Water pollution how to solve

20 Ways to Solve Water Pollution

Water pollution occurs when there are toxic and harmful compounds that contaminate a body of water. This body of water includes the river, the ocean or any other source of water. Water pollution is a serious problem because it causes negative effects to both humans and the environment. It may cause disease and permanent contamination to clean water source. In this article, there are 20 Ways to Solve Water Pollution. These solutions may help to reduce the intensity of water pollution.

1. Avoid Dumping Waste into Rivers

An effective way to solve water pollution is to avoid dumping waste into rivers. This include both solid and liquid waste. Waste contain many materials with harmful chemicals that could contaminate the quality of the water in the river. The more waste there are in the rivers, the more toxic the water becomes. The pollution will continue to spread to other bodies of water when people still dump waste into the river. When dumping waste is stopped the water will gradually start to improve again.

2. Use Natural Fertiliser

There might be a need to use a fertiliser or pesticide for the garden at your home. But there is a downside to that, those things contain toxic chemicals that could runoff into sources of water. Eventually, the water could get heavily polluted and contaminated. It is always a better option to use natural fertiliser or pesticide which could be bought from local farmers. Composting can also be an alternative for chemical fertiliser that could pose less threat to water quality.

3. Cleaning Up Rivers

Rivers can quickly get dirty when people continue to dump waste into them. Before all the waste begins to pile up, it is a good idea to start cleaning up the rivers. Cleaning up rivers can help elevate the toxic materials that are poisoning the water. The clean up can be in the form of directly clearing the waste from the water. Another way to help clean up is by picking up the slightest hint of litter around the river before more trash accumulate and float in the river water.

4. Avoid Disposing Oil into Sinks

It’s never a good idea to throw away any kind of oil into the sink. Most oil accumulation is caused from cooking. It might be convenient to just wash it away in the sink with water but that contributes to water pollution. The oil would eventually end up in a huge body of water and contaminates it. A good way to deal with the oil is by collecting it inside a container and then throw it away in the garbage.

5. Reduce Usage of Machines that Require Water

A lot of our home appliances require water to do their jobs. Examples of those appliances are dishwasher machine as well as washing machine. Both of these machines need a lot of water to work. It’s best to reduce the usage of these machines. A way to do that is by only putting them to work when there is a full load. That will decrease the frequent use of the machines. It also means less water being contaminated with soaps which would eventually flow out into rivers.

6. Use Environmentally Friendly Washing Liquids or Powders

Most washing liquids or powders contain chemicals that are toxic to water. When they get used too much then they could cause an even worse water pollution. A way to solve that is by using environmentally friendly washing liquids or waters. Start using washing soaps that are more environmentally friendly. They might cost more but they’re good for the environment.

7. Use Less Washing Soaps

Since we already know that washing soaps turns clean water into a dirty one, it is best to only use the amount of washing soaps that’s already recommended in the directions. Try to not use more than what is supposed to in order to reduce unclean water. This can also help to reduce the amount of polluted water that has to go into treatments.

8. Use Less Plastic

Plastic takes decades to disintegrate. Unfortunately, it is one of the most used materials in many household items. Once plastic is thrown away, a large amount of it ends up somewhere in the water. When the plastic begins to decay, it starts to leak harmful and toxic chemicals into the water. The water begins to get contaminated. Using less plastic could reduce the amount of plastic waste in water. This means cleaner and healthier water.

9. Avoid Disposing Items in Toilets

Toilet papers are okay to be disposed of in the toilet because they are made with materials that could safely disintegrate once they come in contact with water. What should avoided is disposing items such as medicines like pills. Although they may look small, they chemicals can dissolve in the water. It’s best to throw unused medicines in a special garbage.

10. Vehicle Maintenance

Taking care of your personal vehicle is an important aspect to reduce water pollution. Water is an element that gets affected by the condition of the air in the environment. When a vehicle is not regularly checked, then there could be a high chance that it will emit more harmful gas. The gas will be released in the air. The air gets polluted and it will affect the overall quality of the water around it.

