Water Pollutionby | 31-03-2015 23:26 |
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  I guess each one of us is familiar with the usual defination of water pollution. It basically relates to the problem of deteriotion of quality of water. When toxic substances enter the natural sources of water like lakes, rivers, lagoons and oceans, it becomes unfit for human use. Water pollution is a source of various water borne diseases. cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, are caused by drinking water containing infectious viruses or bacteria, which often come from human or animal waste. Water-washed diseases, such as skin and eye infections, are caused by lack of clean water for washing. But I guess the need of the hour right now is to discuss why we still need to talk about this even after being so much technically and scientifically advanced. According to a 2007 study, discharge of untreated sewage is the single most important source of pollution of surface and ground water in India. There is a large gap between generation and treatment of domestic waste water in India. The problem is not only that India lacks sufficient treatment capacity but also that the sewage treatment plants that exist do not operate and are not maintained. A 1992 World Health Organization study reported that out of India's 3,119 towns and cities, just 209 have partial sewage treatment facilities, and only 8 have full wastewater treatment facilities. Downstream, the river water polluted by the untreated water is used for drinking, bathing, and washing. Another cause of concern is the ritual practice of dumping partially cremated bodies after death directly into the Ganges. More than 500 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river, which is considered holy by Hindus. Ganges river pollution is a major health risk. The paucity of clean water for domestic use has led to the increase in number of deaths in both the rural and urban parts of developing economies and India is no different. The scientific analysis of water samples from 1995 to 2008 indicates that the organic and bacterial contamination is severe in water bodies of India. This is mainly due to discharge of domestic waste water in untreated form, mostly from the urban centres of India. In India almost every region is affected by water pollution and it is the most common cause of deaths. Deaths due to water related diseases in India are in the range of nearly 80%. Diarrhea is the most prevalent water disease in India whereas thousands of people fall prey to cholera, malaria, intestinal worms, hepatitis, etc. Serious action needs to be taken by both the government as well as citizens. Its time to look beyond the failures of Ganga Action Plan ( GAP) & Yamuna Action Plan. (YAP). |
