Who is water pollution affecting

Sewage can be defined as used water draining out of homes and industries that contain a wide range of debris, chemicals, and microorganisms. Such water is regarded as potential health hazard to consumers or the users of other sort. A major kind of hazard is the presence of pathogenic organisms in such water. This is why water is usually treated in three phases [ 43 , 44 ]. The first is to separate large matter in the water source and the second stage focuses on removing more toxic substances and other matter.

The tertiary phase involves total purification of water commonly by chemical disinfection. More recently, membrane bioreactors are being used and have been found to be very efficient in removing contaminants. These are combinations of communities and high-efficiency membranes that are much more effective at removing contaminants. The role of microbes is obvious in the second stage where microorganisms actively carry out biodegradation of organic matter in the aqueous portion produced after the first stage.

Biodegradation of materials, such as paper and petroleum, are by bacteria, algae, and protozoa. When water is exposed to air, soil as well as effluents, it gains saprobic microorganisms; it can also pick up pathogens such as Cryptosporidium , Campylobacter , Salmonella , Shigella , etc. To monitor water for each of these pathogens may not be possible but detection of fecal contamination is an easier way of spotting contamination. In such case, when the fecal contamination is high, pathogens are believed to be present and the water is unsafe for drinking.

Hence, indicator organisms are used as tools to detect fecal contamination of water. They usually inhabit the intestine of mammals and birds and can be easily identified using common laboratory procedures. To achieve water protection, it will be almost impossible to search for the pathogens themselves. An indicator bacterium should be applicable for analysis of all types of water; it should be found anytime enteric pathogens are present and it should thrive in the wastewater longer than the toughest enteric pathogen.

In addition, such organism should not reproduce in the contaminated water because this will give exaggerated values and it should not be harmful to human begins.

Other criteria are that the level of contamination should be directly proportional to the level of fecal contamination; assay procedure for the indicator organism should be highly specific and the test procedure should be easily performed. Coliforms are members of the family Enterobacteriaceae they include E. Microbial contamination of water can be detected by checking for certain organisms including heterotrophic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli in such samples.

The work by Kora et al. They also reported that contamination by E. Control of pathogens in water is important to prevent waterborne diseases; this can be effectively done using multiple barrier approach. Microbial treatment methods goes further than traditional municipal wastewater treatment, because it takes into consideration the removal of nutrients e. A more advanced design is required in the bioreactor to be used. Some parameters to be considered in designing a treatment system are biomass yield, nutrient addition, the supply of oxygen or other electron donor, pH control as well as kinetics, that is, biological reaction rates biotransformation.

It is important to note at high concentration many compounds of interest are toxic to bacteria being used for treatment. Also some dissolved organic and inorganic compounds may constitute inhibitors to biodegradation by the organism. Biological treatment processes may not consist of the following—lagoon treatment, activated sludge as well as fixed film bioreactors.

The lagoon treatment is long-detention time basins; but unlike activated sludge processes, they do not use solid recycle.

Such treatment scheme may be in three categories: anaerobic lagoon treatment, which makes use of highly loaded lakes creating anaerobic conditions. It has been used successfully for the pretreatment of meat and poultry processing wastewater reducing the biochemical oxygen demand considerably [ 47 ]. In the case of facultative ponds, there is an aerobic surface and an anaerobic bottom.

The top aerobic layer facilitates treatment of dissolved organic compounds as well as odourous compounds. This has found application in pulp and paper industries. With regards to aerated lagoons, oxygen is provided by mechanical means or diffused aeration and the solids are continuously mixed and in suspension. Another biological treatment process of interest is the activated sludge. It is made up of an aeration basin where aeration equipment provides both oxygen and adequate mixing of wastewater to maintain a uniformly mixed liquor suspended solids MLSS.

The aeration basin is followed by a liquid—solid separation usually in a clarifier by gravity and finally the settled biomass is returned again to the activated sludge basin. Examples of aeration basin configurations are — plug-flow systems, single completely mixed basins, and basins in series.

The solid retention time SRT is important in this treatment process. The solid retention time is the average time biomass is maintained in a biological treatment process reaction. The clarifier is very important in the performance of activated sludge processes. It ensures that efficient clarification and thickening of mixed liquor occurs. When the readily degradable soluble biochemical oxygen demand is high in wastewaters, growth of filamentous bacteria is encouraged leading to poor sludge settlement.

The use of powdered activated carbon PAC has been discovered to enhance the efficiency of activated sludge processes. The PAC functions by adsorbing inhibitory chemicals or adsorbing chemicals that buffer variable loads. Apart from the aforementioned, anaerobic bioreactors are also beneficial for the industrial wastewater treatment.

This is because it is cost effective and can be used for industrial wastewater with high strength. The processes in the anaerobic bioreactor lead to the production of mainly methane as well as other gases.

However, there is a need to strike a balance between fermentation bacterial activity and methanogenic bacteria activity as the latter is slow growing. Advantages of anaerobic treatment include low sludge formation, production of useful product, low nutrient requirement, and more importantly less energy requirements since aeration is not necessary. In addition to the energy production, advantages of anaerobic wastewater treatment, high organic matter removal efficiency, low excess sludge production, and stable operation are characteristics of this wastewater treatment technique [ 51 ].

A most recent advancement in the biological treatment of wastewater is the use of membranes in bioreactors. In such cases, the membrane can serve three major purposes. Firstly, membranes can be used as a surface for the attachment for growth of organisms and to permit oxygen to permeate into the biofilm. An example of this is the hollow-fiber gas-permeable membranes in wastewater treatment.

The second way membranes can be used as selective barriers. Such membranes permit organic compounds in wastewater to permeate but do not transport ions into the bioreactor. Thus, it allows for the selection of biodegradable organic compounds. An example of a material used for such membrane is silicone rubber. Finally, membranes can be for biomass separation. This third category requires that the membrane be used instead of a clarifier after activated sludge treatment.

