Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Pollution - Essay Example Furthermore, the waste materials lead to a decrease in the level of oxygen, that the wildlife inside the water have access to, and this weakens their body systems, as well as proves a significant problem for the coming generations of all these plants and animals. People living in and around the area also usually consume these fish and other types of sea food from the water bodies and fall sick due to eating contaminated food too. In the 1970s, the River Tees in England faced heavy pollution for over a decade which caused a great amount of problems including the absence of Common Seals and Grey Seals from the river. However, in recent times, the estuary has undergone major improvements and the seals can now be seen once again on the Seal Sands. The absence of flora and fauna speak volumes about the drastic levels of pollution that Tees was forced to face. (D.W. Pattenden) The water underwent a large number of changes including a difference in taste, colour and volume and this has caus ed a vast amount of problems for most of the people in the area too. The river Tees is situated in the Northern part of England, rising on the Eastern slope of Cross Fell in the Northern Pennies. It flows in the eastward direction and joins the North Sea near Middlesbrough between Redcar and Hartlepool. The river flows 120km from its source and many people say that the water that forms a part of the river is often very discoloured due to heavy pollutants present within it. A Hazen scale is now used in order to understand the colour of the water. The main cause for pollution of the river was heavy industrialization and thus contaminants in the form of industrial wastes and dumping, and over 500 tonnes of these toxic contaminants were being dumped into the river each day. This caused the river to become the most polluted water body in Britain. The main effects of all these wastes were that the water temperature of the river grew to a great extent, causing a decrease in the dissolved o xygen it contained. And thus, it was no surprise that no plants or animals were able to survive properly in the water of Tees. Due to the decreased levels of wildlife survival, the problem was sought to be tackled by the concerned government departments and the main solution that they brought to the scene was declining permits and tightening the discharge permits to industries and companies situated in and around the river. In the year 1972, these changes began to be adopted and the dirt in the area soon began to decrease. (Natural Britain, The River Tees, County Durham) A great part of the land from the river Tees had also been reclaimed in order to use for building businesses, bring about leisure development, as well as maintenance for public recreation. Various actions were taken in order to clean the environment around the river, cleanse the waste and garbage material as well as take initiative to treat the domestic sewage and industrial discharges coming from the factories and industries. The main idea was for industries to understand that they cannot be harming the environment or giving rise to new technology at the cost of wildlife and nature; the heavy pollution of the river has also caused problems for people eating the contaminated fish from the very water body and thus is a threat to not only the wildlife but also to the people who live in and around the area. (Biodiversity – Rivers) After having tested the water, it was found out that the water contained toxic levels of lead and lethal levels of bacteria and protozoa which were stemming the