The Alarming State Of Water Pollution: A Global Crisis

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardising our health. It occurs when toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories dissolve into and mix with water. This can be caused by city sewage and industrial waste discharge. More than 80% of the world's wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, and unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined.

Water pollution causes health issues like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Water pollution is caused by toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolving into and mixing with water. Water pollution is a worldwide problem affecting one in every three people on the planet, according to the United Nations (UN). The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. Water pollution causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000 people worldwide every year.

Water pollution can be caused in a number of ways, one of the most polluting being city sewage and industrial waste discharge. More than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Harmful chemicals and bacteria can be found in sewage and wastewater even after it’s been treated. Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life.

When biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third. Deteriorating water quality is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy. The president of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns of the economic impact: "Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty in many countries".

Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution because it’s able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Water pollution as a result degrades the quality of water. Not only does this spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, the pollutants also seep through and reach the groundwater, which might end up in our households as contaminated water we use in our daily activities, including drinking. Sources and effects of water pollution

The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste and even radioactive substances. Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.

Water pollution is caused by toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution because it’s able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, which causes water pollution as a result. More than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Harmful chemicals and bacteria can be found in sewage and wastewater even after it’s been treated. Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life.

Water pollution can be caused in a number of ways, one of the most polluting being city sewage and industrial waste discharge. Deteriorating water quality is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy. The president of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns of the economic impact: "Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty in many countries". The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste and even radioactive substances.

When biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third. In addition, here are some of the other consequences: Destruction of biodiversity. Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.

Water pollution is a worldwide problem affecting one in every three people on the planet, according to the United Nations (UN). The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. In other words, it is toxic water that cannot be drunk or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000 people worldwide every year.

Water pollution is a worldwide problem affecting one in every three people on the planet

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing the health of people worldwide. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution because it’s able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, which causes water pollution as a result. The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste and even radioactive substances.

Water pollution can be caused in a number of ways, one of the most polluting being city sewage and industrial waste discharge. Deteriorating water quality is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy. The president of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns of the economic impact: "Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty in many countries".

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. In other words, it is toxic water that cannot be drunk or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000 people worldwide every year.

According to the UN, more than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life.

Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —. When biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third.

Water pollution is caused by city sewage and industrial waste discharge

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing our health. It happens when toxic substances enter water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and so on. These toxic substances get dissolved in the water, lie suspended in the water or deposit on the bed. This degrades the quality of water and causes water pollution. City sewage and industrial waste discharge are one of the most polluting causes of water pollution.

Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life. More than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Harmful chemicals and bacteria can be found in sewage and wastewater even after it’s been treated.

Water pollution is a worldwide problem affecting one in every three people on the planet, according to the United Nations (UN). The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. In other words, it is toxic water that cannot be drunk or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000 people worldwide every year.

Deteriorating water quality is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy. The president of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns of the economic impact: "Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty in many countries". The explanation is that, when biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third.

Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication — which is destruction of biodiversity. Water pollution is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy.

Water pollution causes economic issues like stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty

Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing our health and jeopardizing the global economy. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Deteriorating water quality is damaging the environment, health conditions and the global economy. The president of the World Bank, David Malpass, warns of the economic impact:

> Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth and exacerbating poverty in many countries.

The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste and even radioactive substances. When biological oxygen demand — the indicator that measures the organic pollution found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the regions within the associated water basins falls by a third.

Water pollution can be caused in a number of ways, one of the most polluting being city sewage and industrial waste discharge. Households release sewage and wastewater, which makes its way to the ocean, mixing with freshwater and affecting the water quality and marine life. More than 80% of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused; in some least-developed countries, this figure tops 95%. Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution because it’s able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, which causes water pollution as a result.

Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. In other words, it is toxic water that cannot be drunk or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000 people worldwide every year. Less than 1 percent of the earth’s freshwater is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050, when global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now.

Frequently asked questions