Causes of Water Pollution

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
  • Sewage and Other Wastes
    • Sewage is a wastewater coming out from domestic waste and animal or food processing plants. It includes human excreta, paper, cloth, soap, detergents, etc. Due to accumulation of sewage and other wastes, it loses its self purification capacity and microorganisms can not live it. It has very high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).

Sweage water

  • Eutrophication
    • Domestic sewage contain large amount of phosphates, nitrates and other nutrients and thus it become nutrient rich. The water bodies become highly productive or eutrophic and the phenomenon is known as eutrophication. It stimulates the luxuriant growth of algae in water. It completes with other aquatic forms, leading of depletion of oxygen. Further the algal growth releases some toxic chemicals, which kills fish, birds and other animals , thus water begins to stink.
  • Industrial Effluents
    • Effluents from industries like breweries, tanneries, dying textiles, paper and pulp mills, steel industries, mining etc. The pollutants include oils, greases, plastics, metallic wastes, suspended solids, phenols, cyanides, DDT, etc. Most of them are non-biodegradable.
  • Agricultural Discharges
    • The agricultural chemicals and are fertilizers and pesticides. They are discharged into water bodies.
  • Physical Pollutants
    • In this class, heat and radioactive substances coming out from thermal power plants and nuclear power plants.
Last modified: Tuesday, 5 July 2011, 8:05 AM