POLLUTION
Pollution is the introduction of substances or energy into the
environment at a rate that is faster than the environment can
disperse, dilute, decompose, recycle.
Pollution can be caused by natural or artificial inputs and can
take the form of substances (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such
as heat, sound, or radioactivity).
Pollution can cause adverse changes to the
environment, such as instability, disruption, or
harmful effects to the ecosystem.
For example, acid rain can destroy plants, which
History of pollution
The major kinds of pollution, usually classified by environment,
are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution.
Modern society is also concerned about specific types of
pollutants, such as noise pollution, thermal pollution, light
pollution, and plastic pollution.(more)
Although environmental pollution can be caused by natural
events such as forest fires and active volcanoes, use of the
word pollution generally implies that the contaminants have
an anthropogenic source—that is, a source created by human
activities.
Pollution has accompanied humankind ever
since groups of people first congregated and
remained for a long time in any one place.
Indeed, ancient human settlements are
frequently recognized by their wastes—
shell mounds and rubble heaps, for instance.
Pollution was not a serious problem as long
as there was enough space available for each
individual or group. However, with the
establishment of permanent settlements by
great numbers of people, pollution became a
problem, and it has remained one ever since.
Cities of ancient times were often noxious places,
fouled by human wastes and debris. Beginning about
1000 CE, the use of coal for fuel caused considerable
air pollution, and the conversion of coal to coke for iron
smelting beginning in the 17th century exacerbated the
problem.
In Europe, from the Middle Ages well into the early
modern era, unsanitary urban conditions favoured the
outbreak of population-decimating epidemics of
disease, from plague to cholera and typhoid fever.
Through the 19th century, water and air pollution
and the accumulation of solid wastes were largely
problems of congested urban areas. But, with the
rapid spread of industrialization and the growth
of the human population to unprecedented levels,
pollution became a universal problem.
Pollution of all kinds can have negative effects on the
environment and wildlife and often impacts human
health and well-being.
Air Pollution Definition
“Air Pollution is the release of pollutants
such as gases, particles, biological
molecules, etc. into the air that is
harmful to human health and the
environment.”
What is Air Pollution?
Air pollution refers to any physical, chemical or biological
change in the air. It is the contamination of air by harmful
gases, dust and smoke which affects plants, animals and
humans drastically.
There is a certain percentage of gases present in the
atmosphere. An increase or decrease in the composition of
these gases is harmful to survival.
This imbalance in the gaseous composition has resulted in
an increase in earth’s temperature, which is known as
global warming.
Types of Air Pollutants
There are two types of air pollutants:
Primary Pollutants
The pollutants that directly cause air pollution are known
as primary pollutants. Sulphur-dioxide emitted from
factories is a primary pollutant.
Secondary Pollutants
The pollutants formed by the intermingling and reaction of
primary pollutants are known as secondary pollutants.
Smog, formed by the intermingling of smoke and fog, is a
secondary pollutant.
Causes of Air Pollution
Following are the important causes of air pollution:
Burning of Fossil Fuels
The combustion of fossil fuels emits a large amount of sulphur
dioxide. Carbon monoxide released by incomplete combustion
of fossil fuels also results in air pollution.
Automobiles
The gases emitted from vehicles such as jeeps, trucks, cars,
buses, etc. pollute the environment. These are the major sources
of greenhouse gases and also result in diseases among
individuals.
Agricultural Activities
Ammonia is one of the most hazardous gases
emitted during agricultural activities. The
insecticides, pesticides and fertilisers emit harmful
chemicals in the atmosphere and contaminate it.
Factories and Industries
Factories and industries are the main source of
carbon monoxide, organic compounds,
hydrocarbons and chemicals. These are released
into the air, degrading its quality.
Mining Activities
In the mining process, the minerals below the earth are
extracted using large pieces of equipment.
The dust and chemicals released during the process not only
pollute the air, but also deteriorate the health of the workers
and people living in the nearby areas.
Domestic Sources
The household cleaning products and paints contain toxic
chemicals that are released in the air.
