Industrialization and urbanization have intensified environmental health risks and
pollution, especially in developing countries. Air pollution, lead poisoning, inadequate
water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and hazardous wastes cause devastating and fatal
illnesses, create harmful living conditions, and destroy ecosystems. Pollution stunts
economic growth and worsens poverty and inequality in both urban and rural areas.
Poor people, who cannot afford to protect themselves from the negative impacts of
pollution, end up suffering the most.
Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death. Pollution of
air, land, and water cause more than 9 million premature deaths (16% of all deaths
worldwide). That’s three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria
combined and 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence. Global
health crises, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic further highlight the need for
continued action in addressing environmental pollution. Ongoing research is finding
close links between air pollution and incidence of illness and death due to COVID-19.
Compared to air pollution in the developed world, the problem is more complex and
severe in India, mainly due to a combination of rapid urbanization, fast-paced industrial
development and also due to continued use of traditional fuels and combustion
technologies. This deterioration of ambient air quality has been attributed with 1.24
million premature deaths and 38.7 million disability adjusted life-years loss in India
resulting in a national public health crisis.
Pollution of the Ganges (or Ganga), the largest river in India, poses significant threats to
human health and the larger environment. Severely polluted with human waste and
industrial contaminants, the river provides water to about 40% of India's population
across 11 states, serving an estimated population of 500 million people which is more
than any other river in the world.
Today, the Ganges is considered to be the sixth-most polluted river in the world.
However, pollution has been an old and continuous process in the river as by the time
people were finally speaking of the Ganges as polluted, stretches of over six hundred
kilometers were essentially ecologically dead zones. A number of initiatives have been
undertaken to clean the river but failed to deliver as desired results.
We are all aware today that pollution is an increasing environmental problem. Today
many people regard pollution as a problem that will not go away, but one that could get
worse in the future. The existence of pollution in the environment is a national and a
world problem that has to be eradicated otherwise humans will have to face grave
consequences.
Lately, you came across the above article on air and water pollution that shook your
heart. The disastrous monster of pollution has engulfed almost every nook and corner of
the world, making it no better than a hell. Research on the statistics of pollution in the
country and measures to control air and water pollution. Taking reference from the
above article, express your concerns on the serious issue of increasing pollution in the
form of a diary entry, including the research you have done on the statistics and possible
solutions to the problem. Word limit – 150 – 200 words.
Answers
Answer:
Plastic is synthetic and non-degradable in nature. Hence remains in the same form for a very long time. Normal plastic that we use day to day and throw on the land, takes 1000 years to decompose in the landfills. Hence, it is not suitable for land fills. Plastic bottles take 450 years and the plastic carry bags take 10 to 20 years to decompose. If not used in the land fills, they enter the nature and end up in the stomachs of fish, whales, birds, cattle and goats and possibly even in man.
Plastic fibres have been found in 83 % of drinking water samples all over the world. 93 % of the bottled water samples had microplastic particles. At present, there is little over 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic in the world created since 1950. In 1950, the production of plastic was only 2 million tonnes. It rose to 8.3 billion tonnes in 2017. At the present rate, by 2050, it will become 34 billion tonnes. Out of this, 12 billion tonnes would be the plastic waste.
There is no limit to the dumping of the plastic in the oceans. A six tonne Sperm Whale was found washed ashore in Southern Spain. It had 32 kilograms of plastic in its stomach. A study done in 2015 revealed that 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic is dumped in the oceans every years from the land. By the year 2050, there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans.
We presently recycle 9 % of waste plastic, 12 % goes to industries and 79 % gets accumulated in the land fills which would remain there un-decomposed for the next 1000 years.Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. All fruit must be further processed from a raw material—the fruit and seed—into a stable, raw product; un-roasted, green coffee. Wikipedia
Explanation:
Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. All fruit must be further processed from a raw material—the fruit and seed—into a stable, raw product; un-roasted, green coffee. Wikipedia