Environmental Issues

Water pollution is the undesirable change in state of water as a result of presence of harmful substances inside it. Water pollution is the second environmental issue after air pollution. Water pollution is defined as any change in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of water which has detrimental effect to the living organisms. Water pollution is a common problem affecting all the water bodies on the face of the earth such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and ground waters. Water which is polluted is not fit for drinking and other domestic uses. In addition to domestic consumption, polluted water cannot be used for agricultural and industrial purposes (Rubin, 2009).

Detailed description of the problem
The effects of water are detrimental to humans, animals, fish, and birds. Polluted water harbors disease causing organisms like viruses, bacteria, intestinal parasites, and other harmful micro organisms. The infectious micro organisms in polluted water are responsible for causing water born diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. Water pollution results in disturbance of the ecosystem.

Water pollutants are classified as natural and man made. Natural pollutants such as mercury and arsenic usually results in local concerns, however human generated pollutants are quite extensive and results in major problems. Sources are further divided into point source and non point source (Heath, 1995). Point source pollution is discharged into the environment from pipes, sewers, or ditches from specific areas like factories and sewerage treatment plants. Non point pollution source gains entry into the water body from expansive areas as opposed to point source. It is also referred to as runoff and occurs as a result of precipitation which sweeps over a large area carrying with it fertilizers, pesticides, livestock wastes, and salt from irrigation. Although they spread over a large area, their cumulative effects can be serious (Rubin, 2009).

The major sources of water pollution include domestic wastes, industrial discharges, and agricultural wastes. Other sources of are oil spills from sea vessels, atmospheric deposition, marine damping, radioactive waste, global warming, and eutrophication. Among the sources listed here, domestic waste and industrial affluent are the leading causes of water pollution.

Domestic sewerage is the waste water coming from household activities. The release of sewerage into water causes various pollution problems. Because sewerage may carry disease causing organisms, water polluted with sewerage results in public health issues. It also results into two serious environmental problems which are enrichment and oxygen demand. Enrichment occurs as a result of high level of plants and nutrients from algae such as nitrogen and phosphorus which comes from the sewerage. When aquatic ecosystem has high amounts of sewerage or other organic materials, the decomposing material consumes oxygen present in water thereby depriving fishes and other aquatic organisms (Heath, 1995).

Most people are not aware that soaps and detergents enrich the water bodies with phosphates. The phosphates which result from soap and detergents lead to algal bloom and eutrophication which is usually observed in stagnant water bodies like ponds and lakes. Algal bloom requires a lot of oxygen thereby depriving fishes and other aquatic animals dissolved oxygen therefore suffocation results (Rubin, 2009).

The amount of sewerage and organic waste present in water is measured in terms of biochemical oxygen demand. High levels of sewerage in water leads to high BOD which denies the water dissolved oxygen. Without oxygen, anaerobic reactions occur and the micro organisms release compounds which smell badly and this further lowers the water quality.

Eutrophication is an enrichment problem (Rubin, 2009). Lakes, estuaries, and slow flowing water bodies that have low levels of nutrients are said to be unenriched. Unenriched water body has clear water and harbors a small population of aquatic organisms. Eutrophication on the other hand is the enrinchment of water bodies by inorganic plants and algal nutrients like phosphorus and this kind of water is referred to as being eutrophic. Enrinchment results in elevated photosynthetic activity. The water appears cloudy because of the presence of numerous algae and cyanobacteria. Although the process of enrichment occurs naturally over a long period of time, it can also result from human activities like agricultural activities and sewerage products (Krantz,  Kifferstein, 2010).

Industrial effluents waste waters coming from manufacturing and processing industries are the second major cause of water pollution. The effluents from the factories contain organic materials and other toxic pollutants. Pollutants which come from industries include lead, mercury, asbestos, nitrates, phosphates, oils among others (Helmer,  Hespanhol, 1997).

 Waste water which is originating from food and chemical processing industries are the major source of industrial pollution as compared to that which comes from other industries like distilleries, leather processing, and thermal power plants. Water color is mainly produced by waste water from dye industries. Change in the color of water affects the light penetration thereby disturbing aquatic life. Because of increased public concern over water pollution, most industries have come up with waste water treatment plants however, small industries are yet to take these measures. Treating industrial water waste is a quite daunting task (Krantz,  Kifferstein, 2010).

