A Brief Note On Dirty And Polluted Water

Water pollution has become a major problem in our water sources. People think that when they litter or dump in our waters that their little contribution will not hurt anything, but everyone’s little contributions add up to some major problems. Our water ecosystems and the species that reside in them are being destroyed and we need to take the steps necessary to stop this. Why would anyone use the source of most of the world’s food as a dumping ground for garbage? People need to start realizing what it is they are doing when they do not take the proper steps to dispose of their garbage and the problems they are making for the future.

While steps have been taken by the government to help bring standards to water treatment and wastewater treatment plants some of the contaminants seep into the water supply after it has been filtered. The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued standards for drinking water with policies like the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, but the standards are not foolproof and some municipalities are not in compliance with the standards. Another problem is the cost of setting up better filtration systems to catch some of the contaminants that are not being filtered at the present time.

Ground water is the biggest source of drinking water available to human population around the

It is vital to reduce contaminants and decrease the risk of microbes in drinking water. The process of removing these contaminants is accomplished through water disinfection. Although water decontamination can be accomplished through several methods, chemical disinfection is used most frequently (Serrano, Silva, & Gallego, 2011). When water disinfection methods are utilized, there is an increased risk of health effects due to the production of by-products. These byproducts are the result of interactions between chemicals used for disinfection methods and natural organic matter (Bougeard, Goslan, Jefferson, Bruce, and Parsons, 2010). While these by-products impose such an inherent risk to health, finding the apposite chemicals to diminish the risk of by-product formation is imperative (QUOTE). Research indicates that while chlorine is the most frequently used chemical disinfectant, chloramine maybe used to decrease the production of undesired by-products (QUOTE). Chloramine is made through the addition of ammonia to pre chlorinated water to perform as a secondary disinfectant (QUOTE).

All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.

Every year in developing countries, millions are suffering and dying due to hazardous sanitation conditions and unclean water. This can be prevented. Many developing countries lack in water and sanitation, as a result millions die every year. Health plays a big factor in sanitation and water in developing countries. There are many inexpensive and effective alternatives to clean water and safe sanitation. Access to water and sanitation increased from 1990 to 2002. Many challenges and obstacles are existent. With every challenge there is a solution. The solution can only be overcome through technology, research, collaboration, and engineering problem solving for future.

China has faced this water crisis for decades yet have not anything extremely effective to combat the turmoil as a result of a corrupt government, political issues and lack of money in cities needing help the most. The state have made evident effort to combat water shortages yet limited efforts have been made to improve their water quality, consequently resulting in the water pollution worsening. The Chinese government, to reduce the amount of toxic waste and sewage polluting drinking sources, has built water treatment facilities. However, these have not worked as these facilities are abandoned by their local operators because of the high cost of operating them. The Chinese civilians have been alarmed by the amount of pollution in its rivers, that the government have started enacting new environmental regulations and laws and taking more action to clean up its rivers. Beijing is closing polluting factories, building new sewage treatment plants and changing agricultural practices. By placing these regulations all the government must do is ensure that they are followed to see a positive effect, however these laws are widely ignored. Money set for wastewater projects is often re-appropriated to build power plants. The Chinese government have admitted that China has serious water pollution problems and designated $132 billion for cleaning up and improving China 's water supply. Allocations included $30 billion for urban water supply projects and $50 million in wastewater

One of the greatest reasons for water scarcity over the past decade has been population growth in heavily concentrated in urban areas- an excellent example of this phenomenon being China. Already the world 's most populated country, China 's largest cities have evolved into what the United Nations have begun to call "megacities"- defined as cities with a population of over ten million. With urbanization expected to increase 60-65% by 2030, water insecurity is already a concern for the Chinese government and one that is emphasized by Shanghai and Beijing (populations 14.35 and 11.51 million respectively) being coastal cities with little access to water inland ("Market Report: Developing Desalination In China"). In recent years, China has begun to rely heavily on water sourced from desalination plants, and desalination has grown into a 4 billion dollar industry, but both the economic and environmental effects have become apparent. Water from desalination plants is, on average, twice as expensive as naturally sourced fresh water. Although energy usage accounts for much of the total cost of a desalination plant, China current technology is almost completely imported and therefore very costly to ship and maintain. Introducing domestic technology would be one solution, however, in China,

