Drinking water pollution

When potable water is contaminated by various sources like industrial effluent, solid waste, chemical waste, hospital waste, agriculture run-off, nuclear waste, wastewater etc it is called drinking water pollution. Drinking water is found in rivers, lakes, estuaries, streams, wells, canals, water courses, distributaries. It is one of the worst forms of pollution which directly hits the human health because life can’t be continued without drinking water and it intake is must.

Harms of polluted drinking water

By consuming polluted drinkingwater likelihood of various diseases related to gastro, joints, digestive system, immune system etc increased manifold. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year due to water born diseases which is end result of consumption of drinking water. 

Main sources of drinking water pollution

Effluent of industries and wastewater if flows into the fresh water bodies without being treated it reduces the mineral features of that water and creates several negative elements in it which directly hits the human lives if such water is consumed for drinking purpose. Therefore, stress is made all over the world that industrial effluent and wastewater must be treated before their final disposal. These two sources hugely pollute the drinking water.

Agriculture run-off is the second main sources of drinking water pollution as mostly farm lands are situated nearby of the drinking water reserves either in river, lake or estuaries. Therefore, the flow of agriculture runoff into them pollutes the fresh water and hits its positive features. Agriculture runoff includes entire agriculture solid and liquid waste including dry leaves, residue of pesticide, residue of chemical fertilizer, residual water used in farming etc. It is advised that to reduce the agriculture runoff, farmers must shift from chemical fertilizer to natural fertilizers like they used to do so in ancient times and avoid using pesticide unnecessarily besides arranging safe disposal of rest of the agriculture refuse like dry leaves, waste crops, seeds etc.

Solid and hospital wastes if dumped directly into water bodies are also one of the main sources of drinking water pollution. In backward societies where awareness is lesser about these menaces, such wastes are thrown into the fresh water bodies without feeling their danger to health. Therefore, these wastes must be disposed of into designated places instead of throwing them into drinking water bodies as these are most harmful for human health.

As a matter of fact whatever - other than drinking water itself - is flowed into the water body causes drinking water pollution and is quite harmful for human health. Therefore, it is advised all over the world that drinking water is the most precious element which must be protected from menace of pollution otherwise health of human beings will never remain safe. 

Pollution tax

Pollution tax! Please don’t impose it, as we are already overloaded by host of taxes and duties how come we pay another tax. It is common reaction if we tell someone that they are gone be taxed for another reason. Just kidding, it’s not a tax for all. It is to be imposed on those who pollute.

Polluter pay principle is widely recognized formula to tax the polluter. It means one who pollutes has to rectify his or her wrongdoings by offsetting the harmful effects. How? If you pollute the air by your factory just plant hundreds of trees in the vicinity to mitigate the negative effects of industrial emissions. If you run a huge hospital which creates infectious waste you must install an appropriate technology to remove the harmful effects of that infectious waste. Appropriate technology can be incinerator if it emits zero emissions or auto clave which neutralize the infectious elements from such waste.

Why pollution?

Why pollution? A simple question; and its answer is also so simple. Lack of planning and over-ambition! Man is hectic by nature. Very few believe in patience. Each one wants to get more in lesser time. Each work he wants mechanized to finish in lesser period of time. This is intrinsic feature of human being which distinguishes him or her from other living beings. During previous three centuries the miraculous development and progress in the field of science and technology truly reflect the competitive nature of human being.

Lack of planning is main cause ofpollution. Most of industries all over the world more particularly in third world countries are installed just to meet the consumption demand of consumers. If for example in an urban area there is acute demand of leather garments then businesses just try to fulfill this demand by establishing a tannery (a factory where leather is made) and do not take care of the environmental aspect of their establishment.

There is environmental law - in one form or in another - in most of the countries of the world that wherever and whenever you want to set up a factory you have to get its environmental impact assessment through environmental watchdog of your area. However, this law came into being

Water pollution

Water pollution means contamination of water either sweet or salty by various harmful elements and compounds which are not good for health or their excess deprives the water of its natural characteristics or features. For example if effluent of a chemical factory flows into the river then we say that river carries polluted water.

Water pollution is one of the worst forms of pollution because every living being either human being, animal or plants all have to consume water daily and suffer from various serious diseases due to intake of polluted water. If such an important element of life is polluted by unhygienic substances then it will impact negatively the health of who consume such water.

History of Pollution

The history of pollution is as old as the life itself. At the very beginning of life on Earth when man came to know the use of fire and first time burnt wood to cook the food, the smoke emitted from it and first time the environment of this world got polluted.

Stone Age

Thereafter, in Stone Age the cutting and trimming of stones to make pottery and weapons created dust which made pollution in the air. Despite that its level was so tiny and was not widely felt by the human beings of that time.

Pollution prevention

It is so easy to talk about pollution prevention but to practice doing something for it, is a painstaking job which needs persistence and perseverance because of your efforts to prevent this menace would take long time to bring results.

It is usually not difficult to control the pollution - which was already created - by removing the garbage from undesignated places, by planting trees to minimize pollution load from air and to treat industrial effluent and civic wastewater before its reuse. However, preventing pollution from the very beginning is a difficult task.

Role of industries

The industry can prevent pollution by installing a treatment plant that treats the effluent before its final disposal. However, its installation costs quite a lot and mostly industries avoid to do so or talk about combined treatment plant for a cluster of industries which most of the time does not work because of non-cooperation by many industries of the cluster. These industries usually refuse to pay fee to utilize the services of a treatment plant and initially, they expect the government to bear the capital cost of the plant and eventually the plan fails at its very early stage. It mostly happens in backward countries while in western world the industrial pollution prevention is exemplary because of the ideal partnership between governments and industries to curb this menace from the very beginning.

What is pollution control?

What is pollution control? Is it a lengthy formula to apply it with heavy machinery on long term basis with hi-fi technical expertise? Of course not, it’s contribution of each one of us to play his or her role for the mitigation of environmental degradation at individual and collective levels. In this way our unending efforts could bring on change in the environment of our world.

Are we controlling pollution?

Are we doing our job to minimize pollution? We know very well that pollution is a menace; it is so harmful for life and health of human beings. Millions of people all around the word directly or indirectly get affected by this grey reality and thousands die of this curse annually. Moreover, world economy suffers losses of billions of dollars owing to this all-pervasive menace. Despite this we are not paying heed to this serious issue. Why? Because this harmful phenomenon does not hit us at once, it’s a slow poison which gradually takes the life to the deep trench of death.

Environmental pollution

Environmental pollution not only hits the natural beauty of environment but in one way or the other it also directly affects the life on Earth apart from causing several diseases to human beings and animals. When any element or compound enters into environment unnecessarily and impacts its natural balance then it results into environmental pollution. In this way environment gets retarded to grow further and instead it starts negatively affecting humans and other living beings.

Kinds of pollution

There are several types of environmental pollution out of them related to air, water and land are most important. Under land pollution various elements negatively affect the features and their natural balance of land and get it polluted. It is mainly created due to

World pollution

The entire pollution level of the whole globe is collectively called world pollution which broadly comprises of land, water and air pollutions. It is actually end result of polluting activities of each country of this world which hit the natural environment of this world and we don’t have any choice but to handover this world to our next generation more polluted than the one given to us by our forefathers.

World concerned on pollution

In whole world there is growing concern on environmental degradation because of rising level of pollution. Green leaders and forums of the globe are very active to point out the hazards of pollution wherever it is harming the life. But they don’t have power to stop it. They can just convince stakeholders including governments, industries, households, businesses and communities to play their due role to check the menace of pollution but can’t act themselves for its mitigation. Actually their role demands advocacy and lobbying to synchronize global efforts against the pollution.

Pollution problems

Like its kinds, harms and effects; the pollution problems are also more than several. We can divide the problems created by pollution into four broad categories.

• ·         Environmental
• ·         Physical
• ·         Psychological
•       · Financial

Environmental problems by pollution

Environment is the worst hit of pollution. As we know that all around us either natural or artificial is part of our environment. Roads, bridges, buildings, subways, tress, rivers, mountains, seas, oceans, valleys, crop fields, deserts, land, air, water, vacuum, sky, clouds etc are all the part of our overall environment. Pollution either it is in the air, land or water directly or indirectly impacts the environment negatively. For example if polluted water flows into the river, sea or lake it causes water pollution which ultimately disturbs the good balance of marine life and affects it to a great extent. If living beings either human beings or animals drink polluted water, they get victims of several water born diseases, gastro ones are most significant of them.

Pollution shocks

Following are various shocking facts about pollution.

