The table compares the average annual proportions of water pollution in four different cities in 2003.
Overall, domestic Sewage was regarded as a dominant pollutant since it showed the highest percentages in all cities. In addition, phosphates in detergents were the category that polluted water the least in almost all regions, except for New York.
Focusing on the pollutant which represented the highest figures, domestic Sewage stood out. It formed 65% of water pollution in Sao Paulo, compared to 50% in Taipei. Additionally, the statistics in New York accounted for 41%, while that of Tokyo was only 23%.
Regarding the remaining categories, they demonstrated relatively lower proportions. 31% of water pollution in Tokyo stem from pesticides, followed by 28% in Taipei. By contrast, their effects in New York and Sao Paulo were negligible, making up 13% and 9%, respectively. 12% of the damage in both Taipei and New York was caused by erosion, whereas the remaining cities recorded similar figures, ranging from 20% to 23%. As for phosphates in detergents, their impact in New York was significant at 34%, in comparison with that of Tokyo (23%). However, it insignificantly affected the other two cities, as they recorded lower ratios.