The smell from the newly painted walls is the smell of the
chemicals present in the paints. It not only pollutes the air
but also affects breathing.
Effects of Air Pollution
The hazardous effects of air pollution on the
environment include:
Diseases
Air pollution has resulted in several respiratory
disorders and heart diseases among humans. The
cases of lung cancer have increased in the last few
decades. Children living near polluted areas are more
prone to pneumonia and asthma. Many people die
every year due to the direct or indirect effects of air
pollution.
Global Warming
Due to the emission of greenhouse gases, there is an imbalance in the
gaseous composition of the air. This has led to an increase in the
temperature of the earth.
This increase in earth’s temperature is known as global warming.
This has resulted in the melting of glaciers and an increase in sea levels.
Many areas are submerged underwater.
Acid Rain
The burning of fossil fuels releases harmful gases such as nitrogen oxides
and sulphur oxides in the air.
The water droplets combine with these pollutants, become acidic and fall as
Ozone Layer Depletion
The release of chlorofluorocarbons, halons, and
hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere is
the major cause of depletion of the ozone layer.
The depleting ozone layer does not prevent the
harmful ultraviolet rays coming from the sun and
causes skin diseases and eye problems among
individuals.
Effect on Animals
The air pollutants suspend in the water bodies and affect aquatic life.
Pollution also compels the animals to leave their habitat and shift to a
new place. This renders them stray and has also led to the extinction of
a large number of animal species.
Air Pollution Control
Following are the measures one should adopt, to control air pollution:
Avoid Using Vehicles
People should avoid using vehicles for shorter distances. Rather, they
should prefer public modes of transport to travel from one place to
another. This not only prevents pollution, but also conserves energy.
Energy Conservation
A large number of fossil fuels are burnt to generate
electricity. Therefore, do not forget to switch off the
electrical appliances when not in use. Thus, you can save
the environment at the individual level.
Use of energy-efficient devices such as CFLs also
controls pollution to a greater level.
Use of Clean Energy Resources
The use of solar, wind and geothermal energies reduce air pollution at a
larger level.
Various countries, including India, have implemented the use of these
resources as a step towards a cleaner environment.
Other air pollution control measures include:
By minimising and reducing the use of fire and fire products.
Since industrial emissions are one of the major causes of air pollution, the
pollutants can be controlled or treated at the source itself to reduce its effects.
For example, if the reactions of a certain raw material yield a pollutant, then
the raw materials can be substituted with other less polluting materials.
Fuel substitution is another way of controlling air pollution. In
many parts of India, petrol and diesel are being replaced by CNG
– Compressed Natural Gas fueled vehicles.
These are mostly adopted by vehicles that aren’t fully operating
with ideal emission engines.
Although there are many practices in India, which focus on
repairing the quality of air, most of them are either forgotten or
not being enforced properly. There are still a lot of vehicles on
roads which haven’t been tested for vehicle emissions.
Another way of controlling air pollution
caused by industries is to modify and
maintain existing pieces of equipment so that
the emission of pollutants is minimised.
Sometimes controlling pollutants at the source is not possible. In
that case, we can have process control equipment to control the
pollution.
A very effective way of controlling air pollution is by diluting the
air pollutants.
The last and the best way of reducing the ill effects of air
pollution is tree plantation.
Plants and trees reduce a large number of pollutants in the air.
Ideally planting trees in areas of high pollution levels will be
WATER POLLUTION
Water is one of the most vital natural resources on
earth and has been around for a long time. In fact,
the same water which we drink has been around in
one form or the other since the time of the
dinosaurs.
The earth has more than two-thirds of its surface
covered with water. This translates to just over 1
octillion litres (1,260,000,000,000,000,000,000
litres) of water distributed in the oceans, rivers,
lakes and streams.
that is a lot of water, however, less than 0.3% is accessible
for human consumption.
As commercialization and industrialization have
progressed, that number continues to dwindle down.
Furthermore, inefficient and outdated practices, lack of
awareness and a plethora of other circumstances have led
to water pollution.