11. Increasing Amount of Plants Around Home

Planting a lot of plants or trees around the home is a way to help solve water pollution. The more they are grown, the better. Trees and other kinds of plants can help in filtrating the water under the ground. Moreover, in case there is a harmful liquid in the water flowing around the home, these trees and plants can help stop the liquid to runoff into nearby clean water sources.

12. Cleaning the Neighbourhood

Sometimes trash or litter can accumulate around homes or the neighbourhood. If the trash are not properly thrown away, then they could cause harmful chemical to spread into clean water sources. For example, when the rain falls, the water will carry away their decaying materials that could end up into rivers. To make sure that this does not happen is by cleaning up the neighbourhood regularly. Make sure that there are no trash lying around which could compile into harmful garbage.

13. Educate Friends and Family Members

Another good step to eliminate water pollution is by bringing more awareness. Start educating friends, family members or anyone else around you about the importance of water quality. Tell them how water pollution can bring a negative long term effect to people and also the environment. When more people start caring about this issue, then a lot of contributions to keep the water clean can be done.

14. Get Involved with Organisations

Start getting involved with organisations concerning the wellbeing of the environment. The organisation does not have to directly be focusing on water quality. It could be an organisation that’s concerned with recycling or other kinds of waste management. After all, a huge cause of water pollution is through poor management of waste. When you’re involved with an organisation, you might be able to reach a bigger action with many people with the same mission.

15. Demand Better Regulation from the Government

The government has more power when it comes to making regulations. Start a petition or demand more attention for better regulation on water quality from the government. When the government gets involved, new or stronger regulations could be formed in order to maintain good quality water.

Other Ways to Solve Water Pollution (16-20)

Here is a list of more ways to solve water pollution which are also important:

These 20 ways of solving the water pollution problem will never work if people are not aware of how serious this issue is. People need to realize that every day we contribute to a huge percentage of water pollution and it needs to stop. These solutions will not be effective if people don’t start to take actions. The smallest act can help in paving the way to solve water pollution.

15 Proven Ways We Can Reduce Water Pollution

Everyone understands that clean water is vitally important. Yet, many things we do can contribute to water pollution in different ways. This post describes some easy and inexpensive ways to protect water by doing certain things at home and in the community.

Dispose of Toxic Chemicals Properly:

Household solvents, pesticides, and cleaners might not seem that bad. But, bleach, paint, paint thinner, ammonia, and many chemicals are becoming a serious problem. If you combine millions of people every month dumping toxic chemicals down the drain or flushing them down the toilet, the effects add up. This is why proper disposal is important. В

Many household chemicals can be recycled. Your community may have a recycling center that can take the old paint, used motor oil, and other chemicals and recycle them. Community collection centers and drop-off sites also exist in some areas. Your community may even have a hazardous waste collection day where those toxic old chemicals can be dropped off for safe disposal.

Shop with Water Pollution in Mind:В

You can avoid issues with household chemicals and pesticides by not buying products that contain persistent and dangerous chemicals in the first place. Many companies now sell non-toxic cleaners and biodegradable cleaners and pesticides. Spending a little extra money on those products automatically cuts down on water pollution.

Do Not Pour Fat and Grease Down the Drain:

Grease, fat, and used cooking oil should be disposed of in the trash or kept in a “fat jar” for disposal with other solid waste. Your pipes might clog and cause sewer pipes to clog and back up into yards and basements. The waste also contaminates local bodies of water.

Use Phosphate-Free Detergent and Dish Cleaner:

You can further cut down on water pollution by using just enough of these cleaners to do the job. Phosphates aren’t the only harmful chemicals in cleaners. Phosphates lead to algae blooms and kill fish and other aquatic animals by reducing the oxygen in the water.В

Check Your Sump Pump or Cellar Drain:

Sometimes these devices drain into the town’s sanitary sewer pipes. This connection dumps biological wastes, heavy metals, cleaning chemicals and more into the system. If you have a sump pump or cellar drain and aren’t sure where they drain to, you should be able to find out by checking with the city’s pollution control department.

