Water Pollution Management Strategies (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Water Pollution Management Strategies

• There are three levels of pollution management:

  • Changing human activity

  • Regulating and reducing quantities of pollutants released at the point of emission

  • Cleaning up the pollutant and restoring the ecosystem after pollution has occurred

Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The three levels of pollution management strategies can be applied to the management of water pollution in aquatic ecosystems

1. Reducing human activities that produce pollutants

• Implementation of alternative practices and technologies:

  • Identifying and adopting alternatives to current fertilisers and detergents that have less harmful environmental impacts

  • For example, promoting the use of organic fertilisers and eco-friendly detergents can reduce the release of pollutants into water bodies

• Public awareness and education:

  • Educating the public about the environmental consequences of certain human activities and encouraging behaviour changes

  • This includes promoting sustainable agricultural practices, responsible waste management, and water conservation

2. Reducing the release of pollution into the environment

• Waste water treatment:

  • Implementing effective waste water treatment systems to remove pollutants, such as nitrates and phosphates, before the water is discharged back into the environment

  • This includes processes like biological treatment, chemical precipitation, and advanced filtration techniques

• Industrial regulations:

  • Enforcing strict regulations and standards for industries to control and reduce the release of pollutants into water bodies

  • This can include effluent discharge limits, mandatory pollution control measures, and regular monitoring and reporting of pollution levels

3. Removing pollutants from the environment and restoring ecosystems

• Remediation and restoration projects:

  • Implementing strategies to remove pollutants from contaminated sites and restore ecosystems

  • This can involve techniques like dredging to remove accumulated sediment, using activated carbon or other absorbents to capture pollutants, and re-establishing native vegetation and aquatic species

• Ecosystem management:

  • Adopting holistic approaches to manage ecosystems and their water quality

  • This includes implementing integrated watershed management plans (sometimes known as the Catchment Based Approach), promoting natural filtration systems (e.g. constructed wetlands), and restoring riparian buffers to minimise pollution runoff

• These three levels of pollution management strategies can be used together to address water pollution using a combined approach

• By reducing the production of pollutants, minimising their release into the environment, and actively removing pollutants and restoring ecosystems, the goal is to prevent further degradation, improve water quality, and preserve the health of aquatic ecosystems