Water Pollution

January 2024 – Water Pollution, or marine pollution, is the contamination of water sources by substances making the water unusable for human activities and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. Water pollution sources include farms, waste dumping, oil tankers, and municipal wastewater (sewage) treatment plants. Water pollutants are classified based on their chemical, physical, biological, nutrient, and radioactive properties. Water pollution negatively impacts human health, food chain safety, and economic growth. There are a number of ways to prevent and reduce water pollution such as effective wastewater treatment (sewage, industrial, and agricultural), stormwater management, sediment erosion control, organic farming, use of biodegradable plastics, and water conservation. In 1992, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Launched the water convention to protect and manage global transboundary surface and groundwater pollution.

In this slideshow, you will learn about the definition, sources, types, effects, mitigation, UN policy, and global statistics of water pollution.