Meaning and effects of water pollution
Answer Text: Water pollution- Water pollution is the increase of substances in water in excess of its rightful chemical components thus making it unsuitable for human, animal, and plant use.- The following are some of the effects of water pollution:(i) Water becomes unfit for human consumption.(ii) Untreated sewage may contain pathogenic bacteria such as those causing typhoid and cholera hence killing aquatic animals and causing epidemics in human beings.(iii) Water corrodes metal appliances in industries and homes.(iv) Poisonous heavy metals such as mercury, lead and silver discharged into water bodies kill organisms in water and other food chains.(v) Hot water effluents from power stations expel dissolved oxygen which causes suffocation of aquatic animals causing death.(vi) Oil spilled from tankers in seas and oceans kill aquatic animals such as fish, sea birds and whales.(vii) Radio-active waste from nuclear reactors can cause mutation, death and deformation in plants and animals.(viii) Water pollution generates direct health hazards for swimmers and other users.(ix) There is contamination of drainage systems with heavy metals or hydrocarbons.(x) Soil erosion due to poor farming methods reduces depth of water bodies thus making them prone to adverse abiotic factors such as high temperatures which are destructive to marine life.
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