Acid rain is rain and other precipitation that has a high acid content. It forms when car exhaust and smoke from burning fossil fuels mix with water vapor in the atmosphere. Acid rain kills fish and plants, and damages buildings.

Earth’s upper atmosphere contains chemical called ozone. Ozone is a form of oxygen produced when sunlight reacts with oxygen. Ozone in the upper atmosphere protects us from some of the sun’s UV rays. Gases found in some fire extinguishers and air conditioners destroy ozone in the upper atmosphere. As a result, more UV rays reach the earth. This increases the risk that people will develop skin cancer and eye cataracts.

Do you think air pollution only occurs outdoors? There are many indoor and air pollutants that can harm health. Sick building syndrome is an illness that results from indoor air pollution. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, and irritated eyes. Getting out of a building can help people with SBS.

Secondhand smoke is sidestream smoke and smoke that a person exhales while smoking. It can cause lung cancer. Secondhand smoke also can cause pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections. Secondhand smoke harms people who have asthma, and it might cause children to develop asthma.

Radon is an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas. Radon can enter buildings through dirt floors, drains, pumps, and cracks in foundations. If radon builds up in a house, the people who inhale it might develop lung cancer.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas. Inhaling carbon monoxide can cause headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, fatigue, unconsciousness, and death. Carbon monoxide is present in secondhand smoke. It can also be found in smoke from space heaters, gas stoves, wood stoves, and fire-places that are not ventilated correctly.

Cleaners, disinfectants, paints, varnishes, waxes, glues, and other products all contain chemicals. Some chemicals can cause irritated eyes and lungs, headaches, dizziness, and memory problems in people who inhale the fumes. Some chemicals used in household products cause cancer in animals, and might cause cancer in people.

If the water you drink is not safe, you might be drinking many harmful substances. Water pollution is the contamination of water with sewage, waste, gases, or chemicals that harm health. You can help keep water safe.

Water runoff causes a lot of water pollution. Water runoff is water that runs off land into a body of water. As water runoff moves over land, it carries chemicals from the ground. Some chemicals that might be carried by water runoff are pesticides from crops and lawns, acid rain, and any chemicals dumped on the ground. Water runoff can pollute drinking water.

Sewage also can pollute water. Sewage is waste liquids or matter carried off in sewers. Some people dump harmful chemicals into bodies of water or on the ground. Chemicals dumped on the ground can seep into groundwater. Groundwater is water in natural underground reservoirs. Once groundwater is polluted, there is almost no way to clean it. Some drinking water comes from groundwater. Drinking polluted water can cause cancer, blood diseases, and liver and kidney damage.

A decibel is a unit used to measure the loudness of sound. Noise is sound that produces discomfort or annoyance. Sounds that are louder than 70 dBs cause noise pollution. Noise pollution is loud or constant noise that cause hearing loss and stress. Noise pollution also causes headaches, tension, and sleep disturbances. It can increase blood pressure and cholesterol level. If noise pollution reaches 120 dBs, it can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss.

Water pollution, contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by substances, is harmful to living things.

Water is necessary to life on earth. All organisms contain it; some live in it; some drink it. Plants and animals require water that is moderately pure, and they cannot survive if their water is loaded with toxic chemicals or harmful micro-organisms. If severe, water pollution can kill large numbers of fish, birds, and other animals, in some cases it may kill all members of a species in an affected area. Pollution makes streams, lakes,. and coastal waters unpleasant to look at, to smell, and to swim in. Fish and shellfish harvested from polluted waters may be unsafe to eat. People who ingest polluted water can become ill, and, with prolonged exposure, may develop cancers or get children with birth defects. The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, or physical materials that degrade, water quality.

Oil and chemicals derived from oil are used for fuel, lubrication, plastics manufacturing, and many other purposes. These petroleum products get into water mainly by means of accidental spills from ships, tanker trucks, pipelines, and leaky underground storage tanks. Many petroleum products are poisonous if ingested by animals, and spilled oil damages the feathers of birds or the fur of animals, often causing death. In addition, spilled oil may be contaminated with other harmful substances.

Chemicals used to kill unwanted animals and plants may be collected by rainwater and carried into streams, especially if these substances are applied too lavishly. Some of these chemicals are biodegradable and quickly decay into harmless or less harmful forms, while others are non-biodegradable and remain dangerous for a long time.

