Is the water you drink safe?
Shocking facts you didn't know about water pollution & water treatment!
"One glass of water can change your life... or end it."
This
is no exaggeration. In 2022, the World Health Organization revealed that 2
billion people
drink water contaminated with feces! In the same report, the
organization also stated that microbiologically contaminated drinking water
transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio, estimated
to cause approximately 505,000 deaths from diarrhea each year.
The question: How do we protect ourselves? The answer lies in details you may not know.
Pure Water: Is It Naturally Available?
Although 71% of the Earth's surface covered with water, less than 1% of it is fit for drinking! Even this small percentage threatened by contamination due to:
Industrial Activities:
Many industries produce massive amounts of waste and industrial wastewater containing many dangerous pollutants (heavy metals) such as mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, and others. If these elements leak into water sources, they become a source of danger because they do not dissolve in living cells and cause many fatal diseases. They also cause the death of fish and marine organisms, making water sources a fertile haven for bacteria. They also consume four times the amount of oxygen present in water compared to wastewater. Unfortunately, industrial wastewater and industrial wastewater are often not properly treated, and some areas of the world not treated at all.
Agricultural Activities:
In agricultural activities, fertilizers, pesticides, and fertilizers used to treat plants. These chemicals seep into water sources, both surface and groundwater, when irrigating the soil or through their presence in agricultural runoff. When agricultural runoff is not properly treated, it finds its way back into waterways and groundwater wells, contributing to water pollution and rendering it unfit for use. It also contaminates the soil and has a harmful effect on animals that feed on the contaminated plants. The leakage of water contaminated with pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers into waterways and rivers causes the death of fish and other aquatic organisms, leading to serious health and environmental disasters.
Sewage:
Sewage is a major problem in many countries around the world, as it not properly treated in many countries. Some countries do not treat wastewater at all, and instead release it into waterways and rivers or create underground reservoirs for treatment. Sewage then discharged into groundwater, where it seeps into the groundwater. In some countries, plants directly irrigated with wastewater. Even in wastewater treatment plants, there is sludge that must be treated and disposed of properly. Unfortunately, such treatment is not available in many areas of the world. In some countries, this untreated or improperly treated sludge used to fertilize plants. Sewage contains numerous types of bacteria, germs, parasites, and chemicals that cause many fatal diseases in humans and animals, as well as contaminating the soil and the environment in general.
River Transport:
Rivers and canals used in many countries to transport people and goods. Therefore, river vessels contribute to the pollution of river water with oils and petroleum waste. In addition, river transport workers or users may dump waste and garbage into the riverbed.
Incorrect Human Behaviors:
In many countries around the world, some people dump garbage, household waste, and agricultural waste in rivers and waterways or along their banks, whether intentionally or unintentionally, causing health and environmental disasters. Some of this waste takes years to decompose and its negative impact on humans ceases.
Plumbing Pipes and Water Tanks:
Plastic or iron plumbing pipes and tanks containing lead solder can contaminate water with lead, copper, and chemicals. Pipes and tanks lined with asphalt or chemicals can contaminate water with tar.
Global Warming:
Global warming causes water temperatures to rise, leading to the death of large numbers of fish and aquatic organisms, further contaminating water with bacteria, germs, parasites, and viruses.
Landfills
for radioactive waste and technological waste:
Governments
must ensure that nuclear energy waste and technological waste, such as solar
panels, mobile phones, and computers buried in a correct and safe manner. For
example, we find that uranium is a highly toxic substance, and if it leaks into
groundwater sources, this will represent a very serious water and environmental
disaster.
Air
pollution:
The air is polluted by many industries, such as industries related to oil, gas, coal, and others, which causes acid rain that pollutes rivers, waterways, and crops, and is also transferred to groundwater, which also represents another source of water and environmental pollution in general .
What the diseases caused by water pollution?
Dysentery. Hepatitis A. Cholera. Lead poisoning. Cancer.
Arsenic poisoning. Fluorosis. Liver disease and kidney failure.
Poliomyelitis.
Examples of economic losses caused by water pollution:
Diseases that affect humans due to water pollution cause the spread of diseases and epidemics, which increases the health care costs borne by governments and individuals, in addition to weakening production.
When polluted water used in industry, it causes production losses and damage to the machines in which polluted water is used.
Irrigating crops with polluted water causes losses in agricultural production and soil pollution. The same applies to herds of animals and birds, which leads to the death of these animals and birds.
Damage to household appliances that use contaminated water, such as heaters and washing machines.
Final Thoughts
In short, treating water is not a luxury — it's a necessity. Whether for health, comfort, or efficiency, water treatment protects people, equipment, and the environment.
Written by: Mohammed Mahfouz – Freelance Water Treatment System Designer
📧 Email: nourwater@gmail.com
📱 WhatsApp: +201010713412
🔗 LinkedIn: mohamad-mahfouz
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