What is Water Pollution?
Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of
water bodies.
Water pollution is caused when water bodies such as
rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater and aquifers get
contaminated with industrial and agricultural effluents.
When water gets polluted, it adversely affects all
lifeforms that directly or indirectly depend on this
source.
The effects of water contamination can be felt for years
to come.
Sources Of Water Pollution
The key causative of water pollution in India
are:
Urbanization.
Deforestation.
Industrial effluents.
Social and Religious Practices.
Use of Detergents and Fertilizers.
Agricultural run-offs- Use of insecticides and
pesticides.
Water Pollution – A Modern Epidemic
One of the primary causes of water pollution
is the contamination of water bodies by toxic
chemicals.
As seen in the example mentioned above, the
dumped plastic bottles, tins, water cans and
other wastes pollute the water bodies.
These result in water pollution, which harms not
just humans, but the whole ecosystem.
Toxins drained from these pollutants, travel
up to the food chain and eventually affect
humans.
In most cases, the outcome is destructive to
only the local population and species, but it
can have an impact on a global scale too.
Nearly 6 billion kilograms of garbage is
dumped every year in the oceans.
Apart from industrial effluents and untreated
sewage, other forms of unwanted materials
are dumped into various water bodies.
These can range from nuclear waste to oil
spills – the latter of which can render vast
areas uninhabitable.
Effects Of Water Pollution
The effect of water pollution depends upon the
type of pollutants and their concentration. Also,
the location of water bodies is an important
factor to determine the levels of pollution.
Water bodies in the vicinity of urban areas are
extremely polluted. This is the result of dumping
garbage and toxic chemicals by industrial and
commercial establishments.
Water pollution drastically affects aquatic life.
It affects their metabolism, and behaviour, and
causes illness and eventual death.
Dioxin is a chemical that causes a lot of
problems from reproduction to uncontrolled cell
growth or cancer. This chemical is
bioaccumulated in fish, chicken and meat.
Chemicals such as this travel up the food chain
before entering the human body.
The effect of water pollution can have a huge impact on the food
chain. It disrupts the food chain.
Cadmium and lead are some toxic substances, these pollutants
upon entering the food chain through animals (fish when consumed
by animals, humans) can continue to disrupt at higher levels.
Humans are affected by pollution and can contract diseases such as
hepatitis through faecal matter in water sources.
Poor drinking water treatment and unfit water can always cause an
outbreak of infectious diseases such as cholera, etc.
The ecosystem can be critically affected, modified and destructured
because of water pollution.
Minamata Incident
In 1932, a factory in Minamata City, Japan began dumping its
industrial effluent – Methylmercury, into the surrounding bay
and the sea. Methylmercury is incredibly toxic to humans and
animals alike, causing a wide range of neurological disorders.
Its ill effects were not immediately noticeable. However, this
all changed as methylmercury started to bioaccumulate
inside shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay.
These affected organisms were then caught and consumed by
the local population. Soon, the ill effects of methylmercury
were becoming apparent.
Initially, animals such as cats and dogs were
affected by this.
The city’s cats would often convulse and
make strange noises before dying – hence,
the term “dancing cat disease” was
coined. Soon, the same symptoms were
observed in people, though the cause was not
apparent at the time.
Other affected people showed symptoms of acute mercury
poisoning such as ataxia, muscle weakness, loss of motor
coordination, damage to speech and hearing etc.
In severe cases, paralysis occurred, which was followed by
coma and death.
These diseases and deaths continued for almost 36 years
before they could be officially acknowledged by the
government and the organisation.
Since then, various control measures for water pollution
have been adopted by the government of Japan to curb such
environmental disasters in the future.
Pollution of the Ganges
Some rivers, lakes, and groundwater are rendered unfit for
usage. In India, the River Ganges is the sixth most polluted
river in the world.
This is unsurprising as hundreds of industries nearby
release their effluents into the river. Furthermore, religious
activities such as burials and cremations near the shore
contribute to pollution.
