Category: water pollution

Water Summit for clean drinking water in Minnesota

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Governor’s Mark Dayton called his first Water Summit at the Intercontinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel, to focus public attention on how to clean drinking water and other supplies. The summit is held on Saturday, dated 27.02.2016. More than 800 individuals, including water quality experts, members of the public, local leaders, farmers, legislators, regulators, the business community, and a wide variety of other stakeholders were gather to talk to the serious challenges facing Minnesota’s water supplies – in both rural and urban areas of the state. Dayton arranges the water summit because of several reports indicated that a lot of southwest Minnesota water is not safe and sound for drinking or recreation. Moreover, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported that 60 percent of groundwater wells in the central sands area have high nitrate concentrations. This water is not a safe drinking water.

All through the day, the Summit participants discussed water-quality challenges and brainstormed potential solutions, so that water crisis of this state should not turn into as bad as Flint and Michigan.

In the mean time, a small group of people joined him at stage in the ballroom, holding banners that said, “Love water not oil”. They also criticize Dayton not to invite tribes in the summit and for supporting oil pipelines across sensitive lands and wet lands in northern Minnesota. Although he invited the tribe leaders to attend the summit but they did not send representatives. The protesters (Environmentalists and some tribal groups) left the place quietly when Dayton agrees to meet with them after his speech. The pipeline would runs across the Lake Superior and the Mississippi River that are the great freshwater sources in the world.

In water summit, they discussed different Breakout Session topics such as aquatic invasive species, challenges facing Minnesota’s iconic waters, ensuring the state is resilient to extreme weather, sustaining clean water supplies, water in the urban and built environment, water and wastewater infrastructure, water in the rural environment, living cover and investing in clean water.

Some of the points that are discussed or suggested:

  • In this state agricultural runoff is the significant factor that impact on water quality. Different nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers are used in farmlands; these chemicals are washout and go to water bodies and polluted the water.
  • Simple change to farming practices can have a big strength on using less fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides.
  • It needs to improve communications with farmers and others Minnesotans.
  • The farmers are well known that what to do better than anybody else on their own farmlands to Minnesota’s water.
  • As the soils are different across Minnesota, hence, to prevent pollution from chemicals farmers should to need different solutions.
  • Safe drinking water and other supplies water efforts need to be balanced so that farmers and the environment both benefit.
  • Conservation practices can decrease runoff.
  • The governor plans to ask lawmakers for funds for communities, chiefly small ones in rural areas, to make safe drinking water.
  • Potential solutions discussed included keeping more green cover plants on farm fields and other lands for more of the year instead of leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion.
  • How can manage stormwater runoff best way in urban areas where rooftops and pavement speed polluted water to lakes and rivers?

Clean drinking water challenges could not be solved with one water summit, it should be discussed effectively in many water summits. The governor already decided to set aside an April week to highlight safe drinking water needs to Minnesotans.

Niagara bottled water company has recalled its 14 bands bottled spring water

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Niagara Bottling, a family owned bottled Water Company in USA is a voluntary recall covering 14 brands of its water because of possible contaminant E. coli bacteria. The possible affected date is from June 10 to June 18 of this year. The affected bands are Niagara Spring Water, Acadia Spring Water, Acme Spring Water, Big Y Spring Water, Nature’s Place Spring Water, Pricerite Spring Water, Superchill Spring Water, Best Yet Spring Water, 7-11 Spring Water, Morning Fresh Spring Water, Shoprite Spring Water, Shaws Spring Water, Western Beef Blue Spring Water and Wegman’s Spring Water.

Throughout the 8 days, this effected bottled spring water was shipped to over 15 states including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

These brands of bottled water are produced in two Pennsylvania manufacturing plants at Hamburg, Berks County and Upper Macungie, Lehigh County of the company. The company said that one of its spring bottled water sources was contaminated by traces amount of E. coli bacteria. Still, there are no reports of any illness linked to the above mentioned bottled Water. The voluntary removal effort is being implemented in collaboration with State and Federal Agencies. The Niagara bottled water company always tries to maintaining the maximum probable standards for product quality.

The Niagara bottled water company alerts this promptly due to the company’s good well and health concern of the people. The people who are lived of these 15 states and bottled water drinker, should to be check the manufacturing date of these 14 bands. If the product date between June 10 and June 18, 2015 and manufactured at Pennsylvania facilities than it must be avoid drinking. The bottled water that is produced outside of Pennsylvania or outside the June 10-18th, 2015 timeframe is completely safe to drink.

If anyone needs further information about this they can call at (888) 943-4894 to know more.

Water pollution in yamuna river

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Yamuna is the most polluted and important river in north India. It passes through Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, before join together with the Ganga at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. About 60 million people depend on Yamuna waters. The peoples of Delhi and Agra’s are one of the most consumers of the Yamuna River. This river is the source of 70 per cent of Delhi’s water supplies. Downstream, at Agra point, this river becomes the main municipal drinking water source. In some point the River water is not fit for drinking, bathing or aquatic life; it is only fit for industrial cooling, irrigation, etc.

The level of water pollution in Yamuna is not same all through the year. During rainy season the water quality is better than others time. Starting rainy season the water quality is worsen due to washout different waste, chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and fall into the river.

Municipal pollution
The whole lengths of the river are divided into five segments on the bases of hydrological and ecological conditions such as Himalayan Segment, Upper Segment, Delhi Segment, Eutriphicated Segment and Diluted Segment. The pollution of the river water of Yamuna begins from Tajewala in the upper segment and most polluted segment is Delhi segment. About 22 drains fall into the Yamuna River in the Delhi segment which are loaded with huge amount of biological and chemical wastage. Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) and the Eastern Yamuna Canal (EYC) are responsible for upper segment pollution. The Haiderpur water treatment plant which supplies part of delhi’s water is situated in the range of WYC. All household and industrial wastage and discharges from Yamuna Nagar are emit into this canal. There are many heavy industrial units such as 42 in Delhi, 22 in Haryana and 17 in Uttar Pradesh and a lot of small industrial units are situated in Yamuna River’s area; all wastage and discharges of these industries goes into the river.

Agricultural pollution
The Yamuna River is passing through a massive amount of agricultural areas; about 58% is agricultural area. The owner of these lands are used a huge amount of fertilizers and pesticides. These carcinogenic chemical polluted the river water which seriously affect on the aquatic environment as well as human being. The existing water treatment plant has no facilities to remove the traces amount of pesticide; even the laboratories are not able to detect them. When the people of Delhi and Agra consume this water as drinking purpose, they also consume indefinite amounts of toxic pesticide residues each time.

The Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in jumuna is 28mg/l, whereas the tolerable level is 3 mg/L. It also signifies the water pollution in Yamuna River. The presence of Cadmium, Nickel, Iron, Zinc and Chromium are cross the maximum level in some point in Yamuna River.

To prevent the water pollution in Yamuna River, it should not allow discharging the untreated sewage into the river and more sewerage treatment plants ought to be formed instantly. Farmers should using organic fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides; instead of chemical fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides.

Water crisis in Gaza strip

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According to a report of PWA, the water crisis levels in all over the Gaza Strip have risen to an alarming stage; over 95 percent of the Palestinian territory’s aquifer is polluted with high levels of nitrates and chloride. Different tests show that pollutants in Gaza water are three times higher than the normal level. Moreover in most parts of the Gaza Strip, the pH level of water is below the standard level of WHO. According to the UN report, if the deterioration of water crisis would increase at current rate the coastal aquifer water will be unusable by 2016 and permanently damaged by 2020.

Coastal Aquifer is the main source of Gaza’s water; they extract about 200 million cubic meters a year. Due to over extraction of the water for decades, significantly lowered the groundwater level. As a result the aquifer’s water becomes more salted by seeping the seawater. The people in Gaza fall into more difficulties to drink or cook with this salty and bad tasted water.

The people of Gaza are blockade by Israeli. During the Israeli military aggression the sewage treatment plants of Gaza are attacked and leaked the sewage line, as a result further the water resources are contaminated. For sack of security reasons, Israel also put stiff restrictions on the entrance of water treatment equipment into the blockaded area. Moreover many people are not connected with sewage system yet. Hence household waste flows into cesspits, it seeps into the groundwater and polluted. Due to sewage seeping into the aquifer, the water is contaminated by micro-organisms.

The nitrate levels in the water increase due to the use of pesticide in agriculture and sewage seeping into the aquifer. WHO allowable limit of Nitrate concentration less than 50 mg/l whereas most part of the Gaza (about 88%) are ranges from 50 to more than 200 mg/l.
By drinking this polluted water increase the health risk of people in Gaza, especially for infants. Many waterborne diseases are occurs including acute diarrhea, parasite infections, liver and kidney diseases, and methemoglobinemia (‘blue baby syndrome).

To resolve this serious water crisis in the Gaza Strip, it should stop the illegal siege in Gaza so that all the materials and equipment enter into the Gaza Strip for the water and waste water treatment projects.

Effects of water pollution

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Water may be polluted in different ways. It effects enormous on aquatic life, environment and human beings. Some effects of water pollution are described below:

Effects of oxygen demanding wastes
The bacterial degradation of waste in water requires oxygen. In this process the bacteria consume the dissolve oxygen in water. If there are huge amount of oxygen demanding wastes, then the oxygen concentration of water may drop so low that it is difficult to survive for the aquatic lives. On the other hand some anaerobic microorganisms begin to bloom. Since they generate harmful toxins as like ammonia and sulfides so it may harmful to people and animals.

Effects of plant nutrients
Plant nutrients as like nitrates, phosphates, potassium may be added to the water bodies through human activities and over nutrition may cause extreme growth of algae and other water plants. In this process a good number of aquatic lives decay; moreover as the plant and algae die, it may collect a good amount of organic matters and is filled with sediment. It lowers the oxygen level in the water. Furthermore, to biodegrade this sediment again lowers the oxygen level; such a phenomenon is known as eutrophication. It disturbs the ecological balance.

Effects of organic pollutants
Organic pollutants as like oil, plastics, petrochemicals and pesticides are harmful to humans and all plants and animals in the water. Plastic waste can soak up toxic chemicals from ocean pollution. If any marine birds or animals consume, it may reduce appetite or even starvation. Oil is lighter than water; it does not mix with water, as an alternative it form a thick layer on the surface. It works as a barrier for photosynthesis; hence it is harmful for aquatic life, fish and birds.

Effects of inorganic pollutants
Water soluble inorganic pollutants as like acids, salts and toxic metals make water unfit to drink and will cause the death of aquatic life. Toxic metals as like lead, mercury can cause health and environmental problems, including humans. Many non-metallic substance as like Sulphur is harmful for aquatic life.

Effects of radioactive compounds
Water soluble radioactive compounds are extremely dangerous for health. They can cause cancer, birth defects and genetic damage.

Effects of thermal pollution
Thermal pollution of the water bodies can decreases oxygen levels and may have a terrible effect on aquatic life.

Effects of microorganisms
If Disease-causing microorganisms (pathogenic microbes) are found in surface waters, it may cause human health problems including typhoid, diarrhea, hepatitis and may have negative impacts on aquatic life. Sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacteria into the water bodies and environment.

Effects of agricultural waste
Many agricultural farms often use large amounts of toxic substances as like herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals are particularly dangerous to aquatic life in water bodies.
Asbestos fibers are another serious pollutant; it can cause asbestosis, mesothelioma and cancer.
Effects of water pollution are the major problem for developing countries. They do not supply enough pure water. Moreover they are not concern about effects of water pollution.

Types and Sources of water pollution

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The major sources of water pollution are domestic wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural, and natural. The wastes are discharged into natural bodies and chemical pesticides and fertilizers, part of which are washed and go to the water bodies. They altered the water from the natural state in physical condition, chemical and microbiological composition.

The sources of water pollution are two types; point source and non-point source of water pollution. Point sources of water pollution happen when the polluting substance is discharging directly into the water channel for example a city storm drain or a pipe spewing toxic chemicals directly into a river. A non-point source (NPS) pollution does not originate from a single discrete source. It is the collective effect of little quantity of contaminants accumulate from a big region, for instance when fertilizer from a field is carried into a stream by surface runoff.

Industrial Waste
All most all industry directly or indirectly polluted the water. The major industries such as fertilizer industries, paper industries, tanneries, food processing, textiles, and paints industries directly discharge wastes into the water bodies. Industrial processes are the main sources of the water pollution. Some of them are following:

  • Many industry as like food industry and other light industries discharge non-toxic organic substances (BOD, COD).
  • Thermal pollution can be occurs both human and naturally. Different industries such as power plant, nuclear power plant, nuclear weapon plants release heat into nearby water bodies for cooling purposes. Many human activities such as greenhouse effect and many industrial processes as like burning of fossil fuel are responsible for global warming. It is another reason for thermal pollution.
  • Many industry releases oil, fats, grease etc into water bodies. Moreover dumping, Oil spills and shipping travel polluted the oceans.
  • Different petrochemical industries discharge different petroleum hydrocarbons as like gasoline, fuel, lubricants.
  • Different inorganic pollutants (as like mineral acids, Toxic metals, heavy metals, salts, acidic gas) are discharges from different industries such as automobile industry, steel manufacturing industry.
  • Different organic pollutants as like plastics, fibers, elastomers, paint, elastic, plasticizer, solvents, drug, personal hygiene and cosmetic
  • Many nuclear power plants, weapon plants, medicinal, industrial and research applications that use radioactive material are produced radioactive waste. Moreover mining and processing of U, Ra, Po and Th are other sources of marine nuclear waste.

Municipal Waste
The wastes from domestic households and some portion of industrial waste waters are included in municipal waste. These wastes are other significant sources of water pollution.

Sewage disposal is the main municipal waste. Frequently, it contains faeces, urine and laundry waste, flush chemical and pharmaceutical substances. It is the major problem in developing countries. Sewage often carries harmful viruses, bacteria and microorganisms.

Another municipal waste is suspended particles which is causing thick silt at the bottom. The sources of these silts are construction sites, logging, slash, burn practices or land clearing particles. Municipal waste can cause eutrophication.

Agricultural sources of water pollution
There are different fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, defoliants, and veterinary drugs are used in agricultural purposes and these are the sources of water pollution. These compound go indo to the water bodies and polluted the water.

Fertilizers containing nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) cause excessive growth of algae and other water plants in the water bodies which is responsible for eutrophication process. Moreover some radioactive containing fertilizers are used in many farms such as tobacco farm.

Natural sources of water pollution
About 0.35% of air is carbon dioxide, moreover many industry emit huge amount of acidifying gasses, such as sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. These gasses react with the rainwater and makes different acid as like sulfuric acid, carbonic acid. This acidic rain water accumulates different water bodies and changes the overall pH as well as polluted the water. It kills many vital plant lives, thereby affecting the whole food chain. Moreover when rainwater runway into water bodies, it picks up many toxic chemicals, dirt, garbage and disease-carrying organisms; this is unsafe for aquatic life.

Flood is another Natural source of water pollution. The flood water mixes with garbage, many disease-carrying organisms, chemicals, dirt and polluted the surface water.

Global warming is also responsible for water pollution. It increases the temperature of the water bodies and raises the sea levels.

The causes of water pollution

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The elements that causes of water pollution are referred as the water pollutants. Water pollutants may be classified under the following categories: organic, inorganic, radioactive and so on.

Organic pollutants:
The following organic pollutants causes of water pollution.

  • Oxygen demanding waste: These types of wastes are different natural materials (as like plant leaves, grass), some artificial biodegradable substances (Food processing waste), and some others chemicals that may cause  This environment helps to increase some Microorganisms.
    Microorganisms mainly degrade these substances in presence of dissolve oxygen (DO) and the net results being the de-oxygenation process and quick depletion of dissolve oxygen.oxygen depletion reaction in biodegrade process
  • Synthetic organic compounds such as fuel, plastics, fibers, elastomers, paint, elastic, plasticizer, solvents, drug, personal hygiene and cosmetic
  • Disease causing agents such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms.
  • Petroleum hydrocarbons, as like gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, lubricants and fuel ignition byproducts.
  • Different insecticides, herbicides, and  organohalides (such as Trichloroethylene)
  • Plant nutrients
  • Detergents
  • Sewage
  • Oil, fats, grease etc.

Inorganic pollutants:
The following inorganic pollutants causes of water pollution.

  • Inorganic salts such as sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, chloride, phosphate etc.
  • Mineral acids such as HCl, H2SO4, HNO3
  • Toxic metals such as chromium, mercury, lead, arsenic etc.
  • Ammonia
  • Heavy metals
  • Chemical waste

Radioactive pollutants:
Four human activities are responsible for radioactive pollution. They are:

  • Mining and processing of ores for radioactive substances as U, Ra, Po etc.
  • Use of radioactive materials in nuclear power plants.
  • Use of radioactive materials in nuclear weapon plants.
  • Use of radioactive materials in medicinal, industrial and research applications.

