When contaminants are introduced into an environment, it can be termed as pollution. Introduction of these contaminants causes harm, instability, disorder to the environment it is introduced therein. We are faced with different types of pollution each day. Common ones are Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution soil pollution and littering. Although these kinds of pollution may not seem to be harming the environment but in long term they can cause disorder and can cause dramatic changes to the environment.
India is ranked as the seventh most environmentally hazardous country in the world. The rapid increase in our economy coupled with the rapidly increasing population of over 1 Billion is putting a strain on the environment, infrastructure, and the country’s natural resources. Industrial pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and land degradation are the main problems that we are facing everyday. Overexploitation of the country’s resources, be it on land or water, and the industrialization process has resulted in the environmental degradation of resources.
India’s environmental problems are exacerbated by its heavy reliance on coal for power generation and steel production. Apart from this, the lack of civic sense and proper infrastructures for garbage and waste disposal has been playing havoc on the environment. Garbage strewn over the country side and garbage floating in lakes, ponds, rivers and other water sources are common sights. The absence of proper infrastructure for waste water recycling or sewage water treatment plant has also led to sewage water and industrial wastes pouring into rivers and lakes. This leads to not only pollution of these water sources, but it also pollutes the ground water on which so many places are dependent as their daily water source. The Indian air is also so polluted by industrial and vehicular emissions that there has been a steep rise in complaints of chest and throat infections especially in metropolitan places which has seen a steep rise in vehicular traffic. But the most polluted cities in India are those places with industries estates and the conditions at these places are abysmal.
Pollution is a serious threat to everyone. It may act slowly, but the suffering is lasting and the damage is hard to rectify. Due to pollution the earth is becoming disturbed and we can already see the dramatic changes on its surface. From global warming to rise in respiratory diseases to increase in birth defects, all cause by pollution. Pollution is fast becoming the catalyst that’s taking life to the threshold of death. These harmful actions have changed Earth, and they continue to do so today and it is high time to act before all these damages become permanent.