Heavy metals, such as copper, lead, mercury, and selenium, get into water from many sources, including industries, automobile exhaust, mines, and even natural soil. Like pesticides, heavy metals become more concentrated as animals feed on plants and are consumed in turn by other animals. When they reach high levels in the body, heavy metals can be immediately poisonous, or can result in long-term health problems similar to those caused by pesticides and herbicides. Hazardous wastes are chemical wastes that are toxic, reactive, corrosive, and ignitable. If improperly treated or stored, hazardous wastes can pollute water supplies. In 1969 the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, was so polluted with hazardous wastes that it caught fire and burned

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Today, the water that is called the AMRIT OF LIFE BY our elders and ancestors is polluted with hundreds of chemicals, toxins and above all pesticides, and other impurities of water. Water pollution is caused by discharge of untreated agricultural, indudtrial and domestica wastes into streams,rivers, and seas.our drinking water is so contaminated and polluted todaythat it contains some two hundred deadly commercial chemicals polluting water our holy water bodies. In addition to man made pollution the bacteria, viruses, inorganic minerals are other organic causes that are making water unfit for drinking purpose. Chlorine, aluminum soleplate, sodium fluoride, lead, and nitrates need mentioning here. It is a different subject how these chemical compounds pollute and contaminate the water and make it unfit for human consumption? John Archer in his book ‘THE WATER YOU DRINK, HOW SAFE IS IT?’ refers to an estimate of 60,000 tones of fifty different chemicals being deliberately added annually to waters of one country namely Australia. Add to this, all the countries of world than the magnitude of water pollution world wise will be awesome enormously high. Man is indulging in self suicidal and genocide by relentlessly polluting waters who does not know the importance of water in our daily life? .Air and water are two important aspects of human life and activity. Can we imagine the existence of this universe without water and air? Water and air are two vital components for the existence of human as well as animal life. man has started ruthlessly  plundering resources of human life and its existence in recent times .in pursuit of his selfish ends he his become so callous towards nature that he does not concern even his  own existence. It is the result of man’s violent indivuality and self obsessive nature ,man  has ceased to be social animal .He is  so self obsessed that he has started eating into his friends ,relatives and above all nature. The man’s plundering and polluting nature may be rightly equated with “frenzy of a mad dog “the mad dog starts barking and killing his own master in fit of frenzied rage.  The toxins have entered in our food chain and via food chain in our food, in our water, in our soils and lastly in our own blood. If the water problem of pollution that has become very acute in recent times especially in certain world populations ; was not addressed immediately by the collective wisdom of the world than the days area not far when the existence of mankind, the king and lion of nature will be in jeopardy.

The laws to eliminate Water Pollution in Pakistan, part 2

By

shahzadi

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India has set up Water Pollution Control Boards to implement its Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The Indian Standard Institution has already helped evolve certain water quality standards. Some regional countries also undertake specific water quality monitoring programmes while others require such monitoring activity to be conducted by the dischargers who report thereafter to the Government.

Grievances in Pakistan against pollution of public waters are becoming ominously common-place. Only in December 1986, for example, the Wafaqi Mohtasib pointed out the adverse effects of a fertilizer plant in Multan on the public water of that city. Yet, we do not have a national Water Quality Act. Much is left to the language of Section 8 of the Environment Ordinance which covers “public waters” but it has been noted that no regulations have to date been made to implement that Section and the result is that the industrial entrepreneurs in Pakistan have a free license to pollute and contaminate our public waters.

Beyond Section 8 of the Environment Ordinance, some potential is seen in its Section 4(1)(f) which enables the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council to give directions to;

any Government agency, a body or a person requiring it or him to take measures to control pollution being caused by such body or person or to refrain from carrying out any particular activity ,prejudicial to public interest or the purposes of this Ordinance.

The said section does not have any provision for show-cause and hearings and it is unlikely that the directions given under it would be upheld by a Court of law without the indicated safeguards.

In the resultant analysis, the public waters of Pakistan are today left to the fragmented provincial legislation in the field of public health and factories. The setting up of the Water and Sanitation Agency under the Lahore Development Authority Act, 1975 is an example of a local response. Similarly, Section 20 of the Lahore Development Authority Act enables LDA to remove sources of pollution. Section 14 of the Factories Act, 1934 deals with disposal of wastes and effluents. But these laws are basically too general and do not have an appropriate environmental input. In any event, even they remain unimplemented by the provinces.

The Government should immediately either introduce detailed regulations for the protection of its public waters under section 8 of the Environment Ordinance or, preferably, it should introduce a specific national Water Quality Act which deals with matters such as discharge of wastes into public waters. Provisions should also be made for the licensing of dischargers, discharge fees and the periodic reporting of discharges by industries to the Government. Economic incentives should be extended for industries to introduce pollution abatement equipment which will treat their wastes before discharge. Tax write-offs and exemptions from customs duty might provide the necessary inducement to our industrialists.

The laws to eliminate Water Pollution in Pakistan, part 1

By

shahzadi

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The rivers of Pakistan, so significant to its history, are a vital source of life for its people and its livestock. They provide irrigation to our farmers and thereby contribute to the backbone of our agricultural development which is the mainstay of our existence. The rivers also provide drinking water and fish which are important in our food chain.