Dispose of Medical Waste Properly:

Never flush medicines down the toilet, and never dump them in the nearest pond or creek. The drugs tend to accumulate in the water, and in fish and other wildlife. Hormones and other compounds end up causing a variety of health problems in fish and birds and contaminate drinking water that people and livestock use.

Eat More Organic Food:

While chemicals can be used on organic foods, they tend to be produced with few synthetic chemicals. Eating organic reduces the amount of chemical pollution that ends up in the water. The food we choose to eat has a huge impact on environmental quality, between the chemicals used to grow food, the fuel used to transport the crops, and the fuel used to power farm equipment on industrial farms.

Report Water Polluters:

Many cases of illegal waste disposal and other forms of water pollution go unreported and often aren’t cleaned up. Report people who pour oil in storm drains, toss bags of trash in a stream, and so on. В

Support Environmental Charities:

No matter where you live in the country, there are going to be charities working on watershed protection, water pollution cleanup, and similar causes. Find an organization that’s active in your area and make a donation every year. Your support may even lead to expanded anti-pollution work.

Cut Down on Meat Consumption:

Raising animals for meat takes lots of water for the grains and other foods they need, as well as to keep them alive. Further, the antibiotics and solid waste both tend to end up in groundwater and rivers.

Try to Avoid Plastic Containers:

Keep Your Vehicles from Leaking:

Oil and other fluids leak from motor vehicles and end up in the local water table, or running off into creeks and streams. This runoff problem is easy to treat; just be diligent about maintaining and repairing your vehicles. Leaky seals, hoses, and gaskets tend to cause expensive mechanical problems anyway, so replacing the worn parts can save you money.

Cut Down on the Chemicals:

Homeowners like to keep the yard looking green and healthy. This desire for a green lawn produces water pollution in two ways: Fertilizers and pesticides inevitably run off the shrubs and lawns and into the water. Select landscaping that is adapted to the climate. No matter where you live, there are bound to be attractive plants that can thrive with minimal help from added chemicals. This makes the plants cheaper to care for. As a bonus, you will waste less water keeping those plants alive.

Plant Some Trees:

Trees reduce erosion that washes pollution into the water and reduces erosion. You can also volunteer your time in a local tree-planting effort. If you own land along a river or pond, plant trees, bushes, or grass along the bank.

Help Clean Up Beaches and Rivers:

Supporting charities devoted to protecting the water is important because they can do work that is beyond the power of the average homeowner. If you choose not to donate money, or really can’t afford it, volunteer to help plant trees or clean up the local river or help collect leftover chemicals from local residents. Some environmental groups might have collection days where they need volunteer labor.

Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know

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British poet W. H. Auden once noted, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” Yet while we all know water is crucial for life, we trash it anyway. Some 80 percent of the world’s wastewater is dumped—largely untreated—back into the environment, polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans.

This widespread problem of water pollution is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Meanwhile, our drinkable water sources are finite: Less than 1 percent of the earth’s freshwater is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050, when global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now.

Still, we’re not hopeless against the threat to clean water. To better understand the problem and what we can do about it, here’s an overview of what water pollution is, what causes it, and how we can protect ourselves.

What Is Water Pollution?

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.

What Are the Causes of Water Pollution?

Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,” water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on earth. It’s the reason we have Kool-Aid and brilliant blue waterfalls. It’s also why water is so easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, causing water pollution.

