Aquatic Pollution and Coastal Zone Managememnt (2+1)

Unit 1 : Classification of aquatic pollution

1.9.2.Chemical Pollution of Water

The chemical pollution of water causes changes in acidity and alkalinity or pH, dissolved oxygen and other gases in water. It may be caused either by organic pollutants or inorganic pollutants or by both.Organic pollutants can be biodegradable or non-biodegradable.

Biodegradable organic pollutants
These pollutants include

• Proteins from domestic sewage waste from canneries and slaughterhouses
• Fats from sewage, soap production, food processing and wool processing
• Carbohydrates, sugars, starch etc from sewage, textiles mills and paper mills
• Polymers, resins, coal, oil and various other organic substances found in domestic and industrial wastes and those synthetic compounds which are non-toxic to some microorganisms.

Non-biodegradable organic pollutants
These pollutants are those which persist in the aquatic system for a long time.for example, pesticides, fungicides, bactericides, herbicides, insecticides, nematocides, rodenticides, miticides, etc. Through the use of these organic compounds, toxic chemicals ultimately find their way into the nearby water course.
Several gases, toxic metals and compounds have been included in inorganic pollutants, because they also degrade water quality seriously.