Apart from the ecological implications, this river poses a
serious health risks as it can cause diseases like typhoid
Pollution of the Ganges is also driving some of
the distinct fauna to extinction. The Ganges
River shark is a critically
endangered species that belong to the
order Carcharhiniformes.
The Ganges River dolphin is another
endangered species of dolphin that is found
in the tributaries of the Ganges and
Brahmaputra rivers.
As per a survey, by the end of 2026, around 4 billion people will
face a shortage of water. Presently, around 1.2 billion people
worldwide do not have access to clean, potable water and proper
sanitation.
It is also projected that nearly 1000 children die every year in
India due to water-related issues. Groundwater is an important
source of water, but unfortunately, even that is susceptible to
pollution.
Hence, water pollution is quite an important social issue that
needs to be addressed promptly.
Control Measures of Water Pollution
Water pollution, to a larger extent, can be controlled by a
variety of methods. Rather than releasing sewage waste into
water bodies, it is better to treat them before discharge.
Practising this can reduce the initial toxicity and the remaining
substances can be degraded and rendered harmless by the water
body itself.
If the secondary treatment of water has been carried out, then
this can be reused in sanitary systems and agricultural fields.
A very special plant, the Water Hyacinth can absorb
dissolved toxic chemicals such as cadmium and other such
elements.
Establishing these in regions prone to such kinds of
pollutants will reduce the adverse effects to a large extent.
Some chemical methods that help in the control of water
pollution are precipitation, the ion exchange process,
reverse osmosis, and coagulation.
As an individual, reusing, reducing, and recycling
wherever possible will advance a long way in overcoming
the effects of water pollution.
What is sewage treatment?
Wastewater treatment or sewage treatment generally
refers to the process of cleaning or removing all
pollutants, treating wastewater and making it safe and
suitable for drinking before releasing it into the
environment.
Soil Pollution or Land Pollution
Soil Pollution or Land Pollution
Land pollution refers to the deterioration of the earth’s land surfaces at
and below ground level. It is caused by the accumulation of solid and
liquid waste materials that contaminate groundwater and soil.
These waste materials are often referred to as municipal solid waste
(MSW), which includes both hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
As different waste materials and pollutants like heavy metals,
pesticides, plastic, litter and pharmaceuticals sit on top of and leach
into our soil, they change and degrade its natural composition. Over
time, some pollutants can also go through a chemical transformation,
creating secondary pollutants like fumaric and phthalic acids.
The permeability of the soil formations below the waste
can increase or reduce the risk of land pollution. The
higher the permeability of the soil, the more likely that
land pollution will occur. Meanwhile, extreme weather
events like hurricanes and floods can exacerbate the
effects of land pollution as they disperse or concentrate
certain pollutants.
Every year solid wastes are increasing tremendously all
over the world. Several hazardous chemicals and the
mountains of wastes are ultimately dumped on the land.
Dumping of industrial and municipal wastes causes toxic
substances to be leached and seep into the soil and affect the
ground water course.
Modern agricultural practices introduce numerous pesticides,
resulting in severe biological and chemical contamination of
soil.
Indiscriminate deforestation, digging for minerals, destruction
of grazing land for human habitation have done irreparable
damage to the land and even led to harsh climatic changes.
Some of the dangers leading to soil pollution are due to the
fact that while number of earth’s inhabitants is increasing, the
earth’s natural resources are by and large fixed as well as
limited.
Thus the soil is getting heavily polluted day by
day by toxic materials and dangerous micro-
organisms which enter the air, water and the food
chain. For all this, man is the original and basic
pollutant responsible for pollution hazards.
Solid waste, often called the third pollution after
air and water pollution, is that discarded material
which arises from human activities. The annual
solid waste production is: domestic and trade
8.5%, industries 15.2%, thermal power stations
Sources of Soil Pollution:
1. Industrial wastes
2. Urban wastes
3. Radioactive pollutants
4. Agricultural practices
5. Biological agents
6. Soil sediments
1. Soil Pollution by Industrial Wastes:
Industrial effluents are mainly discharged from pulp and paper mills, chemical
industries, oil refineries, sugar factories, tanneries, textiles, steel, distilleries,
fertilizer factories, pesticide industries, coal and mineral mining industries, metal
processing industries, drugs, glass, cement, petroleum and engineering industries
etc.
