Impact of Polluted Water

1 Key excerpts on "Impact of Polluted Water"

• 

  eBook - ePub

  Environmental Impact Assessment

  Theory and Practice

  • Anji Reddy Mareddy, Anil Shah, Naresh Davergave(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Butterworth-Heinemann

    (Publisher)

  6

  Impacts on water environment

  Abstract

  Water pollution, causes of water pollution, types of water pollutants with respect to water quality, and standards for water consumption are given in this chapter. In this chapter, the different types of water, both surface and groundwater quality, their contamination, and their impacts are presented. In the later part of chapter, the existing water environment is described focusing on impact prediction and impact assessment, and mitigation measures for maintaining water environment are provided. The wastewater management practice is also presented with a case study on common effluent treatment plant (CETP).

  Keywords

  Point and nonpoint sources of water pollution; Water quality; Wastewater management; Common effluent treatment plant (CETP)

  Although 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water, only a tiny fraction of the water is available to us as freshwater. About 97% of the total water available on earth is found in the oceans and is too salty for drinking or irrigation. The remaining 3% is freshwater. Of this, 2.997% is locked in ice caps or glaciers. Thus, only 0.003% of the earth's total volume of water is easily available to us as soil moisture, groundwater, water vapor and water in lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and estuarine regions.

  In short, if the world's water supply were only 100 L, our usable supply of freshwater would be only about 0.0003 L (one-half teaspoon). This makes water a very precious resource. The future wars in our world may well be fought over water. By the middle of this century, almost twice as many people will be trying to share the same amount of freshwater the earth has today. In the future, as freshwater becomes scarcer, the access to water resources will be an important factor in determining the economic growth of several countries around the world. When the quality or composition of water changes directly or indirectly as a result of men's activities such that it becomes unfit for any purpose, it is said to be polluted. When a source of pollution can be readily identified because it has a definite source and place where it enters the water, it is said to come from a point source, for example, municipal and industrial discharge pipes. When a source of pollution cannot be readily identified, such as agricultural runoff and acid rain, they are said to be nonpoint sources of pollution.

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