Introduction
Water is an amenity and indeed a necessity of the human being. Different epidemic waterborne diseases are due to scarcity of safe drinking water in the world. Water being essentially associated with the earth’s ecosystems can be studied in the context of its relative terms. The human rights emphasis on implementation of global environmental justice and force to adopt such approach that make sure the universal access of people to safe and potable water. That means water should free from contaminations including chemicals and hydrocarbon as detergents, oil and so forth. Ground water contamination is usually found in arid and semi arid zones around the world where water resources are recharged slowly and irrigation is extensive.
Contaminated ground water is a global problem and a significant part of world's population is consuming drinking water having different chemical levels exceeding WHO guidelines (Khan et al., 2012). Ammonia, nitrate and other nitrogenous compounds are essential for the life process; however, elevated the concentration in groundwater and surface water may pose a serious threat to living organisms. Iron, chlorides, phosphorus, hardness, Ph and so forth have their own effects when their level increased from a particular level. Oil spills and kitchen wastes containing fats hinder the soil by infiltration as well as reduce soil fertility (Bashir et al., 2013). All activities of human being whether it is domestic, industrial or agriculture have dependency on quality water. Contamination of water bodies like rivers, aquifers, lakes, and groundwater should be prevented.Unregulated sewage and industrial discharge without adequate treatment affecting the whole world and needs consistent monitoring policies to protect the water resources (Water pollution, 2014; Water quality, 2014).
I hypothesized in the experiment-1 that a layer of oil will be left on the water surface and hence the water will be contaminated by the oil. In the case of vinegar, the water will be contaminated as the underground water will retain the smell of vinegar. The same applies to the laundry detergent as it leaves chemical contaminants and soapy residues on the water. I assumed in the second experiment that the contaminated water can be filtered with sand, rocks and charcoal. The hypothesis in the third experiment was that the most contaminated water would be the tap water, and the least contaminated is the Fiji.
2. Materials and Methods
The various types of groundwater contaminants were examined in experiment-1. The major apparatus required in this experiment are 8 beakers, 100 ml graduated cylinder, wooden stick, cheesecloth, funnel and so forth. These beakers were numbered from 1 to 8 using a marker. The graduated cylinder is used to fill the first four beakers with 100ml of water while the remaining beakers were separated. Observations were made on the first beaker throughout the course of the experiment, and the result obtained was recorded. The second beaker was added 10ml of vegetable oil and stirred. The same applies to beaker 3 and 4, but this time vinegar and laundry detergents were added respectively. Four pieces of cheesecloth were folded appropriately in four layers to fit four different funnels and consequently, 10ml of soil was added to them. The contents of beakers 1-4 was poured into the beakers in the order 1-5, 2-6, 3-7 and 4-8 respectively. The result and observations made was recorded in a table.
The objective of the experiment 2 was to investigate the effectiveness of water treatment methods. The apparatus involved here include 250ml beaker, 100ml beaker, wooden stick, cheesecloth and so forth. Soil of 100ml was poured into a 250ml beaker. Consequently, 200ml of water was added to the beaker. A second beaker was provided, and the solution was poured hither and thither between the two beakers for 15 times. A measured 10ml of the impure solution was added to the provided 100ml beaker. This is kept separate for comparison with the purified water at the end of the experiment. The first solution was added 10ml of alum and continually stirred for about 2 minutes and then allowed to rest for ¼ hours. Gravel, sand and activated charcoal were placed on the cheesecloth and clean water was poured through it to solidify them, and the impure water was poured through it. Consequently, bleach was added to the filtrate and the observations made as well as the smell was recorded against standard colour chart and compared with the impure solution.
The third experiment takes a careful look at the quality of bottled water. In the experiment, tap water was compared with two types of bottled water, Danasi and Fiji. Three 250ml beakers were provided, and the three samples of water were poured into each beaker and appropriately labelled with respect to the contents. Various tests were conducted including ammonia test strip, chloride test strip, iron test strip, 4-in-1 test strip and phosphate test strip. Accuracy was insured by allowing the strip for up to the minute in the water samples, and the obtained results were recorded in a table and matched with the standard colour charts.
