What is water pollution? The current situation.
Water pollution is known in English as Water pollution, refers to the phenomenon of water sources (including surface water and groundwater) being contaminated, changing composition and quality in a bad direction, in water. contain toxic substances that seriously affect human life, health and biological systems.
The most common manifestation of water pollution is that the water has a strange color (yellow, black, red-brown, ...), a strange smell (fishy smell, strong rot, pungent smell, etc.) scum, bubbles, many living organisms in the water died.
The current situation of water pollution in Vietnam and in the world is very alarming. Specifically:
The problem of water pollution in the world today not only occurs in temperate zones, but also in hot and cold zones, ie covering all continents. According to UNEPs water pollution report, up to 60% of rivers in Asia - Europe - Africa are contaminated with biological and organic pollution.
Water pollution in Vietnam also occurs not only in rural areas, but water pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces is also very serious.
Examples of water pollution in our country today are in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City:
In Hanoi City: About 350-400 thousand m3 of wastewater and more than 1,000m3 of waste are discharged every day, but only 10% are treated, the rest are discharged directly into rivers, polluting water causing fish deaths. series in West Lake, the pollution level is widespread in 6 districts (Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Cau Giay, Tay Ho).
In Ho Chi Minh City: Water pollution is most typical in Thanh Luong industrial cluster, with about 500,000m3 of wastewater/day from washing powder, paper and dyeing factories.
The data on water pollution cited above will not stop increasing every day if we do not quickly identify the causes and take measures to reduce and eliminate.
Causes of water pollution
Water pollution due to population growth
It is easy to understand that the population explosion has become the cause of water pollution. As more and more people on the earth, the population skyrockets, leading to many consequences related to the needs of eating, living, traveling, construction, agricultural production and industry.
All activities in life are indispensable for the element of water. Therefore, people with a series of development activities have a great influence on the natural environment in general and the water environment in particular. We will cover this issue in more detail in the next part of the article.
Water pollution due to waste in daily life
Currently, the mass media are increasingly referring to the problem of plastic waste in daily life. This problem has been and continues to be a very serious source of water pollution. So what is plastic waste? Due to the lifestyle of people, the habit of consuming too much plastic.
Recognizing that plastic waste is a threat to all of humanity, in recent years, many people have become more aware of using plastic and reducing furniture. The trend of green living and environmental protection in 2021 as well as keeping the communitys health is more important than ever.
Water pollution from medical waste
In Vietnam, current statistics show that most hospitals and medical facilities across the country do not have satisfactory wastewater treatment systems.
Imagine that: With a very large number of patients being received in hospitals with measures to handle medical examination and treatment and medical services. If these facilities do not have the correct method of disposing of medical instruments and equipment, it is a danger to the environment.
Pollution due to the conditions of nature
Floods, storms, snow melts, droughts, etc. are factors that seriously affect water resources on earth. Surely all of us can feel this.
Along with these polluting agents, the death of plants and animals also greatly affects the water source in nature. Specifically: Ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, rainwater and even sea water are also affected.
It can be said that this is one of the 7 most important causes of water pollution!
Water pollution due to agricultural production
The first cause of water pollution originates from agricultural production activities such as farming and animal husbandry. Accordingly, untreated leftovers, feces and urine of livestock directly discharged are the most noticeable agents.
Besides, in the process of agricultural production, the use of plant protection chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. in excess of the recommended dosage is also the factors causing environmental pollution. surface water and groundwater due to chemical residues.
Some farmers even use banned chemicals such as pesticides Monitor, Thiodol, etc. This not only leads to water pollution but also extremely toxic to users, especially when not equipped with labor protection equipment.
In addition, the improper storage and preservation of drugs, displayed everywhere in the house also cause the source of domestic water to be contaminated. Or, the disposal of pesticide bottles after indiscriminate use on the banks of fields and canals is also a risk factor.
Water pollution is the negative side of industrial production
Wastewater and waste from industrial production activities are mostly discharged directly into ponds, lakes, rivers and streams without treatment. Therefore, this is also one of the most typical causes of water pollution.
In industrial wastewater, there are many anions that pollute the water environment such as Cl-, SO42-, PO43, Na+, K+ and countless highly toxic heavy metal compounds such as Hg, Pb, Cd, As, etc. Sb, Cr, F… they will dissolve in water, causing the water to change its properties in a harmful direction.
