Ocean pollution starts from land

In case of ocean pollution the famous dictum “as you sow so shall you reap” is quite incorrect. Here instead of ocean based activities mostly land based actions by human beings and machines pollute the ocean by and large. Seventy per cent of the earth is full of water and out of it nearly fifty five percent is of salt water that comprises of seas and oceans. It means thirty percent land is polluting the rest of seventy per cent water on earth apart from spoiling itself with various pollutants. It is rightly said that 80 per cent ocean pollution is generated by the land based activities.

Point Source Ocean Pollution

There is not a single flow of the pollutants which enormously pollutes our seas and oceans but there are several concentrated streams of untreated industrial effluents, civic waste water, chemical and industrial waste which hit the purity of the salt water. Oil spills from ships are also another cause of the ocean pollution. There is no any yardstick to measure how much pollution load comes from land into the ocean but it must be in thousands of tons daily from all parts of the world.

Nonpoint Source Ocean Pollution

Apart from that a huge damage is made by nonpoint source pollution which we cannot point out clearly but its frequency occurring devastates the natural composition of our natural resources. Main nonpoint source pollutants include runoff from agriculture lands and residential areas through dispersed streams, spill over by vehicles which flows into the sea with wind power, dust particles in huge amount with wind pressure, flow of rainwater with lot of garbage and waste etc.

Effects of Ocean Pollution

The effects of ocean pollution are equally disastrous for both environment and life. Basically two types of main needs are fulfilled by oceans one is consumption of sea food and other one is transportation needs especially of huge cargos.

• The worst effect ocean pollution is entire ocean environment which loses its original shape and we the human beings have to rely on polluted ocean environment for our basic needs of sea food.
• Fish, shrimps, prawns and crabs lose their nutritional value in polluted oceans and seas and most of the time carries communicable diseases with them and human beings suffer from them on their consumption. Due to this fact, economies relying on the consumption and the export of the sea food are facing food shortage and loss in foreign exchange. As a result poverty level is rising in such countries.
• Life is shrinking on planet earth due to ocean pollution because several marine species have been eliminated or being termed as endangered species - which may completely vanished from the earth if not conserved properly.
• Flora and fauna around the oceans and along with them are badly affected and entire marine life is in danger due to the menace of ocean pollution.

How to control ocean pollution?

It is so easy to do a lengthy debate on ocean pollution but as we know that 80 per cent contribution in it is made by us then we the human beings can easily control this menace by taking following steps.

• Not a single drop of wastewater or industrial effluent flows into the sea without being treated.
• Seas and oceans can never be treated dumping or landfill site and not a piece of garbage or any kind of waste is thrown into them.
• The oil spilling ships should be bound across the board to compensate for the spill they do while moving in the oceans.
• To fully act upon three points noted above all the global accords made earlier must be implemented and all nations must be bound to frame and implement laws to control the ocean pollution at the national level.
• Most importantly communities living all across the world in general and residing near coastal areas in particular develop strong networking either offline or online and identify the act of polluting the oceans and seas wherever they see and record their huge protest through all the available means to stop this menace at its earlier stage.

Do you have any other suggestion to control the ocean pollution? Please share with me in your comments below.