Industrial Wastewater - A Threat to Marine Life
We all have been taught that nearly 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water. This could be in the form of lakes, rivers, oceans and other water bodies. Our civilizations have been dependent on the water since the beginning of mankind, influencing our settlement choices. Apart from drinking, water is essential for farming which is the main occupation of India. The life-giving water also provides us with marine food, fossil fuels, gems, and other natural resources. But having so much water around us has perhaps led us to take it for granted. All our sewages are eventually thrown into the ocean. The Industries channel their waste into the streams which again meet the oceans. Then there are also the occasional oil spills and activities like mining which badly disrupt the marine life. It is reported that around 5-6 million tonnes of petroleum and oil have been discharged into the Indian ocean —which is around 40% of the total petroleum spill in the world’s waters. These acts of carelessness have badly affected the oceanic ecosystem, threatening the existence of several other species on earth, including human beings. Causes of Marine Pollution Oceans have always been an easy target to dump all the sewage as they are relatively cheaper and found in abundance. But this rampant dumping has led to a littering up of 250 million tons of trash
in the seas each year, choking the aquatic life each passing day. Below are the few causes of ocean pollution. Industrial Waste, Effluents & Domestic Garbage Of all activities, garbage & effluent dumping takes the cake for being the number one cause of water pollution. Industrial effluents resulting from factories and industries, tankers and ships contain materials like mercury, cryolite, and DDT. Certain industries also discharge radioactive material which has longlasting negative effects. With time, the scale of dumping has become so substantial that it has the potential to wipe off entire humanity from the face of the planet. To counter this, factories and manufacturing plants proactively need to install industrial water treatment systems to ensure recycling of wastewater or solidification of waste using a zero liquid discharge system. Bioaccumulation There is a phenomenon called bioaccumulation wherein the toxic chemicals including metals such as copper, mercury, and lead, get accumulated in large concentrations in the tissues of marine plants and animals. These toxic elements do not disintegrate down like food and instead get stored in the muscles, eventually leading to death. On the other hand, pesticides discharged in the marine ecosystem get quickly absorbed into the marine food web. This can result in harmful mutations as well as severe diseases in marine organisms which lead to changes in tissue matter, biochemistry, and growth.
Thermal Pollution Thermal pollution occurs when there are abrupt changes in water temperatures. This is mainly caused due to factories and industrial plants discharging hot and cold water in the oceans. This threatens the existence of marine life because just like us, they have specific temperature needs and are unable to survive sudden temperature fluctuations. This unnatural & untimely change in temperature also disturbs the reproduction cycle of the fishes causing a release of immature eggs or unhealthy development of certain eggs. How to Overcome Proper industrial wastewater treatment coupled with recycling can greatly help limit ocean trash. Strict policies and effective implementation regarding waste disposal can help curb and prevent ocean contamination to a great extent. Even though the government has policies in place, making an effluent treatment plant system at a factory compulsory, there is still scope for monitoring and a sense of moral responsibility by the businesses.