33 part 2-earthsoft-water - pollution-issues

Editor's Notes

• #5: Water is capable of dissolving or suspending a variety of materials, so it’s pretty tough to get "pure" water. All water, outside of a research laboratory, will have some other substance in it.
• #11: Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary economic activity which is a sign of man’s success has added to the effect of pollution Pollution is the contamination of an environment. causing harm to nature When harmful substances contaminate the environment it is called pollution Pollution refers to the very bad condition of environment Pollution means the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment The contaminate of air & water with undesirable substances which make those unfit for usage is termed as water pollution Pollution is caused by man’s growth and improper disposal of waste materials generated Industrialisation has had a great impact on the type and volume of pollutants released. Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies. Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies. Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the nature biological communities.
• #20: Although their pollutants are emitted in completely different ways, they both harm living organisms.
• #23: It is essential for everything on our planet to grow and prosper. 
• #27: Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary economic activity which is a sign of man’s success has added to the effect of pollution living in these bodies of water. It is the contamination of water bodies.
• #28: Serious due tyo human aCTIvities
• #29: Water comprises 70% of earth’s surface. Is a very important resource for plants and animals Pollution Sources Point sources Piped (sewage, oils) Storm water drains Non- Point sources Agricultural runoff Atmospheric pollution Seepage from mine/urban areas
• #78: More people require more food. To feed the increasing billions forests are being cut and converted to croplands
• #79: Forests play a major role in water management. Apart from facilitating water conservation and recharge, they prevent fertile topsoil from being washed away in the rains. When soil flows into water bodies, it causes siltation in the ponds, lakes and rivers.
• #80: It’s not just the quantum of agriculture that is changing, the way we do agriculture is also changing. There is increased use of fertilizers to increase yield per hectare. There is also increased use of pesticides to enhance the yield. Fertilizers and pesticides easily dissolve in water. They enter surface water sources through irrigation and rainwater runoff and also percolate into the ground to contaminate groundwater sources. Nitrogen based fertilizers are commonly used in India. Nitrogen is converted to nitrate. Excess nitrate that cannot be used by the crop leaches into soil and groundwater. Nitrate contamination of water can cause the blue baby syndrome. We invented insecticides, herbicides and fungicides to save our crops from pests and to save ourselves from diseases. Crop yields increased and pests like mosquitoes were destroyed. The pesticide industry grew to become a multi-billion dollar industry. We then started finding different kinds of cancers, birth defects and other medical problems. Studies across the globe showed pesticides to be the culprit. Pesticides contain complex organo-chlorides and other heavy metals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify up the food chain. Over time, their concentration in our bodies increase beyond safe levels and cause serious health problems most of which are fatal. Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in India and the use of pesticides is rampant. World over pesticide production is reducing but in India it is still on the rise. We continue to use pesticides that are banned in other parts of the world. Untrained farmers overuse pesticides and are ignorant about the ill-effects of use and handling of pesticides. Today pesticides are considered the foremost chemical threat to our groundwater. We also use some pesticides in our homes – can you name one? (Insect sprays)
• #81: An increasing population is demanding more animal products – meat, dairy products, poultry products etc. Increased breeding of animals has resulted in faster depletion of resources – more water and food is required for the animals. Increased cattle rearing results in overgrazing, which washes away the fertile topsoil into freshwater sources during the monsoons. The topsoil being nutrient rich, pollutes the water sources. The meat, dairy and poultry industries are also very water intensive and waste water is rich in organic wastes. Untreated waste water contains pathogens which can cause diseases and can also cause eutrophication of freshwater sources.
