Question

Write any four methods of controlling water pollution.

Answer 1

Hint: Any undesirable change in physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, land or soil is called pollution. In order to control pollution of any natural resource, steps should be taken to remove its etiology from the grassroots levels.

Complete Answer
We tend to believe that water can wash away everything not taking notice of the fact that the water bodies are our lifeline as well as that of all other living organisms. Hence, we should actively look into different ways of controlling water pollution. Some of them are given below.
- Wastewater including sewage can be treated in an integrated manner, by utilizing a mix of artificial and natural processes such as chlorine treatment.
- It has been proved that water is not necessary to dispose of human waste, like excreta. Ecological sanitation is a sustainable method for handling human excreta, by making use of dry composting toilets. This is a practical, hygienic, efficient, and economic solution to human waste disposal.
- Lichens are very good pollution indicators – they tend to not grow in polluted areas. Hence, they can be utilized to know the levels of pollution in an area.
- There should be a conceptual approach to industrial production. Every stage of production should address the objective of preventing or minimizing short- and long-term risks to humans and the environment.
- Human activities like bathing and washing of clothes around water bodies should be prohibited.
- The government is also taking various measures to curb water pollution.
So, to sum it up to control water pollution, human and industrial interventions into the water resources should be restricted and the focus should be towards minimized usage.

Note:
- In a bid to control environmental pollution, the Government of India has passed the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. This law protects and improves the quality of our environment (air, water, and soil).
- The Government of India has also passed the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 to safeguard our water resources. This was done as a realization of the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the water bodies.