POLLUTION CONTROL

POLLUTION CONTROL INTRODUCTION delivering the desired benefits in terms of resource conservation, the thrust has The enhanced pace of been shifted to pollution developmental activities and prevention and control rapid urbanization have throughpromotion of clean resulted instress on natural and low waste technology, re- resources and quality of life. use and recycling, natural The trend of increasing resource pollution in various accounting, Environmental environmental media is Audit and Institutional and evident from the deteriorating Human Resource air and water quality, higher Development. Togive effect noiselevels, increasing to various measures and vehicular emission etc. policies on ground, multi- Realising the urgent need for pronged approach is adopted arresting the trend, which includes stringent Ministry adopted policy for regulations, Development of Abatement of Pollution Environmental Standards, which provides for several Control ofVehicular mechanismsin the form of Pollution, preparation of regulations, legislation, Zoning Atlas for Spatial agreements, fiscal incentives Environmental Planning and other measures to including Industrial Estates prevent and abate pollution. etc. Further, realizing that conventional pollution control approachby treatment at the end of the pipe is not  POLLUTION CONTROL TYPES OF POLLUTION:  Something that makes the air dangerous to 1. Air pollution breathe. Air pollution means the  Potentially dependent on presence of pollutants in the the context. atmosphere is such concentration that causes Air pollution can be both injury to human being and indoor and outdoor as plants. follows: Air pollution is the name for  Indoor air anything that makes the air pollution: Indoor air dirty. Thus, air pollution is pollution is the pollution anything that contaminates of the air in enclosed the air and makes it harmful spaces such as our to breathe for humans, homes, shops, schools animals and birds. and other businesses. It can be caused by Of course, air pollution will numerous things, like depend on the context: some smoke from a domestic things may be counted as air fireplace or the emission pollution in some contexts, of gases inside a factory. but not in others. But, in sum, It can be controlled by air pollution can be defined using detectors to detect as: pollution within the  Anything that home or business and contaminates the air. then controlling emissions. Chimneys may be used but these can simply cause  POLLUTION CONTROL outdoor air pollution 2. Water pollution instead. Water pollution means  Outdoor air contamination of water with pollution: Outdoor air physical, chemical or pollution is the pollution biological properties of water of the air outdoors. It is due to discharge of industrial usually caused by the effluent or any other liquid, emission of polluting gases or solid substance into gases from the burning water which is harmful for of fossil fuels public health of commercial activities or in agriculture. Sources: Domestic waste  in industry, car exhausts water and dirty municipal and air travel. It can be waste or sewage are the chief limited by reducing the source of water pollution. emissions that we create in both homes and Effects: Water pollution has businesses, by reducing had effects on human life. our reliance on fossil Water are polluted in fuels and by traveling different sources such as by less by car and by plane. gases, dirty soil, minerals, humans’ materials, dead body Causes: Air mainly polluted of animals and other living by Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen organisms. oxide, Sulphur dioxide, etc. Example of air Solution: Water pollution can pollutants. largely be controlled by proper treatment of domestic and municipal effluents.  POLLUTION CONTROL Domestic water and sewage establishment and of homes can rightly be mixed with soil and homesteads, various which will increase fertility. types of chemicals and radio- The industries must not active left-over etc., mainly discharge toxic water in the cause soil pollution. land. Control: The very harmful 3. Soil pollution garbage and the unwholesome sweepings can Soil pollution mainly occurs be used to produce Bio-gas through agricultural and manure. Use of pro- chemicals. These are environment fertilizers and pesticides and fertilizers. insecticides in agriculture are These pesticides directly or to be restored to. Proper indirectly injure other precautionary measures are to animals and human being. be adopted while using the radio-active ingredients or Reasons: Land-ship, implements. volcanic eruption, very strong wind current, torrential Propagation of consciousness downpour, etc. are the natural regarding soil pollution and phenomena which may partly other such means may contribute to creating soil materially help top control pollution. The chief reason of land or soil pollution. soil pollution lies in the multifarious activities of man. 4. Radioactive Pollution The contaminated sweepings and all sorts of refuses and Radioactive pollution refers garbage of the industrial to the presence of unwanted and undesired radioactive  POLLUTION CONTROL substances that radiates Preventive ionizing radiation in the measures: Various environment and its preventive measures are surroundings. Such radiation being resorted to today is very harmful for the through the world for getting environment. rid of this