Causes And Negative Effects Of Water Pollution

Water plays a big role for both all living things. In fact, everything cannot exist without water. The statistics estimates that there were about 1,500 liters of water for industry, 2,500 liters for agriculture, 250 liters for daily activities (UK essays, 2018)…We are know-how essential water is; however, when the living standard is improving, one of the most serious environmental problems faced in Vietnam is water pollution. “Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants”(Wikipedia). According to the media, water quality in this country is deteriorated and particulate matter (PM) is at high levels. This research paper is aimed at providing an overview about the causes, negative effects of water pollution and suggesting some possible solutions to best limit water contamination in Vietnam.

Discussion

1. What are the causes of the water contamination?

Human activities is the main cause for this problem. Many people throw rubbish indiscriminately into canals, lakes, and rivers without being aware of the serious of their action. Also, the humans bury the carcass without treatment which may lead to groundwater pollution as this chemical waste even may seep into the underground water or flow to nearby water bodies when it rains. Moreover, the utilization of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture additionally cause water contamination particularly when the use of the synthetic compounds is uncontrolled. Some pesticides and herbicides have high draining potential and they pollute the underground water. The leaching of these chemicals cause the accumulation of Selenium, a heavy mental in the soil and that is toxic and unsafe when it reaches water body (Chaudry and Malik, 2017). Apart from above activities, craft village also impact significantly to the obstacle. According to the latest survey by the Hanoi University of Technology, “100% of the samples of waste waster from craft villages have excessive contents of toxic chemicals than the permitted levels” (“Health and Environment Vietnam Hanoi” par. 1 1)..

Also, the lack of technology in rubbish treatment is one of the matters creating water pollution. For example, waste will not be treated if there is not technical service. It seems that those waste may get into the water and cause serious effect to the water. Take an example about To Lich river in Hanoi, it could be the most polluted river and this can only be solved with technology interventions, specifically is by Nano-Bioreactor technology. Furthermore, not all wastewater is treated before dumping to the water bodies and this contaminates the water. Additionally, there are some factories do not strictly comply with the treatment of wastewater, and they naturally discharge sewage into the water source and polluted it.

Another element for this problem is the Government’s policies. As an illustration, factories are allowed to build massively without being strict controlled on measures to treat waste as well as wastewater during production. Furthermore, the government sometimes cannot manage such many factories, so factories have been able to abuse that and start ignoring waste treatment before releasing it into the environment. For instance, Formosa company, during the commissioning of the factory complex, had violations and incidents, resulting in wastewater containing untreated phenol and cyanide toxins meeting the environmental standards (Formosa tops the polluting cases in 2016, Tuoi Tre newspaper). “Accordingly, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and other relevant units have checked and discovered violations regarding Formosa discharging toxic waste into the sea wastewater containing toxins exceeding the permitted level.” ( Wikipedia, 2019). And these have caused a serious impact on water resources.

2. The negative effects of water pollution.

Firstly, ecosystems could be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. As expressed before notwithstanding being harmful to people water contamination additionally plays a major factor in the endurance of creatures, vegetation and different environmental variables. Creatures and plants might be considerably more influenced by water contamination than people and land staying creatures, particularly those that live in and around the sea, for example, fish and marine warm-blooded animals like whales (Whale facts). The serious problem disappears of fish. For instance, in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment discovered that a Flour and Seasoning Powder Factory in Vedan Vietnam discharged a large of water waste which contained high substance of molasses and toxic chemicals into the Thi Vai river. Consequently, the river became more dirty and it never again had fish or oceanic life. Like animals, the plants need water to live. Plants died when they were irrigated with water containing toxic chemicals or when their roots absorbed polluted underground water.

