The threat of Groundwater Contamination
About Groundwater Contamination
Groundwater contamination is defined as introduction of undesirable substances to groundwater resource due to anthropogenic reasons which causes it to become unfit for human use (Environment Canada and The Ground Water Foundation). The groundwater can be contaminated either when the liquid contaminants infiltrates into the soil surface going down the groundwater or when the surface or rain water infiltrates into the ground dissolving the contaminants present in the soil surface.
The process of water contaminants movement into the ground seems harmless; however, because ground water is extracted for social and economic use such as drinking water and water for irrigation,
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Once the contaminated water was extracted from the ground and use as source of water for drinking, domestic, agriculture and industry this may affect human health. The same when humans consume organisms affected by contaminants may also get affected (EPA). Table 1 shows some of the effects in the human health and ecosystems of major groundwater contaminants as compiled by Sampat (2000). Effects in human include damage to important body organs such as reproductive and nervous system, cancer and death; algal blooms and eutrophication to ecosystems; and endocrine disorder to …show more content…
Also, since it incidence is irreversible and may take time and a lot of resources to decontaminate or treat, its occurrence must be prevented as much as possible.
Therefore, future policy must be directed on how further contamination of groundwater resource maybe prevented. Especially, that recently there is an increasing rate of tapping groundwater resource for several uses. Policies on groundwater resource protection must be put in place side by side with groundwater exploitation and/or extraction.
The current policy on water is focus in the provision of sanitation and clean water. Though the policy is undeniably very important, the safeguard of groundwater as present and future water resource is equality important and may be a next priority in policy
... upon solution to water access disagreements, social and political powers must be willing to compromise since the risks associated with disagreements regarding water allocation may be too great. As stated by Shiyyab (2004), “If sustained over a period of time, these problems will directly affect social harmony, domestic stability and eventually, regional peace.” (p. 30). Investments must be made by industry as well as local and national governments for purification of wastewater so that clean water, when needed, will be available. The necessity of obtaining water is a fundamental human right and,
I chose to look up the topic of water pollution. I discovered this topic by going through the themes of the sci-fi books we are currently reading. In the book Feed, by M.T. Anderson, one of the themes was environmental impact on humans so I based it off of that. This topic has always been something that I was curious about because I always wondered how water pollution affected fish. Not only does water pollution affect fish, but it also affects a lot of people. The water pollution of the Mississippi halts people from doing recreational activities like water skiing, tubing, and fishing. Before I started researching this topic, I knew that phosphorus runoff from fields affected the waters health. Some questions that I asked myself during my
Groundwater is one of the most important resources in the world, and also one of the most fragile. Recently, the effects on the groundwater supply by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has become a growing concern for many, especially as the water crisis persists. Critics of fracking accuse the practice of contaminating groundwater and using too much of the water supply. As water becomes more and more valuable all around the world, it is important that these claims be taken seriously.
Water contamination comes in various different forms. The most common in today’s world is chemical contamination. At the dawn of the industrial era, factories and sewage plants were the main culprits behind water contamination. In her article Water Quality, author Mary Cooper notes that “although the most egregious point-source pollution [factories and sewage treatment plants] has been reduced, a more insidious form of pollution continues to dirty the nation’s waterways – runoff from city streets, suburban construction sites and farms” (955). In farmland America today, the focus of contamination is mostly on runoff. Runoff...
