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Pollution Prevention
Water pollution is a complex issue - from
the source of poluution to its impacts, both short-term and long-term on human
and other species that depend on water. Point and non-point sources of pollution
have a profound impact on the degree of pollution, and many times the actual
causes are hidden behind more 'visible' causes. Understanding these
causes-behind-causes is critical in developing appropriate responses to reduce
pollution. Broad-based awareness of the sources and impacts of pollution -
involving a number of stakeholders on the water continuum - is also important to
effect lasting solutions.
Resources specific to river pollution are
aslo included - River pollution is a result of a complex combination of
processes that reduce overall river water quality. Acid rain, industrial
pollution, agricultural pollution contribute to river pollution, but so do
everyday activities that drain untreated pollutants and leachate into rivers and
streams. Transportation has a role to play too - where carbon and
one-drop-at-a-time 'oil spills' can also cause pollution through storm run-off.
A holistic and integrative understanding of the cause-effect cycles of river
pollution is an effective starting point to improve river water quality.
UNEP-GPA: ClearingHouse - Pollutant Nodes (Web links)
This page provides an up-to-date list of links to the various nodes
participating in the GPA Clearing-House Mechanism.
http://www.gpa.unep.org/clrhouse/chnodes.htm#1
and
http://www.gpa.unep.org/links/default.htm#Pollutant
UNEP-GPA: Pollution from the land: the threat to our seas
(Brochure)
The major threats to the health, productivity and biodiversity of the world’s
oceans result from human activities on land in coastal areas and further inland.
Some 80 per cent of the pollution in the oceans originates from land-based
activities.
http://www.gpa.unep.org/documents/other/brochure/GPA_english.pdf
UNESCO-WAAP: Glossary on Pollution (Online resource)
This glossary is a contribution to the International Hydrological Programme of
UNESCO by the French National Hydrology Committee. Available in 11 languages.
http://www.cig.ensmp.fr/~hubert/glu/HINDENPL.HTM
UNEP-IETC: Database of Water Pollution Control Technology
in JAPAN (Database)
The source of this database is "Water Pollution Control Technology in JAPAN",
which was published by the Committee for Studying Transter of Environmental
Technology in February 1997. This volume describes the various technological
measures to prevent and control water pollution which are available in Japan.
http://nett21.gec.jp/CTT_DATA/index_water.html
SANICON: An Overview of Land Based Sources of Marine
Pollution (Publication)
The major sources of coastal and marine pollution originating from the land vary
from country to country. The nature and intensity of development activities, the
size of the human population, the state and type of industry and agriculture are
but a few of the factorscontributing to each country's unique pollution
problems. Pollution is discharged either directly into to the sea, or enters the
coastal waters through rivers and by atmospheric deposition.
http://www.sanicon.net/titles/title.php3?titleno=65
UEMRI: Kita-Kyushu - International Cooperation to solve
Environmental Problems (Document)
In the high economic growth period of 1960s, the city of Kita-Kyushu attained
notoriety as a "dead" city due to the very high degree of air and sea pollution
caused by its petrochemical and other heavy industries. Its effect on human and
other natural species was predictable - for example, many fish species that were
found in the adjacent Dokaiwan Bay disappeared.
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/japan/kitakyushu.html
IWA: Diffuse Pollution (Specialist group)
This group covers atmospheric deposition of pollutants including acid rainfall;
qualitative impact of atmospheric deposition on land (soil and groundwater) and
surface water resources; pollutant loads and impact of non-urban land use and
land use conversion activities (deforestation, land drainage, large scale
construction); and related issues and topics.
http://www.iawq.org.uk/template.cfm?name=sg27
UNEP-IETC: Water Quality - The Impact of Eutrophication
(Publication)
The booklet provides an overview of the problem of the enrichment of surface
freshwater bodies due to organic compounds originating from urban and
agricultural activities as well as from industrial effluents. Eutrophication is
a process in water bodies that once started is difficult to control unless
immediate action is taken and it will ultimately reduce oxygen in water killing
fish and other organisms, reduce biodiverstisity and cause enormous economic
losses.
http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/short_series/lakereservoirs-3/index.asp
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