Importance of Water Recycling to Prevent Water Pollution - Essay Example

Importance of water recycling to prevent water pollution Recycling is a process whereby waste or used materials are processed into new products to avoid or prevent waste of useful or beneficial materials, reduce the use of energy, reduce usage of fresh raw materials, reduce water and air pollution by reducing the requirement for conventional waste disposal while lowering emission of greenhouse gases as compared to original or virgin production. Recycling is an important activity because, it involves using of the old product and waste that have less value in their present state and result in converting them back into totally new products. Water is a commodity that is essential for all forms of life. According to statistics, water covers about 70% of the whole planet surface. Water is mostly found in oceans, lakes, rivers and other large bodies of water. Therefore, there is need to increase the availability of safe drinking water in almost areas of the world (Putatunda para 5). There is the need to recycle water because it is believed that in the near future, there will be shortages of water in large parts of the world. Additionally, water recycling helps in reducing diseases that are associated with water contamination. Recycling of water is an effective activity in the whole world and has been established for a wide range of use. These uses can be in industries that use high volume of water, agricultural purpose, and domestic or home uses and other areas within the environment. Water has a wide range of significance or importance and that is advocated to recycle it order to prevent pollution (Lafferty 56). Water recycling is a significant gesture in near term and future needs. Water recycling has got variety of environmental benefits for sustainable in the sense that it reduces water contamination. Interpolated measures adopted to recycle water aim at decreasing the rate at which water is extracted from its sources that support other living organisms. This is because in those areas where sources of water have been endangered via over extraction like in forests has put many animals’ lives at risk. Water recycling is very essential due to the fact that it helps in reducing the discharge of effluents which have high capability of polluting and damaging the ecosystems of sensitive water bodies. This measure has been adopted with the need to save lives of those animals that exclusively depend on water for consumption. In addition, recycling of water is an important aspect since it has been established as an essential and safe way to offer non-portable water for wide variety of home, industrial and agricultural use. Water recycling offers wide range of benefits to the environment in the sense that it provides an additional source of water for different tasks or purposes. For instance, recycling of water reduces the extraction of water form sources that may be depreciating or dwindling and thus may cease or stop being viable and useful as habitats for valuable and endangered species of wildlife. In addition, recycled water can be applied to establish new wetlands, enhance and improve the quality of existing wetlands. More important is the fact that recycling of water reduces and prevents water pollution by leaving dangerous and damaging pollutants at the treatment plant (Onsola para 2). Preventing water pollution is everyone’s responsibility and it is due to this that many organizations have been taking corporate social responsibility activities of minimizing water pollution. These organizations have adopted holistic and integrative approach of understanding the importance of recycling water in different ecosystems which in turn save world endangered species that depend entirely on water. For instance, the United Nations has been sensitizing people on the negative effects of water pollution. Advancement in technology has led to adoption of new techniques of water recycling and treatment which in turn has led to reduction in water pollution. This has played a vital role towards ensuring that waste has been recycled and at the same time put under wide range of uses (Onsola para 2). Water pollution has for long time led to wide range of problems such as spread of waterborne diseases like typhoid. In this scenario, water treatment is important especially in fronts whereby there are high population people. Pollution of water is high in areas such as slums where there is water treatment thus proper sensitization is needed in order to ensure that problems such as outbreak of waterborne diseases do not arise. There are various forms of water contamination which include effluent from industries and refineries that release fluids of varying quality into water sources or supplies. In addition, water can also be contaminated indirectly in the sense that contaminants enter the supply of water from groundwater or soils systems from the atmosphere through rain water. Groundwater and soils contains the remains of human agricultural practices such as pesticides and other poorly disposed industrial waste products. Additionally, contamination of the atmosphere through gaseous emissions from vehicles and factories pollute water (Lafferty 57). There are various ways of recycling water in order to prevent water pollution. For instance, augmenting surface water reservoirs is one the ways used to recycle water for other purposes. This way, waste water is treated superficially with filters and released into water tanks. In addition, there is the recharging of ground water technique which is used for groundwater recharge of basins or aquifers. This method increases supply of water and prevents salty water from contaminating the supply of pure and clean drinking water (Lafferty 62). Summarily, it is clear that recycling water has many benefits that arise to prevent water pollution. This has been proved by the fact that every living creature consumes water for its survival. Thus, in parameters whereby pollution of water has been increasing with a large percentage, totally large populations of the creatures have been interfered with in a great way. Organizations and individuals in the society have been taking measures that are important towards eradicating pollution of water. These initiatives include planting of trees especially in water catchment areas and also promoting high recycling of waste water. For example, waste water has all over been recycled in farming areas. Works Cited Onsola, Sil. How can Recycling help prevent Pollution? Journal article, 2011. Retrieved on 26 April 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/facts _7455182 can-recycling-preventpollution_html Putatunda, Rita. Ways to prevent water pollution. Journal article, 2012. Retrieved on 26 April 2012 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ways-to-prevent-water-pollution.html Lafferty, William. Implementing Sustainable Development: Strategies and initiatives in high Consumption Societies. New York: Oxford University Press, (2000); 56-93. Read More