Water Pollution Prevention

How can one go about spelling the importance of water in our lives? When we look around and see how water pollution threatens to destroy the Earth, what is our reaction to it? Indifference, perhaps? It is due to this indifference that the world as we know it will soon end.

Through a long-drawn, really slow process of torment and torture. It's not just water pollution that spells danger for us, but since water is one of the most crucial resources, without which the very survival of all life on earth will cease to exist, it becomes our duty to undertake immediate actions to stop and prevent this destruction.

Yet, there are some who would still turn a deaf ear to the pleas of taking immediate action in order to stop the destruction and pollution of this natural resource. Then again, there are also those who have understood that this is not the way to go about saving the earth, and are doing everything to save what can be saved.

They are the ones who are working vehemently towards water pollution prevention. How are they doing that and what needs to be done, really? The following article will give you details of the same, as well as give you an idea of how to prevent water pollution.

It is important to understand the causes of water pollution, only then can prevention of water pollution be carried out effectively. Preventing water pollution is indeed possible and these are some of the methods that will work best.

Major industries, chemical factories, business houses and other multinationals that use methods of processing in their factories, dump the waste that is generated in varied water bodies. This comes about as a point source of pollution because it pollutes the water from a single source (drain pipe etc).

Needless to say, this leads to alarming rates of water pollution. It is not that the waste cannot be treated before dumping it in the water, but waste water treatment is an expensive process that most industries ignore because it directly affects their profits.

So also, the government policies that require industries to treat the waste are most often so lax that industries do not follow them. An example of a pollution prevention policy can be - paying a fine for not treating the waste. Industries prefer paying the fine (which is often quite minimal).

There needs to be immediate action taken in this direction. The rules, policies and laws regarding water purification systems need to be made stringent such that the industries cannot break them. Treatment of the waste needs to be a prerequisite and not an option for industries.

Industries are not the only culprits that lead to increased levels of water pollution. We, through our everyday activities add to water pollution as well. The chemicals that we use in our daily lives like the fertilizers and pesticides on our lawns seep into the ground and make their way into the water bed, thus polluting it.

Or the detergent powders that are used for varied washing and cleaning purposes also find their way into the water bed. These chemicals do not have to be dumped into the water directly either.

If these chemicals are used near water bodies, they still get carried into the streams and rivers through wind and other sources and affect the ecology of the fish and other creatures of the sea. Thus ruining the ecological balance and causing water pollution.

The toxic fumes exhumed by vehicles not only lead to air pollution, but also water pollution. These fumes go up into the air and settle there taking up the form of soot. The soot being heavy, is brought down to the ground and will not only make its way into varied water bodies, but also settle onto the ground and seep into the water table - thus destroying the water ecology.

While bringing stringent laws and policies into action is the most important step in preventing water pollution, there are several steps that can be undertaken at the individual level to prevent and correct water pollution. Seems like the prevention methods mentioned above have got nothing to do with you? Actually, the opposite is true. Stop shirking away from your responsibility and put the following tips into action.

•  Use a detergent that has low phosphate levels because high phosphate levels cause added pollution and are hazardous to the animals and plants in the water.

• Dispose off other forms of wastes like tissue papers and the odd trash bits by putting them in trash bins rather than flushing them down the drain.

•  Use native plants instead of hybrid ones, since those require a lot of pesticides and chemicals for their protection. When it rains, these chemicals seep into the ground water, polluting it.

• Make sure that the products which can be recycled are given off to recycling units instead of disposing them off at random. This will ensure that pollution is prevented.

• Set up a compost unit so that all the household waste can be converted into manure or compost rather than being disposed off in the wrong manner and leading to more pollution.

• Take your vehicles for regular servicing. This will keep them in top running conditions and prevent pollution. Whenever possible, use a cycle or a public transport instead of bringing out the car. Carpool to work if possible.

•  Plant more trees. They are easier to care for than lawns and prevent global warming as well as other forms of pollution.

• Carry your own cloth bags when out shopping. This will prevent the collection and thereby dumping of plastic bags in the water and destroying it.

•  Do not keep the water running when you're brushing your teeth, washing your hands or washing the dishes. Taking small steps like these are an important way of preventing water wastage. Which is fast depleting due to water pollution.

• Do not allow household wastes like your pet waste or other items like petrol, motor oil, paint and batteries to be discarded in the trash or thrown into the sewer. These will seep down to the water source and pollute it in the worst possible way.

• Do not keep the engine running at signals. This releases toxic chemicals in the air which eventually lead to water pollution.

There have been many water pollution prevention acts that have been set up by the governments of the world. But these are not enough for permanent water pollution solutions. Each of us needs to take up the responsibility and do something at an everyday, individual level. It is only then that we can hope to survive in a world that we hoped and dreamed of.