Homes, schools and offices produce dirty water as well as rubbish. Factories and farms also empty waste into rivers. This waste can pollute (dirty) the water.
Waste water from your home goes to a sewage plant. Here, the water is cleaned before it flows back into rivers or the sea. Water treatment works clean the water again before it reaches your home.
A sewage plant cleans our waste water.
- Waste water from our homes empties into drains. They carry the water to the sewage treatment plant.
- At the plant the dirty water passes through a grid that removes solid wastes.
- The water then trickles through filter beds lined with sand and gravel. Tiny living things that feed on harmful bacteria are used to clean the water.
- Scientists test the water to make sure there are no germs left. Then the water flows back into rivers or the sea.
These children get water from a well. They won’t waste it!
You probably turn on a tap to get fresh water. But in dry, desert areas people may walk a long way to get water from the nearest well. They use their water very carefully. The water they wash with is then used to water plants.
Crop sprays can pollute ponds and rivers.
Farmers use water to wet thirsty crops. The left-over water runs back into ponds and streams. Many farmers spray poisons on their crops to kill weeds and insects. When these chemicals drain back into rivers, they can poison wildlife, and people, too.
Save water. Have a shower, not a bath.
Every day, we all use a lot of water for drinking, washing and cooking. All this water has be to cleaned and pumped to our house, which is expensive and uses lots of energy.
Save precious water by taking a shower instead of a bath. Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth or wash the dishes. You can also use rainwater rather than tap water to water the plants.
Picture Credit : Google