Minamata disease resulted from discharge of methyl mercury into the waters. More than 1,784 people succumbed due to consumption of fish from the water source. Fishes in that water bioaccumulated the chemical in their body. The methyl mercury was released from Chisso Corporation chemical company. The effects of the disease persisted in the environment and it affected humans and animals for a period of 30 years (Heath, 1995).

In America, most industries treat their waste water using technically advanced treatment methods. Electronics industries for instance produce waste water which contains high levels of heavy metals like lead, mercury, and manganese. The industries use advanced methods such as ions exchange and electrolytes recovery to take back the heavy metals in the water (Rubin, 2009).  

Agricultural waste water these include manure, slurries, and runoffs. Most of the agricultural farms apply chemical fertilizers and pesticides in their crops and plants. The runoff from these farms pollutes the water bodies which are found around these farms such as ponds, rivers, streams, and lakes. Leaking of fertilizers and pesticides pollutes the ground water and the process is referred to as leaching. Although the amount of agricultural waste may be low, the impacts resulting from these chemicals are great (Rubin, 2009). The pollution from such chemicals affects soil and water. Nutrient pollution results in elevated levels of nitrates and phosphates in the water bodies which results in eutrophication (Helmer,  Hespanhol, 1997).

In America, almost half of the population derives their domestic water from the ground. The water is also used for irrigation and industrial wastes. In the past few years, people became concerned with the quality of ground water. The most common pollutants of ground water are pesticides, fertilizers, and organic compounds which are absorbed from the municipal sanitary fills, underground storage tanks, backyards, golf courses, and intensive agricultural activities (Krantz,  Kifferstein, 2010).

As at the moment, most of the groundwater supplies in America are of good quality and meet the standards established to protect human health. On the contrary, ground water from areas which are still experiencing groundwater pollution are faced with a lot of challenge. Clearing ground water pollution is quite expensive and in some situations not technically possible (Helmer,  Hespanhol, 1997).

Evaluation of Current Sustainability Strategies and Solutions
Currently there are various measures which have been put in place to control the increasing tendencies of water pollution such as industrial waste and sewerage treatments the government needs to support the initiatives fully and openly. The new mitigation plan put in place involves conserving water and cleaning up water which is already polluted from human activities. The challenging part of the plan is its prohibitive cost making it is not easy to apply in third world countries. Although the program appears costly, the effects are equally costly therefore these plans should be put in place to prevent water pollution through treatment of waste waters and pollutants.

The biggest problem facing this plan in the implementation because it lacks regulation plans. Technical feasibility and economic reasonableness of obeying and implementing this plan seems to be the major challenge. However with proper motivation and government support, this plan can really work out and lower the rates at which our waters get polluted. Adoption of the plans by industries and farms will lower the level of water pollution from these sources (Heath, 1995).

Plan to reach sustainability
Before rolling down the initiative, there is need to form a committee which should consist of environmental conscious leaders who would run the program and seek for the permission from the government whenever anything is to be done. The funds which will be needed to roll down the program should be sourced in advance (Helmer,  Hespanhol, 1997).

There is also need to present a short report on the matter to the community members. Evaluation of the plan should be done in terms long and short term effects in preventing water pollution. During briefing the community should be educated on the sources of water pollution and what simple measures they can carry at home. Measures should include proper disposal of wastes, proper use of agricultural chemicals, and avoiding discharge of sewerage water in the rivers and so on (Krantz,  Kifferstein, 2010).

Required Government, Societal, and Global Support
Since the major sources of water pollutions are industrial wastes, industrial and business owners have the ability to prevent water pollution. The government needs to come in and take action by instructing all the industries to treat their wastes. The little money spent on treatment plants can help a great deal in lowering the effects of water pollution (Rubin, 2009).

Treatment plants should be made mandatory in all the industries. The government can ensure compliance by carrying out regular inspections on the functionality of the plants and their efficiencies. The inspection should be done without notice. The society should be made aware of the effects of the actions which they can take lightly like washing in the rivers, discharging raw sewerage.