Causes and Effects of Contaminated Water
Although water is abundant in supply throughout the world — and you are likely to have excess where you live except if you live in a desert — it may not be useful at all time and in some places.
This is because most people don’t append the importance of water to it nor do they treat it as it should.
This has resulted in a situation where water is considered as something you want to totally avoid or drink and that is totally dependent on how you treat your own water.
It is easy for an unkempt water to become contaminated and when it is, it can be disastrous not only to your health but also to the environment.
This is why some green conscious organisation are trying to raise awareness about treating water as you treat other items that you consume. While the awareness is growing among the populace, there is still a lot to be desired.
Usually contaminated water can be prevented and the effects stalled — only when you know what can cause it to become polluted and how to prevent that from happening. In these few paragraphs, you will learn what you need to do to ensure you have safe and clean water.
Causes of Contaminated Water
One of the biggest causes contaminated water is pollution. Often rivers, oceans, reservoirs, ponds — which are the main sources of water for us on earth — are polluted by industrial action where chemicals which are harmful are deposited into these bodies of water.
In fact, this abuse happens on a daily bases and there have been only meager effort made towards stopping the malady. Individuals are not left out as most are often found dumping items such as soda cans, plastics, and rotten food into water further worsening the condition of surrounding water.
Because the cleanliness of water is largely determined by the environment, it is not uncommon to cite the Third World Countries especially India and Africa where the environment encourages hearten adulteration of water.
Every year we hear stories of how thousands of children die as a result of ingesting water that is polluted.
And this is does not leave out the more developed countries as more stringent measures are being adopted by governments to curtail the rising occurrence of contaminated water even in urban settlements.
The Effects
Talking about the effects of contaminated water might take us to another realm because of the complexities that are now attached. To explain it vividly, let’s look at the food chain and how the adulterated water can pass the effect onto us.
When a body of water is contaminated, the fishes get contaminated too. As a result, the people that consume these fishes are not safe from being contaminated too even after cooking them — as that only reduces the chemicals and harmful properties.
This might lead to disastrous result for someone who consumes a lot of fish. Another possible effect is the spread of cholera and other water borne diseases, which are not restricted to Africa along but gradually gobbling up the rest of the world.
Prevention
One of the ways of preventing the aftermath of contaminated water is to use a water softener but these are only effective to an level. One of the proposed ways of preventing outbreak is also by reporting plants that are affecting the environment.
Most governments have also setup up different reward and punishing incentives for companies such that companies that violate the regulations are either blocked from operation or fined.
