contamination

As I mentioned, this can be not only frustrating, but also lead to contamination of the system.

The final nail in the coffin was the contamination.

The water is exposed to pollution and contamination, channels bisect the land, making it difficult to get across, and the water can only flow to areas of lower elevation than where it started.

Help from surrounding cities will have a hard time entering the disaster zone and even if they can, the radioactive contamination will make it risky to get too close.