Drinking water pollution

When potable water is contaminated by various sources like industrial effluent, solid waste, chemical waste, hospital waste, agriculture run-off, nuclear waste, wastewater etc it is called drinking water pollution. Drinking water is found in rivers, lakes, estuaries, streams, wells, canals, water courses, distributaries. It is one of the worst forms of pollution which directly hits the human health because life can’t be continued without drinking water and it intake is must.

Harms of polluted drinking water

By consuming polluted drinkingwater likelihood of various diseases related to gastro, joints, digestive system, immune system etc increased manifold. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year due to water born diseases which is end result of consumption of drinking water. 

Main sources of drinking water pollution

Effluent of industries and wastewater if flows into the fresh water bodies without being treated it reduces the mineral features of that water and creates several negative elements in it which directly hits the human lives if such water is consumed for drinking purpose. Therefore, stress is made all over the world that industrial effluent and wastewater must be treated before their final disposal. These two sources hugely pollute the drinking water.

Agriculture run-off is the second main sources of drinking water pollution as mostly farm lands are situated nearby of the drinking water reserves either in river, lake or estuaries. Therefore, the flow of agriculture runoff into them pollutes the fresh water and hits its positive features. Agriculture runoff includes entire agriculture solid and liquid waste including dry leaves, residue of pesticide, residue of chemical fertilizer, residual water used in farming etc. It is advised that to reduce the agriculture runoff, farmers must shift from chemical fertilizer to natural fertilizers like they used to do so in ancient times and avoid using pesticide unnecessarily besides arranging safe disposal of rest of the agriculture refuse like dry leaves, waste crops, seeds etc.

Solid and hospital wastes if dumped directly into water bodies are also one of the main sources of drinking water pollution. In backward societies where awareness is lesser about these menaces, such wastes are thrown into the fresh water bodies without feeling their danger to health. Therefore, these wastes must be disposed of into designated places instead of throwing them into drinking water bodies as these are most harmful for human health.

As a matter of fact whatever - other than drinking water itself - is flowed into the water body causes drinking water pollution and is quite harmful for human health. Therefore, it is advised all over the world that drinking water is the most precious element which must be protected from menace of pollution otherwise health of human beings will never remain safe.