Untreated sewage is mainly an issue in
impoverished areas within Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These areas do not
have the funding to construct the large sewage treatment plants that their
population needs. The sewage runs right into drains and is released in its raw
state right into streams and rivers. These rivers are often the main source of
drinking and cleaning water for the people living in the area. Certain regions
cannot even afford flushing toilets. Many poor rural areas use pit latrines,
which are essentially just holes in the ground. The waste then seeps into the
ground, entering the wells relied upon for drinking water, or is washed into
waterways by rain. Some areas which have been going through recent upsurges in
population or industrialization are also having serious sewage problems. For
example, the Indian city of New Delhi produces 3.6 billion tons of sewage
daily. However, only half of it is treated at all. The rest flows into the
Yamuna, a main source of drinking and bathing water. Although India has over
300 treatment plants, most of them are poorly located or outdated.
The main cause of raw sewage being
released into waterways is poverty. These areas do not have the money,
knowledge, or resources to construct treatment plants and affective drainage
systems. Because of this, the waterways have become toxic, causing many more
problems.
Works
Cited
“How the Sewer System Works.” MWRA Online. (22 February 2012).
Retrieved from http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/03sewer/html/sewhow.htm.
“Rivers of Sewage: India's Rivers Are Slowly
Dying.” Tree Hugger. (22 June 2007).
Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/rivers-of-sewage-indiaatms-rivers-are-slowly-dying.html.
“Untreated Sewage.” Top 10 worst pollution
problems. (2008). Retrieved from
http://www.worstpolluted.org/projects_reports/display/63.
“Wastewater Treatment Water Use.” Water Science for Schools. U.S. Geographical Survey. (9 March
2012). Retrieved from http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuww.html.
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