When such membranes are used, the effluent produced is of high quality and less sludge. In addition, automated processing can be easily employed. The disadvantage however is the financial enormity of the investment for initial start-up as well as maintenance [ 50 , 52 , 53 ]. Since coliform bacteria are often detected in drinking water and often, the source of contamination is not known, it is important to put in place control measures.

The water distribution systems must be considered because water quality deterioration i. This can be as a result of reduced maintenance of the distribution system or from insufficient treatment and may lead to undue microbial growth, which the consumer may not notice. Water distribution systems should be periodically flushed to remove sediments, deposits as well as the growth of microorganisms within the pipe. For areas where the flow rate is low and possibly of the water becoming stale is high, a secondary disinfection using monochloramine and proper maintenance should be carried out in such as to prevent nitrification.

Another point is to avoid a break in the distribution system especially during construction, repairs or installations, and cross connections. The officers should also ensure that the level of treatment a water sample is given is in conformity with the quality of the source of water. Also, the sampling for laboratory analysis must also be taken into consideration and monitored thoroughly when aseptic techniques are compromised, detection of coliforms may occur.

Even though reports of water diseases have been low and less serious in most developed countries, it is still a major concern in some underdeveloped countries especially war-ravaged countries.

It is however important to operate a multibarrier approach, which will ensure protection of the water source, and also certify adequate treatment and distribution of water. It is however important that every occurrence of coliforms in drinking water be properly investigated so that if the contamination is as a result of operational deficiency, this can be addressed and future occurrence is prevented, thus safe guarding the health of the public [ 54 ].

Several modern methods of water purification have been well embraced in our society today. However, some rural dwellers who may not be able to afford these modern treatment methods still have water pollution as a major challenge [ 55 ].

Furthermore, the disinfection by-products which remain after treatment is another reason why herbal attempts in water treatment should be encouraged. It is important to note that not many researchers apply their antimicrobial extract or fractions directly in water treatment. Many groups stop at establishing the antimicrobial potential of their study plant, whereas others go further to apply the extracts in water treatment. For instance, a reported work used alcoholic, aqueous, and fresh juice extracts of Ocimum sanctum tulsi and Azadirachta indica neem and applied them in vitro against salmonella, which was chosen as an indicator organism.

The alcoholic extract gave the best result for well water, whereas the aqueous extract was best for lake water [ 56 ].

Similarly, inspired by the fact that tulsi, neem, and amla are used to treat microbial infection without any side effect, another researcher compared the effectiveness of these three herbs in water purification, using percentage of E.

An indirect application of herbs in water purification is their use in the synthesis of nanoparticles, which are afterwards applied to remove contaminants from water [ 58 ]. These extracts influence the surface properties of the nanoparticles, thus dictating their unique properties Owing to the obvious advantages of natural disinfection, there is a need for more research into natural products for water purification.

This will in no small way help rural dwellers to cheaply assess cheap clean water and so live a healthier lifestyle. All organisms, including man need water for their survival. Water resource managers had strongly depended on wastewater treatment in ensuring that the quality of water is sustained, preserved, and maintained for optimal use.

By , an estimated around 5 billion people out of a total population of around 8 billion will be living in areas of water stress [ 59 ]. According to Schwarzenbach et al. Numerous micro-pollutants had been identified in literatures [ 61 — 64 ], which are not vulnerable to current treatment and are subsequently transported to the aquatic environment. Some of these include steroid hormones, pesticides, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and many other emerging materials.

This consequently endangers both the aquatic and human life. The explanation is that, when biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product GDP of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third.

In addition, here are some of the other consequences:. The impact of water pollution. Half of the world's inhabitants will live in water-scarce areas by , so every drop of polluted water today is an irreparable loss for tomorrow.

That's why we must prevent water pollution with measures like the following:. Skip to main content. You are in Sustainability Water pollution.

Share in Twitter. Share in Facebook. Whatsapp Whatsapp. Water pollution: how to protect our source of life The planet keeps nudging us with increasingly extreme droughts, reminding us that water is life.

Carousel of images and videos. However, the most common cause of poor quality water is human activity and its consequences, which we will now go on to explain: Global warming Rising global temperatures caused by CO 2 emissions heat the water, reducing its oxygen content. Deforestation Felling forests can exhaust water resources and generate organic residue which becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Industry, agriculture and livestock farming Chemical dumping from these sectors is one of the main causes of eutrophication of water. Maritime traffic Much of the plastic pollution in the ocean comes from fishing boats, tankers and cargo shipping. Fuel spillages The transportation and storage of oil and its derivatives is subject to leakage that pollutes our water resources.

In addition, here are some of the other consequences: Destruction of biodiversity. Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.

The main problem caused by water pollution is the effect it has on aquatic life. Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat. Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. The tiny animals are consumed by fish and shellfish which continue to disrupt higher levels of the food chain.

Eventually, humans are affected by this process when they consume seafood that has been poisoned. These bodies of water are highly polluted by humans and in result come right back to hurt us. Pesticides: Run off from farms, backyards, and golf courses contain DDT that in turn contaminate the water.

Leachate, the rainwater which becomes contaminated as it seeps through a coal pile, mine tailings or landfill can pose a significant threat to aquifers, rivers, lakes and watersheds if left untreated. These chemicals will travel through runoff water and end up contaminating our soil. Excessive use of fertilizers cause nitrate contamination of groundwater which is far above safely levels recommended. Sewage: Untreated or inadequately treated municipal sewage is a major source of groundwater and surface water pollution in the developing countries.

Sewage carries microbial pathogens that are the cause of the spread and disease.