If solid action is not urgently taken to prevent the fast deterioration of the quality of public waters, the historic use of our rivers may become a part of the past. For, rampant industrial activity, indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides and the uncontrolled discharge of domestic wastes is spoiling the quality of our public waters. Industries discharge chemicals into canals and rivers. Such contaminated water is consumed for direct drinking by livestock and, sometimes, by human beings in several rural areas thereby placing the health of the consumers in jeopardy. Discharged chemicals also find their way into our irrigation system thereby contaminating the food cycle.

Because of the vital need to preserve clean public waters, most countries in the region have specific legislation on the subject. Clean Water Acts of several States provide for the classification of water categories, set quality standards for discharges, impose a licensing system therefore and peg licensing costs to the volumes of such discharges. Many of them impose discharge fees and thereby acknowledge the Polluter Pays Principle. In China, the payment of discharge fees is an important element in the carrot and stick policy aimed at introducing environmental controls. If, for example, a project instals, within a stipulated period, pollution abatement equipment which treats the industrial wastes before discharge into public waters, the entire discharge fee paid in preceding years is refunded to be spent for the betterment of the employees of that project. This has motivated many a Chinese industry to zealously work to introduce new technology that would reduce the harmful nature of its discharges.

Each time you throw a can, bottle, wrapper, piece of gum, or any kind of garbage into a lake, pond, stream, river, or ocean, you are causing water pollution. If we would all just dispose of all of our waste products properly, none of this would happen. Garbage cans exist for a reason.

Also, big factories and cities think that it’s alright to dump waste and garbage into the ocean. Different companies dump different wastes wherever they want. Even if they aren’t dumping garbage directly into the water, it will still eventually work its way down to a source of water in the Earth.

The water in the ocean is used for many different things that help us live. The major one, of course, is it supplies us with something to drink! With nasty polluted garbage water, we wouldn’t have anything healthy to drink.

So, the next time you take a walk on the beach or at the park, make sure you dispose of your garbage properly. Use a garbage can, not our planet.

There won’t be any existence of life without water.

Water pollution – the major global concern & threat hovering around, yet we overlook this!

Water pollution is about contamination of water bodies like seas, oceans, rivers, lakes and groundwater. 

It is caused by many-a factors and sources such as industrial effluents, chemical wastes, trash, fertilizers and above all hazardous & toxic fumes through industries, factories and vehicular sources.

Water pollution not only effects us but also damages the living organisms in water bodies.

Water pollution is nothing but direct release or discharge of pollutants into water bodies, without proper and adequate treatment removal of harmful compounds.

The world-wide survey by pollution agencies & experts shows an alarming cause of deaths and diseases due to water pollution. Indeed, it is pathetic that an estimated 700 million Indians have no proper toilets and approximately 1000 Indian children die due to diarrhoea diseases every day.  Furthermore, 90% of Chinese cities suffer from water pollution.

Water is said to be polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms and earthquakes also causes major change in water quality & ecological status of water.

Let us join hands to curb and restrict this threat – which we ourselves are responsible to an extent!

Indeed it is a 50:50 ration of co-operation and co-ordination of citizens & governments.

The Government should issue strict enforcements, regulations & directives to all industrial zones for them to manage and treat their sewage and waste-water.

Offloading and dumping manufacturing wastes in oceans, seas and lakes should be totally stopped.

Public awareness programs has to be implemented in usage of fertilizers and pesticides.

The vehicular emissions which have a profound effect on water bodies should strictly be dealt with the pollution authorities. The hazardous pollutants caused due to emissions should be curbed. All the vehicles should be put to strict pollution tests.

Let us a give a serious thought to this global concern – we have the solution, yet we fail to implement or practice.

Let us make our earth – a place to live!

First,the workers had to catch the otters.Then they washed off the oil with dish detergent.The teams worked hard to save otters.Many otters died,but thanks to the workers,many healthy otters returned to the sea.

POLLUTION

An important part of conservation is keeping our environment clean.Oil spills like the one  in Alaska cause pollution.When harmful chemicals make the air,water,or soil unhealthy or poisonous,it is called pollution.Besides accidental oil spills,there are other types of pollution that happen every day.

Cars and factories create air pollution.When car engines burn gasoline,they give off poisons that make the air dirty.Some of the smoke that comes from factories also pollutes the air.This type of pollution is harmful to plants and animals,including people.

Air pollution makes the air hard to breathe.It can hurt our lungs and sting our eyes.Sometimes pollution can weaken or kill trees and other plants.It can even wear away the stone in buildings.If this pollution gets into the water of lakes and streams,it can harm animal and plant life there.

Other kinds of water pollution can be caused by communities or factories dumping waste into oceans,rivers,and lakes.Waste includes things we don’t need anymore and want to throw away,such as garbage and harmful chemicals.Water pollution can kill plant and animal life and can make drinking water unsafe.

