Question

What are the different ways in which water gets contaminated?

Answer 1

Causes of water contamination:

• The household waste that is dumped directly into water bodies is the cause of water contamination.
• Industrial waste and effluents directly into the river/sea lead to the contamination of water.
• When the large quantities of nutrients are passed into a body of water, causing the growth of algae is called Eutrophication which makes the water contaminated.
• The fertilizers and chemicals that are used in agricultural practices can make the water contaminated or toxic.
• Oil spills are very damaging to the environment and aquatic life.

Water contamination can be of various types:

• Chemical pollution
• Groundwater pollution
• Nutrient pollution
• Microbiological pollution