The economic potential of severely contaminated places is being reduced, according to a 2019 World Bank report, due to the global decline in water quality. It also issues a warning that the unseen water quality crisis is endangering the health of both people and the environment. Water is life's matrix, mother, and medium, according to Hungarian scientist Albert Szent Gyorgyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Without water, there is no life. For all tasks, water is essential. However, the fact that the water's quality is declining owing to a wide range of circumstances is cause for concern.
Water quality is not entirely dependent on human activity; additional factors include weather and meteorology, which can cause flooding due to climate change and increase water pollution from overburdened sewage systems, overgrown lawns, and other sources. This increases the risk of contamination and raises the price of water treatment. There is a belief that climate change is having a significant impact on water quality. Water is the most essential element for all living things to survive, including humans, animals, and plants. After air, water is the element that is most crucial for living. Only 3% of the water on Earth, according to statistics from surveys, is appropriate for human use.
Large amounts of heavy metals and harmful microorganisms are discharged every day into water resources like rivers, having a significant negative impact on water. This is because of the pollutants and toxins that are emitted by companies and homes. Because chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides drain into the groundwater, agricultural operations also contribute to water pollution. Large quantities of heavy substances including sodium bicarbonate, iron, zinc, carbon dioxide, sulfate, chloride, and fluoride are released by industrial units, and these substances have the potential to be devastating to human health.
Water contamination is exceedingly harmful and can cause major sickness when consumed.Before using the water for any purpose, including drinking, cooking, or as an addition in food items, it should be tested and filtered. Scientifically called as "aquagenic urticaria" or "water urticaria," water can also trigger allergies. Nowadays, a significant portion of infections are waterborne.
Chemical Water Quality Parameter
1. Chloride ion:
In natural water systems, the amount of chloride ions is relatively minimal. It multiplies in tainted water. Additionally, a high chloride ion concentration makes the water salty and corrodes water pipes.
2. Ammonia:
The quantity of ammonia in water rises as organic stuff, such as proteins and amino acids, breaks down. Additionally, it rises as a result of the addition of chloramine to the water disinfection process. The typical NH3 concentration in ground water systems is 3 mg/ltr. It emits a distinctive flavor and odor at concentrations greater than 50mg/ltr.
3. Nitrite:
It is an extremely flammable intermediate produced when NH2 is changed into nitrate.
Nitrite is reduced to ammonia in anaerobic conditions whereas it is oxidized into nitrate in aerobic conditions.
4. Nitrate:
It is the most durable type of oxidized nitrogen. Nitrate is a byproduct of both air nitrogen fixing and the breakdown of organic materials in water.
5. Phosphate:
Phosphorus can be found in water as organic phosphate, polyphosphate, and H2PO4-.Industrial effluent, sewage, and agricultural waste all provide phosphorus to water sources.Despite not being dangerous to humans, phosphate is a crucial chemical in natural water systems like ponds because of the way that eutrophication is made possible by its high concentration.
6. Hardness:
Water hardness is only caused by calcium and magnesium salts.Permanent hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium chloride and sulfate, whereas temporary hardness is caused by the carbonate and bicarbonate of calcium and magnesium.
7. Biological oxygen demand (BOD):
The quantity of oxygen needed by living things (microorganisms) for the oxidation of biodegradable organic materials in water under aerobic circumstances is known as biological oxygen demand.