Water pollution occurs when there are toxic and harmful compounds that contaminate a body of water. This body of water includes the river, the ocean or any other source of water. Water pollution is a serious problem because it causes negative effects to both humans and the environment. It may cause disease and permanent contamination to clean water source. In this article, there are 20 Ways to Solve Water Pollution. These solutions may help to reduce the intensity of water pollution.
Also read:
1. Avoid Dumping Waste into Rivers
An effective way to solve water pollution is to avoid dumping waste into rivers. This include both solid and liquid waste. Waste contain many materials with harmful chemicals that could contaminate the quality of the water in the river. The more waste there are in the rivers, the more toxic the water becomes. The pollution will continue to spread to other bodies of water when people still dump waste into the river. When dumping waste is stopped the water will gradually start to improve again.
2. Use Natural Fertiliser
There might be a need to use a fertiliser or pesticide for the garden at your home. But there is a downside to that, those things contain toxic chemicals that could runoff into sources of water. Eventually, the water could get heavily polluted and contaminated. It is always a better option to use natural fertiliser or pesticide which could be bought from local farmers. Composting can also be an alternative for chemical fertiliser that could pose less threat to water quality.
Also read: Threats to Marine Mammals
3. Cleaning Up Rivers
Rivers can quickly get dirty when people continue to dump waste into them. Before all the waste begins to pile up, it is a good idea to start cleaning up the rivers. Cleaning up rivers can help elevate the toxic materials that are poisoning the water. The clean up can be in the form of directly clearing the waste from the water. Another way to help clean up is by picking up the slightest hint of litter around the river before more trash accumulate and float in the river water.
4. Avoid Disposing Oil into Sinks
It’s never a good idea to throw away any kind of oil into the sink. Most oil accumulation is caused from cooking. It might be convenient to just wash it away in the sink with water but that contributes to water pollution. The oil would eventually end up in a huge body of water and contaminates it. A good way to deal with the oil is by collecting it inside a container and then throw it away in the garbage.
Read more:
5. Reduce Usage of Machines that Require Water
A lot of our home appliances require water to do their jobs. Examples of those appliances are dishwasher machine as well as washing machine. Both of these machines need a lot of water to work. It’s best to reduce the usage of these machines. A way to do that is by only putting them to work when there is a full load. That will decrease the frequent use of the machines. It also means less water being contaminated with soaps which would eventually flow out into rivers.
6. Use Environmentally Friendly Washing Liquids or Powders
Most washing liquids or powders contain chemicals that are toxic to water. When they get used too much then they could cause an even worse water pollution. A way to solve that is by using environmentally friendly washing liquids or waters. Start using washing soaps that are more environmentally friendly. They might cost more but they’re good for the environment.
Also read: Decomposers of the Ocean
7. Use Less Washing Soaps
Since we already know that washing soaps turns clean water into a dirty one, it is best to only use the amount of washing soaps that’s already recommended in the directions. Try to not use more than what is supposed to in order to reduce unclean water. This can also help to reduce the amount of polluted water that has to go into treatments.
8. Use Less Plastic
Plastic takes decades to disintegrate. Unfortunately, it is one of the most used materials in many household items. Once plastic is thrown away, a large amount of it ends up somewhere in the water. When the plastic begins to decay, it starts to leak harmful and toxic chemicals into the water. The water begins to get contaminated. Using less plastic could reduce the amount of plastic waste in water. This means cleaner and healthier water.
Read more:
9. Avoid Disposing Items in Toilets
Toilet papers are okay to be disposed of in the toilet because they are made with materials that could safely disintegrate once they come in contact with water. What should avoided is disposing items such as medicines like pills. Although they may look small, they chemicals can dissolve in the water. It’s best to throw unused medicines in a special garbage.
10. Vehicle Maintenance
Taking care of your personal vehicle is an important aspect to reduce water pollution. Water is an element that gets affected by the condition of the air in the environment. When a vehicle is not regularly checked, then there could be a high chance that it will emit more harmful gas. The gas will be released in the air. The air gets polluted and it will affect the overall quality of the water around it.
Also read: Impacts of Ocean Currents on Climate
11. Increasing Amount of Plants Around Home
Planting a lot of plants or trees around the home is a way to help solve water pollution. The more they are grown, the better. Trees and other kinds of plants can help in filtrating the water under the ground. Moreover, in case there is a harmful liquid in the water flowing around the home, these trees and plants can help stop the liquid to runoff into nearby clean water sources.
12. Cleaning the Neighbourhood
Sometimes trash or litter can accumulate around homes or the neighbourhood. If the trash are not properly thrown away, then they could cause harmful chemical to spread into clean water sources. For example, when the rain falls, the water will carry away their decaying materials that could end up into rivers. To make sure that this does not happen is by cleaning up the neighbourhood regularly. Make sure that there are no trash lying around which could compile into harmful garbage.
Read more:
13. Educate Friends and Family Members
Another good step to eliminate water pollution is by bringing more awareness. Start educating friends, family members or anyone else around you about the importance of water quality. Tell them how water pollution can bring a negative long term effect to people and also the environment. When more people start caring about this issue, then a lot of contributions to keep the water clean can be done.
14. Get Involved with Organisations
Start getting involved with organisations concerning the wellbeing of the environment. The organisation does not have to directly be focusing on water quality. It could be an organisation that’s concerned with recycling or other kinds of waste management. After all, a huge cause of water pollution is through poor management of waste. When you’re involved with an organisation, you might be able to reach a bigger action with many people with the same mission.
Also read: Endangered Whale Species
15. Demand Better Regulation from the Government
The government has more power when it comes to making regulations. Start a petition or demand more attention for better regulation on water quality from the government. When the government gets involved, new or stronger regulations could be formed in order to maintain good quality water.
Read more:
- Effects of Coral Reefs Destruction
- Types of Seagrass in the Great Barrier Reef
- Plants that Live in the Pacific Ocean
Other Ways to Solve Water Pollution (16-20)
Here is a list of more ways to solve water pollution which are also important:
- Reuse Plastic: Other than reducing the usage of plastic, reusing plastic items that have been bought could help a lot to solve water pollution. By reusing, less amount of plastic products will end up in rivers.
- Cleaning Septic Tank: A septic tank should regularly cleaned or maintained in order to avoid any leakage. Leakage would cause human waste to contaminate nearby water source.
- Better Waste Management from Industries: Demanding better waste management from industries can help reduce water pollution. Some industries let their chemicals to directly flow into rivers. They need to reduce the amount of toxic runoff they cause.
- Dispose Automative Oil Separately: While carrying out car maintenance at home, make sure to dispose automotive oil or fluid in a specific garbage. Do not let any oil to runoff into the gutters or the land.
- Not Littering the Beach: Avoid littering while at the beach. Carry whatever waste you have and dispose of them once you find a garbage can. Littering would cause trash accumulation in the ocean. The ocean is the biggest body of water in the world that should never be polluted.
Find out more:
These 20 ways of solving the water pollution problem will never work if people are not aware of how serious this issue is. People need to realize that every day we contribute to a huge percentage of water pollution and it needs to stop. These solutions will not be effective if people don’t start to take actions. The smallest act can help in paving the way to solve water pollution.