(1)Ground Water
What is it?
Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.
How much do we depend on it?
Groundwater supplies drinking water for 51% of the total U.S. population and 99% of the rural population. Groundwater helps grow our food. 64% of groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops. Groundwater is an important component in many industrial processes. Groundwater is a source of recharge for lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
Where is the source of contamination?
Potential groundwater contamination source are include but not limited to municipal, industrial, agricultural and individual sources.
What is the harm for ground water contamination?
Drinking contaminated groundwater can have serious health effects. Diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic tank waste. Poisoning may be caused by toxins that have leached into well water supplies. Wildlife can also be harmed by contaminated groundwater. Other long term effects such as certain types of cancer may also result from exposure to polluted water.
(2) Rivers/Lakes
Why is these also important?
Over 97% of all the water on Earth is salty and most of the remaining 3% is frozen in the polar ice-caps. The atmosphere, rivers, lakes and underground stores hold less than 1% of all the fresh water and this tiny amount has to provide the fresh water needed to support the Earth’s population. Fresh water is a precious resource and the increasing pollution of our rivers and lakes is a cause for alarm.
What cause the pollution?
Similar to the reason for ground water contamination, river pollution comes from a variety of different sources, including agricultural operations, industrial discharge, wastewater treatment plants and storm water runoff, that carry pollutants into waterways.
How to save our drinking source?
As a student, what can you do for keeping cleaning our fresh water? There are several things you can do at home. You can prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water by following some simple guidelines in your everyday life.
- Conserve water by turning off the tap when running water is not necessary. This helps prevent water shortages and reduces the amount of contaminated water that needs treatment.
- Use environmentally household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents and toiletries.
- Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilisers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources.
- Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin.