SOME TIPS ON HOW TO PREVENT WATER POLLUTION!!!

1. conserve water by turning it off if there is no need for it. this can prevent water shortage and also reduce the amount of polluted water that needs to be treated.
2. one must be aware of what they are throwing down the sink or toilet. do not throw paints, oil or any form of litter down the drain.
3. use environmentally household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents and toiletries.
4. do not overuse pesticides and fertiliser, which will prevent the running off of it into water bodies and so the water will not be contaminated.
5. by having more plants in one own garden, you are preventing the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and also prevent them from running off to water bodies, contaminating the water.
6. do not litter in water bodies. help to pick litter both water bodies and those near them but one must make sure that the litter is safe to collect and thrown in a nearby dustbin.

MORE PHOTOS OF WATER POLLUTION!!!!! :)

CONSEQUENCES OF WATER POLLUTION

all kinds of water pollution is harmful to the health of animals and humans. water pollution does not hurt humans or animals health straight away, it will affect their healths after they are expose to it for a long period of time. they are different forms of water pollutants that affect animal's and human's health in different ways written below:

• heavy metal produce during the industrial processes can gather up in nearby water bodies. there are poisonous to health of marine life like fish and shellfish, and then harm people who consume them. heavy metal can slow development, result in birth defects and some are carcinogenic (deathly).
• waste produce from industries often contains many poisonous compounds that harms the health of the marine life and those who consume them. some of this poisonous compund may be not be fatal but others can be. they can cause immune suppression, reproductive failure or acute poisoning.
• microbial pollutants found in sewages causes infectious diseases that affect marine life and humans who drink this water. microbial water pollution is a huge problem in well developed countries, with illnesses such cholera and typhoid fever being the primary cause of infant mortality (death).
• organic matter and nutrients result to increase reproduction of aerobic algae and the volume of oxygen will decrease in the water. this results to suffocation of marine life such as fish and other aquatic organisms that requires oxygen.
• sulphate particles resulted from acid rain may harm the health of marine life if it contaminates water bodies and can result in mortality (death).
• suspended particles in freshwater reduces the quality of drinking water for humans and marine life. suspended particles could also block some of the sunlight to reach the aquatic plants beneath them, causing the process of photosynthesis to be disrupted and it also affect the growth of other micro-organisms.

EUTROPHICATION

eutrophication is caused when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients. this causes problems for the marine habitats such as lakes as it can cause algal blooms. the process of how algal bloom is formed is written below:

• farmers often uses fetilisers for their crops, and sometimes this fertilisers might run-off into nearby water bodies, which increases the nutrient level of the water.
• this causes phytoplankton to grow and reproduce more faster, which result to the form of algal blooms.
• this algae may use up all the oxygen and may leave none for the other marine lifes which requires oxygen in the water to live.
• as they become to spread, they would cover the surface of the water, blocking aquatic plants under the algae to take in sunlight for photosynthesis.
• some algae may produce poisonous subatances risking the stake of harming higher forms of life. this can cause problems for the food chain and affect any animal that consumes them.

GLOBAL WARMING

global warming causes the water temperature to increase, and with the increasing temperature, many marine habitats will be destroyed. examples are coral bleaching of reefs, which is caused as coral expels the microorganisms of which it is independent on, which obviously caused a great damage to coral reefs. the other marine life that depended on it will also be affected.

global warming: is a process when the average global temperature increases due to the greenhouse effect. greenhouse gases can be released into the environment when fossil fuels is getting burned, examples of such greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. this gas causes heat given off by the sun, to be 'trapped' in the Earth's atmosphere and consequently the Earth's temperature rises.

ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION

• water pollution caused by air pollution is known as atmospheric deposition. 
• in the atmosphere, water molecules combine with carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, this forms a weak acid.
• air pollution means that water vapour in the atmosphere is taking in more of this harmful gases and becoming even more acidic.
• so when it rains, the rain which was acidic pollutes the water.
• when water bodies is contaminated by the acidic rain, it pollutes marine habitats such as rivers, lakes and sea. hence, marine life is affected.

UNDERGROUND STORAGE LEAKAGES

underground storage tank (UST) is a tank or piping network that has at least 10% of its volume underground. they often contains substances like petroleum, that are harmful to the environment if it is released to the environment. many UST that are built before 1980, are made of steel and are directly exposed to the environment, as time pass the steel will corrode and cause leakages. hence, harmful substances will leak out, affecting surrounding soil and groundwater.

