Question

What are the causes of water pollution? Discuss how you can contribute to reducing water pollution.

Answer 1

Water pollution can be caused by the addition of:
(i) undesirable substances like fertilizers and pesticides or any poisonous substances.
(ii) sewage directly entering a water body.
(iii) hot water from the power plant that increases the temperature and reduces the dissolved oxygen in water thus killing the aquatic organisms.
(iv) industrial effluents or radioactive substances in the water body.

We can take following measures to check water pollution:
(i) The sewer lines should not be directly connected to the water body.
(ii) We should not throw our garbages or domestic waste into the water body.
(iii) Prevent dumping of toxic compounds in the water bodies.
(iv) Washing of clothes should be avoided near water bodies as it adds a lot of detergents into the water bodies.
(v) Plant trees near the banks of the river to check soil erosion otherwise erosion leads to siltation of water body.