Sources of Water Pollution by: Michael Bocado

Here are some sources of water pollution:

• Oil spill
• Agrochemical use
• Agricultural runoff
• Discharge of domestic and industrial waste water
• Improper mining activities
• Wetland degradation
• Untreated wastes
• Loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
• Coastal degradation
• Sewage and industrial wastes

These sources of water pollution have been killing our environment and it is due to direct and indirect contaminant sources. These contaminants can also be classified into organic, inorganic, radioactive and acid/base

As we all remember, the Exxon Valdez oil spill incident which took place in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989 was considered to be one of the most devastating man made environmental disaster. According to the reports, the ship was carrying 55 million gallons of oil, and about 11-32 million gallons of it believed to be spilled killing 250,000 seabirds, 2800 sea otters, 300 seals, and 250 bald eagles. Billions of fish and their eggs also died because of the contamination of the water. Their ecosystem was very much affected, that up to until today, the habitat of the sea creatures has not yet recovered.

Here in the Philippines, there are no major water pollution that have affected our waters, except for the never ending expansion of man that had caused damage to our waters. According to the latest report by the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) in 2011, 15 millions of Filipinos have no access to potable water while 10 million houses lack toilets. This problem was connected to the poverty of most Filipinos living in the slum areas. What they do is, they just release their waste in the nearest body of water, making the water unsafe and prone to bacteria that may lead to many diseases.



(photo credit: globalwarmingandu.com)

Not tonight, Mosquito bite! by Noel Ong

Over the years, water waste management became one of the common means to collect, remove, process and dispose materials in the water surroundings. There are a lot of ways on how to put this practice into an effective one. With each targets a particular issue and complication when it comes to water waste. But, if not put into proper practice brings great risk and danger to one’s health. This post mainly focuses on the water related vector borne diseases that can be acquired resulting from improper handling of water waste. Water related vector borne diseases are from water related disease transmitting agents, also called vectors or intermediate hosts. A vector is a form of animal, mainly an insect, which transmits an infection from one person to another person or from infected animals to humans. Meanwhile, intermediate hosts is similar to a vector, the only difference is they do not actively transmit a pathogen. Generally, both vector and intermediate host produce bacteria, viruses and parasites which are the main culprits for acquiring water related vector borne diseases. The largest group of disease transmitting agents are the insect vectors, mosquitoes in particular. They cause one of the vector borne diseases, the malaria. Malaria originates from a protozoan parasite of the genus Plasmodium. It causes fever, anaemia, enlargement of the spleen and cerebral complications in some cases. It is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito of the genus Anopheles. Malaria can be derived from the cycle between the man, which is the intermediate host or reservoir and the mosquito, which is the vector. Malaria can be found in most countries but also depends on climate, altitude, population density and environmental characteristics of a country. Major countries who are greatly affected by the malaria disease are sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and northern part of South America, Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Malaria also originates from the growing number of irrigation practices, drainage schemes or hydro electrical dams. In addition to the new open water surfaces, in the presentation of canals, ponds and artificial lakes, mosquito breeding sites have been formed. Another type of water related vector borne disease is the lymphatic filariasis. It is a mosquito borne filariasis which comprises of various diseases that often leads to inflammations and lesions of the lymphatic system. As opposed to malaria, filarial infection needs repetitive, continuous and long exposure to the vector due to low pathogen coming from the bite of the mosquito. This disease is mostly carried by people who live in rural environments and farm settings due to poor surface drainage, lack of sanitation procedures and environment pollution.

Photo source: http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/mosquito_104197

Be Informed! Water Pollution in the Philippines

This video is made only for school project
Credits to all images used

Statistics: http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/philippines/overview.htm

Health Risks from Contamination of Water by: Michael Bocado

Health Risks from Contamination of Water by: Michael Bocado
Water Pollution is the contamination of water that can cause harmful effects to our health directly or indirectly. Here are some diseases that are cause of water pollution:

• Amoebiasis
• Typhoid
• Hookworm
• Rashes
• Stomach aches
• Giardiasis
• Vomiting
• Ascariasis
• Liver and kidney damage
• Diarrhea
• Gastroenteritis
• Respiratory infections
• Hepatitis
• Encephalitis

These are infectious diseases that can easily spread primarily through contaminated water. They are harmful to our health and may cause severe health problems if not treated properly. Contaminated water is the main source for spread of these diseases and because of that they are called as water-borne diseases. These diseases can also be easily spread through flies or filth. These diseases are more prevalent in areas with poor sanitary conditions. Pathogens travel through water sources and interfuses directly through persons handling food and water. These diseases are highly infectious so the people looking after an infected patient should always have extreme care and hygiene to the people looking after an infected patient.


photo credit: oxstyle.com

Attack of the Amoeba! by: Noel Ong

Have you ever felt that excruciating pain in your stomach after you ate from an eatery near your school? Have you ever wondered what triggered it? Was it with their food? Or with the water they are using? Well you might have been infected by the single celled bacteria called Amoeba.

Amebiasis is caused by Entamoeba histolytica, a type of Amoeba protozoan found all over the world. Their likely occurrences are in the countries with less resistance or technology of water management system because human waste (containing Amoebas) tends to infect our drinking water causing us to have gastro internal attacks. Unfiltered water may contain millions of amoebas, and they reproduce rapidly. According to recent study made, amoebas account for more than 50,000 cases of gastroenteritis of Filipinos every year, leaving 1,000 people dead annually all over the world. So how can we prevent this microscopic army to attack us? The answer: a clean supply of water. Since amoebas live in filthy conditions, sometimes interfering with our water supply, Department of Natural Resources (DENR) is doing their best in maintaining the purity of the water we consume every day. Our water supply is being cleaned by filtering machines to eliminate impurities and other harmful bacteria. There are also water treatment plants in our country to treat the water that we use every day. The Department of Health (DOH) suggests that we should boil our drinking water before to help kill bacteria including the amoebas for more safety measures. Excellent hygiene still proves to be effective for preventing this disease. We are also advised by the local government to refrain from eating in street carts where cleanliness of the preparation of the food is questionable. Nevertheless, we in our selves should be always hygienic to prevent the infection of this disease. (photo by: chunkysmurf)