Slideshow B18: Water pollution

Causes of water pollution: rubbish being dumped into rivers and oceans sewage and waste water chemicals from industries oil spilling from ships chemicals from farming hot salt water from desalination plants

Rubbish dumped into rivers and oceans.

Sewage, waste water and chemicals from industries being dumped into rivers and oceans.

Oil spilling from ships.

The effects of water pollution: Water pollution can seriously harm and kill wildlife in the ocean, can contaminate fish and affect animals and humans that eat them, and it reduces stock for fishing, which in turn means fewer jobs.

A dead turtle entangled in rubbish and old fishing nets that were dumped into the sea.

A bird covered in oil from a damaged ship.

Dead fish washed up on the beach after being poisoned by polluted water.

If the wildlife in the rivers, lakes and seas are killed and contaminated then the fishing industry, like this fishing dhow loaded with fish traps, will begin to suffer. Also an important food source will be lost or depleted.

plankton shrimp fish shark Simple food chains such as this will be disrupted by the pollution of rivers, lakes and seas. Humans, who are often at the top of the food chain will be affected too. shark