People use water for many things,for cooking,washing,or drinking.No matter what we use it for,it becomes waste water and has to be cleaned before we can reuse it in our homes.Some communities do not clean their waste.They may empty waste water directly into lakes,rivers,or the ocean.Wate can also pollute the soil.If people don’t get rid of home or factory wastes properly,the harmful chemicals can leak into the ground and poison our soil.

WHAT WE CAN DO

The problems of air,water,and soil pollution are not easy to solve.Many people are trying to find answers.Scientists are working on ways to cut back air pollution.They are inventing new car engines and new types of fuel that produce cleaner air.There are ways for factories to make less air pollution.Some harmful ones.Fctories that must use dangerous materials can use filters.Filters are like nets.They can catch the poisons before they get into the air.

Communities and factories can also help stop water pollution.They can stop pouring waste water into lakes,rivers,and ocean.Dangerous wastes from communities and factories don’t have to be dumped on the ground.They can be destroyed,made harmless,or cleaned and used again.If they must be stored underground,they can sealed in special boxes,so they don’t leak into soil.

• In large cities,some people’s jobs are to test the air each day.If it is very polluted,newspapers and radio and television stations tell people about the unhealthy air.Children,older people with breathing problems must be careful when air is very polluted.
• Often,the pollution in air cannot be seen,but it can be harmful enough to eat away stone.

Ruins of Indus Valley Civilization

Students of high schools can tell you what they have learned about some of the ancient civilizations of the world. In those days the globe was much different from what it is at present. People of Sumer or of Babylon have limited geographical knowledge. Architects of the Egyptian civilization have probably no idea about India or about the civilization of the Indus Valley. One of the greatest truths about these civilizations is that they all have wonderful days. Another thing is that they all have experiences of doomsday. Scholars do not hold unanimous views about the causes behind their fall.

We have also built up great modern civilization, the best of the civilizations humanity has ever developed on the earth. Should we allow our centuries-old civilization to be put into oblivion one day? One of the important differences between the ancient and modern civilization is that the modern one is all-pervasive and that it has no desire to leave any part of the globe away from its vibrant activities. Hence, there is possibility of getting an unborn proverb which may be read as ‘united we fall’. Yes, not a joke it is.

Who can say if we are to be or not to be prepared for the funeral march for water we will have tomorrow? Students of high schools can tell you that another name of water is life. And it is true.

We should be ashamed to learn that we have filled our ‘life’, that is, water with several kinds of pollutants. We have done so years after years and centuries after centuries. Presently the rate of polluting our water has been enhanced unbelievably. Rivers of different regions on either side of the hemispheres carry polluted and sometimes highly polluted elements. Pollution of our water has been caused mainly by industrialization and significantly by our habits. I am convinced that we can add to the longevity of our civilization if we change our habits when we use water.

Jamaica Bay Pollution

In cities and towns and also in great uptowns, municipalities or corporations supply regular water for the people. In every house there are water taps connected with water reservoirs through pipelines. It is important that we learn to turn off the taps when we do not require water for use. We can thus address crisis of water and at the same time less quantity of water will chance to get contaminating.

We should change some of our habits when we use toilet and sink. We allow everything to pass through the toilet and sink. For example, oils or paints. These substances play active role to pollute our water. We must resolve to stop this immediately.

The remains of a Laysan Albatross chick which was fed plastic by its parents resulting in death

We use toiletries and several cleaning agents for necessary purposes. We wash clothes and bed sheets and such other things of daily use. We make great mistakes in selecting the cleaning agents. It is hardly considered that the cleaning agents should be environment friendly. We should save our water from getting polluted through wise selection of cleaning materials.

Raw sewage and industrial waste flows across international borders New River passes from Mexicali to Calexico, California.

How many of us have adequate idea regarding use of fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides? Do we know what extent of damage is done by their use? These materials are allowed to run into our water bodies which, in course of time, poison what we take as water to drink or for other purposes. It is the high time when we must learn to plant more trees. We should make it our regular task. It is possible to plant a tree in a week or in a month or to plant a few trees in every month. We must take care so that they properly grow. Plants save water from getting contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers etc.

NUCLEAR WASTES DUMPING

We must swear that we shall never throw any dirt or waste substances into tanks, lakes, rivers and seas.
One more important point we must consider seriously. This refers to our search for nuclear power and our attempt to install nuclear plants in wider parts of the globe. People at the helm of power in the developing and developed countries are so crazy that they are mad with it in the recent years. They know better than we what radioactivity does mean. Nuclear wastes take 35,000 years to free it from radioactivity. Radioactivity has capacity to quicken our doomsday. We must raise our humble and determined voice against installation of nuclear power projects anywhere on the earth.