Currently, humanity cannot imagine life without industry. In every state that is located on planet Earth, there are many factories, factories and other enterprises. Of course, they bring huge incomes, but, unfortunately, they also cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Technological sphere every day more and more influences the life of the planet, especially its water resources. We are used to the fact that water flows continuously from the tap, we do not know at all how it is to lack it. And once, in ancient times, such rivers as the Ganges, Nile, Volga, Dnieper were considered sacred. Many believed in the healing powers of water. People were sure that it was enough to drink only a sip - and all diseases would recede. After all, it is not for nothing that such an important rite in a person's life as baptism also takes place in water.
All settlements have a central water supply, which is carried out thanks to rivers. Their importance should not be underestimated. After all, water is the most important element for all life on the planet. Do many askthe question is, how do people influence the river, whose resources are fully used? Let's try to answer it.
Human intervention in nature
Since ancient times, scientists around the world have been studying the water system of our planet, trying to make the most of its resources for the development of civilizations. Please note that almost all cities are built near natural reservoirs. And this can be called a kind of intervention. People treat water as an inexhaustible resource, but it is not. The consequences of irresponsible actions can be catastrophic. The channels that once allowed ancient civilizations to flourish eventually led to their demise. The soils became infertile because of the s alts, which could not drain into the sea with the streams of river water. The lands turned into deserts or swamps. That is why the fate of not only a certain piece of land, but the entire planet will depend on how people influence the river.
Problems
Today, the impact of human economic activity is felt to a greater extent. Chemical fertilizers are washed off agricultural land, and sewage is not sufficiently treated. Thermal power plants also cause great harm. They heat the water, which leads to the intensive development of plankton and an increase in the color of the water. It has a smell and taste, the microflora changes, which leads to a gradual overgrowth of the channel. Observing the deterioration of the sanitary condition of the water and how people affect the river, scientists are developing special projects in order to restoreecosystem.
How does the hydropower plant affect the river?
Hydroelectric power plants bring great benefits to mankind, but their construction has a catastrophic effect on the general condition of rivers. The consequences of the construction of hydroelectric power stations are the flooding of territories, the construction of dams, and damage to fisheries. For example, during the construction of a similar station in the USSR, more than 2 million hectares of fertile land were flooded, and this amounted to about 6% of the total area of land suitable for agriculture. All HPPs have a detrimental effect on the fauna of water bodies. The high water, which should come in the spring, comes already at the end of winter. Fish are washed out of their holes, the timing of caviar maturation is disrupted, which significantly reduces the population of certain species. After that, the question arises: "How long will this influence of people on the river last?". Is it really not noticeable that dams create insurmountable obstacles for the migration of fish that goes to spawn? Water stagnates in reservoirs because its flow slows down. Rising temperatures cause flooding and landslides. Also, changing natural conditions have a great impact on groundwater.
Danger from enterprises
Rivers are especially harmed by large enterprises. They dump dangerous substances into them that poison all living things. This problem has been raised by many scientists around the world for quite a long time, but it is not yet possible to transfer production completely to environmentally friendly. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that during the operation of the enterprise in largequantities of fuel burned. For example, the use of coal leads to the formation of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which, together with rains, enter the water.
The responsibility of each of us
How do people affect the river? This question should be asked by each of us. Many will be surprised and ask why. But this is easy to explain. Ordinary people often cause irreparable harm to the river, in principle, the same as enterprises. During their rest, they dump garbage, which then pollutes the reservoir and kills its inhabitants. The river is also polluted with phosphates, which are used in detergents. They get into it with sewage. Algae under their influence begin to grow much faster. When they die, they decompose in water and absorb oxygen. Its lack leads to the death of river inhabitants. As you can see from this information, the condition of the rivers depends on each of us.
Summarize
River pollution has reached truly enormous proportions. Their ecosystem is a fragile mechanism, and interference in its work leads to sad consequences. So let's take care of the purity of water, because without it not a single living organism can exist on the planet.
