Environmental Science 3(3+0)

Water pollution

• Water like air, is an indispensable and one of the most precious of natural resources on this planet. Most of our water bodies such as ponds, lakes, streams and river have become polluted as a consequence of increasing industrialization, urbanization and other development activities. Water has such a strong tendency to dissolve other substances and sometimes referred to as the universal solvent.


• This is largely because of its polar molecular structure. Pure water (pure H2O) is not found under natural conditions in streams, lakes, ground water, or the oceans. It always has something dissolved or suspended in it. Because of this, there is not any definite line of demarcation between clean water and contaminated water.


• In general terms, water is considered to be polluted when it contains enough foreign material to render it unfit for specific beneficial use, such as for drinking, recreation, or fish propagation. Actually human activity is the cause of the poor water quality and cause water pollution. The water pollution is defined as addition of any substances that alter the physical and chemical characteristics of water in any way which interferes with its use for legitimate purposes