ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES(ES)

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Lesson 16: Water pollution

Sources of water pollution

• Point source pollution: When a source of pollution can be readily identified because it has a definite source and place where it enters the water it is said to come from a point source. It refers to contaminants that enter a water way through a discreet conveyance, such as pipe or ditch.
  E.g. municipal and industrial discharge pipes; pollutants are organics or metals
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Non point source pollution: When a source of pollution cannot be readily identified such as agricultural run off, acid rain etc., they are said to be non – point sources of pollution. It refers to the diffuse contamination that doesn’t originate from a single discreet source. It is often a cumulative effect of small amount of contaminants gathered from a large area.|
  E.g. agricultural runoff, acid rain etc.; pollutants are sediment, pesticides or nitrates