Water used in factories, businesses, homes, animal husbandry, and other industries contain substances such as oils, chemicals, and debris that cause contamination. While nature has the amazing ability to purify wastewater and turn it back into naturally clean water, the sheer amount of wastewater produced consistently is too much to be cleaned through the natural process before it causes harm to the environment.
Wastewater treatment is the process of converting wastewater into water that is safe to be discharged back into the environment. The process is carried out in wastewater treatment facilities where specialized equipment is used to remove all the unwanted contaminants. It helps to speed up the natural process and increase the amount of clean water available for use.
This article will shed a light on why it is so important to treat wastewater before releasing it into the environment.
Prevent Public Health Risks
Wastewater contains toxic substances harmful to humans. Removing these contaminants using wastewater treatment facilities help to clean water and eliminate health risks associated with consuming unclean water. Without proper laws and functional wastewater treatment facilities, water related diseases such as cholera and schistosomiasis can become widespread, putting the lives of people in danger and incurring substantial amounts of money on medical bills.
Protects Aquatic Life
Discharging wastewater into open water bodies can have adverse effects on the quality of the water and the diverse aquatic life it supports. Fish and other organisms living in natural water bodies are adapted to the specific characteristics of the water. When wastewater is released and mixed with water in these water bodies, the water not only becomes contaminated but also undergoes changes in their composition. What might seem as simple as change in the pH level of the water and increase in chemical content can be extremely harmful for aquatic life.
This can further affect the health of people who feed on the fish and other aquatic life for food. For instance, mercury is a chemical that has been known to be found in high levels in fishes caught from polluted water bodies. Consumption of these mercury rich fishes can cause serious health conditions and complications, even resulting in death. Wastewater treatment helps prevent these things from happening, protecting aquatic life as well as people who rely on it for food.
Increases The Abundance of Clean And Useable Water
While nature does her best to naturally process wastewater and turn it into clean, usable water, it is simply not enough for the high volume of wastewater produced daily. Because industries are growing and so is the global population, the demand for clean water increases while the production of wastewater also grows. Wastewater treatment helps to create a balance between these two factors by accelerating the cleaning of wastewater and increasing its abundance. If it wasn’t for wastewater treatment facilities, there would be a huge shortage of clean water needed to support daily household and industrial activities.
Conclusion
The main purpose of wastewater treatment is to prevent the degradation of the environment by exposing them to toxic chemicals and other substances found in wastewater. It also helps to increase the amount of clean water accessible for use in household and industrial activities.
If you’re looking for a wastewater treatment equipment supplier to procure new or spare equipment, W2 Systems is a commercial water treatment company that specializes in upgrading and supporting any water treatment equipment. Contact us to learn how we can help you with your water treatment needs.