How Pollution of Groundwater in Australia Is Affected by Disposed of Solid Waste - Research Paper Example

How Pollution of Groundwater in Australia is effected by Disposed Solid Waste Problem Statement This paper is about the environmental issue of groundwater and its pollution. Specifically, it is about how groundwater pollution is arising in Australia from the way individuals and industries dispose solid waste. The pollution of the ground water as a result of the way households and industries dispose solid waste affects the manner in which the groundwater is used. All these issues, the pollution of groundwater by disposal of solid waste and how this affects the usefulness of the groundwater, are addressed in this paper. The issue of pollution of groundwater in Australia has been growing in importance. Over the recent past, it has become increasingly clear that groundwater in Australia is getting polluted by different activities. Basically, there are various sources of the waste products that pollute groundwater. On one hand, industries produce different types of wastes from their processes. The wastes slowly find their way to the groundwater. This causes the water to be polluted. On the other hand, individuals, through their households, produce a lot of different types of solid waste. The waste products are usually dumped in different places. Over the course of time, solid waste finds its way to the groundwater reservoir. Therefore, households form the second main source of waste that pollutes ground water. Further, it should be noted that the problem of pollution of groundwater in Australia has been complicated by the high rate at which the population is generally growing. An increase in the population makes the issue of pollution of groundwater complicated because of several reasons. First, a growing population means that the overall amount of waste products that is produced by households increases. Second, a growing population is usually associated with increased industrial activity. This, in turn, complicates the issue of production of waste products that pollute groundwater. Therefore, the causes and effects of groundwater pollution by solid waste make it necessary for the process by which the pollution occurs to be examined. This is done in this study. Rationale There are three main issues that make this research on how solid waste pollutes groundwater in Australia necessary. First of all, groundwater is an important resource in Australia. Its importance is seen in the form of the many uses that the water is put to as a result of its characteristics. The water is usually free of any type of pathogens. This makes groundwater suitable and attractive for human use as compared to other types of water that are available. In addition to this, groundwater does not need to be subjected to additional treatment processes as is the case when other types of water are used. Natural purification processes usually make the water clean and relatively suitable for human use. This, together with the fact that the water is easily accessible, makes groundwater one of the most important sources of water in Australia. However, an increase in the rate at which waste products are being dumped into the environment is threatening the purity of groundwater. Solid waste products contain different types of chemicals. Chemicals such as nitrates, carbonates, sulphates and other types of compounds that are found in solid waste usually find their way to groundwater reservoirs. This happens through the complex processes of absorption, retardation, advection and biological and chemical composition (Timnaz & Ongen, 2007, p. 266). When this happens, the groundwater usually gets contaminated. The contaminated groundwater can no longer be suitable for human use. This is because the chemicals that cause the contamination are usually toxic in nature. Groundwater that has been contaminated by leachates from solid waste is regarded toxic because it characteristics exceed what has been recommended as safe for human use by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (Rajkumar, Subramani & Elango, 2010, p. 46). For example, contaminated groundwater contains over 3 times the amount of chloride that WHO recommends should be found in water that is safe (Rajkumar, Subramani & Elango, 2010, p. 46). This, therefore, makes groundwater that has been polluted by solid waste unfit for use because of its excess salty taste. What is important to note is that the issue of how groundwater in Australia is polluted by the disposal of solid waste products and how this affects the usage of the water by the population is a matter of environmental degradation. Disposal of solid waste is a key issue that affects the physical environment. Similarly, the manner in which groundwater is polluted is associated with the environment. Therefore, examining the effect of pollution of groundwater in Australia as a result of disposal of solid waste is an important study. Research Questions The following are the questions used in the research. 1. In what ways is the groundwater in Australia polluted by solid waste? 2. What are the effects of pollution of groundwater in Australia by solid waste disposal on the usage of the water? 3. In what ways can the pollution of groundwater in Australia by solid waste disposal be controlled? Methodology The following is a description of the methodology that was used. First, as a secondary source, secondary sources were primarily used. Secondary sources are materials that have already been published. The findings of the different studies that have already been carried out and published in the secondary sources were identified and collected for use in this research. In general, different types of secondary sources were used. Books related to the subject of the research, peer-reviewed journals and authoritative websites are some of the secondary sources that were used in this research. The secondary sources that were suitable for the study were found through a long process of searching. In general, many of the sources that were used were in an electronic version. Therefore, their location required the use a detailed and targeted searching process. This was accomplished by use of different approaches. For instance, keywords associated with the topic of the research were used to search for sources with relevant information. As well, the searching process was carried out using Google and other popular search engines. Further, specific phrases that are related to the topic of the research were used. The phrases were used to search for the materials that were used in the research. Lastly, the most important sources were collected at the end of the search process. The sources were considered important because they contained information relevant to the subject of the research. Thereafter, the sources were carefully studied to determine the information that they contain about the subject of the research. This was used to determine the additional information that the sources provide that is related to the hypothesis of the study. Discussion and Findings Solid waste and groundwater pollution in Australia According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006), the amount of solid waste that is produced in Australia has continued to increase over the years. Between 2008 and 2009, the value of waste generation per capita for the country was 2140 kg (Government of Australia, 2011). The reasons that are given for this are varied. However, the two most important ones are as follows. The first one is that the cost of landfills in the country is relatively low as a result of availability of plenty of land in the country. The second one is that the growing population in the country leads to a high rate of production of municipal waste, which is one of the main forms of solid waste in the country. The manner in which groundwater in Australia is contaminated by solid waste is simple. In the first place, leachates from landfills find their way to the groundwater through sub-surface migration (Government of Australia, 2007, p. 6). The same source notes that leachates from solid waste landfills contribute to the pollution of groundwater through the role of rainfall water. When it rains, rain water infiltrates the landfills and carries the leachates to the groundwater levels. Also, leachates from landfills may find their way to the groundwater through a complex down-gradient discharging process. Solid waste contains nitrates, chlorides and other different types of compounds. The compounds are responsible for the pollution of groundwater. Sililo and Appleyard (2004, p. 234) note that agricultural activities make use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. The fertilizers contain different compounds that usually find their way to the groundwater over time. Sililo and Appleyard (2004, p. 234) also note that the existence of sewage treatment works and a growth in the urban population contribute to an increase in the production of solid waste. From the foregoing, it is clear that a rise in the rate of production of solid waste from industrial and domestic uses is an important factor that contributes to the pollution of groundwater by solid waste. Effects of pollution of groundwater by solid waste in Australia One of the main effects of pollution of groundwater by solid waste is related to overusing and final depletion of the water. According to Kibert (2012, n.pag), when groundwater gets polluted as a result of contamination from chemicals that are contained in different types of wastes, it reduces the overall amount of groundwater that is available for use. This means that pollution of groundwater makes the water’s use unsustainable over the course of time. In addition to this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2003, p. 28) notes that as a result of many factors, groundwater resources around many urban areas are slowly getting degraded and depleted. One of the forces that are identified in the report is the generally high rate of urbanisation across the world (UNEP, 2003, p. 29). As many cities are developing, pressure on groundwater resources increases. On the other hand, an increase in the production of solid waste means that more and more groundwater resources are getting contaminated. Pollution of groundwater means that the toxic substances that are contained in the leachates of solid waste find their way to the groundwater. When this happens, the toxic compounds get to the groundwater. This reduces the overall quality of the water since the compounds reduce the amount of oxygen that is found in the groundwater and which makes the water habitable for different microorganisms (Chan, 2006, p. 7). According to Mudd, Deletic, Fletcher and Wendelborn (2004, p. 430), the chemical compounds that usually make groundwater contaminated are poisonous to human beings. This means that groundwater that has been contaminated by compounds originating from leachates of solid waste is not ideal for human consumption. Management of Groundwater Pollution The chemical compounds that get into groundwater stay within the water for a long period of time and this usually leads to severe effects on the environment (Ramachandra, 2006, p. 65). Therefore, there is need to understand the different ways that can be used to control the pollution of groundwater. While underscoring the role that agricultural activities play in the pollution of ground water, Carlile (2006, p. 16) argue that governments should put in place measures to control the use of pesticides. It should be noted that pesticides, together with other chemicals that are used in agricultural activities, play a critical part in contaminating groundwater. This happens in the form of the chemicals that are contained in the pesticides getting leached through the ground until they reach groundwater. The chemicals that are contained in pesticides and other chemicals that are used in agricultural practices then contaminate the water. Therefore, by controlling the manner in which the chemicals are used, the pressure that is applied on groundwater can be considerably reduced. On a different note, Hilgenkamp (2006, p. 263) observes that for the rate of pollution of groundwater to be reduced, there is need for the rate of disposal of solid waste to be reduced. The solid waste that contributes to the pollution of groundwater comes from homes, industries and other activities of human beings. Therefore, when the volume of waste products that are disposed to the environment is reduced, the amount of leachates that emanate from the waste and end up contaminating groundwater will be inevitably reduced. This situation reduces the rate of contamination of groundwater. Conclusions and Implications Three key issues about the pollution of groundwater in Australia by solid waste can be concluded. The first one is that the community plays a vital role in the contamination of groundwater in Australia. Solid waste products from domestic activities contribute to the contamination of groundwater as much as waste from agricultural activities and industrial processes. The second issue is about the impact of contamination of groundwater in Australia. It is clear that groundwater is an important resource. This is because of its availability and quality – factors that make it quite useful to the community. Therefore, when the water gets contaminated, it is the communities that feel the effect more than any other stakeholder. The third conclusion is about how the pollution of groundwater can be controlled. In practice, there are many methods and approaches that can be used to achieve this objective. What is important though is the fact that communities have an important role to play in the process. As much as the government can pass laws and regulations that seek to minimise the use of chemical products in agricultural practices, communities have a role to play with regard to the manner in which they treat their solid waste. Links to the Australian Curriculum This section is based on the review of Science as a Human Endeavour. In it, the details about the specific contents of science within the Australian school curriculum and how these are related to the specific subject of the research are presented. Year Science as a human endeavour content descriptor How specifically this relates to YOUR project 7-10 Explaining phenomena using science This is related to the manner in which the process of pollution of groundwater is explained in terms of the role of chemical compounds and processes. 7-10 Showing interdependence in the physical and natural world The manner in which human life, plant life and animal life are interdependent on each other as a result of the way they rely on groundwater for their sustenance Year Specific statement from sustainability How specifically this relates to YOUR project 10 The essence of sustainability as meeting the current needs without compromising the capacity to meet the future ones This underscores the essence of controlling the pollution of groundwater. 10 Development of skills and values that help people to live in sustainable ways. This is related to the part in which the role of members of the community in controlling pollution of groundwater is highlighted. Read More