Water pollution is caused by the industrial aspect as well due to the limited awareness and sense of responsibility for environmental protection of the investors, some agencies, organizations and the population. focus on economic benefits while neglecting the protection of the surrounding environment, so the situation of contaminated water is natural.
Water pollution due to urbanization
Among the 7 causes of water pollution mentioned in the article, it is impossible not to mention the factor of urbanization. Urbanization is an inevitable process of social development. Any country on the path of development must go through and live with this.
Land is planned into apartments, high-rise buildings, trees are cut down to build houses, roads and overpasses. The rapid urbanization process has removed the face of nature and replaced it with bustle, a manifestation of modern life and developed economy.
Urbanization is necessary, but the consciousness of people living in urban areas is as civilized as what they created. Excessive consumption, indiscriminate littering and no awareness of the environment will gradually destroy peoples lives.
In short, water pollution is no longer a new problem but never old. We have just experienced the first year of the new decade 2020 with unpredictable fluctuations from epidemics and natural disasters.
The things that nature gives back to people are not random, but the inevitable consequences of exploitation and over-consumption without knowing how to build. The sense of responsibility to protect the environment in general and the protection of water sources in particular is the only and urgent thing for people to improve their quality of life.
Consequences of water pollution on aquatic organisms
The amount of industrial wastewater, domestic wastewater, and residual chemicals that are discharged into ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and the sea will change the living environment of aquatic organisms in the direction of worsening.
Consequences of water pollution for aquatic organisms are a series of slow-growing fish and marine organisms. When the pollution level exceeds the allowable limit, they will not be able to adapt, leading to mass death, marine resources, as well as the depletion of aquatic ecosystems. If you eat contaminated fish, human health is also at risk.
Effects of water pollution on plants
Not only affects aquatic organisms, but one of the harmful effects of water pollution also affects the life of terrestrial flora.
Specifically, using contaminated water to irrigate crops and crops will make them stunted and slow to grow. If the level of water pollution is too great, it will also cause plants to be massed, and the land will become increasingly barren and easy to erode.
Water pollution seriously affects water quality
The consequences of water pollution are to change the quality of water sources, including surface water and groundwater. This makes water for daily living, fish hygiene, agriculture and industry in a state of scarcity. This is a huge disaster for all of humanity.
Measures to overcome water pollution
It is necessary to raise peoples awareness of using and handling waste
This can be considered as a decisive factor for the improvement and protection of water resources in nature. Most people think that the lack of awareness about the environment they do is just "salt out of the sea" and has a very small impact on the environment.
However, there is a problem that we are actually facing, that is, the huge plastic waste in the sea is a living proof. All waste gatherings are dumped into the sea and ocean, directly affecting the environment and marine life.
Therefore, educating each persons sense of responsibility and responsibility for future generations is a key and necessary issue. How do people change that mindset, change that habit, all problems related to the environment can be solved. It is necessary to strengthen propaganda and education to raise peoples awareness in protecting the water environment from simple actions such as throwing garbage in the right places, condemning the acts of littering indiscriminately.
Building and perfecting the system of sanctions to handle environmental laws
In the 7 causes of water pollution and how to overcome it, there are many factors, but the key is still individual, collective and organizational consciousness. Therefore, to overcome the peoples consciousness, it is necessary to have timely deterrent measures to be really effective.
Methods and ways of doing things must be really serious, fair and effective. Avoid cover-ups and incitements for wrongdoing. Therefore, the legal system is the core element of all problems.
To complete the wastewater treatment system in residential areas and even industrial and agricultural zones.
To do this, there needs to be a combination of three systems: the State, businesses and people. The state is the investor, the enterprise is the construction unit and the people are the users
Strengthen inspection and supervision of waste discharge activities in industrial parks to promptly detect and handle violations.
Factories and enterprises need to build wastewater treatment tanks instead of discharging directly to the outside environment, which is also an effective way to handle water pollution.
The State needs to step up investment in building more standard waste water and waste treatment systems. Actively invest in research to find more effective remedies for water pollution.
Encourage rural people to apply solutions to overcome water pollution by building septic tanks, improved biogas tunnels to treat wastewater, avoiding direct discharge of manure and urine from livestock into the environment. school.
Improve agricultural production by using natural methods to create nutrients for the soil, combined with the use of good pest-resistant crops to limit the use of harmful chemicals.
Using solutions to treat polluted water
Measures to overcome water pollution by being able to use clean energy sources to replace and apply in industrial production. For example, solar energy, wind energy... This is a safe solution that can limit the sources of hazardous waste and wastewater.
