“Don’t spit in the well – you may need to drink from it!”
~ Unknown
Before we dive into the impacts and case studies of water pollution, an important question needs to be answered first. What exactly is water pollution? For today’s post, let us examine what defines water pollution.
Water pollution can be defined as the presence of excessive amounts of a hazardous substance (pollutants) in the water such that it is no longer suitable for drinking, cooking, bathing or other uses (Olaniran, 1995). Essentially, we can consider water to be polluted if it cannot be used for a specific purpose due to the addition of substances. For the purpose of this blog, let us focus mainly on contaminants or conditions brought about by human activity which results in water pollution.
A British poet of the name W.H Auden once said, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water”. And yet, we pollute our waters. Globally, about 80% of wastewater is being released back into the environment without being treated adequately (UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme, 2017).
As we sip a cool, clear, refreshing glass of water, it is so tempting to think that these water pollution problems are so far away. But what we do not see is that not only does polluting our waters have devastating impacts on the aquatic environment, pollutants may seep into groundwaters and may enter tap waters in some community water systems (Fedinick, Wu and Olson, 2017). We may end up using contaminated water for our daily activities.
I hope this post will give everyone a clearer understanding of marine pollution. In the subsequent blog posts, we will be discussing about possible sources and types of water pollution.
Reference:
Fedinick, K., Wu, M. and Olson, E., 2017. Threats On Tap: Widespread Violations Highlight Need For Investment In Water Infrastructure And Protections. [online] NRDC. Available at: <https://www.nrdc.org/resources/threats-tap-widespread-violations-water-infrastructure> [Accessed 24 June 2020].
Olaniran N.S., 1995. “Environment and Health: An Introduction”, in Olaniran, N.S. etal (Ed) Environment and Health. Lagos. Micmillan Nig. Pub. Co for NCF, 34-151.
UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme, 2017. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2017: Wastewater: The Untapped Resource; Facts And Figures.
