Question

What are the causes of water pollution and suggest some measures of controlling water pollution?

Answer 1

Causes of water pollution are:

• Disposal of garbage, domestic waste and industrial effluents into the rivers and other water bodies.
• Bathing and washing clothes nearby river.
• Bathing animals in rivers, ponds and lakes.
• Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on fields, that wash off into the nearby water bodies leading to biomagnification of toxic substances.

Methods to control water pollution:

• Biomagnification of toxic chemicals can be controlled by judicious use of small doses of fertilizers and manure.
• Sewage contains a large number of human excreta, organic matter and microbes. It should be first treated in a sewage treatment plant before discharging into water bodies.
• Bathing of animals should be avoided in the water bodies and people also should refrain from bathing in rivers, ponds and lakes.