Water pollution in Washington DC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water pollution in Washington DC - Essay Example Recent studies have shown that the water in the river of Washington DC has been found to be extremely contaminated. The wildlife is suffering from this polluted water to such an extent that the fish are displaying instability in their traits. Poor sewerage systems and outdated treatment processes in the metropolitans throughout all the inhabited continents of the world has created inconvenience for the residents of these metropolitan cities of the world and the rivers are extremely polluted as a result making the river water inappropriate for consumption. It is not just the humans who have been affected as a result of this ignorance on the part of the authorities but also the wildlife. Although a majority of the major metropolitan cities have been slow to react to the developments such as population increase and geographic expansions, one of the most prominent and most affected cities as a result of water pollution is Washington DC. This is why I am writing in this newspaper in order to highlight the areas where these problems are at their worst and how these issues can be addressed by the government authorities as well as on a private basis. A huge proportion of the sewage and contaminated water has been disposed off into rivers which pollutes the water and makes it unusable and medically disastrous for those who consume the river water as well as the wildlife. Recent studies have shown that the water in the river of Washington DC has been found to be extremely contaminated. The wildlife is suffering from this polluted water to such an extent that the fish are displaying instability in their traits. Many fish have even been found out to be intersex in nature. By intersex in this case means that many male fish have shown signs of feminine fertility. This is something of a great worry for the authorities as this means that not only the water in these rivers is bad for human health but also these fish are unfit for consumption by the people. Research studies have shown that many of the sample male fish of the rivers of Washington DC have displayed mixed sexual behaviors and patterns such as sign of fertility in the testes of male fish (Goldenberg). Authorities on often occasions have tried to curtail this pollution process of the river water but their efforts have gone in vain so far. Either the authorities do not consider the problems to the right measure or they are short of resources and planning to solve this problem. The sewerage system working right now in Washington DC is extremely outdated and unable to fulfill the demands of the current population. The system that has been running the sewage water to the treatment plant and further was installed in the 1960’s and at that time, the population of the city was very low when it is compared to the current population. The treatment system is simply not good or updated enough to fulfill the demands of the current era. The Washington DC has a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system ins talled which means that when the rainfall is at its peak, this system is up and running and it has a lot of water to carry to the treatment plant and eventually into the river. The system carries water from the rain which then flows into these drains and the sewage water as well. When the water pressure in this drainage system is very high, the water inflow exceeds the capacity of the sewage water treatment plant and thus much of the water overflows and the untreated water flow into the river. It has been estimated that around 52 million gallons of untreated sewage water flows into the river at an annual basis (Rock Creek Conservancy). This is an alarming figure since this much toxic water is capable enough of destroying the purity of the river in the long run. As I have mentioned earlier, the authorities have shown little interest in improving this situation either due to their ignorance or that they are short of resources to be allocated to this sector. However sooner or later, th e related government departments, NGO’s and the general public will have to realize that this ignorance will cost the city and the people themselves very dearly. Therefore, the concerned authorities