It has been estimated that about 50% of the raw materials ultimately become waste
products in industry and about 20% of these wastes are extremely deleterious.
2. Soil Pollution by Urban Wastes:
Urban wastes comprise both commercial and domestic
wastes consisting of dried sludge of sewage. All the urban
solid wastes are commonly referred to as refuse. This
refuse contains garbage and rubbish materials like plastics,
glasses, metallic cans, fibres, paper, rubbles, street
sweepings, fuel residues, leaves, containers, abandoned
vehicles and other discarded manufactured products.
It is estimated that in India alone, about 450 million of
urban population produces nearly 45 million tonnes of solid
wastes causing chronic pollution of land and water.
In critically polluted cities like Mumbai, Kolkata,
Kanpur and Madras, about 8000 tonnes of waste
material collects in a day.
Delhi, which is the third most polluted city,
collects about 9000 tonnes of garbage from its
streets every day, to be thrown into its five land-
fills, thereby polluting the land areas.
Connaught place alone generates 50,000 plastic
bags every day.
3. Radioactive Pollutants:
Radioactive substances resulting from explosions of nuclear
devices, atmospheric fall out from nuclear dust soil radioactive
wastes penetrate the soil and accumulate there creating soil
pollution. Radionuclides of radium, thorium, uranium, isotopes of
potassium (K-40) and carbon (C-14) are very common in soil, rock,
water and air.
Explosion of hydrogen weapons and cosmic radiations induce
neutron-proton reactions by which nitrogen (N-15) produces C-14.
This C14 participates in the carbon metabolism of plants which is
then introduced into animals and man. Radioactive wastes contain
several radionuclides such as strontium-90, iodine-129, cesium-137
and isotopes of iron which are most injurious. Sr-90 gets deposited
in bones and tissues instead of calcium.
4. Agricultural Practices:
Today with the advancing agro-technology, huge
quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides,
weedicides and soil conditioning agents are
employed to increase the crop yield. Apart from
these farm wastes, manure slurry, debris, soil
erosion containing mostly inorganic chemicals are
reported to cause soil pollution. USA alone
produces about 18 million tonnes of agricultural
wastes every year.
5. Biological Agents:
Soil gets large quantities of human, animals and birds
excreta which constitute the major source of soil pollution
by biological agents.
The pathogenic organisms that pollute the soil may be
classified into three categories as follows:
(i) Pathogenic organisms occurring naturally in
contaminated soil such as bacteria, fungi, algae,
protozoans.
(ii) Pathogenic organisms excreted by man.
(iii) Pathogenic organisms excreted by animals.
6. Soil Sediments as Land Pollutant:
Soil sediments refer to the deposition of trace metals
such as Hg, As, Sb, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Mo, Cu and Cr. The
process of sedimentation is a comprehensive natural
geomorphological process which operates through the
chain of erosion of soils, transportation of sediments
(eroded material) and deposition of these eroded
materials in different paths of water bodies.
Sediments thus consist of soil and mineral particles
washed from the land by storms and flood waters
from crop lands and over grazed pastures.
Unscientific agricultural and forestry practices, uncontrolled
dumping of terrestrial effluents, mismanagement of water
sheds, ship mining and dredging, construction of dams,
roads, reservoirs, overgrazing, infra structural projects and
other practices contribute to sedimentation.
Control of Soil Pollution:
With the rapid pace of industrialization and increasing
population density, numerous pollutants have posed a
serious threat to living organisms. Extensive solid wastes
and the use of biocides etc. have put the interest of
agriculture and aqua-culture at cross purposes.
The various approaches to control soil pollution are as
follows:
1. Production of Natural Fertilizers. Organic wastes contained in
animal dung can be used for preparing compost manure and
biogas rather than throwing them wastefully polluting the soil.