Types of Water Pollution

Groundwater

When rain falls and seeps deep into the earth, filling the cracks, crevices, and porous spaces of an aquifer (basically an underground storehouse of water), it becomes groundwater—one of our least visible but most important natural resources. Nearly 40 percent of Americans rely on groundwater, pumped to the earth’s surface, for drinking water. For some folks in rural areas, it’s their only freshwater source. Groundwater gets polluted when contaminants—from pesticides and fertilizers to waste leached from landfills and septic systems—make their way into an aquifer, rendering it unsafe for human use. Ridding groundwater of contaminants can be difficult to impossible, as well as costly. Once polluted, an aquifer may be unusable for decades, or even thousands of years. Groundwater can also spread contamination far from the original polluting source as it seeps into streams, lakes, and oceans.

Surface water

Covering about 70 percent of the earth, surface water is what fills our oceans, lakes, rivers, and all those other blue bits on the world map. Surface water from freshwater sources (that is, from sources other than the ocean) accounts for more than 60 percent of the water delivered to American homes. But a significant pool of that water is in peril. According to the most recent surveys on national water quality from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nearly half of our rivers and streams and more than one-third of our lakes are polluted and unfit for swimming, fishing, and drinking. Nutrient pollution, which includes nitrates and phosphates, is the leading type of contamination in these freshwater sources. While plants and animals need these nutrients to grow, they have become a major pollutant due to farm waste and fertilizer runoff. Municipal and industrial waste discharges contribute their fair share of toxins as well. There’s also all the random junk that industry and individuals dump directly into waterways.

Ocean water

Eighty percent of ocean pollution (also called marine pollution) originates on land—whether along the coast or far inland. Contaminants such as chemicals, nutrients, and heavy metals are carried from farms, factories, and cities by streams and rivers into our bays and estuaries; from there they travel out to sea. Meanwhile, marine debris—particularly plastic—is blown in by the wind or washed in via storm drains and sewers. Our seas are also sometimes spoiled by oil spills and leaks—big and small—and are consistently soaking up carbon pollution from the air. The ocean absorbs as much as a quarter of man-made carbon emissions.

Point source

When contamination originates from a single source, it’s called point source pollution. Examples include wastewater (also called effluent) discharged legally or illegally by a manufacturer, oil refinery, or wastewater treatment facility, as well as contamination from leaking septic systems, chemical and oil spills, and illegal dumping. The EPA regulates point source pollution by establishing limits on what can be discharged by a facility directly into a body of water. While point source pollution originates from a specific place, it can affect miles of waterways and ocean.

Nonpoint source

Nonpoint source pollution is contamination derived from diffuse sources. These may include agricultural or stormwater runoff or debris blown into waterways from land. Nonpoint source pollution is the leading cause of water pollution in U.S. waters, but it’s difficult to regulate, since there’s no single, identifiable culprit.

Transboundary

It goes without saying that water pollution can’t be contained by a line on a map. Transboundary pollution is the result of contaminated water from one country spilling into the waters of another. Contamination can result from a disaster—like an oil spill—or the slow, downriver creep of industrial, agricultural, or municipal discharge.

The Most Common Types of Water Contamination

Agricultural

Not only is the agricultural sector the biggest consumer of global freshwater resources, with farming and livestock production using about 70 percent of the earth’s surface water supplies, but it’s also a serious water polluter. Around the world, agriculture is the leading cause of water degradation. In the United States, agricultural pollution is the top source of contamination in rivers and streams, the second-biggest source in wetlands, and the third main source in lakes. It’s also a major contributor of contamination to estuaries and groundwater. Every time it rains, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations wash nutrients and pathogens—such bacteria and viruses—into our waterways. Nutrient pollution, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water or air, is the number-one threat to water quality worldwide and can cause algal blooms, a toxic soup of blue-green algae that can be harmful to people and wildlife.

