Digital Assignment 1 Topic: POLLUTION

Faculty: Dr. S. Mohana Roopan

The picture that I have shown above is one of the types of the pollution which may have seen at
various places. This picture has been captured in VIT’s Men’s Hostel Campus where there are
many examples of pollution.

Pollution is defined as introduction of various unwanted substances that make environment

harmful for us. There are many types of pollution like: Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil
pollution, Noise pollution, Nuclear pollution and Thermal pollution. Pollution has adversely
affected humans and other living species. We have reached a stage where we can’t go back and
made it difficult for our future generations to cope up with uprising natural disturbances that
being caused due to human activities.

Air pollution is the greatest of among all types of pollution and it is increasing every day. It is the
addition of harmful gases and toxic compounds in atmosphere. There are many cause of air
pollution like burning of garbage, natural forest fires , incineration , exhausts from chimneys and
cars and the major problem is brick kilns which are increasing every day due to demand of bricks
for construction of houses because of modernization of humans. Any gas could add up to air
pollution if it reached a high concentration. Some pollution causing gases are Sulfur Oxide,
Carbon monoxide , Nitrogen oxides, CFs. CFs are threat to our ozone layer which present in
stratosphere , protects us from harmful UV rays which is being depleted due to ferons present in
refrigerator and air conditioners . Air pollution also include particulate materials which harm
humans and animals which cause lung diseases. In India there are many villages where still wood
is burnt for making food which harms women ad adds harmful gases to atmosphere. Municipal
corporations of various metropolitan cities dump garbage and burn it to get rid of it so that they
can use land for other purpose. Today the situation in our country is that everyone wants a four
wheeler by seeing others and it has become a trend. People don’t want to go out for car pool and
now they are facing never ending traffic which has made their life miserable. Recently there
severe weather conditions in New Delhi where there was a thick layer of smog spread in
atmosphere for several weeks. Going out was threat to life and breathing a day out in air was
equal to smoking four cigarettes. People went out wearing masks. After they realize public and
government started acting to preserve the natural situation but now the same situation is going on
and again this winter , it is going to be worst than ever.

Different Ways to control air pollution:

 a. Start doing car pooling or use a public transport instead. This will reduce the pollution
from your automobile which daily adds up kgs of greenhouse gases and unwanted toxic
dust particles.
b. Saving energy whether you are at home or at office will reduce polluting particulates as
well as carbon emission that pollute the air.
c. We should try to use eco-friendly products at home. Try to not use your computer for
once a week. Fridge should be kept off in night and most important perfumes should be
used less because they contain various synthetic chemicals when being sprayed in the air
break down into harmful compounds.
d. Trees around houses and in our neighborhood reduce air pollutants. Trees have the ability
to clean the air of pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide
and ozone.
e. We should raise awareness and about its problems. Everyone should be conscious of how
serious problems are coming up due to this. Proper environmental education should be
provided to students from primary classes.
f. Public and Government should work together to stop unbridled industrialization.
Factories should be installed away from urban areas and they all must have a smoke
absorbed and toxic materials are not released in air.
g. We should start shifting to eco-friendly and renewable energy sources rather than
constructing more and more thermal power plants. India is one of the top leaders in
World Solar Alliance and has pledged to expand the use of solar power. In india we also
have a floating solar panel network in Kerala.

Water pollution comes second in this order which is a great problem in itself and we humans are
ignoring it now also. There are many countries in this world who have experienced the worst
situation of clean water crisis and have started to combat it and India is still waiting for the
situation to the worst. Excessive use of fertilizers and water runoff from agricultural fields to
water bodies contaminates water bodies and are the major cause to death of aquatic animals and
fishes. Chemical Industries generate a large amount of liquid waste which directly or indirectly
are added to water bodies making it unfit for drinking and human use or by animals. Oil spills by
oil tankers in oceans are depriving aquatic species of oxygen and sunlight which is necessary for
living. Aquatic plants can’t go on with photosynthesis and fishes and other animals that feed on
them too do not get food. A United Nations report defined ocean pollutions: “The introduction
by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment resulting in
such deleterious effects as harm to living sources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine
activities, including fishing, impairment of quality for use of sea water and reduction of
amenities.” Due to urbanization, shifting of people from rural areas to urban areas has increased
dependence on ground water at a same place for large withdrawal in same area. Excessive of
water for use for domestic generates waste water which just goes off into drainage and adds up to
as breeding place for various insects and plants that are disease causing agents. Ponds with green
algae at surface and weeds with foul smell are examples of waste water sources. This water also
slowly goes inside the ground and mixes up with groundwater making it harmful for use
Evaporation from such sources of water cause air pollution.