The use of bio-pesticides should be encouraged in place of toxic
pesticides.
2. Ban on Toxic Chemicals. Ban should be imposed on chemicals,
biocides, pesticides which are fatal to plants and animals.
Thus banning the use of highly toxic and resistant pesticides or
regulating their use only for special purposes under thorough
3. Using biological weapons to control soil pollution.
4. Plantation and recycling of trees to prevent soil
erosion. Other control measures are:
5. Launching of extensive afforestation and
community forestry programmes.
6. Implementing deterrent measures against
deforestation.
7. Conservation of soil to prevent the loss of precious
top soil by erosion and to maintain it in a fertile state
for agricultural purposes.
8. Sponsoring more intensive R and D efforts on bio-fertilizers,
microbial degradation of wastes, utilization of wastes by
recovery, reusing and .recycling solid wastes, safer treatment
and disposal of hazardous wastes.
9. Security land-fills have to be constructed for permanent
disposal of hazardous and recalcitrant industrial wastes.
10. Transforming intensive agriculture into a sustainable
system by measures such as
(i) Maintaining a healthy soil community in order to regenerate
soil fertility by providing organic manures, increasing fallow
periods, avoiding excessive use of chemical fertilizers.
(ii) Infusing bio-diversity in agriculture by sowing mixed crops and
adopting crop rotation etc.
11. Effective treatment of domestic sewage by suitable biological
and chemical methods and adopting modern techniques of sludge
disposal.
12. Municipal wastes have to be properly collected by segregation,
treated and disposed scientifically. Recycling of glass, paper,
plastics should be done carefully.
13. Industrial wastes have to be properly treated at source, by
segregation of wastes or adopting integrated waste treatment
methods. Basic slag, the major byproduct of steel industries, can be
used for making nitrophosphatic fertilizer.
Noice Pollution or Sound Pollution
Definition of Noise Pollution:
It signifies the vast sounds that are being produced in
the modern life leading to health hazards.
Sources of Noise Pollution:
1. Noise levels are acute near railway junctions, bus
terminuses, airports and traffic round-about.
2. The other sources are pressure horns, loudspeakers
with full volume during festivities particularly at night.
3. The domestic noises in daily life generates from
radios, tape recorders, T.V. sets.
Effects of Noise Pollution:
1. Noise has side effects such as whistling and buzzing in
the ears.
2. The pathological effect is deafness or hearing loss.
Repeated or continuous exposure to noise around 100
decibels may result in a permanent hearing loss.
When the complete destruction of the organs of corti
occurs as a result of occupation in industries, it is called
“occupational hearing loss”. Noise above 160 decibels may
rupture the tympanic membrane and cause permanent loss
of hearing.
3. Neurotic people are more sensitive to noise than balanced
people.
4. Workmen under high intensities of noise become irritated,
short tempered and impatient. They disrupt production and be
come more agitated.
5. Reduction in noise is found to increase work output.
6. The direct result of noise shows a rise in blood pressure, an
increase in heart rate and breathing and an increase in sweat
ing. The symptoms such as giddiness, nausea and fatigue may
also occur.
7. Noise causes a narrowing of pupils, affects colour perception
Control of Noise Pollution:
1. Careful planning of cities:
Residential areas should be separated from the
main streets by means of wide green bolts.
House fronts should lie nor less than 15 meters
from the road.
The main streets should be widened to reduce
the level of noise penetration into dwellings.
2. Control of Vehicles:
Heavy vehicles should not be routed into narrow streets.
Vehicular traffic on residential streets should be reduced.
The use of pressure horn should be prohibited.
3. Improved Insulation of Building:
It is wise to construct detached buildings rather than a
single large building. Buildings should be sound-proof.
4. Industries and Railways:
Noise should be controlled in industries. Special areas
must be earmarked outside residential areas for
5. Legislation:
Many states have adopted legislation for
controlling noise. Workers have the right to
claim compensation if they have suffered a
loss of ability to understand speech.
Education
Education is needed to highlight the
importance of noise as a community hazard.
