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Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Effects Of Raw Sewage Discharged Directly Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Raw sewage Discharged Directly environmental Sciences EssayThrough show up history of existence of man, getting rid of wild matter man produces has al expressions been enigmaatic. Our Palaeolithic and Neolithic ancestors also had the same problem of waste disposal, those who lived on oysters and early(a) shell seek simply threw the waste out forming the kitchen middens which be now of sedate(p) interest to the archaeologists (Anderson, 2007). During the medieval times sewerage and domestic waste was thrown everywhere and ended up flux into nearby irrigate system bodies. Around 1900s, the system of sewers evolved, cities did not treat sewerage during that time (Ward, 2010). They simply collected the stabbing or untreated sewage (waste weewee) using the system and discharged it into a receiving body of water any a river or a marine environment (Anderson, 2007) dictated by the location of the city.However, it soon became app bent that barren sewage discharge d in this manner was inadequate for two major reasons existence the adverse ecological impacts on receiving waters and the adverse public health impacts since some of the micro-organisms in lancinate sewage may be pathogenic (Ward, 2010) therefore the receiving water bodies atomic number 50not be used for water contact sports like swimming and water skiing.Now municipal councils worldwide have gone to a great extent of constructing sewage treatment plants to keep up with pace of increase human population, which tend to generate more sewage. These modern municipal sewage treatment systems utilize microbial degradation as a virtuoso way to degrade these ingrained and inorganic material contained in waste water.The ecological impacts of discharging raw sewage into rivers are dictated by the constituents of the waste. Sewage contains vast comes of organic material, also inorganic materials such as alimental salts consisting mainly inorganic phosphate and nitrate from partial mineralisation of the organic matter and detergents where phosphates are used as dispersion and suspension agents (Nixon, 2009). Run-off from industries and gardens also end up in the sewage. This send away probably contain traces of heavy metals such as mercury and uranium(Landman and Ling, 2011). Microorganisms both living and dead also contribute to the amount of organic material present in the sewage, the latter is a pollutant.Discharging raw sewage into rivers therefore introduces these constituents of sewage into the aquatic ecosystem. Organic material depart therefore serve as a substrate for the growth of heterotrophic bacteria. The aerobic respiration activities of these microorganisms remove the dissolved oxygen in water, creating an anoxic condition. This condition is lethal to fish and other oxygen requiring living organisms in the river (Landman and Ling, 2011). Biodiversity in the aquatic system is thus hampered due to reduction of other living species population in the river. Also other terrestrial organisms depending on the river water will be affected negatively since the water is no longer in state that is conducive for them to use (Nixon, 2009). Wastes released by the microorganism tend to be toxic to other living organisms. Also animals that booze on the river that contain sewage atomic number 50 end up getting the heavy metals that concentrate up the food chain wherefore jeopardize species could be wiped out as a result of the toxicity of the heavy metals (Ward, 2010).Since pH and temperature have effect on the solutes in the waste water, let out or high will hold to cations in water complexing with the phosphate hence precipitates (Nixon, 2009). These precipitates will change the aesthetic appearance of water. Also the precipitates can be bound to aquatic organism such as fish hence jam their pores on their bodies that are responsible for gaseous exchange. populace health impacts due to raw sewage in rivers are that the river ca n longer be used as a source of imbibition water and for human consumption. The river water thus tend to have a high concentration of nitrates, which are toxic to human particularly infants as it can cause a disease known as gamy baby syndrome (Anderson, 2007). This disease results due to high affinity of nitrates to haemoglobin hence less oxygen is carried in the blood. Water borne microorganisms such vibrio epidemic cholera from human faeces (Moubarrad,. et al 2007) also can be contained in the water hence if water is used for human consumption, this can lead to spread of diseases. Water contact sport also can be performed on such water due to the contamination by organic matter and bad odour as a result of the raw sewage.Even though the water can be rich in plant nutrients, it cannot be used for irrigation purposes in agriculture since heavy metals that are contained in the water can end up finding their way into crops. Heavy metals such as mercury in water can be converted t o methylmercury by bacteria (Ward, 2010). Methylmercury is a neurotoxin in human that affect the nervous system and brain functioning hence it can cause permanent development defects in babies (Moubarrad,. et al 2007) .Since the acrimony of the impact of raw sewage discharged into rivers varies due to the volume of the raw sewage, organic and inorganic material content and the flow rate of water in the river, therefore when rivers are given sufficient time without except pollution, rivers have the natural capability to restore themselves (Ward, 2010). Oxygen can be reintroduced into the water through two activities being oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria, algae and aquatic plants and also by the turbulence of the river, which results in the diffusion of oxygen from air. In addition, the organic material component of raw sewage is eventually extravagant by the heterotrophic bacteria and when it depletes the population of these bacteria declines (Anderson, 2007).However in the case of lakes, deposition of raw waste triggers a phenomenon known as eutrophication since water in lakes is not flowing. Eutrophication results from nitrates and phosphates contained in raw sewage being turned into cellular mass by microorganisms in presence of coruscation ( HobK,. et al 2012). Eventually water is covered with green mats of algae, blocking sunlight and gases to diffuse into the water hence organisms rising in water die due to insufficient oxygen. A high population of microorganisms especially anaerobic ones results and this enhances other predatory microorganisms to reside in the water being attracted by the high populations of their prey. Due to eutrophication, biodiversity will be lost in terms of reduction in populations of organisms residing in water. Lakes compared to rivers are not commensurate of quick self-restoration since water in them is stagnant therefore diffusion of gases cannot be possibly easy.

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