Water is one of the basic needs of man in order to live; thus, without water every individual cannot survive and live. It is been part of man’s daily living where water (fresh water) is used for drinking, washing, watering, cleaning and other household uses. But most people globally do not know how to take care the water resources. People tend to litter everywhere and many factories dispose their toxic waste in the rivers, seas and oceans that affect the marine life. Toxic wastes make the bodies of water contaminated (polluted) and if this will happen more frequently, there is no doubt that man cannot longer drink fresh water in the future.
There are a lot of harmful effects when water resources are already contaminated. Many years ago, bodies of water were clean. People used to catch many kinds of fishes and shells. People enjoyed swimming in the cool and clean water. But recently, rivers in the cities are foul-smelling. Fishermen do not catch plenty of fish from the nearby rivers anymore. Children are no longer allowed to take a bath in the rivers. Housewives no longer wash their laundry in the river. There were many times when we heard that some fishermen complained of fishkill.
It means that suddenly they see al fish in their fish pen dead ad floating. They point to industrial wastes as the culprit. Moreover, substances that contaminate the water enter the ocean by accident, carelessness, and the deliberate dumping of waste. Rivers and lakes become contaminated or polluted by bad practices. Furthermore, we should take care for the waters just like the ocean. The ocean provides us with many necessities like food, recreation, and routes for transportation. It also helps keep our environment healthful. It is therefore very significant that we show care and concern for our water.
Some people say that the oceans and seas are so vast that they can accumulate much garbage. They believe that the bodies of water can cleanse themselves forever. However, these bodies of water have their own limit. They can absorb pollutants up to a certain limit only. Beyond that, they die. If we allow the water sources to be contaminated, we shall suffer so much. We may even die slowly of diseases. The intents of this paper are to: (1) understand what water contamination really is and; (2) figure out the health impacts of water contamination.
A. Water contamination Water contamination is also recognized as “water pollution”. Water pollution “is a large set of diverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities”. This would mean that human beings’ negligence and irresponsibility are the major reasons why our water is contaminated. Water contamination has numerous characteristics and causes. Organic wastes like farm waste and sewage promote “high oxygen demands” that lead to oxygen depletion which has severe effects on our ecosystem.
Contaminants in water may include insecticides and herbicides, bacteria that come from a sewage, food processing waste that include pathogens, VOCs from inadequate storage, heavy metals, acidity and other inorganic water pollutants (see “Water pollution”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 16, 2006). B. Health impacts of water contamination Water-contamination can cause water-borne diseases. Water-borne diseases are contagious diseases that are primarily disseminated by contaminated water. Even though these diseases may be disseminated through filth or flies, water is the main source for the dissemination of these kinds of diseases.
Majority of the intestinal diseases are contagious and are carried through faecal waste. Pathogens including virus, protozoa, parasitic worms and bacteria are “disease-producing agents” that can be found in faeces of infected individual. These kinds of diseases are mostly found in areas that have “poor sanitary conditions”. Then, the pathogens are carried through water sources and scatters quickly through individuals’ handling of water and food (see “Health Impacts of Water Pollution”). IV. Conclusion Every citizen of each country should be responsible enough to keep our water clean and safe to use.
Even young ones must be trained to maintain the cleanliness of our water. Moreover, every individual must dispose his/her garbage properly to avoid water contamination. We should not throw our trash into the bodies of water. We should also learn how to use sanitary toilets for eliminating wastes. Sewage and chemical wastes must be treated first before dumping them. And everyone should participate in campaigns against water contamination. Some people may not know the dangers of water contamination (pollution). We may also help in information dissemination.
References: “Water pollution”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 16, 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution