Water pollution is the contamination of bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater (the water beneath the Earth’s surface). It is one of the most serious types of pollution. Water pollution can have many different causes. Factories dump industrial waste into lakes and rivers. Sewage from households is another cause. Farms using pesticides to kill insects and herbicides to kill weeds can also lead to water pollution. These factors cause ‘point source’ pollution while ...

Water pollution is the contamination of bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater (the water beneath the Earth’s surface). It is one of the most serious types of pollution. Water pollution can have many different causes. Factories dump industrial waste into lakes and rivers. Sewage from households is another cause. Farms using pesticides to kill insects and herbicides to kill weeds can also lead to water pollution. These factors cause ‘point source’ pollution while pollutants from storm water and the atmosphere result in ‘non-point source’ pollution. Water pollution can have dramatic effects. In many poor nations, there are frequent outbreaks of cholera and other diseases because of people’s drinking untreated water. Humans can even die if they drink contaminated water. Polluted water also causes the death of aquatic animals such as fish, crabs, or birds. Other animals eat these dead animals and may also get sick addition, herbicides in water can kill aquatic plants and cause further damage to the environment.