Explain the major sources of water pollution and their effects.

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances contaminate water bodies, making them unsafe for humans and aquatic life. The major sources of water pollution include:

Industrial Waste: Factories discharge toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and dyes into rivers and lakes. These pollutants reduce oxygen levels in water, harming aquatic organisms.

Agricultural Runoff: Fertilizers and pesticides used in farming wash into water bodies, leading to eutrophication (excessive algae growth) and poisoning aquatic life.

Sewage and Domestic Waste: Untreated sewage contains bacteria, viruses, and harmful chemicals that cause waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid.

Oil Spills: Spills from oil tankers pollute oceans and seas, affecting marine life and coastal ecosystems.

Plastic Waste: Plastics take hundreds of years to decompose and harm marine animals that ingest them.

Related Questions:

  1. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY-WATER
  2. List the impurities present in rainwater.
  3. List toxic substances present in household wastes.
  4. In what ways do industrial wastes pollute water?
  5. What is water pollution?
  6. List some waterborne diseases.
  7. What are pathogenic microorganisms?
  8. What is hard water? Why is it sometimes undesirable?
  9. List two ways in which lakes and streams become polluted.
  10. Give chemical equations for the reaction of slaked lime with alum.
  11. Give a chemical equation for the reaction of carbonated rainwater with limestone.
  12. Write a chemical equation for the reaction that occurs when temporary hard water is boiled.
  13. Write a chemical equation for the interaction of Ca²⁺ ions with sodium zeolite.
  14. How can buildings made of limestone be affected by acid rain?
  15. Make a list of main methods of softening hard water. In each case, write an equation to summarize chemical reactions involved.
  16. List some disadvantages of water hardness.
  17. What are the Earth’s four main water sources?
  18. How does hard water differ from soft water?
  19. Write balanced chemical equation to show the effect of heat on magnesium hydrogen carbonate in an aqueous solution.
  20. Describe the water treatment process in municipal water supplies.