Water pollution quiz

Water pollution occurs when:

• Harmful substances enter a water supply

• we recycle rubbish

• we introduce desalination and water filtration systems

Which of the following is/are a major source of water pollution?

• Oil pollution

• Sewage and wastewater

• Radioactive substances

• All of them

Water pollution caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Water pollution caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015, according to a study published in The Lancet.

What is marine debris?

• The process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water.

• Litter that ends up in oceans, seas, or other large bodies of water.

• The world clean-up programme

True or False: Water pollution can have negative impacts on human health.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Typical waterborne diseases:

Typhoid Fever

Cholera

Giardia

Dysentery

Escherichia Coli (E. coli)

Hepatitis A

Salmonella

Which of the following activities can help prevent water pollution?

(Mark all the correct answers)

• Proper disposal of unsafe waste

• Conserving water at home

• Reducing your plastics consumption

• Throwing litter into the river

How does industrial waste contribute to water pollution?

• By increasing water salinity levels

• By releasing toxic chemicals and heavy metals into water bodies

• By reducing the oxygen content in water

How many tonnes of plastic per year pollute the water?

• Around 11 million

• Around 5 million

• Around 20 million

Answer explanation

Annually, numerous species of marine life die after consuming plastic or becoming entangled in it. Annually around 11 million tons of plastic amasses in the oceans, rivers, and seas across the planet and it could take up to 200 years for this plastic to degrade.

How many seabirds and marine life are killed annually by ocean waste?

• Almost 2 million

• Almost 1 million

• 5 million

What percentage of water is potable?

• 2,5%

• 70%

• 0,5%

Answer explanation

Water occupies more than 70% of the Earth's surface. Only 2.5 per cent of it is freshwater and only 0.5% is freshwater as a source of potable water.