terrible danger of radiation of radioactive Sources of Radioactive rays. These measures include: Pollution: Various types of atomic refuses are the main  Adoption of special anti- sources of radioactive radiation measures. radiation. The cosmic rays coming down from the outer  The atomic refuses must space are the sources of be shifted scientifically radioactivity. Again, the to any safe area of the radioactive elements lying environment for proper inside the earth are the interpolation. sources of the radioactivity  All people connected on earth. with radioactive Effects of radioactivity: The production or program influence of radio-activities must be made aware of on human beings has become the direct or indirect very harmful in the present adverse reaction of century. The effects of radioactivity. radioactivity are generally divided into three classes,  such as, instantaneous reaction, long-term reaction and a very retarded reaction.  Properly trained people should only be allowed  POLLUTION CONTROL to work the nuclear Loud speakers blaring film research centers and music during festive treatment centers as occasions and speeches at well. political rallies or some other obscure cause add to the  All people cacophony. The silence we so professionally connected desperately long for with any such project seem unattainable. must put on their special type of radioactive preventive costume. 5. Noise Pollution One of the greatest problems of modern times is the sound or noise pollution. It refers to the presence of excessive sound or noise in the Some of the effective and environment. It is often practical control measures harmful for human and for minimizing animal health. environmental pollution are outlined below: Noise pollution is caused by large industries, vehicles such 1. Combustible solid wastes as cars, buses and lorries, etc. should be burnt in Besides these, the periodic incinerators. This method sounds of hammering does not solve the problem in connected with some a real sense because in this, construction or repair work solid waste is being can be quite maddening. converted into gaseous  POLLUTION CONTROL wastes causing air pollution. communities. Besides, Unless it is properly aerobic biological treatment controlled, incineration may systems including trickling cause more nuisance. filters, activated sludge treatment and oxidation 2. Solid organic wastes ponds can also be used for including faecal matter and liquid wastes or sewage wastes from tanneries should disposal. be converted into compost manure at the places far away 5. Automobiles must be from the cities and human either made to eliminate use dwellings. The composting of gasoline and diesel oil or should be done in pits or in complete combustion is heaps adequately covered obtained in the engine so that with layers of soil at least 8- noxious compounds are not 10 cm thick to prevent fly emitted. The automobiles, breeding and rat menace trucks and other transport which are important carriers systems must have an of various diseases. antismog device. In some countries factories are using 3. Non-combustible solid devices like scrubbers, waste materials like ash, cyclone separators or rubbish, tins, glass pieces if electrostatic precipitators to not recoverable for usual minimize pollution. purposes should be disposed of by landfill method in low- 6. There should be cut back lying areas. in the use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and 4. Anaerobic septic tank other agrochemicals as far as treatment can be used for possible. individual houses or small  POLLUTION CONTROL 7. Excessive and undesirable 16. Legislation against burning of vegetation should pollution should be strictly be stopped. implemented. 8. Sponges and towels should 17. International action is be used in place of paper needed to deal with the towels and also the use of problems presented by highly paper cups and plates and toxic pollutants like lead, similar materials should be mercury, organ chlorine stopped. pesticides released in to the atmosphere and carried far 13. Shampoos, lotions and beyond the country of origin similar products should not as well as carried down to the be bought in plastic bottles. It sea by rivers. Successful has recently been suggested action to improve that use of plastic containers environmental qualities and glasses may cause depends mainly on the cancer. acceptance by industry and 14. Smoking should be local authorities of the need stopped (there is 5, 00,000 to reduce greatly both tonnes tobacco pollution quantities and annually). toxicity of certain wastes at 15. Proper attention should present being discharged into be given by the government the sea and the modernization to make people realize the and expansion of sewage implications of disposal systems. environmental problem, 18. Environmental education is the best programme to deal with the environmental  POLLUTION CONTROL problems. It is most (vi) Increasing participation fundamental in our efforts to and involvement of public. combat and control pollution, over-population and misuse (vii) A broad recognition of of natural resources. the facts that we are all responsible for helping to Environmental education solve environmental includes the following problems. objectives which are based on the major outcome of 19. Recycling of wastes and the 1975 workshop on sewage should be done. environmental education: The work on pollution (i) Awareness of the control and abatement problems. techniques is being carried out by Desalination and (ii) Providing knowledge to Effluent Engineering deal with the problems. Division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). (iii) Developing new attitudes There is special Directorate towards environmental for Radiation Protection problems. (DRP), an all-India (iv) Developing skills for organization, which keeps solving environmental watch on exposure of the problems. users or public at large to irradiation and provides (v) Providing development or proper instructions to users evaluation ability in these for using radioactive areas. materials. Besides these, a National Environmental Engineering  POLLUTION CONTROL Institute (NEEI) is 2. There should be specific established at Nagpur to standards for the use of execute studies on different agricultural chemicals such aspects of pollution. This as insecticides, pesticides and institute has regional offices, fertilizers. one each in Tamil Nadu, Calcutta, Mumbai, Delhi, 3. Action is necessary against Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur food adulteration, drug and Ahmedabad. One more control and against factories all-India organization, producing effluents. Industrial Toxicological 4. Department of Research Centre (ITRC), has Environment should be been established at Lucknow empowered for initiating which is concerned mainly legislative measures by the with the study of Parliament. Department toxicological and should have control of soil, environmental problems. air and water environment Action Committee of 68th and should maintain a strict session of Indian Science vigilance over metropolitan Congress held at Varanasi and industrial areas. There (1981) recommended the should be regular monitoring following points on of air and water quality. environmental Penalty should be imposed on management: offenders not adhering to set standards against air, water, 1. Immediate implementation noise and other sources of of acts against air pollution, pollution. water pollution and noise pollution. (Now these acts 5. Environmental protection have been framed). should be included in the  POLLUTION CONTROL concurrent list of temper of environmental constitution. problems in the rural and urban areas. 6. Government and voluntary agencies should be provided 11. Plantation of trees suited special incentives for to different climates should successful anti-pollution be adopted. Deforestation researches. must be legally checked. 7. Department of 12. Wildlife board and Environment should carry out Environment cell should be publications on health safety created in each state. Central and set directive criteria for and State Pollution boards different pollutants. have already been established. 8. Environmental education should be made compulsory 13. Recycling plants for in the curricula of schools, municipal wastes and sewage colleges and universities. should be established. In This has already been many cities it has already recommended by. The been implemented. Supreme Court of India in 2005. 14. Anti-pollution tax should be imposed on industries for 9. Mass communication discharging the effluents. media should be adopted for information related to 15. Reclamation of land to its environmental problems. original state should be the responsibility of the users. 10. Scientific societies There should be legislation NGOs, Associations and against violation for this. Academies should create a  POLLUTION CONTROL 16. Encouragements and endangered species should be incentives should be given to continuously renewed. voluntary movements as “Chipko movement” for the 21. Aero-biological centres protection of plants. should be established in different parts of India. 17. In agriculture, biological control of pests should be 22. Brick fields should be applied to replace wide use of prohibited by law near insecticides, pesticides and agricultural or populated fungicides. Biological areas. nitrogen fixation should be 23. Cleaning of choked lakes adopted. and rivers should be done 18. Several Biosphere regularly. Reserves containing 24. Different aspects of endangered or rare or alternative energy resources commercially important should be created as biomass, species should be established energy plantation, fuel energy as early as possible. etc. Social forestry should be 19. Gene Pool Reserves and encouraged. Gene Sanctuaries should be 25. A suitable agency should demarcated and protected in be established for their natural environment to conservation and monitoring preserve wild germ-plasm of marine resources and from extinction and providing protection against conservation. pollution hazards. 20. For conservation of flora 26. Satellite and space and fauna the list of technology may be adopted  POLLUTION CONTROL for weather forecasting, agriculture resource inventories and monitoring of air borne particles. 27. Airport areas should be separated to minimize pollution from noise. 28. Genetic counselling units should be established at different regions of India to monitor genetic disorders. 29. Scientific, administrative and social measures must be adopted to check pollution explosion. 30. At different levels of planning, the involvement of ecologists is essential. All programmes for development should be undertaken without or with the least disturbances to the natural ecosystem.