the food chain continues to
be disrupted at all higher levels.
Diseases
Eventually, humans are
affected by this process as well.
People can get diseases such as
hepatitis by eating seafood that
has been poisoned. In many
poor nations, there is always
outbreak of cholera and
diseases as a result of poor
drinking water treatment from
contaminated waters.
Destruction of ecosystems
Ecosystems (the interaction
of living things in a place,
depending on each other for life)
can be severely changed or
destroyed by water pollution.
Many areas are now being
affected by careless human
pollution, and this pollution is
 Prevention of Water
Pollution
Dealing with water
pollution is something
that everyone
(including governments
and local councils)
needs to get involved
with.
 Never throw rubbish away anyhow.
Always look for the correct waste bin. If
there is none around, please take it home
and put it in your trash can. This includes
places like
rside thewater
and beach, rive s.
bodie
 Use water wisely. Do not keep the tap
running when not in use. Also, you can
reduce the amount of water you use in
washing and bathing. If we all do this, we
can significantly prevent water shortages
and reduce the amount of dirty water
that needs treatment.
 Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints
and medicines down the sink drain, or the
toilet. In many cities, your local
environment office can help with the
disposal of medicines and chemicals.
Check with your local
a chemical authorities
disposal if there is
plan for
al loc
s.
resident
 Buy more environmentally safe
cleaning liquids for use at home and other
public places. They are less dangerous to
the environment.
 If you use chemicals and pesticides
for your gardens and farms, be mindful
not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers.
This will reduce runoffs of the chemical
into nearby water sources. Start looking
at options of composting and using
organic manure instead.
 If you live close to a water body, try to
plant lots of trees and flowers around your
home, so that when it rains, chemicals from
your home does not easily drain into the
water.
 Liquid Waste
(Sewage/Wastewat
er) Treatment
Wastewater (liquid waste) from
flushing the toilet, bathing, washing
sinks and general cleaning goes
down the drain and into a pipe,
which joins a larger sewer pipe
under the road. The larger pipe also
joins a major pipe that leads to the