Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks, uses, or lives in it.
Water pollutants include, but are not limited to, bacteria, viruses, inorganic pollutants like toxic metals, acids and salts, organic compounds like oil, plastics and pesticides, and radioactive compounds.
Different pollutants have different impacts.
Disease causing agents like bacteria and viruses enter the bodies of organisms that consume the water.
Other bacteria consume large amounts of oxygen in converting wastes, thus deplete oxygen levels in the water and killing water organisms.
Organic and inorganic pollutants are more dangerous and consumption of water contaminated with these can lead to serious illness or even death.
Finally radioactive compounds in water are very dangerous and can result in cancer, and birth and genetic defects.
Water pollution is a major problem in the global context.
It is suggested that it is the leading cause of death and disease in the world.
Nearly 700 million Indians do not have access to proper toilets.
90% of china suffers from some form of water pollution.
With over 70% of the earth covered by water, humankind has for a long time acted as if these bodies of water can serve as a dumping ground for waste.
But now the oceans have started to brim over with sewage, garbage and other forms of waste.
There is a need to have a global legislation to control water pollution.
Water as a resource knows no national boundaries and the inappropriate practices of one nation may very well have an adverse effect on another.
The problems associated with water have the potential to disrupt life on this planet to a great extent.
It is time that years of mistreatment of the environment are now reversed.