STD X – POLLUTION – NEWTON

Air and water pollution

Pollution is one of the major problems today which every country on earth is facing. Pollution causes irreparable damage to our mother earth.

Air pollution is the decrease in the air quality by pollutants that affect all the living beings.  Air pollution can be due to natural sources such as forest fire or human induced such as smoke coming out of vehicles.

Water pollution is the deterioration of water quality by toxic substances, which makes it undrinkable and is also dangerous for living organisms to live in water.  Substances such as oil spills, industrial waste, domestic waste, sewage, toxic chemicals, and silt cause water pollution.

Let us now understand some terms related to pollution.

Pollution: The addition of any constituent to air, soil or water which lowers the natural quality of the environment.

Pollutant: The constituent which causes pollution in air, water or land.

Air pollution: The degradation of air quality harmfully affecting living and non-living objects.

Water pollution: The degradation of water quality making it unsuitable for use by humans and other living organisms.

Oil spills: The accidental discharge of petroleum in oceans or estuaries due to oil refineries, offshore oil mining or overturning of oil tankers in the sea.

Pollution can be natural or man-made.

Pollution due to natural causes such as burning volcanoes or forest fires is beyond human control.

Gaseous pollutants and particulate pollutants cause serious health hazards.

Water pollution has caused serious degradation of the water quality in the river Ganga.

Clean Ganga is an ambitious project launched by the Indian government to reduce pollution in the river Ganga.