By Yemi Olakitan
No fewer than 6 billion pounds of trash, primarily plastics, enter the ocean on annual basis.
This was revealed by a chemist and lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Prof. Nasiru Abdus-Salam, at the 226th Inaugural Lecture of the University, titled “Pollution: A Curse or a Necessity, the Choice is Yours.”
Abdus-Salam stated that approximately 2.5% of the total amount of water in the universe is fresh water, which is the volume that is beneficial to humans and that around 70% of the surface of the globe is covered by water.
According to him, almost 70% of industrial trash is discharged into this little body of water, and 80% of water contamination is caused by the careless discharge of domestic and industrial garbage.
He explained that water pollution is the presence of chemicals, physical, biological, or other elements or variables that cause a state that impairs part of a body of water’s positive functions.
The chemist cited a UNICEF research to highlight the fact that 673 million people practise open defecation, 2.2 billion people lack access to proper sanitation, and more than half of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water.
He stated that a wide range of negative effects, including as cancer, cardiovascular illness, neurological problems, and miscarriages, had been linked to chemical contamination in drinking water.
“Leaching, unintentional spills, runoff, and atmospheric disposition are a few of the ways that toxins enter water. Others, including lead and product-based disinfection, are added during treatment or even at the faucet.
“Approximately 15 million young children under the age of five pass away each year from illnesses brought on by consuming tainted water.
“Organic compounds generated by humans have long been discovered in drinking water. As our analytical skills advance, so do their numbers and variety,” he said.
Abdus-Salam added that many organic chemicals were mutagenic or carcinogenic and that chlorine-treated water typically contains more chlorinated compounds than untreated water, with levels reaching up to 21,300 micrograms in untreated well water.
He asserts that one of Nigeria’s only options for achieving the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals for clean, accessible, and potable water is through the Ministry of Water Resources.
“A healthy ecosystem and water usability depend on the availability of fresh water supplies. These resources are currently polluted to varied degrees, and in order to guarantee portable water quality, appropriate water standards and regulations must be implemented,” he said.
The don suggested that the authorities think about treating dumpsites in basements before using them, noting that most metropolitan areas used disposal that was randomly located and unscientifically prepared.
He added that important considerations for dumpsites included the geological soil formation, the placement of water supplies, and the basement’s capacity to selectively hold harmful contaminants from percolating into freshwater.
