Lets' play a game. Shall we?
Identify based on the clues given below.
I'm cool & I'm hot,
I'm hard & I'm soft,
I fall from great heights but don't get hurt,
I'm active & flowing all time,
I dominate the planet as well as the living beings,
I adapt well to my surroundings,
My existence will assure the survival of other creatures on Earth,
I am unique to possess all the three physical states of nature,
Yet I am colourless,
Who am I?
Yes, it is the main constituent of Earth, WATER.
Water is the only substance that tends to exist in all the physical states- ice as a solid, water as a flowing fluid, vapour as gas. Due to its nature to react with almost every substance, water is known as a "Universal Solvent".
The Earth is covered by 71% water on its surface. Yet, only 3% of water is potable. Did you know 97% of the Earth's water comes from oceans?
The chief sources of water to humans are Groundwater, Surface water runoff, and Snow. Water reaching land after precipitation that doesn't infiltrate into the soil and flows into the streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs is called surface water runoff. Most of the Earth's surface water is either too alkaline or permanently frozen. Commonly, we use water for domestic and industrial purposes. So now the question arises, what is the necessity to conserve it?
We have to conserve water and use water efficiently. Among the 3% fresh water available, only 0.5% is readily available for access. The fear of water scarcity forces humans to save water for the future. It is equally important to know how man pollutes the water before we formulate rules to conserve water. The primary cause of pollution is the discharge of untreated sewage from wastewater treatment plants, industries & residential areas.
Domestic sewage includes spills from broken underground pipes, residues like oils, foam from bathrooms and laundry areas. Due to the presence of organic matter, sewage also contains unhealthy bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
The industrial effluents include powerful acids and bases, hydrocarbons, ignitable solvents, ignitable paint wastes, sludge from refining processes. This process increases the harmful metal concentration of mercury, lead, and cyanide in the water bodies that destroy marine life and considerably affect humans after prolonged usage.
For example, the Plastic manufacturing industries release sewage rich in synthetic chemical compounds like styrene, phenols, organic nitrogen, oils & grease. The Food & Beverages industry, tanneries, gelatine industries discharge effluent rich in fats, stevia, colloids, chlorides, sulfides, and many more. The COD (oxygen demand) and BOD (biological oxygen demand) from these effluents are 10 to 100 times higher than those in domestic sewage. The metal refineries discharge cyanide- a toxic element even at lower concentrations to fish & invertebrates in the water. In addition to the above, chemicals manufacturing industries, printing industries, petroleum refineries, leather manufacturing industries, paper producing industries, metal manufacturing industries are the chief sources of large-scale water pollutants.
Usually, the sewage is either released into the running rivers or dumped near their shores. It results in the infertility of river bed soil. In addition to soil infertility, the waste that gets discharged into the rivers suffocates aquatic life, which leads to the death of marine living beings. The real-time example is River Ganges and River Yamuna in our country. The rivers get polluted due to the continuous discharge of industrial waste and the ritual practices that happen around the year. Such endless pollution activity forced Gangetic dolphins to switch to pure living sources to save their lives. Other relevant sources of pollutants include the disposal of animal waste, urinating, bathing in the rivers. Ganga in the parts of Kanpur and Uttar Pradesh are the most polluted stretches of the river.
When we turn our focus to the oceans, it is more pathetic compared to the rivers. The chief contribution is the frequent occurrence of oil spills. The oil spills occur by carelessness or equipment failures or naturally by hurricanes. The oil spilled in the oceans spread to form the thinnest layer called "sheen" which hinders the sunlight penetrating the oceans. It leads to the immense destruction of phytoplankton which builds the base of the marine food web.
The sea birds that suffer from an oil spill will lose the water repulsion capacity due to the oil sedimentation on their body. The fishes living in the oceans face the scaling of fins after the spillage. When the living creatures attempt to clean themselves, they ingest the oil that causes liver enlargement and genetic disorders. In fact, aquatic organisms lose their reproducing capability. Scaringly, the world's minor oil spills contribute more to pollution than major ones.
Many methods of trying to clean oil spills are either labor-intensive or time taking. The volunteer programs try to clean up oceans by skimming oil off the surface. But this doesn't produce 100% efficient results. The equipment must undergo a quality check before the ships start for the ride to avoid failures in the mid-sea. Installing alarms to indicate the oil leakage can minimize the amount of oil spilled.
The other familiar contributor is single-use plastic. These plastics float on the surface of the water hindering sunlight, similar to oils. Plastics are difficult to break down after use and spread in the water supply due to which fishes consume plastics and die by the blockage. The undecayed plastics cover the coral reefs & slows down the moss growth in the oceans through which the purity of the seas tend to be estimated. Also, plastics induce toxicity and promote an acidic environment that reduces the life of the oceanic ecosystem.
It is an injustice to nature to not care for her during her tough times. Individual homes & community apartments should prefer the usage of easy recyclable items. For example, glass bottles and metal bottles are far better for the environment compared to plastic ones.
Disposing of excessive oils by collecting them in a single bottle rather than disposing of them in the kitchen sinks will ensure a long life span for many fishes and other aquatic organisms. Reduce water pollution by the usage of non-toxic and biodegradable pesticides, floor cleaners. Use phosphate-free detergents because phosphates lead to increased algal blooms that reduce the oxygen entry into the water bodies and kills aquatic life.
Rainwater harvesting is the best method to save water in tropical regions like India to avoid water scarcity. Replace the harmful pesticides & fertilizers with organic manure, vermicompost in agricultural activities. The cars and other vehicles must undergo maintenance checks to repair the leaking hoses, seals that prevent oils & fluids from entering water bodies.
Decreasing the usage of single-use plastics will offer pure oceans in the future. The practice of upcycling plastics into water sprinklers, seed germination, microgreen containers, and many more crafts improve creativity in kids and guarantees pleasure along with reduced contribution to pollution. The industries producing heavy metals, plastics, paints, chemicals must take care of the sewage before discharging them into water bodies.
The sewage should undergo tertiary treatment before letting it into rivers to ensure less contamination. Using rivers and water bodies as public toilets must be strictly prohibited. Monitoring the maintenance of rivers, lakes, ponds, other locally found water bodies for the permissible levels of contaminants should be exercised periodically. Planting fauna around the waterbodies will improve oxygen levels and reduces erosion due to pollutants.
Earth is our planet- humans' only resource. We have to maintain the balance of all living creatures around the world. We as an intellectual species must act as guardians of the resources Earth offers us. When humans possess the potential to turn Mars into Earth, why can't we heal our Earth?
Think about it!
Get into action soon.
By.
DEEKSHITHA M K