Question

Explain the causes and consequences of water pollution.

Answer 1

Water pollutants are also created from natural sources of erosion, landslides, decay and decomposition of plants and animals, etc. Human beings pollute the water through industrial, agricultural and cultural activities. Major water polluting industries are leather, pulp and paper, textiles and chemicals.

Causes and consequences of Water pollution are follows:

1. Diseases: Diseases like typhoid, diphtheria, diarrhoea, malaria and cholera, etc. These wastes cause frequent nuisance as and when these are carelessly handled, spread by wind and splittered through rain water.
2. Ecosystem destruction: Ecosystems are extremely dynamic and react to even minute alterations in their environment. Water poisoning might cause an entire ecosystem to collapse if left unchecked.
3. Eutrophication: It happens when certain substances in a body of water promote the growth of algae. These algae build a layer on the pond or lake's surface. This algae is consumed by bacteria, which lowers the oxygen content of the water body and harms aquatic life.
4. Effects on the food chain: When toxins and other contaminants in the water are taken up by aquatic animals like fish and shellfish, which humans subsequently eat, the food chain is upset.