Water pollution refers to the accumulation of non-naturally occurring substances in water to such an extent that they cause problems for organisms that use the water . Large bodies of water have the ability to naturally clean a certain amount of pollution by dispersing it harmlessly and thus reducing its concentration. There are two main ways to determine water pollution levels; chemical and biological indicators. Chemical indicators occur when water samples are taken and the concentration of different chemicals within the sample is measured. If dangerous chemicals or high concentrations are measured, the water is polluted. Biological indicators indicate that when examining aquatic life, the greater the variety of life supported, the less polluted the water. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are several causes of water pollution, although Chris Woodford's post on water pollution states that the most important are sewage, nutrients, waste water, oil spills, plastic, and exotic species (Woodford, 2017). In some cases, two of these causes can join forces and create an upheaval, as demonstrated when the KZN River was polluted by wastewater three years ago (Ndaliso, 2015). Due to an oil spill near a wastewater plant, a sewage spill occurred into the river. Food technologist Dawn Bester had the water tested and found the contamination levels to be eighty times higher than acceptable levels; he then declared that the river was "a dead river that exposes people to disease." Due to its status as a coastal province, KwaZulu Natal is known for its water-based food source. However, due to water pollution, there is an increase in the death of aquatic animals. As a result, a disturbance occurs in the food chain. The pollutants are consumed by fish which are then eaten by humans. If the original pollutant is lead-related, it is possible for people to contract lead poisoning from the (seafood) food they eat. There have been many cases, especially in rural areas, where people have contracted cholera and other various diseases due to contamination of the waters in which they bathe, drink or fish. For this reason, KwaZulu Natal is very likely to see a decline in living conditions rankings. Citizens are more likely to move to a province with less exposure to water pollution, while residents in rural areas will see an increase in health problems as they would be constantly exposed to contaminated water and food. Fortunately, there are several methods to control and/or minimize water pollution such as education, laws and economics. In terms of economics and law; there are several measures put in place thanks to Part 4 of the National Water Act. As stated in the News24 article, “Industrial water polluters will be fined up to R1 million and R5 000 per day for ongoing offences, as Msunduzi Municipality cracks down on offenders.” (Ntuli, 2018) In addition to this, small changes have also been made to discourage water pollution, such as the increasing costs of plastic bags and any other non-recyclable materials – minimizing the chances of them ending up in the sea – and the installation of loop piping systems in factories – so that they become the first victims of the pollution caused by their factory – . Furthermore, educating citizens on the topic proves beneficial, for example.