In addition, in fact, water is one of the most important source affecting human sustenance. Hence, that water was polluted was serious effect on human health in many ways. There were many serious infectious man to man due to water contaminated such as respiratory disease, cancer, neurological,….(Mehtab Haseenna, 2017). Dirty or polluted water is the preferred breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests. Mosquito bites adversely impact on human health and can cause diseases such as Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya. Water animals, plants, animal which human consume also be badly effected by water pollution. If we eat foods that already been inflected, we are bound to fall ill. Mehtab Haseene, Department of Zoology said, “Hepatitis is a viral disease caused by contaminated water and infects the liver”. When you drink polluted water , bacteria will break into your body and damage parts inside. Then you feel tired, loss of appetite, fatigue,… which are some symptoms of hepatitis. If not treated promptly , it can lead to cancer. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam had bout 37 “cancer villages” with total of 1,136 people died from cancer in the past 20 years. Especially, many families in Thach Son – Phu Tho province had 2 to 3 members died of cancer. It is worth mention is that 814 water samples collected which has been found in both ground and underground were contaminated. Moreover, our skin could be negatively effected by water pollution. Acidic from a lots of pollutants together with heavy metals in polluted water can disrupt the pH balance of skin and cause dull skin.

Besides, livelihood also be effected by contaminated water. In particular, mass death of fish greatly affects the production and daily life of fishermen. A series of dead fish in Vietnam in 2016, also known as the Formosa Incident refers to the phenomenon of dead fish in the waters of Vung Ang (Ha Tinh) and then spread to the waters of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue (Wikipedia). According to a survey of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, 263,000 workers were affected, of which 100,000 were directly affected due to this issue. The unemployment rate increased greatly in four provinces, the largest one was Ha Tinh (15.7 times) and then Quang Binh (7.9 times), Quang Tri (2.8 times) and Thua Thien-Hue (1.6 times). The number of fishermen in Ha Tinh decreased by 74% while in Quang Binh 83.2% of people had reduced income compared to the time before the disaster( Wikipedia).

Furthermore, water contamination can likewise have extreme unfriendly consequences for the travel industry. Because people tend to travel in clear beaches with fresh atmosphere, they are likely stop visiting places which are contaminated too much. Local people concerned for the drop in tourists, discouraged by the poor quality of water. Tourism Office statistics show that ‘ marine tourism-related business in Ha Tinh province dropped by 90 per cent. Sales and services fell by 40-50 per cent.’ Quang Binh province lost income worth 1,900 billion dong (US$ 85 million), including restaurants, hotels, food services,..

3. How can we tackle this issue?

To prevent this issue, the Government need to take action. First, the Government should update the laws to reflect current conditions. Besides, the litterers will be fined to prevent this from happening, and if the person littering continues throwing rubbish not at the prescribed places, there is a need for more severe sanctions than the previous offense. Not only that, the Government also can invest more fund for finding out the method to best reduction of water contamination. Furthermore, the Government can develop and apply preferential policies on finance, taxes, and exports to encourage environmentally-friendly businesses.

On the other hand, each citizen should raise their awareness by many ways such as propagandizing about water pollution, educate when being young and learn how to use water wisely. Moreover, when the humans do agriculture activities, they should not waste chemical waste randomly to reduce runoff of the chemical into nearby water sources. Another possible idea to lower chemical toxic into the water environment is looking at options of composting and using organic manure instead. About domestic waste, throwing away garbage right place rule and avoid littering plastic, bags, persistent items….and so on into the rivers, canals, beaches, …. Also, buying safely and environmentally friendly cleaning fluids for use at home and other public places is a smart way to protect water environment. Besides, on the off chance that you live near a water body, attempt to plant bunches of trees and roses around your home, with the goal that when it rain, synthetics from your home doesn’t handily deplete into the water. In case you have time, join a water association. Indeed, even small rulers have a positive influence on individuals who are fighting to keep their waters protected and preserved.

Last but not least, when being built, factories should make a sewage treatment system and use the wastewater treatment process in some steps: mechanical, biological and advanced wastewater treatment. In addition, factories and organizations near the water source should have a strategic plan to periodically clean the water. Also, factories and industrial facilities should be built far away from ecological and social sensitive areas as well as developing technologies of waste treatment and industrial environmental pollution treatment. What is more companies should enhance cooperation with international organizations, companies and countries with advanced environmental industries in order to learn experiences and take advantage of financial and technological resources in pollution control and environmental protection.