Thermal pollution:
Thermal water pollution means the increase or decrease of the temperature of a natural water body. It is also cause of water pollution. It is the change of physical properties of water. Most cases it is occur by human activities, but some of the cases are occurs by naturally. Power plant, nuclear power plant and nuclear weapon plants, greenhouse, Global warming are the main thermal pollutants of water.

Sediments:
Some substances do not dissolve in water; they may float on the water or settle at the bottom of the water that is also causes of water pollution. The natural process of soil erosion gives rise to sediments in water, which are most extensive pollutants of surface water.

Water Pollution in the River of Shela at sundarbans by oil spill

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A tanker named “OT Southern Star 7”, carrying 3.57 lakh liters of furnace oil, sank in the river of Shela on December 09, 2014, which is flowing through the Sundarbans and threatening its unique biodiversity due to water pollution. Sundarbans is the world largest mangrove forest. It is declared World Heritage Centre by UNESCO. It is situated both in Bangladesh and India. The water bodies along with mangrove simultaneously support an eco-system all together special with the effect that the Sundarbans could be effortlessly developed into the value regarding biodiversity.

Unfortunate, an empty cargo vessel hit the oil tanker on account of poor visibility as it was dense fog at the dawn. The oil spill was spread about 65 kilometres in the upstream and downstream of the river Shela and at least 20 canals linked to that of the river of Sundarbans. Different small plants, dolphins, crocodiles and other aquatic lives are adversely affected by this water pollution. Moreover, the world’s largest mangrove forest has also been adversely affected; a serious threat to its aquatic life and the flora and fauna.
water pollutioa at shela river
The oil spill occurred close to the aquatic protected area of Chadpai Wildlife Sanctuary (declared by the government of Bangladesh). This is the home of two threatened dolphin species: Ganges Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphin. Sundarbans is composed of three wildlife sanctuaries- East, south and West Wildlife Sanctuary.

Many experts, national and international (such as United Nations expert team) say that any commercial vessel movement, as like oil tankers, is harmful for wildlife in the forest. To make sure ecological balance in Sundarbans, the UNDP and Bangladesh government are agree to work together. In the economical view, the loss of the environment and ecological due to the oil spill in the river, ranging from $130 million to $640 million. The extent of the damage caused by this oil spillage would be assessed, after next five to ten years. It can be calculated by investigating how a large amount of phytoplankton and zooplankton remain in the water of the affected river and cannel region and compare it to other restricted regions of the Sundarbans.

Water pollution and the signs of it

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Water covers above 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. No life can survive without water. Hence, water is the most fundamental resource for living beings on the earth and for this reasons the other name of the water is life, but we polluted this water by many ways. Water Pollution may be defined in a number of ways. Water pollution occurs when many unwanted substances go into water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater. It can be physical, chemical, or biological change from the natural state. It alters the quality of water and has dangerous effects on any living things. The quality of water is of vital concern for mankind. This polluted water becomes unsuitable or less suitable for any safe or beneficial consumption and brings serious effects on human health (such as water-borne diseases), when they uses or drinks this water. In the same way water pollution affects on the living things in the water bodies (plants, organisms). Nearly all cases the effects of water pollution not only individual living species, but also whole ecosystems that exist in the waters.
water pollution
Water pollution is one of the major worldwide crises. Although the non-developing and developing countries are mostly affected, but developed countries also affected seriously. In one report on water quality in the USA shows that the water of many streams, lakes and other water bodies are recognized as polluted. Every year many unwanted death are taking place for water pollution related illness.

The signs of water pollution:

  • Bad taste of drinking water
  • Developing unwanted colorization in the water
  • Unpleasant odor from lakes, rivers and sea-beaches
  • Unchecked growth of aquatic weeds in water bodies
  • Decrease in number of fish in fresh water, lakes, rivers and ocean water
  • Oil and grease floating on water surfaces etc.

There are many interruption happens due to water pollution such as public water supply, recreation and aesthetics, fish, other aquatic life and wild life, agriculture, industry. Water pollution can be happens by naturally or by mankind.