Sewage and wastewater

Used water is wastewater. It comes from our sinks, showers, and toilets (think sewage) and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities (think metals, solvents, and toxic sludge). The term also includes stormwater runoff, which occurs when rainfall carries road salts, oil, grease, chemicals, and debris from impermeable surfaces into our waterways

More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations; in some least-developed countries, the figure tops 95 percent. In the United States, wastewater treatment facilities process about 34 billion gallons of wastewater per day. These facilities reduce the amount of pollutants such as pathogens, phosphorus, and nitrogen in sewage, as well as heavy metals and toxic chemicals in industrial waste, before discharging the treated waters back into waterways. That’s when all goes well. But according to EPA estimates, our nation’s aging and easily overwhelmed sewage treatment systems also release more than 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater each year.

Oil pollution

Big spills may dominate headlines, but consumers account for the vast majority of oil pollution in our seas, including oil and gasoline that drips from millions of cars and trucks every day. Moreover, nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into marine environments each year comes not from tanker spills but from land-based sources such as factories, farms, and cities. At sea, tanker spills account for about 10 percent of the oil in waters around the world, while regular operations of the shipping industry—through both legal and illegal discharges—contribute about one-third. Oil is also naturally released from under the ocean floor through fractures known as seeps.

Radioactive substances

What Are the Effects of Water Pollution?

On human health

To put it bluntly: Water pollution kills. In fact, it caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015, according to a study published in The Lancet. Contaminated water can also make you ill. Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people. And low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes are often closest to the most polluting industries.

Waterborne pathogens, in the form of disease-causing bacteria and viruses from human and animal waste, are a major cause of illness from contaminated drinking water. Diseases spread by unsafe water include cholera, giardia, and typhoid. Even in wealthy nations, accidental or illegal releases from sewage treatment facilities, as well as runoff from farms and urban areas, contribute harmful pathogens to waterways. Thousands of people across the United States are sickened every year by Legionnaires’ disease (a severe form of pneumonia contracted from water sources like cooling towers and piped water), with cases cropping up from California’s Disneyland to Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Todd McInturf/The Detroit News/AP

Meanwhile, the plight of residents in Flint, Michigan—where cost-cutting measures and aging water infrastructure created a lead contamination crisis—offers a stark look at how dangerous chemical and other industrial pollutants in our water can be. The problem goes far beyond Flint and involves much more than lead, as a wide range of chemical pollutants—from heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers—are getting into our water supplies. Once they’re ingested, these toxins can cause a host of health issues, from cancer to hormone disruption to altered brain function. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk.

Even swimming can pose a risk. Every year, 3.5 million Americans contract health issues such as skin rashes, pinkeye, respiratory infections, and hepatitis from sewage-laden coastal waters, according to EPA estimates.

On the environment

In order to thrive, healthy ecosystems rely on a complex web of animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi—all of which interact, directly or indirectly, with each other. Harm to any of these organisms can create a chain effect, imperiling entire aquatic environments.

When water pollution causes an algal bloom in a lake or marine environment, the proliferation of newly introduced nutrients stimulates plant and algae growth, which in turn reduces oxygen levels in the water. This dearth of oxygen, known as eutrophication, suffocates plants and animals and can create “dead zones,” where waters are essentially devoid of life. In certain cases, these harmful algal blooms can also produce neurotoxins that affect wildlife, from whales to sea turtles.

Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater contaminate waterways as well. These contaminants are toxic to aquatic life—most often reducing an organism’s life span and ability to reproduce—and make their way up the food chain as predator eats prey. That’s how tuna and other big fish accumulate high quantities of toxins, such as mercury.

Marine ecosystems are also threatened by marine debris, which can strangle, suffocate, and starve animals. Much of this solid debris, such as plastic bags and soda cans, gets swept into sewers and storm drains and eventually out to sea, turning our oceans into trash soup and sometimes consolidating to form floating garbage patches. Discarded fishing gear and other types of debris are responsible for harming more than 200 different species of marine life.

Meanwhile, ocean acidification is making it tougher for shellfish and coral to survive. Though they absorb about a quarter of the carbon pollution created each year by burning fossil fuels, oceans are becoming more acidic. This process makes it harder for shellfish and other species to build shells and may impact the nervous systems of sharks, clownfish, and other marine life.