• #82: Dyeing and bleaching of clothes generates a lot of waste water with harmful chemicals and heavy metals. In most cases this wastewater is not treated adequately and is discharged into the municipal sewage system or into surface water sources or groundwater aquifers. Case studies – Choki region of Gujarat, Tirupur in TN. The paper industry is one of the most polluting industries (air and water polluting). As we use more paper, demand increases and supply is also increased to meet this rising demand. While production of paper is a highly polluting industry, the main damage is caused by small scale units that do not manage their effluent properly and to meet the rising demand more small scale units start mushrooming. To make leather shoes, bags and other accessories, raw animal hide is converted into tough non-rotting leather. This requires a lot of water and dangerous chemicals like hexavalent chromium. A lot of toxic effluent is generated, which is let out into water bodies or into fields. Among the small scale industries, the leather industry is the worst pollutant. Cadmium is a heavy metal that is used for making batteries and cadmium rich effluent from this industry is contaminating our fresh water sources. Long term ingestion of water with excess cadmium can cause kidney failure and lung damage Metals are either electroplated or painted to keep them from tarnishing. The back cover of your watch or the watch dial itself, your geometry box, the refrigerator at home – we have many uses for metallic objects. List out some metallic objects you use in your daily life. Are they painted or electroplated? Both processes result in large amounts of effluents containing dangerous heavy metals. The industries that do these jobs are typically small scale and they do not have the resources to put in effluent treatment systems. So they just let out the waste water / effluents into drains, surface water bodies or the soil. Industrialization increases with growing demands for products. By law, industries are required to treat their effluent adequately before releasing it into our water sources. Big industries have the money and land to do this and can also be easily monitored. But the problem is with small scale industries and tiny industries that do not have the money to put in effluent treatment systems and who are so numerous and spread out – even in residential areas that monitoring them is not an easy task. Humans are at the root for increased industrialization, so we cannot just point fingers at industry and blame them for our pollution problems. It’s our growing demand that industries are setting out to meet. Can we change our lifestyles today to help in positive ways. It is the children of today who will be leaders of tomorrow. At that stage it is essential that responsible decisions are taken – decisions that don’t just look at short term monetary gains but at long term gains in all respects.
• #83: When there is increased demand for goods, before we set around to manufacturing them, we need to get the raw materials. Most raw materials are mined from the Earth. A large quantity of ore is extracted and processed to give us small quantity of the mineral that we need. Mining involves the separation of the essential material from the ore through washing in toxic substances like cyanide or sulphuric acid. Also, the amount of waste generated is huge and this waste containing toxic substances is piled up in dumps. Rainwater passing through mine tailings and falling over mine dumps carries the toxic substances which gets deposited in water bodies or seeps into aquifers.
• #84: More people – higher consumption – more waste generation (industrial and domestic). With a focus on domestic solid waste, more people are generating more solid waste. At the same time, waste generated by each person is also increasing due to changes in our lifestyle. Moreover, the regard our elders had for protecting our natural resources and not throwing waste anywhere and everywhere is a culture that’s fast disappearing.
• #85: We have discussed the sad state of sewage treatment facilities in India. In many places untreated sewage is let into freshwater sources. Solid wastes are typically disposed in open dumps. When it rains, the rainwater flows through these waste dumps, absorbing a range of chemicals that is present in the waste. This rainwater then flows either into a surface water body or seeps into groundwater, contaminating the water sources with the chemicals it has dissolved. Almost everywhere in the country, waste is also indiscriminately burnt. Burning of plastics, rubber and other material releases poisonous gases. Some of these gases dissolve in rainwater and contaminate surface and ground water sources.
• #86: More and more people are moving to cities. Cities represent a concentration of people. But most cities cannot cope with the rising populations and municipal services in many places are inadequate. Municipal services like water supply, sewage treatment and waste management. We have discussed the sad state of sewage treatment facilities in most urban centres of India. Untreated sewage pollutes surface and ground water sources. Water supply being inadequate in most cities, most poor people use polluted water and are prone to a range of diseases. In cities there is also increased waste generation and these wastes are dumped into open landfills outside the city / town limits. Toxic wastes from these landfills mix with rainwater and leach into groundwater aquifers. Villagers who live near the waste dumps also burn these wastes. Resulting air pollution dissolves in rainwater and enters our water sources. In cities there is increased vehicular traffic and small industries. The resultant air pollutants dissolve in rainwater and enter our water sources. In cities and towns there is a great demand for land. Not only is there increased concretization of land, in many cities, natural water bodies like ponds and lakes are landfilled and used for construction of buildings and roads. Therefore the natural recharge of groundwater resources is severely reduced (natural recharge through open lands and water sources such as ponds and lakes). At the same time, there is increased extraction of groundwater in cities since municipalities cannot cope and provide water supply to the ever increasing population. When the quantity of water in underground reservoirs reduces (increased extraction and reduced recharge), the concentration of certain minerals in the water (depending on the rock and soil constitution of the area) increases and this can adversely affect human health
• #88: The paints used for making idols of Ganesha, Durga etc during Ganesh Chaturthi or Durga Puja contain many toxic elements such as mercury, arsenic etc. When the idols are immersed in water bodies, the water quality is impacted negatively and the concentration of heavy metals in these water bodies increases. These heavy metals bioaccumulate in our bodies and can be fatal over time
• #90: Physical alteration and destruction of habitats are now considered one of the most important threats to coastal areas. Half of the world's wetlands, and even more of its mangrove forests, have been lost over the past century to physical alterations, with accelerating social and economic development and poor-planning being major causes (UNEP, 2002). There are currently about one billion people living in coastal urban areas. It is estimated that almost 50% of the world's coasts are threatened by development-related activities. The intense pressure on coastal ecosystems calls for preventive and protective action at all levels: local, national, regional and global. Source: Vital Water Graphics
• #91: Physical alteration and destruction of habitats are now considered one of the most important threats to coastal areas. Half of the world's wetlands, and even more of its mangrove forests, have been lost over the past century to physical alterations, with accelerating social and economic development and poor-planning being major causes (UNEP, 2002). There are currently about one billion people living in coastal urban areas. It is estimated that almost 50% of the world's coasts are threatened by development-related activities. The intense pressure on coastal ecosystems calls for preventive and protective action at all levels: local, national, regional and global. Source: Vital Water Graphics
• #92: Unsurprisingly, the coastal areas with the greatest population densities are also those with the most shoreline degradation. The areas surrounding the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and Southern Asia have the highest proportion of altered land, while the coastal zones of the Arctic, Northeast Pacific, South Pacific, West and Central Africa, East Africa, the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, and Kuwait have the highest proportions of least modified land. Source: Vital Water Graphics
• #104: from water born disease in India.
• #118: Point sources Piped (sewage, oils) Storm water drains Non- Point sources Agricultural runoff Atmospheric pollution Seepage from mine/urban areas
• #122: Examples of point source of pollution include discharges from a wastewater treatment plant, untreated effluent from a factory, leaking underground tanks, etc. They enter a water stream through a specific point. Examples of non-point source of pollution include storm water runoff from agricultural fields and urban areas, or vehicular (air) pollutants that dissolve in water. Once cannot identify a specific location from where the pollutants are introduced into the water stream. For the past several decades, focus was on reducing point sources of pollution. In recent years, greater attention has come to be placed on non-point source contributions, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas.
• #127: 22% of the 1.2 million UST are LUST
• #149: , such as clay.
• #154: Students can be encouraged to name things that they see in their homes that can dissolve in water
• #155: Some contaminants may introduce a change in colour, taste or smell of water, but in many cases, especially inorganic contamination, such changes are not observed. Water contamination can be confirmed only by testing the water in a certified laboratory.
• #157: Natural sources of water pollution. The geology of a place can introduce inorganic contaminants into groundwater. As water seeps into the ground, if the rocks and soil are rich in compounds of fluoride, arsenic, iron etc, these compounds dissolve in the groundwater. When groundwater is extracted and used for drinking, these compounds enter our bodies.
• #158: Compounds of arsenic, fluoride etc. accumulate in our bodies over time due to bio-accumulation. Natural pollution is a non-point source of pollution.
• #159: Excess fluoride in the groundwater is a problem being faced in most parts of India. Fluoride in small levels is required for healthy teeth and bones. That is why many toothpastes used to contain a small amount of fluoride. But when levels of fluoride are beyond an acceptable limit, they accumulate in our bodies and cause fluorosis. Fluorosis is of two types – dental and skeletal. In the initial stages, teeth started getting discoloured and with increasing concentrations, people get severely crippled. Though defluoridation kits are available, people living in fluoride affected areas are advised on counteracting the affects of fluoride contamination by diet restrictions – eating foods rich in Vitamin C, Calcium and iron and avoiding foods with black salt etc. West Bengal and Bangladesh are affected by high arsenic concentration in groundwater. This causes arsenicosis in humans, which is a life threatening disease. Such contamination is aggravated when there is excessive groundwater extraction. Concentrations of polluting compounds increase in the existing groundwater. People living in areas which have high levels of natural inorganic pollution in groundwater are advised to recharge their groundwater reservoirs with rainwater, so that the concentration of the salts in the groundwater reduces.
• #161: Most of water used in a home comes out as waste water – black water (sewage) and grey water from sinks, bath water, waste water from washing clothes etc. Our waste water treatment systems are inadequate. Excess untreated waste water is either led into surface water bodies (lakes, ponds, rivers, seas), or into the soil. This contaminates surface and ground water. Sewage contains pathogens which can cause diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice etc. Grey water from washing contains phosphates and other chemicals which assist organic growth. This leads to eutrophication of water bodies like lakes and ponds.
