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A River Runs Through It

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A River Runs Through It

Water Comprises almost 75% of earth's surface and is undoubtedly our most precious natural resource. No living organism could exist on our planet without water. In direct contrast to water that promotes life is pollution which endangers it. Pollution is defined by the Environment Protection Act of 2001 (Chap 435 of the Laws of Malta) as "the direct or indirect introduction by man into the environment of substances, organisms, genetic material or energy that cause or are likely to cause hazard to human health, harm to living resources or to ecosystems, or damage to amenities, or interfere with other legitimate uses of the environment".

Pollutants such as sewage and fertilizers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates. At high levels, nutrients can over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of these types of organisms consequently impairs the flow of the waterways, deters the amount of oxygen in the water since the pollutants use up oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters. This impairs the growth of necessary aquatic organisms as it affects the respiration ability of fish and other creatures of the sea. Pollution is also caused when silt and other suspended solids, such as soil, wash off plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, and eroded river banks directly into streams and rivers when it rains. The pollution can enter the waterway in the form of organic material such as sewage, leaves, grass clippings, or as runoff from livestock feedlots and pastures. When natural bacteria and protozoan in the water break down this organic material, they begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in the water. Many types of fish and bottom-dwelling animals cannot survive when levels of dissolved oxygen drop below two to five parts

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