What Can You Do to Prevent Water Pollution?

With your actions

We’re all accountable to some degree for today’s water pollution problem. Fortunately, there are some simple ways you can prevent water contamination or at least limit your contribution to it:

With your voice

One of the most effective ways to stand up for our waters is to speak out in support of the Clean Water Act, which has helped hold polluters accountable for five decades—despite attempts by destructive industries to gut its authority. But we also need regulations that keep pace with modern-day challenges, including microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants our wastewater treatment plants weren’t built to handle, not to mention polluted water that’s dumped untreated.

Tell the federal government, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and your local elected officials that you support water protections and investments in infrastructure, like wastewater treatment, lead-pipe removal programs, and stormwater-abating green infrastructure. Also, learn how you and those around you can get involved in the policymaking process. Our public waterways serve every one of us. We should all have a say in how they’re protected.

This story was originally published on May 14, 2018, and has been updated with new information and links.

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Solutions to water pollution

How to improve water quality?

Water pollution can take various forms. Discover its main causes and effects, but also technological solutions and how you can contribute to solve it.

Water pollution is one the main environmental issues that we are facing, as more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is water-covered.

What causes water pollution? What are its effects? And what are the possible solutions to prevent water pollution?

Water pollution solutions

The Solar Impulse Label is granted to innovative solutions to water pollution that meet high standards of sustainability and profitability.

Each solution goes through a strict assessment process performed by independent experts.

Modern dry toilets

A new modern dry toilets

OptiClean

A sensor enabling online measurement of cip station

SafeWaterAfrica

Autonomous and decentralised water purification system for rural Africa

Activ’Nutrition

A biostimulant to improve plant development by enhancing nutrient uptake and utilization.

tru Shrimp

A more sustainable aquaculture process to provide the world with healthy Shrimps

OptiML

A machine learning predictive modeling software for the chemical industry

iBarrierTM Anti-Corrosion Coating

High-performance, longest lasting anti-corrosion paint without using any toxic heavy-metals

1001 fontaines

A sustainable water enterprise based on decentralization of water production and distribution

Water Saving Aerators

A sustainable water saving aerator used in hand washes & sinks

LORENTZ solar water pumps

Using the sun to pump water for people, livestock and crops worldwide

Oceo Water

Access to clean drinking water that is sustainable, intelligent and affordable

City Boats Lisbon

An alternative city river and lake transportation for touristic activities

What can you do?

Submit your solution

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Do you know an innovative company developing efficient solutions? Let our team know about them

What is water pollution?

Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of a stream, river, lake, ocean or any other stretch of water, depleting water quality and making it toxic for the environment and humans.

There are two types of water pollution:

Water pollution causes

Sewage and wastewater

Inadequate sewage collection and treatment are sources of water pollution. According to the United Nations, more than 80% of the worldwide wastewater goes back in the environment without being treated or reused.

Urbanization and deforestation

Even though it does not have a direct impact on water quality, urbanization and deforestation have a lot of indirect effects. For instance, cutting down trees and concreting over large areas generates an acceleration of flows which does not give enough time for water to infiltrate and be purified by the ground.

Agriculture has an impact on water pollution due to the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or insecticides running off in the water, as well as livestock excrement, manure and methane (greenhouse effect). Regarding aquaculture, pollution is directly in the water, as excess food and fertilizers are causing dystrophication.

Industries produce a lot of waste containing toxic chemicals and pollutants. A huge amount of the industrial waste is drained in the fresh water which then flows into canals, rivers and eventually in the sea. Another source of water pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, causing air pollution like acid rain which then flows to streams, lakes, and other stretches of water.

Everyday, garbage such as plastic, paper, aluminum, food, glass, or rubber are deposited into the sea. These items take weeks to hundreds of years to decompose, and thus they are a major cause for water pollution.

