Water pollution
Also called: Water contamination · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Environment and Sustainable Development"
Meaning
Water pollution is the contamination of rivers, lakes and groundwater. Its main sources are sewage, industrial effluents and farm chemicals. Industrial effluents are liquid waste released by factories. Polluted water spreads water-borne diseases and raises health spending. It also turns clean water into a scarce economic good that must be priced and managed. NCERT says about 70% of India's water is polluted.
Example
Leather factories in Tamil Nadu provide jobs, but they pollute nearby rivers and soil. To track such damage, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was set up in 1974 under the Water Act. It monitors water quality in 125 rivers, along with wells, lakes and canals.
Don't confuse with
- Groundwater overuse: this means pumping water faster than rain can refill it. It is a problem of quantity. Water pollution is a problem of quality.
Related concepts
- Poverty-induced degradation and pollution from affluence
- Land degradation
- Deforestation
- Soil erosion
- Open access resource
- Biodiversity loss
- Air pollution
- Industrial pollution
- Groundwater overuse
- Virtual water