• Air and water pollution have damaged the natural environment worse than the land pollution did so.
• The menace of pollution started rising when human beings switched to the machines from the manual labour.
• Coal-fired plants despite being less in number contribute most in the rise of air pollution.
• Indoor pollution is more harmful than outdoor’s because  chances of its mitigation are always less inside a premises.
• Nearly fifteen thousand people die in the world because of the water pollution and majority of them hail from poor countries.

The top ten realities of pollution which may frozen your spine

Whenever most of us talk about pollution, we just condemn its rise, express concerns on its expansion, and pledge enthusiastically to do our best for its mitigation. We never talk anything concrete about it in absolute terms. We just resort to more gossiping about it.

Let’s have a look at the top ten realities of pollution.

1. Pollution is the biggest global killer!

Pollution is the only killer which is global and kills indiscriminately without taking into account whether its victim is black, white, rich, poor, man, woman, or from which religion. It affects

over 100 million people directly or indirectly leading a quarter of them to die prematurely in a few years before their natural death.

Brick Kiln Pollution and unlucky poor people

For the people of advanced nations, the concept of brick kiln pollution might be uncommon. They may think that how come a brick kiln causes pollution because it is so state-of-the-art factory of bricks production. 

You are right if you are lucky enough hailing from an advanced country. But in less developed and backward countries it is killer pollution which not only harms the health of the workers of a kiln but all those living in its surroundings.

Brick kilns versus other industries

Experts said that manual-based brick kilns create more pollution than a factory of other types of production. It is because in the process of production of the kilns the major activity is burning of the coal and other rough stuff like tyres, tubes and plastic material. They emit a huge amount of smoke.

Smog pollution; we can better control it together to save our kids

Smoke and fog create together smog pollution. So we call it smog which means smoke+fog. Right?

It rises in the winter season when fog also rises. In areas near to industrial zones, we see its higher level. Also in cities with a large number of vehicles, it is quite common in winter.

It occurs when vehicles and factories don't comply with environmental standards.

Burning of coal as fuel in factories and homes is also one of the main causes. Soot particles from coal-burning stay longer in fog. So it becomes smog pollution.

It hits the visibility. In the morning visibility becomes zero. So every movement becomes so dangerous. Every type of transport gets interrupted in smog pollution.

Car pollution hits both; passersby and those in the car

Car pollution means all types of gaseous emissions of vehicles.

We can’t blame only cars for this type of emissions. Buses, trucks, taxis, rickshaws, motorcycles, wagons, etc all contribute to it.

The emissions of planes, helicopters, jets, ships, and motorboats also pollute the air. But their amount is not as much as that of road transport. so we focus them less while debating this issue.

Car emissions beyond limits

It does not mean every vehicle adds contamination in the air. Only such vehicles pollute the air which emits harmful gases more than their limits. Green regulators set their limits to emit smoke. Their excess impacts both air and humans.

Factory pollution; you can't control it with green laws only

Factory pollution is also called as industrial pollution. It comprises of emissions, effluents, and wastes of any manufacturing process.

There are three main types of factory pollution. If a factory;

• Emits smoke more than prescribed limits we call it industrial emissions. It pollutes the air environment.
• Releases its effluent without treatment we call it industrial effluent. It pollutes the water bodies.
• It generates waste but does not dispose of it safely. We call it industrial waste. It pollutes the land environment.

It is not the industrialization which causes this type of pollution. It is actually the greed for manufacturing more by spending less which causes it.

Factory owners actually don't want to spend much to save the environment. They just want to manufacture more and more. To earn more and their greed never ends. So the environment suffers from their greed.

How to better control air pollution together?

You must learn how to control air pollution. If you don't, then the air around you keeps on getting polluted.

A day may come when you may be using an oxygen cylinder to enjoy the fresh air. It will add to your already high cost.

So it is a must to know the ways and means of air pollution control. You need not be an environmentalist for this purpose.

The major sources of air pollution are vehicles and industries. So to control of air pollution we must regulate the following two pipes:

• Silencer of vehicle and
• Chimney of industry.

If they emit gases withing limits, the air will remain clean. So, who will keep their emissions within the limit? It is the job of your government to do this. But without your support, the government can do nothing.

Air Pollution; the whole process of injuring air and then killing us

When several gases exceed their limit in the air, we say it is air pollution.

