Page 22 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Environmental and Health Effects Due to the Usage of Wastewater 3

appropriate sanitation. The unhygienic environment and consumption of contami-
nated drinking water becomes the primary reason for the 1.6 million deaths taking
place every year throughout the world. The proper understanding of public hygiene
and the quality of safe potable water varies between people living in agricultural
and metropolitan territories, and the possibility of drinking clean and safe water
becomes difficult for people living in provincial areas. According to the 2009 Gallup
poll, the reports clearly proved that the contamination of potable water was seen to
be a major concern in the United States (Schwarzenbach et al., 2010).
Nowadays, a major part of the economy has moved from agriculture to the indus-
trial sector, and this tremendous development and advancement in the industrial sec-
tor has increased the origination of many new toxic and hazardous substances in
industrial waste that is discharged during manufacturing and processing (Koolivand
et al., 2017). As well as industry, increased population and urbanization also play a
vital role in the inexorable exploitation of natural resources, the release of some new
harmful toxic gases, changing climatic conditions, and an increased amount of waste
generation (Vitorino de Souza Melarea et al., 2017). New innovations and techno-
logical advancement in industry, urbanization, and transportation have increased
the discharge of large amounts of industrial wastewater into the fresh water zones,
which remain the most precious source for agriculture. Nitrogen and phosphorus
are a noteworthy mixture that contaminates fresh water sources. In addition to this,
several harmful substances, such as excessive metals, synthetic toxins, pesticides,
and washing liquids from industry released into fresh water sources, are the most
frequent causes of increased eutrophication, which leads to the death of aquatic lives.
This wastewater does not only affect the crop yield in agriculture; it also affects the
livelihood of the poor farmers who depend on these water bodies, such as rivers and
lakes, for agriculture (Rajasulochana and Preethy, 2016).
The rapid pace of industrialization, impromptu urbanization, and the population
explosion are causing extreme damage to the surrounding water and land resources.
The fundamental sources of fresh water contamination can be ascribed to the release
of untreated waste from machinery, both clean and toxic, the dumping of modern
effluents, and water discharge from agricultural land. Wastewater also leads to the
contamination of ground water and causes a deficit of fresh water used for drinking
purposes. People in many countries suffer due to this water scarcity. About 70%–
80% of fatal diseases are due to contaminated water, and in many countries it affects
women and children specifically (Bhatnagar and Sillanpaa, 2010).
The primary destination for wastewater disposal by enterprises is surface water.
Most of the rivers in our country are polluted due to effluent discharge. Surface water
contamination has increased 20 times due to the blending of industrial effluents in
22 regions of our country. The level of wastewater contamination varies from indus-
try to industry depending on the type of procedure and the size of the enterprise.
Rapid industrialization and globalization have prompted the acknowledgment and
expanding comprehension of the interrelationship between contamination and gen-
eral wellbeing. Almost 14,000 deaths take place per day due to this untreated indus-
trial wastewater across developing countries. Because of this mixing of industrial
waste into fresh water, a sudden decrease in dissolved oxygen takes place, and this
leads to the death of the flora and fauna present in the fresh water. As a result of rapid