What are the major causes of water pollution in India?
Water pollution is caused due to several reasons. Here are the few major causes of water pollution:
- Sewage And WasteWater: Sewage, garbage and liquid waste of households, agricultural lands and factories are discharged into lakes and rivers. These wastes contain harmful chemicals and toxins which make the water poisonous for aquatic animals and plants.
- Dumping: Dumping of solid wastes and litters in water bodies causes huge problems. Litters include glass, plastic, aluminum, styrofoam etc. Different things take different amounts of time to degrade in water. They affect aquatic plants and animals.
- Industrial Waste: Industrial waste contains pollutants like asbestos, lead, mercury and petrochemicals which are extremely harmful to both people and the environment. Industrial waste is discharged into lakes and rivers by using freshwater making the water contaminated.
- Oil Pollution: Sea water gets polluted due to oil spilled from ships and tankers while traveling. The spilled oil does not dissolve in water and forms a thick sludge polluting the water.
- Acid Rain: Acid rain is pollution of water caused by air pollution. When the acidic particles caused by air pollution in the atmosphere mix with water vapor, it results in acid rain.
- Global Warming: Due to global warming, there is an increase in water temperature. This increase in temperature results in the death of aquatic plants and animals. This also results in bleaching of coral reefs in water.
- Eutrophication: Eutrophication is an increased level of nutrients in water bodies. This results in a bloom of algae in the water. It also depletes the oxygen in water, which negatively affects fish and other aquatic animal populations.