What is water pollution? What are the causes of water pollution? Categories of water pollution What are the effects of water pollution? What can you do to prevent water pollution? What is water pollution? Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.This widespread problem of water pollution is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Meanwhile, our drinkable water sources are finite: Less than 1 percent of the earth’s freshwater is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050, when global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now. What are the causes of water pollution? Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,” water is able...