Body Paragraph #1 - Background: Humans use about 75 gallons of water a day for activities, such as cooking, cleaning, bathing, and laundry. Not only do we use water for our own well-being but we also use water to keep animals that we eat healthy and maintain vehicles that we drive on an everyday basis. Only three percent of the water on earth is suitable for drinking, where two percent of water is found only in glaciers and ice and one percent of the world’s water is accessible and drinkable. The majority of the human body is compromised of water. “An adequate supply of safe drinking water is one of the major prerequisites for a healthy life…(Fawell and Nieuwenhuijsen 2003) The quality of drinking water and possible associated health risks vary throughout the world with some regions showing, for example, high levels of arsenic, fluoride or contamination of drinking water by pathogens, whereas elsewhere these are very low and no problem.”

In some areas, for example in China, they are thinking that the water pollution has a negative effect on mental and physical health. China’s negative effects are a major source of morbidity (a term used to describe how often a disease occurs) and mortality. This effect is much bigger in lower poverty place within the place in China. Some of the damages in the water it

China’s ability to cope with its limited fresh water resources may be the greatest determining factor in the nation’s future prosperity as well as the wellbeing of the Chinese people. Though not entirely without freshwater reserves, the mere size of the nation’s population dictates that China fails to be a water abundant country. Recent decades’ rapid development, inefficient water usage, and pollution have given way to a severe and growing water crisis. As a key component of the government’s effort to refocus the economy on a more sustainable model of development, further urbanization will only exacerbate this already severe water issue. In the coming years, China’s expanding cities – the center pieces of the recent phase of growth and prosperity – are estimated to grow by millions in population. It is crucial that this path to development is accompanied by ensuring the availability of safe, clean water to both urban and rural citizens.

Abstract At the beginning of the paper a brief explanation on the importance of clean water is illustrated. Proceeding with descriptions of water pollution and reasoning’s demonstrating why it is presently a common issue in the United States. Understanding how the quality of the environment becomes affected from poor water quality is imperative to know and is proven throughout the paper. The paper slightly touches on the growth of human population and technology advancement, which are two main factors that contribute to the increase of water pollution. Understanding the source of pollutants is the main focus in the paper, in hopes that readers will grasp the best method to eliminate pollution. Acidification, contamination and overuse are major pollutants that degrade water quality. The continuous procedures could bring forth several outcomes that can greatly affect our lives and the environment. Current environmental issues, preferably the Gulf of Mexico disasters are included to show how these mentioned water pollutants are being carried out by human activities and how they have affected the environment, specifically the marine ecosystem.

About 30 percent of the industrial “waste water” and more than 90 percent of household sewage in China is released into natural rivers and lakes without being treated. Nearly 80 percent of China's cities (278 of them) have absolutely no sewage treatment facilities and don’t have plans to build any. It’s crazy to think that 90 percent of the underground water supply is contaminated and unsafe to drink. Water pollution in China is such a huge problem that the World Bank(an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world) warns of “catastrophic consequences for future generations"(World Bank 2013). Half of China's population lacks safe drinking water. Can you imagine drinking water everyday knowing that doing so can lead to sickness and disease? How can a country truly function without having access to clean water? Americans seem to take clean water for advantage without realizing that other countries don’t even have healthy water to drink. Water supply and quality are fundamental issues in China. A few years ago, the debate about who will feed China emphasised scarcity of farmland and the food crisis (Wang, 2008). More than 500 million Chinese people use water contaminated by human and industrial waste.

The provision of health rights to the people is the primary responsibility of a state. A responsible government is mainly judged by the it’s commitment regarding rights provision to the governed. And if one asks to rank basic rights in the order of priority, the right to live a healthy life would be the first one. Regardless of our age, gender, socio-economic or ethnic background, we consider our health to be our most essential and vital asset. A healthy person has the opportunity to enjoy the maximum of his life. On the other hand, a person with ill health is not even able to make use of his own assets and opportunities as it directly affects his day to day life. For a layman, Right of health is generally understood as

Few resources are essential to human survival. Access to clean water is the most critical of all. Water is a vital resource responsible for sustaining all life on earth. However, clean water is in short supply, but in high demand in all parts of the world. It is thought that most Americans have access to safe, affordable, clean water right from their taps. However, the media is uncovering the true nature of America’s deteriorating water situation. Americans have reason to be seriously concerned about the state of their drinking water. So what really is on tap in America?