• #162: Increase in sewage content in the soil can result in contamination of groundwater sources with nitrates. Nitrate contamination can result in dangerous diseases like blue-baby syndrome. (Under certain conditions, consumed nitrate gets reduced to nitrite, which reacts with haemoglobin and reduces the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. When pregnant women drink nitrate contaminated water, it affects the baby and the baby can even die if adequate oxygen does not reach the brain.)
• #163: There is also increased solid waste generation (industrial and domestic). This waste is either thrown into surface water bodies or is left in waste dumps. Chemicals seep down from these waste dumps into the soil and into our groundwater resources, contaminating them.
• #164: People bathing and washing of clothes also contaminates surface water bodies. Soaps and detergents have phosphates which are nutrient rich and can cause eutrophication of surface water bodies.
• #165: Agriculture uses large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers. Water used for irrigating farms, or rainwater that falls on these lands dissolves the fertilizers and pesticides and seeps into the ground contaminating the soil and groundwater with pollutants like nitrates, phosphates and non degradable synthetic organic pollutants. Nitrogen based fertilizers are commonly used in India. Nitrogen is converted to nitrate. Excess nitrate that cannot be used by the crop leaches into soil and groundwater. Nitrate contamination of water can cause the blue baby syndrome. We invented insecticides, herbicides and fungicides to save our crops from pests and to save ourselves from diseases. Crop yields increased and pests like mosquitoes were destroyed. The pesticide industry grew to become a multi-billion dollar industry. We then started finding different kinds of cancers, birth defects and other medical problems. Studies across the globe showed pesticides to be the culprit. Pesticides contain complex organo-chlorides and other heavy metals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify up the food chain. Over time, their concentration in our bodies increase beyond safe levels and cause serious health problems most of which are fatal. Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in India and the use of pesticides is rampant. World over pesticide production is reducing but in India it is still on the rise. We continue to use pesticides that are banned in other parts of the world. Untrained farmers overuse pesticides and are ignorant about the ill-effects of use and handling of pesticides. Today pesticides are considered the foremost chemical threat to our groundwater. We also use some pesticides in our homes – can you name one? (Insect sprays)
• #166: Industrial processes also use a lot of water and the resultant effluents are not treated to the required extent in many cases. Some industries let out untreated effluent into municipal sewage drains and the municipal waste water treatment systems are geared to handle only sewage, not these chemical – laden wastes. The output of the municipal wastewater treatment systems ends up in surface water bodies, which are contaminated by these untreated chemicals. Some industries may let out untreated effluent directly into water bodies, polluting them and others may let it out into the soil, from where it seeps into our groundwater resources. Wastes from agro industries contain many organic substances which are nutrient rich. These wastes boost the growth of weedy species of plants in surface water bodies and can result in eutrophication.
• #167: Water is required for the process of cooling in power plants and during this process, its temperature increases slightly. This water, when released into a water body, alters its temperature and affects the ecosystem, which is in a state of delicate balance. Even a change of 1 -2 degrees centigrade of the water can alter the aquatic ecosystem considerably.
• #168: Industries are supposed to treat their wastewater before releasing it into a water body. This treatment is done in ‘effluent treatment plants’, which are custom designed to handle the type and quantity of wastes generated by a particular industry. Larger industries usually have effluent treatment plants but medium and small scale industries find this a very expensive proposition. Due to the high cost, most medium and small scale units do not have effluent treatment plants and release untreated wastewater into municipal drains, surface water bodies or soil. Some industrial estates have tried to make a common effluent treatment plant which can be used by a group of industries together, but there have been technological issues due to the waste constituents, its quantity and the frequency at which the wastes are released.
• #223: Oil spills cause a very localised problem but can be catastrophic to local marine wildlife such as fish, birds and sea otters.
• #224: and one of the most polluted seas in the world is the Mediterranean, Mediterranean (only 1% of the world seas) concentrates 28% of global oil pollution.
• #243: Some pollutants (typically organic pollutants) introduce and favour the growth of germs in water, which can cause diseases like typhoid, cholera and jaundice. Others pollutants (typically inorganic pollutants) can collect in our bodies and affect our bones or cause diseases like cancer over time. These pollutants are excreted from our bodies very slowly and if the rate of intake is greater than the rate of excretion, they collect in our bodies. This process is called bio-accumulation. Higher concentration of these pollutants in our bodies results in chronic diseases like cancer, organ failure, nervous system disease etc.
• #256: USA - Goal not fully met