Question

Describe four causes of water pollution.

Answer 1

Water pollution :

The harmful, unwanted change in water's physical, chemical, and biological properties that affect the living organisms and is caused by harmful substances known as pollutants is called water pollution.

Causes of water pollution :

1. Domestic waste -

• Waste such as soaps, detergents, kitchen waste, and untreated sewer waste that carry harmful microorganisms that can cause deadly diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice, diarrhoea, etc dumped into the water every day and cause water pollution.
• The non -biodegradable soaps and detergents are very harmful to aquatic life.

2. Industrial waste -

• Many industries release waste chemicals like dyes, paints, and oils that change water's appearance and make it unfit for use.
• Metal industries release toxic metals like Chromium(Cr), Lead(Pb), and Cadmium(Cd) that are carcinogenic and toxic if consumed.
• Leather industries release a large amount of organic waste that gives a foul smell.

3. Agricultural waste -

• Excessive use of toxic chemicals like fertilisers, pesticides, and insecticides can kill aquatic life and make water unfit for use.
• Pesticides and insecticides get washed away with rain and can percolate soil and reach groundwater and contaminate it.

4. Thermal pollution -

• Thermal power plants require a huge amount of water to operate and produce electricity.
• These power plants release hot water into water bodies, this increases the overall temperature of the water. This reduces the oxygen content in water and eventually kills the organism living in it.