River pollution; which are the most polluted?
Each year, river pollution leads to a quantity of waste which varies from 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes flowing into the seas: these are the findings of research conducted in October 2016 and published in the journal Nature in June 2017.
According to that study, in 74% of cases the pollution peak occurs in the period between May and October, while another study published in Environmental Science & Technology indicates that 90% of total plastic waste is transported by just ten rivers.
Although the estimated quantities of waste dispersed in the seas and oceans vary between the two studies (the second gives an estimate of around 4 million tonnes), the many similarities in the results obtained by the two studies are striking.
The water channels which transport the most waste are those in China (Yangtze, Xi and Huanpu), India (Ganges), Nigeria e Cameroon (Cross), Indonesia (Brantas and Solo), Brazil (Amazon), Philippines (Pasig) and Myanmar (Irrawaddy).
In brief, these rivers are not only relevant in helping us to comprehend the amount of waste dispersed or the names of the water channels which effectively add to that process, but they also serve to identify strategies which may be implemented in order to limit the damage.
By taking some precautions and adopting behaviours to bring about a reduction in river pollution, we will avoid having to tackle the much more challenging problem of plastic in the sea.
Such situations already exist and are causing the formation of mini islands of rubbish in the middle of the oceans, as well as the presence on shore of hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic per square metre of beach.
From this, it is apparent that waste matter in the seas is one of the greatest risks facing planet Earth; a problem which will soon force fish and marine birds to eat plastic, which will have an irreversible impact on both the ecosystem and the food chain.
Of course, governments all over the world are considering the drastic consequences of this issue which mankind might have to face, but danger limitation is still possible if every nation (and every individual person) makes a minimal effort.
What must change, above all, is each individual’s approach, because if each person takes more care over their actions, the entity of this problem will decrease dramatically.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