In air pollution, the quality of the air declines. We inhale the polluted air. So we suffer from various respiratory diseases. Most important of them are lung diseases including lung cancer.

Moderate air pollution is invisible

Unlike water and land pollution, we can't see air pollution at a moderate level. But it does harm air and our health both. When you feel suffocation while breathing, you actually become a victim of polluted air.

Industrial and vehicular emissions are two key sources of air contamination. Besides, the burning of fossil fuel also pollutes the air. It hits our breathing zone.

Silencer of vehicles, the biggest source of air pollution

The chimney of industries and silencer of vehicles are adding air pollution enormously. We can't count the emissions. Nor is there any gadget to measure them.

No one knows the nastiest cause of pollution is only one

The causes of pollution are many. Right?

No, it is not correct, boy.

After reading this post you will agree with me.

But first, let's check the common causes of pollution.

Their number is growing day by day. Some of them hit the environment and mar the beauty of nature. Some others misbalance the ecosystem. They deprive us of clean air to breathe, pure water to drink and safe land to live.

03 main causes of pollution

There are three main causes of pollution.

1. Effluent
2. Waste
3. Emission

How to kill pollution hazards with no weapon?

Not an exaggeration.

Nor a catchy headline to grab your attention.

I bet you will thank me after reading this post.

So gamble; because you will win and win only.

If nothing good in this post; you will get to know me.

If something good in it; then your thank is mine.

Do you know pollution hazards are many? We watch them around us. We read about them off and on.

We watch their devastation on TV. But we ignore them. We defer thinking about them for some free time.

How cruel we are!

How selfish we are!

Pollution hazards are many

Pollution hazards mean all fatal harms of environmental degradation. If waters get polluted it exposes us to any water-borne disease.

3 devastating types of pollution that work as silent killers

The bad thing does not work alone. It works in a group to attack the good from all sides. 

The same applies well to pollution also. It is of many types to hit the environment from all sides. 

Just like the hazards of pollution, the types of pollution are also many but we can divide them into three broad categories which may further be divided into several sub-categories. 

The three categories of pollution are:

1.       Air pollution

2.       Water pollution

3.       Land pollution

Air pollution covers industrial emissions including power plants’, factories’, coal-fired plants’ as well as vehicular emissions of all types of vehicles. 

These emissions contain several harmful gases more than the prescribed limits and pollute the air by disturbing its natural composition. Air pollution directly affects our respiratory system apart from damaging our eyesight, nervous system and skin.

Water pollution is caused by all liquid and solid waste which is directly released into the various water bodies including streams, lakes, canals, rivers, ponds, seas, and oceans. Untreated wastewater from homes and industries is the root cause of water pollution which directly affects our digestive system, kidneys, and joints.

Land pollution is caused by the dumping of solid and industrial wastes, the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, undue use of chemical fertilizer and chemicals. Land pollution causes diseases of malaria, typhoid, cholera, etc.

The subcategories of land pollution are dumping of solid waste, un-incinerated infectious hospital waste, non-biodegradable plastic bags, untreated chemical, and nuclear waste and unnecessary use of pesticides. They all collectively damage the land by polluting it in one way or the other.

Under the water pollution categories, sea and ocean pollution is affecting marine life which eventually hits seafood production by crippling one of the highest revenue-generating industries in the world. 

Those countries which have huge seafood productions are worst affected by sea and ocean pollution as it hits their gross domestic products and retards their exports.

Coastal pollution is another subcategory of sea pollution that directly affects the coastal belt and living culture of coastal belts is totally disturbed by this type of pollution. Fishermen folk usually live along with the coastal belts and if this kind of pollution keeps rising then these communities migrate to safer places and quit one of the oldest professions of the world that is fishing. As a result fish population rises to an alarming level which is not good for the ecosystem of rivers and seas.

River pollution contaminates sweet water which is used for drinking purposes. It brings on several water-borne diseases in living beings, especially in human beings. There are certain parameters for the quality of drinking water duly prescribed by the World Health Organization. If certain water deviates from these parameters due to water pollution and people consume it, they fall prey to various water-borne diseases related to the digestive system, bones, kidneys, etc.

Lake pollution is another form of drinking water pollution and water supply to cities and towns is usually made through lakes adjoining to residential areas. The water of rivers and lakes usually flows slower and hence why stores various kinds of pollutants and gets affected by them and goes unfit for human consumption.