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00:00Hi kids! Today we will learn the main causes of water pollution. So let's get started!
00:10Kids, water pollution is a contamination of water bodies like lakes, rivers, streams,
00:21oceans, and even the underground water. And this pollution makes the water in water bodies
00:29unsafe for use. About 11% of people of the earth don't have access to safe drinking water.
00:39Now we will learn what are the main causes of water pollution. Most factories, industries,
00:47manufacturing units release a lot of waste directly into the nearby water bodies and pollutes it.
00:55Even the smoke released by chimneys of factories too, reaches the water along with polluted rain
01:03and so pollutes water. Each year the world generates about perhaps 5 to 10 billion tons of
01:14industrial waste and much of which is pumped, untreated, into rivers, oceans, and other waterways.
01:23And it is the main reason behind the water pollution. Next is the sewage. Our earth has
01:33billions of people living on it and all are generating waste every day. And managing this
01:41waste is a very big problem for all of us. And out of that sewage waste is most difficult to manage.
01:50Sewage waste contaminates the water and most of the countries directly releases all its sewage
01:58waste into the water bodies. And water contamination due to sewage waste leads to diseases like
02:06diarrhea and cholera. And according to WHO, that is World Health Organization, water related
02:17diseases can kill 135 million people by 2020. In case of developed countries, we have modern
02:27toilets that flush away the sewage waste to distant places and does not contaminate water sources
02:34near our house or our environment. But in case of undeveloped countries, a big percentage of people
02:41don't have access to modern flush toilets and their sewage waste pollutes their environment and
02:47water sources which leads to diseases like diarrhea and cholera. But that's not all. Even in the case
02:56of modern countries where there are modern flush toilets, sewage is disposed at some distant place
03:04like it can be pumped into the sea or river. So it's to polluting the big water bodies. Sewage waste
03:14is pumped into the sea through big pipes, untreated, which contaminates the oceans and seas. Around
03:23half of all ocean pollution is caused by sewage and the waste water. Next, it is household waste.
03:33Every person on this earth adds some pollutants to water as utensils, clothes, and sheets are washed
03:43in every house using some kind of detergent and soap. People bathe using soaps and shampoos. All
03:52these soaps, detergents, and shampoos mix up in clean water and changes the clean water into dirty
04:00water. That ultimately reaches some water bodies through long pipes and contaminates the water.
04:12Highways are made up with a lot of toxic chemicals and there is spilled fuel, brake fuels, and other
04:20wastes and dust from the tires. All the waste and chemicals from the highway are washed away to the
04:29land next to roads or water bodies and contaminate them. It has been estimated that in one year, the
04:40highway runoff from a single large city leaks as much oil into our environment as a typical tanker
04:48spill. Pollution from heavy metals and chemicals. Another kind of toxic pollution comes from heavy
04:59metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Lead was once commonly used in gasoline. Though its use is
05:10now restricted in some countries, mercury and cadmium are still used in batteries. Main sources of heavy
05:18metal pollution are mining, chromium salt manufacturing, leather tanning, lead acid batteries,
05:29heat waste, paints, fuel, combustion, and thermal power plants. The best known example of heavy metal
05:39pollution in the oceans took place in 1938 when a Japanese factory discharged a significant amount of
05:48mercury metal into Minamata Bay and that led to the death of so many fishes. Next is oil pollution.
06:00Our ocean and seas are a big victim of oil pollution as a lot of oil is released into seas and oceans due
06:10to human activities like oil spills from huge oil tanks and ships. Oil spills is a major problem because a
06:22huge quantity of oil is spilled at one location and is catastrophic for the marine life. That is, many
06:32species of fish, birds, turtles, and sea mammals. Oil pollution is not only a result of oil spills, but a lot of
06:43oil in seawaters comes from routine shipping. Oil that we use in our homes reaches seawater through waste
06:53water drains. Another source of water pollution is farming. Yes, farming. In the process of farming too, so many
07:06chemicals are used like pesticides are used to kill pests, insecticides for killing insects, weedicides are there to kill
07:17the unwanted plants, fertilizers are there to make the soil more fertile. All these things contain chemicals that
07:27ultimately reaches the groundwater and pollute it and also some is washed away by the rain and reaches water bodies
07:36and thus pollutes the water. One more source of pollution is plastic. Plastic is one of the most common materials used
07:48these days almost everywhere. We see plastic things and the worst fact is that plastic is non-biodegradable. That is, plastic
08:01does not break down or decompose easily as the other type of waste, so it's called non-biodegradable waste. And even when
08:12plastic breaks down, it releases toxic chemicals, so plastic waste survives for a very long time. Example, plastic bottles,
08:23bottle caps or any plastic waste can survive for more than 400 years. In oceans or seas, the plastic waste like bottles, caps
08:35keeps on traveling long distances and survives for hundreds of years. And their side effect is that if marine animals swallow
08:45plastic, it chokes them and they die. So kids, we learned some of the major causes of water pollution, but there are many more
08:55reasons than these. Now you may go ahead and take a quiz to learn more. Bye-bye!