Water is being contaminated by human carelessness and actions. According to Abrahm Lustgarten and Nick Kusnetz in their article “Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water”, in 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency stated that fracking was connected to water pollution (Lustgarten and Kusnetz). Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing happens when people drill deep into the Earth horizontally to get natural gas that is in between shale layers. The fluids used in hydraulic fracking are water and fracking fluids. Within fracking fluids are 2 chemicals that are linked to cause cancer, benzene and 2-butoxyethanol (Lustgarten and Kusnetz). People do not want to drink water that will make them sick. Fracking also causes water to be contaminated that is up to 1,000 feet below the surface of the Earth (Lusgarten and Kusnetz). Fracking causes contamination deep down into the
Water is essential in our everyday life. Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals utilize water to survive. Therefore it is vital that there be clean water for our communities to utilize to survive as a whole. Unfortunately because of different determinants our source of water are not always safe to use. We happen to have to deal with contamination of drinking water. Contamination of fresh water used for household needs, including pollution of oceans, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. There are categories of the different contaminants that exist such as Physical contaminants, Chemical contaminants, Biological contaminants, and radiological contaminants ("Types of Drinking Water Contaminants | Drinking Water
The lack of water has caused an increased demand in the drilling of wells, which create even more problems with water shortage. “‘ If you own your own property, you can dig a well and you can pump as much groundwater as as you a want…” (Source 3). This shows the problem of over usage of what little water there is. The wells dug at the edge of properties drain and steal water from the surrounding estates. By doing this, you do not know the amount being drained from the aquifer. “‘Groundwater is like a bank account. You can’t take out more than you put in on an ongoing basis,’” (Source 3). The unwatched drainage of water by farmers can empty out an entire aquifer if it is not filled back
Between groundwater and surface water there are many different laws and rules that landowners and right owners have to abide by. Water found below the earth’s surface in the crevices of soil and rocks is called groundwater. Texas groundwater law was made by a judge. The law was derived from the English common law rule of “absolute ownership.” Groundwater belongs to the owners of the land above it and may be used or sold as their own private property. Texas adopted the common law rule that a landowner has the right to use or sale all the water that he can capture from below his land. A nickname for the Texas water law is the “law of the biggest pump.” Texas courts have consistently ruled that a landowner has a right to pump all the water that he can from beneath his land regardless of the water level in his neighbor’s wells. Landowner own all the underground water until it is shown that the source of supply is a subterranean river. Both stream underflow and subterranean rivers have been expressly excluded from the definition of underground water in Section 52.001 of the Texas Water Code. The funny thing about the Texas groundwater law is that one landowner can dry up an adjoining landowner’s well and the landowner with the dry well is without a legal remedy. Texas courts have refused to adopt the American rule of “reasonable use” with respect to groundwater. But there are five situations in which Texas landowner can take legal action for interference with his groundwater rights. First, if an adjoining neighbor trespasses on the land to remove water either by drilling a well directly on the landowner’s property or by drilling a “slant” well on adjoining property so that it crosses the subterranean property line, the injured landowner can sue for trespass. Second, there is a malicious or wanton conduct in pumping water for the sole purpose of injuring an adjoining
Corporations attempt to own as much of a commodified resource as possible, and this happened to water when countries define it as a commodity. Corporations buying and selling a finite resource every human needs can cause serious adverse effects. When something is so precious that no one can live without it, companies can easily ruin the lives of people involved, specifically lower income families and poor countries. It is difficult to treat water as a human right as well. Historically, human rights referred to protections ensured and guaranteed to be available, such as life and liberty. These rights are typically to protect citizens from the government or one another. Water does not need to be protected from others, but rather available to all. This statement, however, is too vague to create water regulations. We need to further define availability. In various areas, the government doesn’t provide water, but people can buy or acquire it locally, and it is difficult to decide whether this means water is available there. The best solution would be to define water as available to all for a similar price. Water and its distribution, for these reasons, are much too complicated to fall under a category with other
Drinking water is essential and indispensable to life itself possible on the face of the earth, it is much more than a well, a resource, a commodity, drinking water is specifically a human right of first order and an element essential national sovereignty itself and, most likely, whoever controls the water control the economy and life in the not so distant future.
How would react if the water you drink could kill you? What if the pesticides that you put in you garden end up in your drinking water? Thats the possibility of your pesticides and pollutants that runoff into nearby rivers or lakes. For example, if you put a pesticide into your garden to keep rodents from eating your vegetables, then a rain storm comes and washes all those chemicals down into tributaries and small creeks run into larger bodies of water. Although lawn chemicals are a big part of the runoff pollution, some pollutants are as simple as the grass clipping from you lawn mower. There is Nonpoint source pollution which is pollution that is doesn't come from one single source. Point source pollution is where the pollution comes from
Ensure conservation and protection and sustainable management of Water Resources, Grant impartiality in water distribution and use and value traditional water rights if based on impartiality and public integrity. Ensure licensing of water for commercial uses; sustain international
Oroian, Viman Oana I. "Damaging Effects of Overall Water Pollution." BioFlux (2010): 113-15. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Clean and safe drinking water resources are becoming scarce as the population grows. The world is facing many problems, but the most important thing needed to survive, is water. Water is getting low in many countries, therefore residents are suffering the misfortune of not having the reliable source of clean water. Today many countries are having water shortages meaning rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater are not enough to rely on for supplying water demands. For example, California is facing a drastic water shortage, the natural water resources are not enough to fulfill their water demands.
Water is an integral part of not only human beings but all other creatures in the world. We use it every day for different purposes such as domestic, agricultural and industrial. Water has always been a prestigious resource. However, the majority of people do not appraise water’s worth since they do not face water scarcity; whereas, in third world countries it is one of the most serious problems. Nearly 2.4 billion people have a lack of water resources in the world, shows the investigation done by the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, California-based non-profit scientific research group. Moreover, every year this number is growing gradually and more people are suffering (Bloomberg News, 2010). There are certain causes which deteriorate current situation. The most influential reasons are global warming, pollution by human-beings and overpopulation. It is known that India is one of the countries which face water scarcity so this essay will consider the possible ways of solutions of water shortage in India.