Environmental Factors
Water pollution in itself is bad. Yet, everyone still uses water like it’s a never-ending resource. It’s practically the last thing on the mind that their actions could significantly impact the environment, the culture, and the socioeconomic health of society.
Pollution’s effect on the environment is probably the most well known. When waste is deposited from industry, homes, and/or agricultural waste, it all seeps into greater water bodies in the end. The main results are a pungent odor, discoloration, and a decrease in the amount of oxygen and nutrients. When the water loses its nutrients, it’s only a matter of time before the organisms that live in that ecosystem die out. The loss of these organisms is disastrous to the food cycle, and the study of Ecology. In China, water pollution is one of the main problems that need to be solved. The City of Tianjin is the third largest industrial city in China. For many years, it has been the center of productivity, but it fell behind in the environmental requirements for the city. Because of all the waste drainage systems and smog created from the factories and homes, the city’s water is a mess. China already has a wastewater improvement project just for them, and is placing an emphasis on the reduction of industrial water consumption and the improvement of effluent discharge quality. In the future, will the world follow its murky footprints?
Socioeconomic Concerns
In water pollution, one must also consider the socioeconomic factors as well. Socioeconomic involves both the social and economical factors. With this in mind, the United Nation’s Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights stated “The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights.” In simpler words, water is essential for anything else related to our rights as humans to function. Without a steady supply of water, the entire economy of the human race will fall. With Oil as important as it is today, what about water in the near future? In third-world countries like Africa, water is already scarce and the most valuable resource. They work hard for whatever water they can get. None of them know if tomorrow they will get water or not. Could this be the socioeconomic near future for the entire human race?
Culture & Religion
Water also plays an important role in the cultures and religions of many society and people. It represents birth, life, or purity. Water can often also be perceived as a god, goddess or divine agency. Whatever the reason, water is essential to many religions, and they would be lost without it. In Buddhism, the water is washed over a dead body. The monks recite “As the rains fill the rivers and overflow into the ocean, so likewise may what is given here reach the departed,” as the process is completed. In Christianity, water is used in baptism. In baptism, water symbolizes purification, the rejection of the original sin. When baptized, one is fully or partially immersed in water, or one’s head may simply be sprinkled with a few drops of water.
In Hinduism, all temples are located near a clean water source, where the followers bathe. In Islam, one must wash with clean water before reading the Qur’an, having sexual intercourse, and before prayer. In Judaism, water is used for ritual cleaning and the ritual baths known as mikveh. All of these religions use a clean water to practice their religion. Now, what if all that water was polluted? The Buddhist dead rituals and baptisms would be obsolete, and Hindu temples would be built less and less. Jews have the alternative to wash in sand when no water is present. All religions and cultures would be drastically affected by the loss of clean water.
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