Water pollution is the release of harmful substances such as organic materials (insecticides, detergents, petroleum,etc), inorganic materials (chemical waste, mercury,fertilizer) and litters or trash into the water bodies, water bodies consist of lakes, rivers, ocean, sea and groundwater. This substances make the water contaminated and harmful to humans and aquatic environment.
Water pollution degrades aquatic ecosystems making it inhabitable for aquatic creatures and the water is toxic for people who use it for cooking, drinking, washing and bathing as they can be easily affected with water borne diseases and the most common waterborne disease is diarrhea which has killed a millions of people due to this, there is need to find way to curb water pollution so as to protect human and aquatic life.
Firstly the government needs to make regulations on waste disposal so as to reduce the rate of indecent waste disposal, people dispose litters and chemicals indiscriminately especially into flowing waters for example in Nigeria, most markets don't have a proper waste dispose system, they just pour all their dirts into river or nearby sewage system and this harmful substances flow into the water which is used by others. Government need to make laws on where to dispose litters and failure to comply will lead to imprisonment or payment of a huge fine and also enforcement agency should be created to see to the enforcement of this regulations.
Secondly there's need to enlighten people about the dangers of water pollution, since water is mostly polluted by humans there's need to educate them about the dangers of water pollution the do's and don'ts, since it affect human life and ecosystems, when people know about the dangers in what they're doing they will stop since they now know they are harming themselves indirectly and also they would be read to report polluters to appropriate authorities also companies need to stop using toxic materials in making household items especially cleaners, they should produce more non toxic cleaners and biodegradable cleaners and this reduce the rate of water pollution
Supporting non governmental organizations for protection of water, there lot of non governmental organizations who are helping to curb water pollution, this charity organizations clean up polluted waters and enlighten people about how to protect the water system, they teach them how to dispose their cooking oil, grease and other toxic things that can affect the water. You can find one of this organizations and donate to them to help their course or you can make yourself available by going out with them to educate people or cleaning beaches and rivers or any polluted water, this organizations really need volunteers labors.
Also government need to create water agency, this agency will see to the purification of water so it will be safe for drinking, they'll also give standards on how waste should be disposed since this agency will be filled with water and health experts. They will be responsible for water distribution system in a state by distributing clean waters to the citizens of the states and they also detect contaminated water and stop people from getting access to it until it has been purified, this will reduce the rate of water borne diseases and also initiate good standard of living for the populace.
Medical waste needs to be disposed properly, medical waste are very harmful to the environment, contaminate diseases can be spread easily through improper disposal of medica waste like syringes, drugs, etc even some people flush down this waste and most of these items end up in ponds or river where they're eaten by fish or bed and through this, the animals might be infected and the infection might be contagious thereby harming the ecosystem. Medical waste should be burned properly where there's no water nearby this would make the water more safer for everyone.
Industrial waste is one the major water pollutant, it has been a major issue since industrial revolution certain commercial products such as cleaning fluids, paints or pesticides are so hazardous to the waters and there's need to put measurements to curb this, firstly they need to minimize their waste by reducing hazardous materials that enter production process also they can recycle waste materials to produce new products thereby reducing their cost of production since the waste materials is been used as raw material and industry should only purchase what they need to avoid waste. Secondly there's need to regulate the disposal of solid, liquid and toxics materials into the environment, this substances are so harmful to the environment especially oil company that dispose oil into river which affects the water by making it unusable, this affect the ecosystem as most of this waters are used in irrigation of farmland, contaminated water affect crops and farmland also the aquatic environment because water creatures can't survive in water contaminated with toxic substances so the government should find a way to regulate how this industry dispose their waste and they must comply to this regulations or face sanctions.
Agriculture waste is another major water pollutants, farms discharge alot of organic materials,agrochemical substances, animal litters, animal corpse, drugs and other harmful substances into the water bodies, the growth in agriculture industry has been achieved majorly through the use of fertilizers and pesticides to keep away pest and make crops grow faster but this substances are very toxic to water as they pollute the water bodies easily agricultural industries majorly degrade inland and coastal waters and this waters are mostly used by the populace cause its neare to them, there's urgent need to stop this by reducing the rate of litters been disposed into water bodies, farmers should burn and bury dead animals in safe place so as not to contaminate the water also they should try find way to stop erosion into and out of farm lands to stop toxic substances from flowing into and out of farmlands lastly the farm need to know how to apply their fertilizers and pesticides so as not affect the water nearby.
Lastly people should try to Avoid Plastic Containers or dispose them properly, Plastic shopping bags and plastic containers of beverages causes huge problems in the nations lakes and seas. Plastic bottles can last for years in the water. People should buy more reusable cloth or plastic grocery bags instead of disposable bags also they should try to cut down on their chemical usage.
Water is one of the most plentiful and essential compounds which is very important for humam survival and as plant and animal habitat but it's now becoming harmful for use due to human doings so there's urgent need to find solution to this problem.