Consequences of Human Activity on Water Quality and Care

The human activity it has a lot to do with the deterioration of the quality of water bodies today. Due to factors such as global overpopulation, industrialization, and increased agricultural and grazing practices, water quality has declined considerably over the past decades..

If human beings do not put into practice environmental conservation measures for the care and conservation of water resources, the quality of the water will be seriously affected..

This can lead to serious incidents in the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems, water scarcity and the proliferation of diseases due to the contamination of this essential resource for human survival..

Five main consequences of human activity in the care of water quality

1- Water pollution

The quality of the water has been greatly reduced due to the intervention of man as a pollutant.

Industrial, agricultural and domestic waste are not treated properly. Generally, this type of waste is dumped directly into the nearest bodies of water, which brings with it imminent contamination of the water..

Throwing trash openly on the streets also affects surrounding water bodies.

Solid waste such as cardboard boxes, plastic bags and / or aluminum containers, etc., are driven by the wind and usually have as their final destination the lakes and rivers of the area.

2- Eutrophication

It is defined as the degradation of aquatic ecosystems due to the increase in phosphate and nitrogen levels, due to excess nutrients in the soils.

The most representative sources of nutrients for soils are domestic wastewater, and wastes from agricultural activity, such as fertilizers and pesticides. There is also a considerable contribution from industrial drains.

3- Water erosion

Anomalies in bodies of water can generate water erosion and sedimentation in streams and basins.

In addition, tourist exploitation and the development of urban complexes in coastal areas also bring with it high levels of erosion..

4- Alteration of the hydrological cycle

The indiscriminate practice of slash and burn implies the loss of forest resources of the jungles and tropical forests.

This implies an alteration of the hydrological cycle, since, as there is no vegetation in the area, the water runs off directly, promoting erosion and decreasing the filtration of water to the ground..

Consequently, as there are fewer trees, plants do not transpire water, and consequently, the amount of water that will evaporate to complete the hydrological cycle decreases..

With this, the humidity in the atmosphere decreases and the probabilities of precipitation occurring in that area are extremely low..

5- Health problems

The consumption of water contaminated by human or animal feces can lead to diseases such as gastroenteritis, cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever.

References

1. Water quality (2014). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). Recovered from: un.org.
2. Environmental impact of human activity. Recovered from: portaleducativo.net.
3. Impact of human activity on water (2014). Bogota Colombia. Recovered from: Comunidadplanetaazul.com.
4. How can human actions seriously affect water resources? (2006) UNESCO. Recovered from: greenfacts.org.
5. How people affect our water quality (2015). KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Recovered from: umgeni.co.za.