Water is the most valuable gift Mother Nature has given to humankind. Unfortunately, the world’s nature water supply is becoming more and more polluted. The main causes of water pollution are oil spills, farming wastes, industrial wastes and acid rain.
Oil spills occur when huge oil tankers have leaks. The oil destroys many farms of marine life. All types of fish, whales, dolphins, plankton and corals depend on clean water to survive. Many fish and plants die after such an accident as the oil spill may take years to clean up. If the spill occurs near land, the oil will be washed in up onto the beach, affecting sea birds and animals on the land. When a sea bird is covered with oil, its feathers become heavy and sticky. It may lose its ability to fly and survive.
Nowadays, many kinds of pesticides are used in farming. The rain washes away the pesticides and fertilizers from the fields to the river and oceans. Some farmers dump their animal wastes in the river as they do not know how to get rid of the waste properly. Industrial wastes are even more dangerous. They are acidic and very harmful to humans. Factories often dump their industrial wastes straight into the sea. The fish drink this polluted water which in turn will affect humans. Some people even transport drums of industrial wastes and dump them into rivers, although this is against the law.
Gases and fumes from cars, factories and power stations are dissolved in the raindrops to produce a weak acid. This acid rain pollutes the oceans and destroys forests. Acid rain can be carried from one country to another by wind
