Facts about Water Pollution

• The odorless, tasteless and diaphanous liquid whose formula is H2O is the main component in the fluids in our bodies and covers roughly 70 % of the Earth surface. However, only about 2.5% of it is fresh.
• It needs to be at least carefully filtered before drinking.
• Most of it can be found in the biggest aquatic bodies – the oceans
• More than half of the industrial waste is released into rivers, lakes and other aquatic bodies and this results in dangerous contamination.
• More than 750 000 000 people all over the world are not safe because what they drink is not clean and safe.
• There are many places where people use groundwater as potable, but unfortunately there is some which contains different carcinogenic chemicals in large quantities.
• More than 6 000 000 000 kilograms of plastic and other pollutants are annually thrown away into the ocean.
• Radioactive fluids may also appear there. For example, after the Fukushima disaster few years back, the authorities in Japan discarded more than 10 000 000 litres into the Pacific.
• There is still about 70km long debris island which is floating after the Tsunami which led to the problems in the nuclear plant in Japan in 2011.
• Millions of toddlers, mainly in the developing countries, die annually because of water- borne disease and unimproved sanitation. UNICEF data reveal that at least 3 000, about 1 000 in India, children daily perish due to drinking from contaminated resources.
• Not only youngsters but adults also suffer from diseases such as cholera or typhoid.
• Roughly 250 000 000 people all over the world die from the above mentioned or similar diseases.
• One of the rivers containing the largest quantities of food and animal remains and sewage is the Ganges.
• Data obtained from the reports of UNICEF and WHO indicates that 2 500 000 000 people do not have ensured access to improved sanitation. Many defecate outsides, in the open thus inviting plenty of diseases.
• There are areas such as Bangladesh where the presence of arsenic is detected in the groundwater. It is highly poisonous, toxic and can cause malignancies.
• Huge aquatic areas such as rivers and lakes are regarded as unfit for swimming or fishing.
• Throwing the rubbish on the open ground for example and the domestic sewage as a whole are responsible for 4/5 of the harmful substances presenting in the liquid we use for drinking, swimming or irrigation, etc.
• Different surveys indicate that in the years to come the mankind will face water shortage problems due to the pollution and it escalation.
• 2 000 000 tons of human waste is thrown away on a daily basis.
• Annually more than 30 000 000 000 tons of sewage is dumped into rivers, lakes and oceans.
• Calculations made by EPA show that in the US alone more than 3.6 trillion litres of sewage from industries, services or households are thrown away into the rivers every single year.
• In Asia, we can find the greatest numbers of rivers in a really poor condition. They contain many bacteria which present there due to our activities.
• The bacteria in the Asian rivers is almost three times as much as that elsewhere.
• Different parasites, viruses and bacteria find their dwelling in the rivers and lead to some often terminal diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and typhoid.
• More than 100 000 seabirds and mammals and different types of fish die due to plastic waste.
• The animals who are aquatic have an extinction rate which is five times higher than that of the animals living on land.
• Man-made contaminants can be recognized in the heavy metals, organic matter, nutrients, microbial pathogens and many more.
• The chemical and leather industries are major economies in the market, but they also cause a lot of damages.
• The oil spill near the Mexican Gulf which was caused by British Petroleum in 2010 caused the death of more than 1 000 birds, mammals and turtles, many of which endangered.
• The cruise ships offer both entertainment and relaxation, but they also cause problems. For example, there are more than 600 000 litres of sewage which is more probably than not discharged a landfill. Furthermore, thousands of litres of oil are spilt.

Although the awareness is definitely raised in the recent years and measures and precautions are taken, the situation is not getting better. Every single human being should be involved in the effort to eliminate the water pollution. This can be done by reducing the waste. Only after trying to do so will we be sure that there will be life for the ones who will come after us, for our offspring.