Pollution of lakes and rivers: causes, consequences and how to avoid it

There are many types of pollution but, below, we focus on what is the pollution of the water of lakes and rivers and the types of pollutants that cause it, all related to the actions of the human being and the activities that he develops. Water pollution in rivers, lakes and lagoons occurs when the quality of the water is compromised by the presence of agents of various origins that unbalance it, making it unfit for consumption and, therefore, making life in it difficult.

The main sources and agents of this type of contamination are:

• Pollution by garbage (foreign products) that we throw into the channels of rivers or lakes, such as cans, plastics, wrappers and a long etc.
• Pollution by waste that arrives with sewage , wastewater is already a pollutant.
• Chemical contamination.
• Pollution by industrial waste and spills.

To expand this information, we recommend this other article on What are the pollutants or types of water pollutants .

Now that In the following sections of this AgroCorrn article we will focus on the actions that lead to these types of pollution, that is, we will explain the causes and, in addition, we will focus on the consequences that this entails.

We would dare to say that 99.9% of the causes of water pollution or water pollution are due to human action and activities . The human being is not aware of everything that his decisions affect the environment, either directly or indirectly, even being aware many times we do not care. Some of the anthropic causes of the contamination of these water bodies are:

• Discharge of residual waste that flows into rivers, lakes and seas.
• Industrial discharges , factories sometimes do not comply with environmental legislation and violate regulations, thus causing great natural damage by dumping their unfiltered water in these natural masses.
• Oil spills.
• Use of pesticides in agriculture, used for crops in order to maximize collections and avoid damage from insects and other animals.
• Deforestation entails the elimination of trees and other types of vegetation that are responsible for filtering rainwater, absorbing it by the ground … if we eliminate it we are favoring that the water is not slowed down but has a “free way “to carry away all the material that has not been cleared from deforestation and all the material eroded by the force of the water.
• Increased temperatures or thermal contamination . This cause can be understood as natural, but if we stop to ask ourselves the reason for this increase, we obtain in response to human actions and climate change where the great responsible is the human being. Increasing temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, thus altering the composition of lakes and rivers, breaking the balance.

We are going to state clearly and simply the consequences derived from the contamination of rivers and lakes or bodies of water.

• Alteration of the ecosystem.
• Loss of biodiversity .
• Eutrophication , occurs when the composition of lakes and rivers is altered to a greater extent by the presence of fertilizers or other chemical products, altering their composition, thus increasing the concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). A layer is generated that prevents the passage of light and oxygen, causing great problems in aquatic biodiversity.
• Diseases, both in animals and plants and in humans. In the case of animals and humans, not only due to the direct intake of water, but also due to the indirect intake of other foods that have absorbed water for their development.
• High mortality in countries where there are no means of water purification.

Some examples of polluted rivers and lakes around the world are:

• Salween River: it is located in South Asia, east of Tibet. The industries present in the area have caused an increase in the concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) or lead (Pb), among other elements.
• Río de la Plata: it is located in Latin America, contaminated by the dumping of industrial waste, from homes and a long etc, full of garbage and debris that are thrown uncontrollably.
• Danube River: polluted since 1999 due to chemical residues that flowed from factories located in Serbia and were bombed in attacks by NATO forces, in addition to sewage, pesticides and the passage of ships.
• Ganges River: located in India, it is one of the most polluted rivers . For cultural reasons or what is the same by tradition, the inhabitants throw the ashes of the cremation of their loved ones, both animals and people, into the river in order to reach paradise.
• Lake Atitlan: This lake in Guatemala is polluted by waste and residues that are dumped directly and indirectly into its waters as if it were a landfill.

Some rivers in Spain that are contaminated and do not pass the water quality control are the following:

• Ría del Nervión.
• Ulla River (in its middle section).
• Gállego River.
• Llobregat River.
• Ebro river.
• Segura River.
• Guadiana River.
• Guadaría River.
• Guadalentín River.
• Jarama River.
• La Manga del Mar Menor.

The problem goes further, it is not only superficial contamination, the contamination of the waters ends up in the sea, infiltrates the soil, affects vegetation and animals, aquifers, wells … and all this affects us us, the human being, responsible and not consistent with their actions.

The answer would be simple if humanity in general were more civic and responsible. Everything would happen to comply with the legislation, both industries and governments, but it is clear that it does not always happen.

The possible solutions pollution of water from rivers and lakes are:

• Penalties for those who do not comply with environmental legislation.
• Sanctions for industries that violate the waste and dumping law.
• Periodic controls of industries with discharges into bodies of water.
• Involvement from the highest positions to the “people”.
• Controls in crops.
• Prohibition of the use of certain chemicals that will end up in a stream of water.
• Awareness for young people and, above all, for the little ones.
• Individual responsibility towards the environment.
• Periodic cleaning of debris.

These are some of the solutions that we propose from AgroCorrn, being aware of the difficulty that this entails. However, in this other post we offer more ideas on How to avoid water pollution .