Investigating Pollution Impacts on Water Resources: Research Proposal

This document presents a research proposal designed to investigate the impact of pollution on water resources. The proposal outlines the introduction, aims and objectives, materials and equipment needed for the study, including articles, equipment for water quality assessment, and a detailed timeline. It includes a comprehensive risk assessment, detailing potential hazards and mitigation strategies, along with the research methodology, which includes the research philosophy, approach, strategy, and method. Data collection through secondary sources and quantitative methods will be employed. Finally, the proposal details the approach to data analysis, ensuring a structured and thorough investigation into the effects of pollution on water bodies. The study also considers the River Nene and the impacts of pollution on it.

Research Proposal

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.............................................................................................................3
MATERIALS/EQUIPMENTS........................................................................................................4
Equipments.............................................................................................................................5
Timeline..................................................................................................................................5
Timeline..................................................................................................................................6
Risk assessment:.....................................................................................................................6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................8
DATA ANALYSIS..........................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

TITLE
“To investigate the impact of pollution on water resources.”
INTRODUCTION
With the increasing industrialisation and urbanisation the availability of clean water has
reduced which affects the health conditions of humans and animals alike. it is important that the
development takes place in a sustainable manner so that with the growth and development of
cities and industries the water resources can also be protected from pollution which can help in
increasing water availability and reducing various risk and hazards which impure water can
create (Bruce and Holden, 2016). Industries are the major cause of water pollution as they emit a
large amount of waste, toxic chemicals, gases, solid wastes etc. which affects the water bodies
and also cause harm to the flora and fauna who are dependent on that water resource. It is thus
important that these industries keep effective water treatment as their core objective along with
continuous assessment of the water bodies so that corrective measures can be taken and water
pollution can be protected. In this report a research is conducted so that the impact of pollution
on water resources can be understood that can help in reducing the pollution and increasing the
quality of water.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
It is important that before starting a research the aims and objectives of research are
determined so that the investigation can take place in a particular direction so taht these aims can
be achieved and positive results are gained. This also helps the researcher in getting a direction
to start the research so that data available can be analysed in an efficient manner.
Research aim:
The aim of the project is “To investigate the impact of pollution on water resources.”
Research objectives:
 To determine the cause of pollution which affect water resources.
 To investigate the impact of pollution on rivers.
 To determine the ways in which this pollution can be decreased.

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENTS
The materials and the equipments that will be required to collect appropriate data needs
to be determined so that authentic and reliable information can be gathered that can help in
reaching to conclusions that can help in achieving the aims and objectives of research. During
this research various materials will be used so that effective results can be drawn and positive
results can be achieved. The researcher must use articles from various sources, Gantt chart and
risk assessment so that the research can take place in a particular direction and also help in
completion of research on time. Following are the articles which are explored so that the impact
of pollution on rivers can be studied:
With the increase in urbanisation and industrialisation the water pollution has been
increasing which leads to the increase in presence of hazardous pollutants which includes metals,
pesticides, sewerage water from households and industries, oil spills, pesticides and industrial
waste etc. All these factors have severely affected the quality of water bodies which not just
affect the aquatic animals but also can cause various diseases and mutations in humans leading to
serious illness and deaths. Recent studies have shown that London roads make the maximum
contribution to river pollution and poor water quality. The road run-off affect the water quality as
many toxic elements like oil spills, tyre and brake wear from vehicles etc. wash off the road
surface into the river bodies affecting the quality of water. The River Brent and River Lea are the
worst affected rivers due to pollution (Zhang and DeLaune, 2016).
Water is the most essential part of our life which must be protected both in qualitative
and quantitative terms so that it can be made available to the future generation in good quality
which can help in their existence and their development. Various reports say that sustainable
drainage systems and Wetlands can be used so as to treat the quality of water. Sustainable
drainage system can help in capturing the pollutants before they can enter into the water bodies
so that pollution can be prevented and rivers can be protected at initial stages. Wetlands on the
other hand can be created so that the polluted water can be treated and also new habitats can be
created for wildlife. These can also be used to store flood water so that the water availability can
be increased and the shortage of water can be maintained (Hossain, 2018).
There are various causes of water pollution which must be identified so that effective
steps can be taken that can help in reducing the water pollution. Sewerage and wastewater, soaps
and washing detergents, oil spills in water bodies, highway and street run-offs, agricultural run-

