Let’s Spread the Word to Stop Water Pollution in the World

Water covers more than 70% of the surface of the Earth; it’s one of the most precious natural resources of our planet. The reason is that about 97% of the total water is salty, and therefore not potable; a further 2% is locked in glaciers and polar ice caps, thus leaving just about 1% of it useful for consumption.   

With the human population increasing rapidly, water resources all over the world are getting polluted; so much so, that precious and unique organisms and ecosystems are being harmed and are even going extinct at an alarming rate.  

If you want to help keep our waters clean, there are many things you can do to help. You can prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water at your home.  

Image source: Indiegogo  

Dealing with water pollution is something that everyone (including governments and local councils) needs to get involved with.

Here are a few things you can do to help.   

• Do not throw trash as what we throw is what we may consume. Always look for the waste bin. If there is none around, please take it home and put it in your trash can. This includes all places like the beach, lakes, riverside and water bodies.  

• Use water wisely. Do not keep the tap running when not in use. Also, you can reduce the amount of water you use in washing and bathing. If we all do this, we can significantly prevent water shortages and reduce the amount of dirty water that needs treatment.  

• Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints, and medicines down the sink drain, or the toilet.  

• Use more environmentally safe cleaning liquids for use at home and other public places. They are less dangerous to the environment.  

• Do not overuse chemicals and pesticides for your gardens and farms. This will reduce runoffs of the chemical into nearby water sources. Start looking at options of composting and using organic manure instead.  

• If you live close to a water body, please plant lots of trees and flowers around, so that when it rains, chemicals from your home do not easily drain into the water body.  

Image source: Blog.childfund.org.nz  

Most water pollution doesn’t begin in the water itself. Take the oceans: around 80 percent of ocean pollution enters our seas from the land. Virtually any human activity can have an effect on the quality of our water environment. When farmers fertilize the fields, the chemicals they use are gradually washed by rain into the groundwater or surface waters nearby.   

  Sometimes the causes of water pollution are quite surprising. Chemicals released by smokestacks (chimneys) can enter the atmosphere and then fall back to earth as rain, entering seas, rivers, and lakes and causing water pollution.

That’s called atmospheric deposition. Water pollution has many different causes and this is one of the reasons why it is such a difficult problem to solve.  

  Spread the word to stop water pollution! Life is ultimately about choices—and so is pollution. We can live with sewage-strewn beaches, dead rivers, and fish that are too poisonous to eat. Or we can work together to keep the environment clean so the plants, animals, and people who depend on it remain healthy.   

We can take individual action to help reduce water pollution, for example, by using environmentally friendly detergents, not pouring oil down drains, reducing pesticides, and so on.   

We can take community action too, by helping out on beach cleans or litter picks to keep our rivers and seas that little bit cleaner. And we can take action as countries and continents to pass laws that will make pollution harder and the world less polluted. Working together, we can make pollution less of a problem—and the world a better place.  

Only we need our determination and commitment to stop water pollution in our area. Let’s start with your initiative by today itself!