Water-borne diseases

Water-borne diseases        Water-borne diseases and water-caused health problems are mostly due to inadequate and incompetent management of water resources.  In the urban areas water gets contaminated in many different ways, some of  the most common reasons being leaky water pipe joints in areas where the water pipe and sewage line pass close together.  Sometimes the water gets polluted at source due to various reasons and mainly due to inflow of sewage into the source.     Ground water can be contaminated through various sources and some of these are mentioned below.  Pesticides:   Run-off from farms, backyards, and golf courses contain pesticides such as DDT that in turn contaminate the water. Leech ate from landfill sites is another major contaminating source. Its effects on the ecosystems and health are endocrine and reproductive damage in wildlife. Groundwater is susceptible to contamination, as pesticides are mobile in the soil. It is a matter of concern as these chemicals are persistent in the soil and water.  Sewage:  Untreated or inadequately treated municipal sewage is a major source of groundwater and surface water pollution in the developing countries. The organic material that is discharged with municipal waste into the watercourses uses substantial oxygen for biological degradation thereby upsetting the ecological balance of rivers and lakes. Sewage also carries microbial pathogens that are the cause of the spread of disease. Nutrients:   Domestic waste water, agricultural run-off, and industrial effluents contain phosphorus and nitrogen, fertilizer run-off, manure from livestock operations, which increase the level of nutrients in water bodies and can cause eutrophication in the lakes and rivers and continue on to the coastal areas. The nitrates come mainly from the fertilizer that is added to the fields. Excessive use of fertilizers cause nitrate  contamination of groundwater, with the result that nitrate levels in drinking water is far above the safety levels recommended. Good agricultural practices can help in reducing the amount of nitrates in the soil and thereby lower its content in the water.

Synthetic organics:   Many of the 100 000 synthetic compounds in use today are found in the aquatic environment and accumulate in the food chain.  POPs or Persistent organic pollutants, represent the most harmful element for the ecosystem and for human health, for example, industrial chemicals and agricultural pesticides. These chemicals can accumulate in fish and cause serious damage to human health. Where pesticides are used on a large-scale, groundwater gets contaminated and this leads to the chemical contamination of drinking water.  Acidification:   Acidification of surface water, mainly lakes and reservoirs, is one of the major environmental impacts of transport over long distance of air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide from power plants, other heavy industry such as steel plants, and motor vehicles.  Chemicals in drinking water:   Chemicals in water can be both naturally occurring or introduced by human  interference and can have serious health effects.  Fluoride:   Fluoride in the water is essential for protection against dental caries and weakening of the bones, but higher levels can have an adverse effect on health. In India, high fluoride content is found naturally in the waters in Rajasthan. Arsenic:   Arsenic occurs naturally or is possibly aggravated by over powering aquifers and by phosphorus from fertilizers. High concentrations of arsenic in water can have an adverse effect on health. A few years back, high concentrations of this element was found in drinking water in six districts in West Bengal. A majority of people in the area was found suffering from arsenic skin lesions. It was felt that arsenic  contamination in the groundwater was due to natural causes.      Recreational use of water:   Untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural waste are often discharged into the water bodies such as the lakes, coastal areas and rivers endangering their use for recreational purposes such as swimming and canoeing.  Petrochemicals:   Petrochemicals contaminate the groundwater from underground petroleum storage tanks.  Other heavy metals:  These contaminants come from mining waste and tailings, landfills, or hazardous waste dumps.  Chlorinated solvents:   Metal and plastic effluents, fabric cleaning, electronic and aircraft manufacturing are often discharged and contaminate groundwater