RADIOACTIVE WASTE

industrial, medical and scientific processes uses radioactive materials which produces nuclear/radioactive waste. nuclear waste can have detrimental (harmful) effects on marine habitats. there are some examples of sources that produces nuclear waste below:

• nuclear power stations conducts procedure that produces radioactive waste.
• mining and refining (purifying) of uranium and thorium are also causing marine nuclear waste.
• waste is also produced in the nuclear fuel cycle, which is the series of industrial processes which involve the production of electricity from uranium in nuclear power reactors.

MARINE DUMPING

dumping things in water bodies is a serious problem for many countries like singapore, as things can get caught in marine animals and may result in death. different objects take different timing to degrade in water and there are some examples provided below:

• cardboard - takes 2 weeks to degrade
• newspaper - takes 6 weeks to degrade
• photodegradable packaging - takes 6 weeks to degrade
• foam - takes 50 years to degrade
• styrofoam - takes 80 years to degrade
• aluminium - takes 200 years to degrade
• plastic packaging - takes 400 years to degrade
• glass - the time needed for it to degrade is unknown as it takes a very long time.

POLLUTED WATER BODIES

OIL POLLUTION

oceans are polluted by oil which are caused by oil spills, routine shipping, run-offs and dumping, which happens regularly. it is also a serious problem for many countries like singapore

• 12% of the oil discharge in the ocean is cause by oil spills while the rest comes from shipping, drains and dumping.
• oil spills from a tanker is a serious problem because a huge amount of oil is spreaded in a particular area.
• oil spills not only affect humans live but also the marine wildlife such as fish, bird and aquatic plants.
• oil cannot dissolve in water hence it forms a thick layer on the water surface. this causes suffocation to fish, prevents the feathers of a bird from moving so it cannot fly and prevents the aquatic plants from taking in sunlight, hence they cannot photosynthesise.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE

One of the huge source of water pollution is waste produce from industries, it produces pollutants that are very dangerous to the people and the environment. it is a serious problem for many countries like singapore.

• facilities in industry use freshwater to carry away waste from the plant and into water bodies.
• pollutants from industrial sources include:  

1. Abestos - this pollutant is a serious health hazard and carcinogenic. asbestos fibres can be inhaled and cause illnesses such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, intestinal cancer and liver cancer. 
2. lead - this is a metallic element and can cause health and enviromental problems. it is  non-biodegradable substance so it is hard to break it down. when it contaminated the environment, it might harm the health of many animals, including humans, as it can prevent the action of bodily enzymes. 
3. mercury - this is also a metallic element and similarly, it can cause health and environmental problems. it is also non-biodegradable. mercury is harmful to animal's health as it can diseases through mercury poisoning.
4. nitrates - more nitrates are often being washed from the soil and into water bodies due the increase use of fertilisers. this can result to eutrophication , which can greatly affect marine environments. 
5. phosphates - this substance affect the environment similarly as the nitrates. 
6. sulphur - this is a non-metallic substance that is harmful to the marine environment. 
7. oils - oil forms a think layer on the water surface, which prevents the marine plants from taking in light for photosynthesis. it is also harmful for fish and marine birds. 
8. petrochemicals - this is produce from gas or petrol and can be poisonus to marine life. 

                                                                               

SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER

1) sewage is used as a term for wastewater often contains faeces, urine and laundry waste.
2) there many people on earth, so the handling of sewage is someting that is treated seriously.
3) this major issue on sewage had caused people in developed countries, like singapore, with no access to sanitary conditions and clean water
4) untreated sewage can contaminate the environment and cause diseases such as diarrhoea.
5) sewage from the homes, in developed countries, are carried straight away and hygienically through sewage pipes
6) sewage is treated in water treatment plants and the waste is usually disposed into the sea.
7) sewage is mainly biodegradable and most of it is broken down in the environment.
8)  In developed countries like singapore, sewage often causes problems when people flush chemical and and pharmaceutical (drugs) substances down the toilet. when people gets sick, sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacteria into the environment causing health problems.

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

1) sewage and wastewater
2) industrial waste
3) oil pollution
4) marine dumping
5) radioactive waste
6) underground storage leakages
7) atmospheric deposition
8) global warming
9) eutrophication