- The top five activities and behaviors that pollute water
- 1- Agricultural runoff
- 2- Throwing garbage in inappropriate places
- 3- Urban waste and rainwater
- 4- Industrial waste
- References
Humans often carry out activities and behaviors that cause water pollution. These practices are irresponsible and anti-ecological, and contribute to the deterioration and scarcity of the planet's natural resources.
Water pollution occurs when this resource becomes impure and is not suitable for human and / or animal consumption, and cannot be used for commercial, industrial or recreational uses.
The contamination of bodies of water directly affects the environment, the lives of people, animals and plants, as well as the natural processes of the soils.
This contamination brings with it the breakdown of food chains, which leads to the death of wild animals due to lack of food. In particular, marine fauna is highly susceptible in polluted ecosystems.
The top five activities and behaviors that pollute water
1- Agricultural runoff
Residues of chemical fertilizers, manures and pesticides in agricultural fields often run off into the nearest bodies of water.
When it rains in these areas, the remaining fertilizers are "washed away" by the rain, and run off to the ground, ending up in nearby lakes, ponds or streams, which affects the purity of the water.
Likewise, the uncontrolled disposal of organic animal waste (fecal waste, for example), can cause the accumulation of nitrates and ammonia in local water bodies.
2- Throwing garbage in inappropriate places
Unfortunately many people do not dispose of household waste in the correct way. This problem is evident, mainly, in urban centers.
Throwing garbage indiscriminately on the street, in green areas, on the banks of rivers or on the edge of any other body of water, directly influences the contamination of this vital resource.
It is extremely important to dispose of organic waste, cleaning products, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and other elements, through the mechanisms designed for this.
This would help considerably to reduce the flow of wastewater, and to minimize water pollution.
3- Urban waste and rainwater
When it rains in the large urban centers, the rainwater course is appreciated; that is, water currents that are not absorbed by the ground.
These waters carry all the dirt from the streets, which includes garbage residues, sewage, oils, organic waste and other polluting elements.
If the city's drainage system is not working properly, stormwater can drain into the nearest bodies of water.
4- Industrial waste
Large factories often deposit chemical waste from their industrial processes in stormwater.
These waters, in turn, carry all the pollutants in the vicinity to the ground level, and the contamination spreads through surface and groundwater.
The most common pollutants from industrial sources are: sulfur, petrochemicals, lead, mercury, oils, nitrates and phosphates.
5- Contamination by plastic elements
The low culture of plastic recycling results in the degradation of plastic being one of the most powerful pollutants in water.
Depending on its composition, a plastic item can take more than 400 years to degrade; Consequently, it is a difficult problem to eradicate and with a long-term effect.
References
- 15 Ways Humans Cause Water Pollution (2017). Recovered from: All-About-Water-Filters.com
- Causes of water pollution (nd). Recovered from: contaminacion-agua.org
- Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al., Editors (2006). DT, Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press.
- Stroupe, A. (2014). Pollution: How Human Behaviors Affect Our Natural Resources. North Carolina, USA. Recovered from: stormwater.horrycounty.org
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Water pollution. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org