1. WATER POLLUTION
BY
NIKHIL PAKWANNE

2. INTRODUCTION
• Over two thirds of Earth's surface is covered by
water; less than a third is taken up by land. As
Earth's population continues to grow, people are
putting ever-increasing pressure on the planet's
water resources.
• In a sense, our oceans, rivers, and other inland
waters are being "squeezed" by human activities.
• Poorer water quality means water pollution.

3. HOW SERIOUS IS THE PROBLEM?
• According to the environmental campaign
organization WWF: "Pollution from toxic chemicals
threatens life on this planet. Every ocean and every
continent, from the tropics to the once-pristine
polar regions, is contaminated."
• Water pollution is a major problem in the global
context. It has been suggested that it is the leading
worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, and that it
accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people
daily.

4. WATER POLLUTION
• Water pollution is the contamination of water
bodies
• Water pollution affects plants organisms living in
these bodies of water; and, in almost all cases the
effect is damaging either to individual species and
populations, but also to the natural biological
communities.
• Water pollution occurs when pollutants are
discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies
without adequate treatment to remove harmful
compound.

5. WATER POLLUTION
• Water is typically referred to as polluted when it
is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and
either does not support a human use.
• “Water pollution can be defined in many ways.
Usually, it means one or more substances have
built up in water to such an extent that they
cause problems for animals or people.”

6. WATER POLLUTION CATEGORIES
• Sources of surface water pollution are generally
grouped into two categories based on their
origin.
1) Point source pollution
2) Non-point source pollution

7. 1.Point source pollution
• Point source pollution refers to contaminants
that enter a waterway through a discrete
conveyance, such as a pipe or ditch.
• Examples-
▫ discharges from a sewage treatment plant, a
factory,
▫ a city storm drain.

8. 2. Non-point source pollution
• Non-point source (NPS) pollution refers to
diffuse contamination that does not originate
from a single discrete source.
• NPS pollution is often accumulative effect of
small amounts of contaminants gathered from a
large area
• The leaching out of nitrogen compounds from
agricultural land which has been fertilized is a
typical example.

9. GROUNDWATER POLLUTION
• By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are
susceptible to contamination from sources that may
not directly affect surface water bodies, and the
distinction of point vs. non-point source may be
irrelevant.
• A spill of a chemical contaminant on soil, located
away from a surface water body, may not necessarily
create point source or non-point source pollution,
but nonetheless may contaminate the aquifer below.
• Analysis of groundwater contamination may focus
on soil characteristics and hydrology, as well as the
nature of the contaminant itself.

10. CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
• Chemicals, pathogens, and physical or sensory
changes such as elevated temperature and
discoloration.
• Other natural and anthropogenic substances
may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks
light and disrupts plant growth.
• Alteration of water's physical chemistry includes
acidity (change in pH), electrical conductivity,
temperature, and eutrophication.

11. CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
1. Pathogens:
▫ High levels of pathogens may result from
inadequately treated sewage discharges.
▫ This can be caused by a sewage plant designed with
less than secondary treatment.
▫ Some harmful pathogens- Burkholderia
pseudomallei, Cryptosporidiu parvum , Giardia
lamblia, Salmonella, Novovirus and other viruses,
Parasitic worms (helminths).

12. CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
2. Chemical and other contaminants:
▫ Contaminants may include organic and inorganic
substance.
▫ Organic- Detergents, Disinfection by-products,
Food processing waste, Insecticides and
herbicides, Petroleum hydrocarbons.
▫ Inorganic- Acidity caused by industrial discharges,
Ammonia from food processing waste, Fertilizers
containing nutrients, Heavy metals from motor
vehicles .

13. CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
3. Thermal pollution:
▫ Rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of
water caused by human influence.
▫ Caused out of use of water as a coolant by power
plants and industrial manufacturers.
▫ Also caused by the release of very cold water from
the base of reservoirs into warmer rivers.
▫ Elevated water temperatures decreases oxygen
levels and affects ecosystem composition.

14. MEASUREMENT OF WATER POLLUTION
• Methods-
▫ Physical
▫ Chemical
▫ Biological
• Government agencies and research
organizations have published standardized,
validated analytical test methods to facilitate the
comparability of results.

15. 1. PHYSICAL TESTING
• Common physical tests:
▫ Temperature,
▫ Solids concentration like total suspended solids
(TSS) and,
▫ Turbidity.

16. 2. CHEMICAL TESTING
• Common Chemical Tests:
▫ pH testing,
▫ Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD),
▫ Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD),
▫ Nutrients (nitrate and phosphorus compounds),
▫ Metals (including copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and
mercury),
▫ Oil and grease,
▫ Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and
▫ Pesticides.

17. 3. BIOLOGICAL TESTING
• Biological testing involves the use of plant,
animal, and/or microbial indicators to monitor
the health of an aquatic ecosystem.

18. CONTROL OF WATER POLLUTION
• Water pollution is controlled by, preventing the
entrance of sewage water & industrial water into
main stream flow.
• Nonpoint source controls- Erosion control to
reduce runoff, reduce reliance on chemical
pesticides, and protect water quality.
• Point source wastewater treatment- Constructed
wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate
treatment of animal wastes, as are anaerobic
lagoons

19. CONCLUSION
• It is hard to imagine that one person can make a
difference in protecting and conserving fresh
water supplies on this planet, but each individual
can really help the environment.
• Water pollution is very serious problem and it can
be controlled by providing proper escape to
sewage and industrial waste water.
• Also contaminated water can be treated and
reused so as to reduce water pollution.

20. THANK YOU