Environment - Water Pollution

1. 20% of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water.

2. Industry is a huge source of water pollution.

3. Industrial waste, such as lead, mercury, oil and chemicals used in fertilisers, is often harmful to both people and the environment.

4. Industrial waste is often dumped into rivers, lakes and the sea.

5. Waste from livestock pollutes water.

6. Water runs off fields and can carry harmful bacteria from livestock and fertilisers.

7. When fertilisers run into water, they cause algae to grow quickly.

8. The algae may use up the oxygen in the water, leaving none for other marine life.

9. The algae may also block the sunlight from marine plants, causing them to die.

10. Global warming has caused a rise in the Earth’s water temperature.

11. It is caused by the burning of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

12. These gases trap the heat of the sun.

13. When the temperature of water increases, it upsets the habitat of many aquatic creatures and can kill them.

14. Disposing of sewage is a big problem - in Britain about 300 million gallons of sewage are produced each day.

15. Some of it, still untreated, is pumped, through long pipes, into the sea.

16. The sewage carries many chemicals into the water, which can cause illnesses such as hepatitis, cholera and typhoid.

17. Sewage is treated and cleaned at a sewage works.

18. The sewage goes through a number of processes, such as filtering to remove solid particles.

19. This takes several weeks, but once it is complete, all that is left is clean water which is poured back into the rivers.

20. Acid rain is caused by air pollution.

21. Droplets of water in the clouds mix with gases produced by power stations, factories and cars to form acids.

22. The rain from these clouds then falls as very weak acid, which is why it is known as ‘acid rain’.

23. Oceans are often polluted by oil.

24. Oil does not dissolve in water and forms a thick layer of sludge.

25. This sludge suffocates the fish, gets caught in the feathers of birds and stops them from flying.

26. It also blocks the light from some aquatic plants.

27. Plastic often washes up in sea and rivers, it is light and floats easily, so it can travel a long way.

28. Most plastics do not break down easily and can survive in the ocean for hundreds of years.

29. Plastics are a hazard to seabirds and marine creatures.

30. They are responsible for the deaths of thousands of aquatic creatures every year.

31. Many things can be done to help prevent water pollution - less water can be used so not so much needs treating.

32. Paints and oils should not be tipped down drains nor rubbish thrown into rivers, or streams.