What is water pollution?

WATER pollution is the contamination of natural water bodies and this form of environmental degradation occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION

Nutrient Pollution This occurs when high levels of nutrients from fertilisers, sewage end up in water bodies and inturn encourage algae and weed growth. This scenario has encouraged the growth of the water hyacinth in Lake Chivero and other polluted water bodies.

Surface Water Pollution and Ground Water Pollution

This is when hazardous substances come into contact with surface water resulting in called surface water pollution. Pesticides can be leached underground by rainwater causing the contamination of ground water, which is the source of our wells and boreholes.

Oxygen Depletion This occurs when large quantities of biodegradable matter such as sewage, end up in water and encourage the massive growth of microorganism, which later die and in the process of decomposition, a lot of the oxygen is used up. Aerobic organisms die when the oxygen is depleted and due to this anaerobic organisms prosper resulting to the production of more harmful toxins like ammonia. CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

Industrial Activities Industries discharge waste water into water bodies thereby polluting the water. They can also discharge fumes or gases that can pollute the air. When the rains come, the gaseous particles are deposited together with the rain onto the ground and can seep into the underground aquifers, thereby polluting ground water.

Agricultural Activities As crops are treatedwith herbicides and chemical fertilisers, these products can leach and find their way to the aquiferstherebypolluting groundwater. Livestock productions are also responsible mainly by the production of large quantities of organic waste which can be washed away by rainwater into lakes and rivers.

Households Households pour a large amount of organic and inorganic waste down the drain which include; plastics, glass, bacteria — rich faeces. These can pollute both surface and ground water in the event of pipe leakages and bursts.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION Death of Aquatic (Water) Animals – animals which use water as their habitat such as; fish and frogs can die because of the lack of oxygen in their environment.

Disruption of food chains – Pollutants such as lead and cadmium disrupt the natural food chain since they are consumed by tiny animals which are in turn eaten by larger animals and spread the pollutants to the other animals including humans through the traces in their systems. These pollutants can eventually kill some species along the food chain.

Diseases – drinking polluted water results in the outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Use Water Wisely – Do not keep the tap running when not in use and reduce the amount of water you use when bathing and washing. This in turn reduces the amount of dirty water that has to be treated.

Do not dispose chemicals down the drains – These chemicals contaminate water hence we should buy more environmentally friendly detergents which are less dangerous to the environment.

People who live close to a water body should try to plant more trees near their homes. This in turn would ensure that when it rains most of the chemicals from their households are not easily drained into the rivers. Also, avoid excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers as they can easily be washed away into water bodies.

Dispose waste in appropriate areas–Avoid dumping waste on undesignated areas as it can easily be washed away into rivers, streams and lakes. Decomposing waste produces a liquid pollutant called leachate which can seep into the underground water reservoir and pollute the water therein.

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY? Section 57 of the Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27) of 2002 and part 3 of Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007, Environmental Management (Effluent and Solid Waste Disposal) regulation, govern water pollution in Zimbabwe. Together they state that: No person shall dispose of waste water or effluent into a water body, whether directly or through seepage, except under a licence from the Agency. Any person who contravenes the law shall, in addition to a penalty and/ a prison term, pay for the restoration of the environment that has been polluted.

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