No wonder that most of the civilisations have also appeared on the banks of the river or in the valley of the river. The total water available in the world is 1,400,000 cubic km.
According to the reports, 96.5 per cent is oceans, only 1.7 per cent is groundwater, 1.7percent is glaciers and 0.1 per cent in the atmosphere in the form of vapours.
In India, every borough has come upon the bank of an important river that's why India is also known as “ A River country” and water is crucial for the basic maintenance of human being.
India is residence to about 20 major rivers but the rising pollution of rivers in India is a significant trouble for the Indian administration and population. However, in India, most of the rivers and river basin are sufferers of pollution.
Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar- a Mumbai-based reporter and editor says "India's booming population and rapidly expanding urban areas have exact a huge toll on the rivers, which are badly polluted and choked by the development. But in cities across India, activists are heading to court to force municipalities and states to take action".
In the name of economic growth, most rivers and cascades are turning into sewers by which India faces difficulties in supplying clean and safe drinking water to all the citizens. As more of the rivers are getting polluted which is not only the problem for human beings but also the aquatic life.
Causes of Water Pollution -
1. Dumping of solid wastes and litter ( includes glass, plastic etc, which take a different amount of period to degrade) in water spurs huge crises to the environment and affects the aquatic life and the plants.
2. Sewage, the garbage of households, harmful chemical liquids and toxins of agricultural lands and factories are released into the rivers directly.
3. Spilling of oil from the ships and tankers that don’t dissolve in water which also forms a thick sludge and contaminates the water.
4. Asbestos, lead, mercury and petrochemicals which are exceptionally toxic for people and the environment is expelled in the rivers and lakes.
5. Due to global warming, there is a rise in water temperature which results in the death of aquatic plants and animals and also bleaching of coral reefs in water.
6. Eutrophication (increased level of nutrients in water bodies) results in the bloom of algae in the water that depletes the oxygen in the water which causes problems to aquatic plants and animals.
Consequences of River Water Pollution -
1. People will lose their lives after consuming the contaminated water or else have hazardous health problems associated with infected water. Over 900 million people are severely worried about potable water due to water pollution.
2. River contamination threatens biosphere and nature conservation areas that are making many water species extinct or move away to the better places. Migratory birds shun these contaminated rivers and face extinction, also many other species will lose their habitat.
3. Fishermen and fish farms will face difficulties as they will be catching the contaminated fishes which are consuming the harmful chemicals like mercury, lead etc and hence unfit for human consumption.
4. Water bodies are dependent on each other i.e. big aquatic animals are dependent on the small aquatic animals for their food. If water is polluted the whole water bodies will get polluted which will bring disruption in the food chain.
How to Protect Rivers?
According to studies, In the world freshwater is finite as the per cent of freshwater is 2.5 per cent only and 98.8 per cent of this freshwater is in the form of ice whereas only 0.3 per cent is in the lakes and rivers.
Finally, 0.0003 per cent of freshwater is within biological bodies. 70 per cent of the freshwater is used up for agriculture and with the changing crop pattern, the requirement of the freshwater is on the rise.
So, we should all try to reduce pollution in the rivers by small efforts which can bring a huge change in our environment. These small steps will not only help you presently but if you conserve water it will help the next generation too and the government should also take strict actions towards the problem.
Water is life and a basic necessity for everyone to survive. Now, think about how huge the river water pollution problem is. So here are some steps to help -
1. Minimise the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertiliser and don’t dispose of chemicals, motor oil fluids in the sanitary sewer.
2. Industries should break the complex chemicals liquids into an eco-friendly way so they will not pollute the rivers i.e. treatments of chemical liquids before discharging in the rivers directly.
3. Do not dispose of household chemicals or cleaning agents direct down to the sink or toilet.
4. Avoid throwing plastic bags or plastic materials in the rivers of lakes.
5. Switching to the “green” cleaners.
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