off, atmospheric deposition, industrial waste, untreated water discharge etc. are some of the
causes of water pollution which affect the water bodies in a negative manner. These pollution
causes must be taken seriously by the country government so that strict actions can be taken that
can help in reducing water pollution which affects the water bodies and also the health of
humans. It is also important that all the humans become responsible for their actions so that they
can help in reducing the causes of pollution so that it can be prevented to a great extent.
Equipments
There are various equipments that can be used to check the quality of water so that the amount of
pollution in river can be measured:
 Potential of hydrogen: Measuring the pH level of water can also help in determining the
quality of water and the acidity of water son that the amount of pollution can be
determined.
 Voltammetry water quality: These are the instruments that can help in determining the
electric potential of water and the resultant current which it is able to generate that can
help in determining the amount of pollution and the quality of water (Ostroumov, 2017).
 Conductivity or dissolved solids: it is the ability of water to conduct electricity which is
less if more pollution is present and vice versa. Conductivity meters can be used so that
the amount of pollution in water body can be determined.
 Dissolved oxygen: It is the amount of oxygen which is dissolved in the water which is
more at low temperature and less at high temperature. Winkler Titration method can be
used so that the amount of DO can be determined so that the pollution in water can be
determined.
 Biological oxygen demand: I is the amount of oxygen which is required by the aquatic
organisms in biological processes. The more the BOD of water, less is the oxygen
available in the water body (Biggs and Kelly-Quinn, 2017)(del Río, 2017)(Saha and Guo,
2017).
Timeline
It is important that a timeline is decide while conducting the research so that the research can be
completed with the timeline and also help in increasing the value of research results.

Timeline
Expected time to complete the research: 60 Days
Project
Component
Time
(e.g.
days)
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week 4 Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Equipments/
Matetrials
Data collection
Data analysis / Model
development
Write up
Risk assessment:
Activity:
 The quality assessment of rivers of UK so that their quality and amount of pollution can
be determined.
 Collecting samples of water so that their quality can be analysed by using various
equipments.
 To determine the ways through which impact of pollution on rivers can be minimised.
Location: Rivers like River Thames, River Severn, River Trent etc.
Hazard Who might
be harmed
and how?
Li
kel
iho
od
Existing control Additional
control
Person
in action
Action
due
by
Com
pleti
on
Be
infected
by the
polluted
water
Me and my
team
members by
slipping in
water.
6 Wearing shoes
that are water
resistant, using
gloves and
complete
Cover all the
body parts to
prevent
infections.
Myself Before
leavin
g for
filed.
After
retur
ning

protection.
Equipme
nt failure
The results
of research
as pollution
in water
cannot be
determined.
5 Checking the
instruments so
that they can
work properly on
site.
Testing the
equipments
before taking
them to site
Myself Before
leavin
g for
filed.
Befo
re
leavi
ng
for
filed.
Pathogen
s
Me and my
team
members as
these can
cause
various
diseases and
can climb on
us while
investigation
6 Wearing safety
clothes and
protecting
ourselves while
testing the water
bodies.
By maintaining
distance from
the river so
that any
pathogen can
be avoided in
making contact
with skin.
Me and
my team
members
Weather
condition
s
Myself and
the team
members as
we can catch
cold or fever
in
unfavourabl
e weather
conditions.
3 Wearing
waterproof
clothing which is
also warm so
that the chances
of getting sick
can be reduced.
By analysing
the weather
forecast so that
a suitable day
can be
selected.
All the
team
members
Before
leavin
g for
filed.
Uneven
surfaces
near river
bank
The team
members as
they can fall
of these
surfaces and
3 Wearing firm
grip footwear so
that it is easy to
walk on the
uneven surfaces.
Protecting the
uncovered
parts of body
so that bruises
can be
All the
team
members

can cause
bruises.
prevented.
Finding
better
sources
of
informati
on
Myself as
the research
results will
be affected
and can
affect my
overall
score.
5 Exploring the
authentic sources
so that better
results can be
found.
Sticking to the
government
sites so that
authentic data
can be
collected.
Myself Before
startin
g the
researc
h.
The likelihood of occurrence of the hazards are measured on the scale of 10 so that it can
be analysed if they can occur during the project or not. This can help in taking effective measures
and avoiding risks so that better results can be drawn that can help in making the research
proceed in a better direction. It will also help the researcher in being more confident about the
authenticity of result sop that the aims and objectives can be timely achieved. Risk assessment
can also help the researcher in being able to increase the quality of research results so that these
can be used in further studies and also be used as a base.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
It is important that a research methodology is selected so that research can be conducted
in an efficient manner and can be completed on time along with achieving the aims and
objectives of the research. This also help the researcher in getting a direction in which the
research needs to be carried so that effective measures can be taken and appropriate sources can
be used in conducting research and achieving positive results.
 Research philosophy: In this research the research philosophy which is used is
interpretivism so that the data can be collected from various authentic and reliable
sources which can then be interpreted to draw conclusions which can help in achieving
the aims of the research (Montes-Grajales and Miranda-Castro, 2017).
 Research approach: Deductive research approach will be used in this research so that a
hypothesis can be proved based on the data collected from various sources and by
interpreting the data so that the impact of pollution on rivers can be found.