Water pollution is also of two types, If pollution comes from single location, such as discharge
pipe from a factory or from house, it is called point-source pollution and if pollution occurs due
many sources being scattered, then it is called nonpoint-source pollution. Water is life to us and
without it we cannot live . Only a small portion of water present o earth is available to us and we
should use it carefully otherwise our future generation will have to face problems. Indian
government has taken various to stop misuse of water in urban areas. Clean Ganga programme
has been implanted in every state through which river Ganges passes. Factories located near the
area of river have been moved away and some of them which produced harmful chemicals have
been shutdown. Government has spent millions of rupees on this work and we are seeing our
efforts to clean up our sacred river. Growing population and urbanization has led to creation of
many drainage systems which pollute water bodies near cities and stagnant water of it is home to
various insects and wild plants which are sources of harmful diseases. There are many cases in
India where recently we have suffered a lot in cities like Shimla , where there was total scarcity
of water until monsoon came. In many cities government is taxing people if they use water more
than the limit that has been set by the government. We have been continuously using water as if
it was our property but we have to pass it on to our future generations for using and it should go
on and on. India has many clean water reserves in south India and in Jammu & Kashmir which
are preserved and not allowed for public and are great tourist attraction.
There are many ways by which we can stop water pollution. Cleanliness starts from homes, so
we should start saving water from our houses.

a. We should keep out oils, fats or grease away from the sink and dispose them off
separately in a bin.
b. Contaminated liquids, pills and medications should be kept away from water discharge.
c. We should not throw unwanted things in toilet. Most people throw dust clothes, paper
wastes, synthetic materials and wrappers in toilet.
d. Detergents should be used in a careful manner. Instead of that we can use phosphate free
detergents and soap.
e. Proper sewage treatment and management should be ensured by the municipal
corporation and individuals should use septic tanks to ensure proper management of
home sewage to avoid pollution.
f. We should play an active role in water conversation by conserving water at all time. This
could be achieved by insuring taps are always turned off. Conserving water reduces the
amount of contaminated water that needs to be treated.
g. Skip using plastics: Plastic leftovers frequently end up in oceans, lakes, streams and
rivers, contaminating natural habitat and destroying aquatic life.

Soil contamination is the degradation of quality of soil due to presence of chemicals which are
released by humans. It is caused by agricultural, industrial and improper disposal of waste. Soil
is the mother of all plants and humans cannot live without plants. We all are dependent on each
other for food and other things. Excessive of fertilizers by farmers has also increased soil
pollution. Green Revolution at first was good but for more production humans started using more
and more artificial fertilizers and ignored natural fertilizers, which led to loss of fertilizers and
made land barren. Government of various countries and India too promoted agriculture by
providing fertilizers at low cost to farmers but it is now a big problem for both farmers and our
country too. Farmers are losing their fertile land and government today cannot afford to increase
production by merely providing fertilizers which affects country’s GDP. Soil is the source of
nutrients and moisture which plant need to produce food through photosynthesis and water is the
main source for nutrients for plants. Polluting soil decreases ability of soil to absorb moisture and
its ability to hold various compounds that are used by plants for growth. There are many health
related problems related directly or indirectly to soil contaminations. Excess fertilizers can affect
a fruit’s taste and vegetables may have such harmful compounds. Soil erosion is also a severe
effect of soil pollution which is caused when soil particles are not able to hold each tightly. IN
today’s generation where everyone is affected with habit of eating junk and packed foods, plastic
is the major problem to soil. It gets trapped between soil particles and natural bacteria also
cannot decompose it and they remain in soil for several years which lead to infertility of soil.
Plants too cannot grow up in such type of polluted soil. Acid has nitrogen oxide and sulfur
dioxide which wash away important nutrients present in soil. Oil spill on land waste generated by
various type of industries too degrade the quality of soil. Deforestation has an indirect effect on
soil pollution. Cutting down trees expose soil and they are easily eroded due to soil erosion and
land is left which cannot support plantation. Climate change also affects soil and decreased soil
fertility leads to lack of nutrients and increases different types of diseases.

There are many rules and regulations that have been put by government to curb soil pollution but
we need to do a lot more to save this precious assent of nature. We should shift from using
artificial fertilizers to natural fertilizers like cow dung, compost and manure to irrigate our
farmlands and we should stop over cropping and over grazing. The motto of recycle, reduce and
reuse should be implemented. We should boycott polythene bags and junk foods to get rid of
plastic waste, instead of that we can use jute bags which are eco-friendly and are biodegradable
too. Reforestation is a great tool to curb soil contamination and erosion. We should plant more
and more trees to make soil more firm to hold nutrients and moisture. Bioremediation is a
technique that involves adding microorganisms into the soil to break down contaminants. It is a
safe and environmentally-friendly war to clean up polluted soil. Crop rotation is the best way to
preserve the fertility of soil.

So, there are many reasons for our depleting nature’s assets and we have done a lot harm to it
and we are seeing its consequences. There is a need for all developed and other progressive
nations to come together at a platform to save our earth. Animals and birds too belong to our
family their rights being taken off, they are loosing their natural homes due to human expansion.

We should pledge to save our mother Earth in all possible ways and educating people about
pollution and its adverse causes is the need of the hour. Our country has largest percentage of
youths and they can bring change in our society and save our environment.