Water Pollution - Essay Example

?Water Pollution – Assignment Water pollution is a significant problem in today’s day and age because of rapid speed at which the world is facing technological development. New industries are coming up day by day, situated near rivers and seas for the purpose of having ease of access of water and at the same time, these factories and industries end up dumping their wastes into these water bodies, thereby causing difficulties for both the flora as well as the fauna within these environments. Furthermore, the waste materials lead to a decrease in the level of oxygen, that the wildlife inside the water have access to, and this weakens their body systems, as well as proves a significant problem for the coming generations of all these plants and animals. People living in and around the area also usually consume these fish and other types of sea food from the water bodies and fall sick due to eating contaminated food too. In the 1970s, the River Tees in England faced heavy pollution for over a decade which caused a great amount of problems including the absence of Common Seals and Grey Seals from the river. However, in recent times, the estuary has undergone major improvements and the seals can now be seen once again on the Seal Sands. The absence of flora and fauna speak volumes about the drastic levels of pollution that Tees was forced to face. (D.W. Pattenden) The water underwent a large number of changes including a difference in taste, colour and volume and this has caused a vast amount of problems for most of the people in the area too. The river Tees is situated in the Northern part of England, rising on the Eastern slope of Cross Fell in the Northern Pennies. It flows in the eastward direction and joins the North Sea near Middlesbrough between Redcar and Hartlepool. The river flows 120km from its source and many people say that the water that forms a part of the river is often very discoloured due to heavy pollutants present within it. A Hazen scale is now used in order to understand the colour of the water. The main cause for pollution of the river was heavy industrialization and thus contaminants in the form of industrial wastes and dumping, and over 500 tonnes of these toxic contaminants were being dumped into the river each day. This caused the river to become the most polluted water body in Britain. The main effects of all these wastes were that the water temperature of the river grew to a great extent, causing a decrease in the dissolved oxygen it contained. And thus, it was no surprise that no plants or animals were able to survive properly in the water of Tees. Due to the decreased levels of wildlife survival, the problem was sought to be tackled by the concerned government departments and the main solution that they brought to the scene was declining permits and tightening the discharge permits to industries and companies situated in and around the river. In the year 1972, these changes began to be adopted and the dirt in the area soon began to decrease. (Natural Britain, The River Tees, County Durham) A great part of the land from the river Tees had also been reclaimed in order to use for building businesses, bring about leisure development, as well as maintenance for public recreation. Various actions were taken in order to clean the environment around the river, cleanse the waste and garbage material as well as take initiative to treat the domestic sewage and industrial discharges coming from the factories and industries. The main idea was for industries to understand that they cannot be harming the environment or giving rise to new technology at the cost of wildlife and nature; the heavy pollution of the river has also caused problems for people eating the contaminated fish from the very water body and thus is a threat to not only the wildlife but also to the people who live in and around the area. (Biodiversity – Rivers) After having tested the water, it was found out that the water contained toxic levels of lead and lethal levels of bacteria and protozoa which were stemming the growth of any kind of flora and fauna inside the water. (J.G. Parker) Excessive waste dumping was also a cause for a decline in the level of water that the river contained and in times of global warming, this is an even bigger threat to any water body because of the already declining water levels. Also, since this estuary joins the main sea, the pollutants had been travelling miles and getting mixed with the main water as well, harming the rest of the water life. Furthermore, the seals have always been the main attraction of the river Tees and following the period of pollution the disappeared completely from the area known as Seal Sands. For a period of around hundred years these animals were forced to find a new home because of the alarmingly dirty conditions that they were forced to live within. The pollution contained toxic wastes and harmful contaminants that stemmed them from breathing fresh air. Apart from affecting the water and dissolving the oxygen inside it, the wastes polluted the air to an extent as well, causing these animals to vanish from the scene completely. By 2001, the water quality of the Tees estuary has undergone a great amount of improvement because of all the above steps taken by the government officials. A great amount of awareness has also been spread about the animals and plants surviving within the water body, as well as the importance of living in a clean environment. Industries are not given permits to set up and discharge into the river easily unless they have proof of facilities to treat the sewage and make it as water and environment friendly as possible. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the need for a clean water body and the need also to treat wastes before dumping them into water bodies. Water is the most essential resource for any living being and thus it needs to be treated with care and not harmed, because that ultimately ends up harming every other living thing in its vicinity. References The History of the River Tees in Maps, 3rd. Ed. (2001), D.W. Pattenden, published by Cleveland and Teesside Local History Society. Natural Britain, The River Tees, County Durham. 2012. Natural Britain, The River Tees, County Durham. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.information-britain.co.uk/naturaldetail.php?id=14. [Accessed 15 January 2012]. Biodiversity - Rivers. 2012. Biodiversity - Rivers. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/main.nsf/Web+Full+List/7D981A029CFDE1F58025733A00457DD2?OpenDocument. [Accessed 15 January 2012]. J.G. Parker, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 7, Issue 2, April 1983, Pages 172-178. Read More