Compare and contrast the major sources of water pollution in urban and rural areas

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Main sources of water pollution in urban areas versus rural areas

Introduction

Water constitutes approximately 70 percent of the earth 's surface and therefore it is a significant resource (Krantz and Kifferstein (n .d It is a vital resource for without water , life would cease to exist on earth . It is however unfortunate that despite being a precious commodity , water pollution is existent everywhere ranging from the rural areas to the urban areas . The World Factbook (2010 ,

. 1 ) defines pollution as

the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste ' In case of water pollution , there is introduction of large amounts of substances into the water rendering it unsuitable for intended use . Water pollutants are classified as either point source pollution or non-point source pollution . Either way , these occur in both rural and urban places but with differing magnitude . It is also notable that major sources of water pollution differ in urban and rural areas This paper compares and contrasts between major water pollutants in rural and urban areas

Causes of water pollution in rural areas

It is notable that water pollution in rural areas mainly affects ground water since ground water forms the major source of water for rural populations . Ground water is usually contaminated in case there are leakages and in the ground tanks or in case of municipal landfills

As earlier stated , water pollution can be point source pollution or nonpoint source pollution . In point source pollution there is direct introduction...