Water pollution effects

On the environment

On human health

Water pollution has very negative effects on public health. A lot of diseases result from drinking or being in contact with contaminated water, such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery or skin infections. In zones where there is no available drinking water, the main risk is dehydration obviously.

Water pollution prevention

How to solve water pollution? How can water pollution be prevented? Here’s a list of water pollution solutions:

1. Wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment consists of removing pollutants from wastewater through a physical, chemical or biological process. The more efficient these processes are, the cleaner the water becomes.

2. Green agriculture

Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of water resources, so it is essential to have climate-friendly crops, efficient irrigation that reduces the need for water and energy-efficient food production. Green agriculture is also crucial to limit the chemicals that enter the water.

3. Stormwater management

Stormwater management is the effort to reduce runoff of rainwater or melted snow into streets, lawns and other sites and the improvement of water quality” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is important to avoid pollutants from contaminating the water and helps to use water more efficiently.

4. Air pollution prevention

Air pollution has a direct impact on water contamination as 25% of human induced CO2 emissions are absorbed by oceans. This pollution causes a rapid acidification of our oceans, and threatens marine life and corals. Preventing air pollution is the best way to prevent this from happening.

5. Plastic waste reduction

80% of plastic in our oceans is from land sources. In order to reduce the amount of plastic entering our ocean, we need to both reduce our use of plastic globally, and to improve plastic waste management.

6. Water conservation

Without water conservation, we won’t go very far. It is central in making sure the world has better access to clean water. It means being aware that water is a scarce resource, taking care of it accordingly, and managing it responsibly.

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How to Control Water Pollution

Water is the basis of the life of all living beings. With the development of modern human civilization, the problem of water pollution has become a serious issue. There is a growing trend of industrialization and urbanization. The villages are fast being transformed into cities and urban clusters with the establishment of various industries in and around, leading to over-exploitation and contamination of water resources. Initially, when various technologies were not developed, the people used to live in the lap of the nature, but with the fast paced development and emergence of industrialization, water pollution has assumed alarming proportions.

Due to rapidly growing population, construction of flats on mass scale is a growing trend in the cities to accommodate the rising population, as in a flat a family of three to six people can live easily. However, in these flats the need of water is high and there is growing pressure on groundwater reserves. Unchecked borings and the consequent excessive pumping in coastal areas can cause saltwater to move inland and upward, leading to contamination of the water supply.

Steps to prevent water pollution / Ways to reduce water pollution

Highly contaminated water coming out from the industries and their leftover chemical residues, etc are also discharged into the river through drains. Waste generated, due to daily activities of the people living in the houses, are also thrown into the rivers which leaves the river’s water highly polluted. If we have to control water pollution, we will have to find out a way out, and devise laws and strategies.

Enforcing Laws to Prevent Water Pollution

We should strictly follow all the laws regarding water pollution

The legislative provisions, such as the Water Act 1974 and Control of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Act 1986 are there but these have not been implemented effectively and so we will have to get these implemented strictly for effective prevention of water pollution. Water Cess Act 1977 is another important law which aims to reduce and prevent water pollution; however, its effects have been limited. Apart from the laws, creating awareness about the impacts of water pollution is required. Through public awareness and effective implementation of established laws, water pollution can be reduced very effectively.

Industries should behave more responsibly

Many industries directly flow their waste everywhere which reaches rivers through rain water. To prevent water pollution from industrial wastes, it is required that these wastes should be disposed of properly. Some industries follow this rule, and they either destroy the remaining material, or re-use it safely. In addition to applying these methods, industries are required to bring about changes into their methods of manufacturing to prevent water pollution. But not all the industries are following these norms. Most of them throw their wastes into the rivers which is a dangerous scenario as far as water pollution is concerned, as all these wastes finally affected the water animals as well as the humans.

