What
is pollution?
When
something is added to the environment which is very harmful, poisonous or fatal
to the animal, people surrounding it and other living things is called as
pollution. In simple term pollution is a contamination by a chemical or other pollutant
that renders part of the environment unfit for intended or desired use. It is triggered
by industrial and commercial waste, agriculture practices, day to day human
activities and most notably, modes of transportation and many the other
sources.
Water
pollution:
During
my days in the primary school, i recall my teacher explained water pollution to
me as: When water is unsafe for drinking, we say the water is polluted. Germs
and dirt pollute water. Water becomes
polluted when,
·
People
throw refuse into rivers and streams
 |
| river filled with rubbish |
·
People
and animals defecate near or inside a river or a stream.
Polluted
water have health implications on humans in particular. All kinds of diseases
are as a result of drinking polluted water which i indicated in my previous
post.
Upon
advanced investigation, this is what i got to know in addition to my primary
school knowledge about water pollution.
Water pollution causes due to the introduction
of chemical, biological and all sort of physical matter into large bodies of
water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consumes it. We can
blame fertilizers, pesticides, or petroleum derivatives for water pollution. In
addition to that the other contributors towards water pollution are Waste treatment
facilities, mining, Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, oil spills,
refiners, Failing septic systems, factories, Oil and antifreeze leaking from
cars, animal waste, Soap from washing your car, house hold chemicals and many
more to count.
Water
pollution is a major global problem which requires ongoing evaluation and
revision of water resource policy at all levels (international down to individual
aquifers and wells). It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide
cause of deaths and diseases, and that it accounts for the deaths of more than
14,000 people daily. An estimated of 580 people in India die of diarrheal
sickness every day. About 70% of
Ghanaians suffer from some degree of water pollution ,[4] and nearly 800
thousand out of the total 2.4 million people lack access to safe drinking
water.
 |
| a picture of a refuse filled river at anloga junction, kumasi |
In addition to the acute problems of water
pollution in developing countries like Ghana, developed countries continue to
struggle with pollution problems as well. In the most recent national report on
water quality in the United States, 45 percent of assessed stream miles, 47 percent
of assessed lake acres, and 32 percent of assessed bays and estuarine square
miles were classified as polluted.
Pathogens that cause water
pollution
Coliform
bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of water pollution, although
not an actual cause of disease. Other microorganisms sometimes found in surface
waters which have caused human health problems include:
·
Burkholderia
pseudomallei
·
Cryptosporidium
parvum
·
Giardia
lamblia
·
Salmonella
·
Novovirus
and other viruses
·
Parasitic
worms (helminths).
High
levels of pathogens may result from inadequately treated sewage discharges. This
can be caused by a sewage plant designed with less than secondary treatment
(more typical in less developed countries). In developed countries, older cities
with aging infrastructure may have leaky sewage collection systems (pipes,
pumps, valves), which can cause sanitary sewer overflows. Some cities also have
combined sewers, which may discharge untreated sewage during rain storms.
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