The effects of water pollution

Water pollution can cause serious problems for all beings on the planet because we all need water to survive! 

Harmful chemicals that pollute water can be absorbed into the body by small fish. When other animals eat the fish, the chemicals inside the small fish get passed on. 

If there is too much sewage in a river or ocean it can cause death. Bacteria in the water will use oxygen to break down the sewage. The bacteria can use up so much oxygen that there is not enough left for the fish to breathe! When fish die, the animals that eat the fish are also affected. It affects the entire food chain. That includes humans!

Acid rain or oil spills can destroy marine habitats. Acid rain is caused by harmful substances that are released into the air and mix with water droplets in clouds.

Plastic litter causes millions of deaths in the ocean every year. Plastic bags, straws, nets and many things humans throw away can accidentally be eaten by sea animals or get caught on their bodies. Over 1 million marine animals die every year from plastic pollution.

What can we do?

If we don’t learn to look after the water on the planet, there will be no clean water left for any of us. Anything we use on our skin or hair will get washed off when we shower and make its way to the ocean. Anything we eat or drink will get flushed away in the toilet and make its way to rivers and seas. This means it’s very important to make sure the products we use are environmentally friendly.

Here are a few simple things you can do to help look after the planet:

• Always pick up your rubbish, especially when at a beach, lake, or river.
• Use eco-friendly pesticides and fertilisers when gardening.
• Don’t waste water. The less water we waste, the less dirty water is produced that will need to go through a cleaning process.
• Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints or medicines down the sink or toilet.
• Use environmentally safe products such as soaps, shampoos and cleaning products.
• Do not use toxic sun lotion. Most sun protection lotions contain very harmful chemicals that wash off into the ocean when we swim. These chemicals kill coral, fish and other sea life.
• Volunteer in a beach clean up.

Did you know?

• Fertilisers that make their way to the water can cause abnormal growth in the population of algae which can affect the population of other living things in the water.
• Pollutants from the air can settle on water and pollute it.
• The small drops of motor oil that drip from vehicles on roads eventually find their way to the sea.
• 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the ocean every year.
• Cruise ships are also a major cause of water pollution. They produce over 200,000 gallons of sewage which is mostly released in the ocean.
• Rivers in Asia are considered to be the most polluted. The Ganges River in India is one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
• In America, 40% of the rivers and 46% of the lakes are polluted.