 Research strategy: It is important that an effective strategy is determined which will be
used in conducting the research so that the objectives of research can be achieved. It also
helps in completion of research on time and with the available resources.
 Research method: Quantitative method will be used in this research so that mathematical
and accurate data can be collected from various sources that can help in interpreting the
data efficiently so that better conclusions can be drawn and better understanding can be
created (Zhou and Zhang, 2018).
 Sources of data collection: Secondary sources will be used so that the data can be
collected from reliable sources like magazines, internet, articles etc. which can help in
collection of data that can make the quality of research better.
 Research ethics: During the research ethical actions will be taken so that no harm is
caused during the research to any water body or other members while conducting the
research so that the quality of research can be maximised. This will also help in gaining
the trust of all the stakeholders in the accuracy and authenticity of data so collected.
DATA ANALYSIS
In order to draw conclusions that can help in achieving the aims and objectives of
research it is important that the data is collected from authentic sources so that the quality of
research can be made good and also the research findings can be made useful. Following are the
data which can help in determining the impact of pollution of rivers:
1) The River Thames is facing a growing pressure due to the rapid population growth,
intensive agriculture, and climate changes etc. which affect the water quality and also
affects the nutrient balance of water making it unfit for both aquatic flora and fauna and
the humans. Thames river is the longest river in England having a length of 354Km
(Tullo and Guarino, 2019). The river has been largely affected by the pollution which is
increasing due to rapid industrialisation and growing population which has also increased
pollution of the water.

Source: The River Thames initiative, 2014
This graph shows the concentration of phosphorous concentration in the river at
Wallingford which means that with the number of years passing the phosphorous amount in the
river is increasing which also increase the alkalinity of the river. This affect the pH balance of
the river and also affect the flora and fauna of the river thus disturbing the balance. It is
important that accurate steps are taken that can help in decreasing the phosphorous level in water
so that the balance of nutrients can be managed and the water can be made fit to use.
2) The increasing use of vehicles, plastics, paints, soaps etc. has also increased water
pollution and contaminated the water bodies leading to decreasing quality of water which
also affect the aquatic life. The pollution needs to be taken care of so that water can be
used sustainably which can help in protecting the environment and also in making the
water safe for use. With the increase in population the use of non-biodegradable
resources have increased which has contributed towards the increasing water pollution. It
is thus important that the methods in which water pollution can be decreased are found
out.

Source: Tyres and micro plastics, 2018
From this graph it can be said that vehicle tyres cause water pollution due to the micro
plastics that cause surface water pollution. It is estimated that about half a million tonnes of tyre
wear fragments are released every year across Europe. The share of UK is around 68,000 tonnes
which causes water pollution and affect the rivers in a negative manner. It is important that the
companies which manufacture tyres pay attention on the plastic quality used so that the pollution
caused by tyres can be reduced (Capela and Reis-Henriques, 2016). Also the government of UK
need to take steps so that the use of vehicles can be reduced that can help in decreasing the
pollution so caused. It is essential that the public transport is made better so that the use of
personal vehicles can be reduced which can help in reducing the amount of pollution.
3) There are various other sectors apart from the industries that cause pollution to the water
bodies and affect the quality of water making it unfit for use. These non-industrial sectors
need to be well managed so that their water pollution can be reduced which can help in
making the water bodies safe and also the water can be made fit to e used both by animals
and humans. It will also help in the sustainable development which will help in
preserving water to be used in future while also maintaining its quality. It will also help

in reducing the number of diseases that are caused because of polluted water so that
health and safety can be promoted in the economy.
Source: Water quality, UK, 2018
From this graph it can be said that apart from the industries there are other sectors that
also contribute towards pollution of water bodies and affect the quality of water. These sectors
need to be given clear guidelines on the use of water so that the quality of water can be
maintained high by reducing the amount of pollution. Ways in which water use can be regulated
and the water discharge can be efficiently treated should be found so that the pollution due tho
these sector can be reduced that can help in making the rivers in UK high in it quality and fit for
use.
From the above data analysis it can be said that there are various sectors that are affecting
the water bodies and causing pollution with the increase in businesses and population. The