3. Results
The results obtained for experiment 1 are presented in the Table 1that showed vegetable settled at the top, and there was no smell. The vinegar added to the beaker 3 dissolved in the water and the smell as well as acidity was observed. The ammonia and chloride test results for experiment 3 were tabulated in the Table 2 and 3 respectively that presented zero value for observed results for the three water samples. However, different results were observed in the 4-in-1 test results. For tap water, the pH of 2, total alkalinity of 0 mg/L, total chlorine of 40 mg/L and total hardness of 0 mg/L were obtained. For the Danasi bottled water sample, results obtained were as; pH of 8, total alkalinity 4 mg/L, total chlorine 80 mg/L and total hardness 120 mg/L. The observations for the Fiji water are as follows: pH 3, total alkalinity 0.2 mg/L, total chloride 80 mg/L and total hardness 50 mg/L. The results obtained for the three water samples in the phosphate and iron tests were zero.
Discussion
The oil was filtered by the soil, and the oil was not left on the water. Thus, the oil hypothesis was rejected. The vinegar hypothesis was accepted since even though the soil filtered the vinegar, it still smells. The soapy residue was not filtered, and the detergent smell was retained and hence I accept the detergent hypothesis. I also accepted the assumption for the second experiment as the impure water was filtered by the three part sediment. Since the values obtained in the third experiment were mostly the same except for the 4-in-1 test, I rejected the hypothesis for this experiment.
The results obtained in the experiment 1 implying the absence of visible contaminants. The vegetable settled, and vinegar particles were observed at the top of the water. The detergent dissolved in the water and changed the colour of the water to light green. In addition, bubbles were formed at the top, and the sample smells like laundry detergent. Observation of fine sediments floating in the water was made for experiment-2. Most of the results observed for all samples were adequate as well as in accordance with the initial hypotheses. But as a matter of fact, infiltration of oil remained slow due to high viscosity, and it may develop many harmful effects (Wang, Hu & Hu,2014). Vinegar has tendency to pass through the soil that contaminate ground water at the point of consumption. The characteristics of laundry detergent also associated with the viscosity of the water samples.
The temperature as well as contaminants might affect the results particularly for pH, Ammonia and alkalinity. The temperature is directly proportional to pressure that exert on water samples. The dissolving process of contaminants may be expedited by virtue of high temperature at the time of sampling. In addition, some pollutants hold high volatility characteristics that enhance tendency of molecules to escape from the water samples. Time of the day can also affect the test results as activity of different microorganism is associated with sunlight. Samples should be kept in an airtight and protective box to avoid the interference of outdoor pollutants (APHA, 2005 ). In addition, test should be conducted/ performed at stable temperature).
Conclusion
The drinking water is the most precious and all living beings need water to survive and sustain life. It should be protected, and hence the authorities should do their best to ensure the protection of this important resource. The observations made from the three experiments show that human activities contaminate the groundwater. Water treatment is, therefore, very important as untreated water causes more health effects.The protective measure both for today and the future generations, as well as regulations ought to be set by the authorities.
References
APHA.(2005). Standard methods for the examinations of water and wastewater, 21st Ed., Washington, USA.
Bashir M.T., Salmiaton, A., Adris, A., Razif, H.&Moinuddin, G (2013). Impact of excessive nitrogen fertilizers on the environment and associated – mitigation strategies, Asian Jr. of Microbiol. Biotecg. Env. Sc., 15(2), 213-221.
Khan, S., Shahnaz,M., Jehan,N.,Rehman,S.,Din, I.& Tahir S.M (2012). Drinking quality – water and associated human risks in Charsadda – District, Pakistan. Jr.Cleaner Prod., 1-9
Wang, H., Hu, C., & Hu, X. (2014). Effects of combined UV and Chlorine disinfection on corrosion and water quality within reclaimed water distribution systems. Engineering Failure Analysis, 39, 12-20.
“Water pollution” (2014).FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [Online] Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution
"Water quality" (n.d). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [Online] Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_quality
