Pollution of Air and Water

Quality of environment is falling rapidly with the falling quality of air and water. Number of people suffering from respiratory diseases is increasing day by day. All these are the consequences of Air and Water pollution.

Air Pollution

One can survive some days without food but one cannot survive even few minutes without air, this shows that how important the air is for us.

Air: Air is a mixture of gases. About 78% of air is composed of nitrogen, 21% is composed of oxygen, and the rest 1% is composed of carbon dioxide, argon, methane, ozone, water vapour, etc.

Air Pollution: When air is contaminated with unwanted substances and becomes harmful for the living and non-living, this is called air pollution.

Air Pollutants: Substances which contaminate air are called air pollutants.

Cause of Air Pollution

1) Natural causes: smog and dust from forest fire and volcano.

2) Automobile Exhaust: Petrol and diesel are used as fuel in automobiles. Combustion of these fuels produces many polluting gases: like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc. Automobile engines also produce minute particles which remain suspended in air. These particles are called Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM).

3) Factories: Fossil fuel is also used in factories and hence factories produce pollutants; like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

4) Households: Many fuels are used in kitchens, and thus kitchen is a significant source of air pollution.

5) CFC: Chlorolfuorocarbon (CFC) is used in refrigerators and in aerosol sprays. It is a non-toxic and non-inflammatory compound of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. CFCs react with ozone to produce oxygen and thus damage the ozone layer.

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Ozone layer is a protective layer in the atmosphere. It contains a higher amount of ozone than any other layer of the atmosphere. However, compared to other gases: ozone still forms a negligible part of air in ozone layer. This layer prevents harmful ultraviolet radiations from the sun from entering our atmosphere. Ultraviolet radiations can cause skin cancer in humans and animals, and is also harmful for plants.

Greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the sun's heat in the atmosphere of a planet by gases in that atmosphere. It's called the greenhouse effect because it has a lot in common with how the glass of a greenhouse traps heat inside: heat can get into the greenhouse, but has more trouble leaving.

The amount of greenhouse effect present on a planet has a big impact on the temperature of that planet.

For example, Venus is super hot and has a runaway greenhouse effect that's more intense than any in the solar system. On the other hand, Mars has very little atmosphere at all, and it's super cold there.

Cause of greenhouse effect

1) Burning of fossil fuels: Burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. With the increase in population, the utilization of fossil fuels had increased. This has led to an increase in the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

2) Deforestation: Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Due to the cutting of trees, there is an inconsiderable increase in the greenhouse gases which increases the earth’s temperature.

3) Industrial waste and landfills: industries produces harmful gases that are released in atmosphere. Landfill also release gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

Effects of Air Pollution

1) Acid Rain: Oxides of sulphur and nitrogen mix with rainwater to create acid rain. Acid rain can be harmful for living beings and also for non-living things. Acid rain corrodes the outer surface of buildings. This has caused the Taj Mahal becoming pale.

2) Global Warming: It is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The main cause for this environmental issue is the increased volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane released by the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the vehicles, industries and other human activities.

3) Depletion of Ozone layer: Ozone Layer protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is found in the upper regions of the stratosphere.

How to Prevent Air Pollution

• We should use CNG; instead of petrol and diesel in automobiles.
• We should use public transport instead of cars and bikes.
• We should use bicycle as often as possible.
• We should walk for short distance commute.
• Data on air quality can be utilized to assess the situation and to take timely action.
• More efforts should be made to develop alternate sources of energy, e.g. solar energy, biofuel, etc.
• We should plant more trees in our surroundings because trees maintain the balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in atmosphere.

Water pollution

When water is contaminated by unwanted substances which have a harmful effect on both the living and the non-living, it is referred to as water pollution.

Whenever harmful substances such as sewage, toxic chemicals, silt, etc., get mixed with water, the water becomes polluted. The substances that pollute water are called water pollutants.

Ganga Action Plan

Ganga Action Plan is a massive multi-crore project implemented in 1985 which has undertaken to make the river Ganga pollution free. Aim to reduce pollution levels in river Ganga. So, the main aim was to reduce the pollution level of Ganga to make it a clean river. As we know that the increasing population and industrialization have already damaged this mighty river beyond repair. So, the Ganga action plan was not as successful as it was thought.

Now, the Government of India has launched a new initiative known as National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in 2016.

Till now we have read that Ganga has become a polluted river and as we know that the increasing population is also one of the reason behind the polluting of the river. So, now we will study about the most populated city of U.P which is also contributing in the pollution of the river Ganga.

Potable water

Water which is suitable for drinking is called potable water. The water, which is fit for drinking because it is clean and transparent. The Ph level of this water is 7. There are no microorganism present in this water.

Ways to make water fit for drinking

1) Filtration: You have already seen how water is filtered. This is a physical method of removing impurities.  A popular household filter is a candle type filter. There is reverse osmosis system present in such filters which make water pure.

2) Boiling: Many households use boiling as a method for obtaining safe drinking water. Boiling kills the germs present in the water.

3) Chlorination: Chlorination is a commonly used chemical method for purifying water. It is done by adding chlorine tablets or bleaching powder to the water.  We must be cautious. We should not use more chlorine tablets than specified.

Harmful effects of Water pollution

1) It affects the aquatic life. It leads to eutrophication.

2) When there is excess discharge of chemical into the water, this result into excess growth of algae. With the growth of more and more algae a new problem will arise that is the oxygen in the water level will reduce result into death of aquatic animals.

3) It also spread lot of water borne diseases.

How to save water

1) Keeping the tap closed when not in use.

2) Check for the openings or leaks in water distribution pipes.

3) Make sure to use collected rainwater for gardening or washing purpose.

4) Always have a measure of how many buckets of water is wasted in a day and try to reduce.

5) Do not prolong your bathing. Go for a quick shower rather than wasting buckets of water