Avoiding hazardous material

It is also extremely important to adopt the correct methods of the disposal of toxic wastes. In the places where paints, cleaning and stain removal chemicals are used, it is required to arrange for the safe disposal of the wastes and the contaminated water coming out of these factories. Oil spill from cars, other vehicles and the machines are required to be stopped completely.

Oil leak from the cars and other machines have posed bigger threat and these have become major contributors for water pollution. So, it is important to take care of cars and machines. Oil leak from the factories are also required to be stopped after the completion of the work in factories. These factories are required to apply all the ways for the safe disposal and clearance of the oil.

Cleaning of drains

To prevent water pollution, the drains are required to be cleaned on a regular basis. In the rural areas, pucca drains are required to be made, because the water is going everywhere in a chaotic manner; it finally reaches the rivers and canals with tons of garbage and pollutants. We should develop a technology to keep the drains away from the water sources.

Recycling and Reuse of water

Re-cycling and re-use are other ways to prevent water pollution which can improve the availability of fresh water. The use of low quality water, such as treated wastewater in the industries and for washing utensils and gardening makes the fresh water less contaminated. Such water can also be used for washing vehicles and we should use only good quality water for drinking purposes. Currently, water recycling is being only in a limited manner. So, we will have to stress more on proper recycling and reuse of water to prevent water pollution.

Preventing soil erosion

To prevent water from getting polluted, we are also required to prevent soil erosion. If there is soil conservation, we can stop water pollution up to some extent. We will have to plant more trees to stop soil erosion. We must adopt such methods which can cultivate the soil and improve the health of the environment.

Making Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a success

There is need to implement Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in totality and make India open defecation free. Presently, the problem of open defecation and the dumping of garbage in public places still continue. When it rains, all the dirt, garbage and excreta get into streams or ponds, polluting water sources. Otherwise too, people themselves flow waste materials into rivers or ponds in the absence of proper drainage system. Ponds and rivers are also used for bathing and washing purposes due to which huge quantity of dirt and pollutants get accumulated into the water bodies. Moreover, due to these activities, garbage, excreta, ashes of the dead old clothes and soiled materials are discharged into rivers and even sometimes dead bodies are also thrown into the rivers and water bodies. There are virtually no toilets in the slum settlements located near city-dwellings, or even if there is one, it is not able to function smoothly. This calls for practising good hygiene in the true spirit of Swachh Bharat.

Cleaning of water ways and the beaches

Cleaning is required on a regular basis as water of the rivers, ponds and even the groundwater has also been contaminated by humans. Even the humans have not spared the ocean water, making it polluted. Travel through sea, growing preferences for residing near sea shores has resulted into several small and big settlements near seas which has made the pollution of sea water a rising concern. For their livelihood many people are selling different contents to the tourists and they throw the residue at sea shores and thus the water of the sea become polluted.

The temporary settlements near the sea normally do not have toilets which is why these people defecate in the water of the ocean and the people also throw their household garbage in ocean waters. After cleaning up their mess the ships also throw their garbage into the water. Sometimes, accidents of the ships also takes place into the sea and thus various chemical substances and oil get spilled over the sea water leaving long term impact on the creatures living in water.

Due to contamination of water some organisms die immediately and make water more polluted. The consumption of these aquatic organisms living in polluted sea water also makes the humans go sick. Developed countries also throw their e-wastes and poisonous garbage into the sea and thus sea water gets badly contaminated.

Need for living in harmony with nature

Man has forgotten that his existence on this Earth is because of the nature and environment. The human negligence is also a major cause of environmental pollution. Various species and organisms of the water naturally die due to humans bathing in the water and thus making it polluted. Household wastes and industrial waste also add to the problem. It is time for learning sustainable ways of living.

Adopting organic farming

The farmers should stop using various chemical fertilizers in their fields to get a bumper harvest or spraying pesticides on their crops for this purpose. When it rains all chemicals goes into the ponds and rivers through rain water and thus water bodies get heavily polluted.

How to stop water pollution / how can we prevent water pollution?

Water pollution control methods at a glance: