Pollution
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POLLUTION
N. Seshagiri
1
Nehru Bal PustuKalayu
nziuiAiwic_.LQ.wn
Pollution
N. Seshagiri
Illustrations: NBT Workshop, New Delhi, 1982
1984 (Saka 1906)
Reprint 1988 (Saka 1910)
Machine Age or Pollution Age?
© N. Seshagiri, 1984
Illustrators
Pages
Mickey Patel
Pumendu Pattrea
Syeda Iqbal Bano
Amitava Sengupta
32-33
Deepak Bagga
Suddhasattwa Basu
Manoj Miptry
Bishwajit Lahiri
1
4-5
9, 10, 14-15, 34-35,
40-41, 54-55
11, 18-19, 26-27,
36-37, 62
12-13, 20-21, 25, 29,
46-47, 50-51, 52, 56,
58-59, 60-61, 64,
3rd cover
30-31
42-43, 49
Coordination with illustrations
Taya Dayal
6-7, 16, cover
Published by the Director, National Book Trust, India,
A-5 Green Park, New Delhi-110016
l OR thousands of years the people of India held the river
Ganga sacred and worshipped her. The water of the Ganga
was considered so pure that our ancestors stored it in sealed
containers and, many years later, when a member of the family
was on his death-bed, the sealed vessel would be opened and a
few drops of the preserved Gangajal poured into his mouth.
Today drinking the waters of this river at certain places could
easily hasten one’s end, for the Ganga is nd longer pure. Along its
long course from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, numerous
factories have sprung up in the past few decades and many of
them throw their poisonous waste products into the sacred river.
This is also true of the Kaveri, the sacred river of the south. One
by one our rivers are becoming dumping grounds for poisonous
chemicals from factories, agricultural wastes, insecticides and even
acids.
But in even greater danger than our rivers are our lakes and
ponds. Srinagar’s famous tourist attractions, the Dal and Nagin
lakes, are rapidly being throttled by weeds—weeds that were not
there a few decades ago. The culprits for this state of affairs are the
hordes of tourists who throw the left-overs of their meals into. the.
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lakes’ waters. Fed on this sumptuous fare, weeds have multiplied
abundantly. Worse still is the case of the Loktak lake in Manipur.
This lake is choked with vegetation so dense that one can walk
over it. Many others like the Chilka lake in Orissa too are
threatened.
Even oceans have not been spared. More than half the oil
produced in the world is transported across oceans by ships and
oil-tankers. One part in a thousand of this is lost by spillage and
leakage. In fact, into the oceans encircling India alone is spilt
more than 1,000,000 tonnes of oil annually. Much of this oil will
not leave the ocean because unlike water it does not evaporate
easily and year after year it accumulates.
What is happening to the Ganga river, the Nagin lake and the
seas surrounding India, is typical of the fate of water resources all
over the world. This ‘spoiling’ of man’s water resources is called
‘water pollution’.
Water pollution is not the only serious problem facing
mankind. More dangerous is the poisoning of the atmosphere.
Take the example of Bombay, a heavily industrialised city with a
high concentration of factories. Every moment Bombayites
breathe air • containing so many
poisonous chemicals that ten per
cent more of them suffer from
asthma, bronchitis, coughs, colds
and headaches than citizens of
almost any other city or town in
India. Air pollution is the greatest
threat to our health in the future.
Factories
with
chimneys
throwing out smoke into the air
are not the only sources of this
air pollution; a major offender is
the automobile—cars, vans,
lorries
and buses. Smoke
belching from the exhausts of
lorries and buses is a familiar
sight, but did you know that the
vehicles of just five cities—
Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Madras
and Bangalore—spew daily into
the air we breathe more than
1,000,000
kilogrammes
of
smoke? How much is 1,000,000
kilogrammes of smoke? To give
you a rough idea, if 100 diesel
lonies throw out smoke for fiv§_
minutes continuously, together
they would produce only one
kilogramme of smoke! You can
well imagine the damage to your
health caused by 1,000,000 times that amount of polluted air!
Civilized man has been in existence for several thousands of
years. Yet, it is only in the last few decades that he has been
throwing out garbage and solid wastes to an extent which pose a
threat to his well-being. Daily, at least half a bucket of garbage—
left-overs of cut vegetables, empty polythene bags, paper, worn-out
clothes and a variety of other rubbish—are thrown out from an
average Indian household. In India, there are more than
100,000,000 families. They account for as much as 50,000,000
buckets of solid waste every day. In a year, nearly 20,000,000,000
buckets of these wastes find their way to garbage yards. If such
garbage yards are not provided, people throw garbage wherever it
is convenient for them. Just think how much filth we are spreading
around us.
We thus see that pollution has invaded all the three states of
matter we are familiar with—solid, liquid and gas. But new forms
of pollution are appearing. The most recent one is what is known
as ‘noise pollution’. If you live in a city, go to a nearby village. The
surroundings may appear to be too quiet. For those who have
lived in cities all their life, this silence may seem unnatural. If you
live in a village, take a trip to a crowded city. You will probably
feel strange because of the continuous noise everywhere. The
difference, in both cases, is due to the absence or presence of
noise pollution. A high level of continuous noise is harmful to our
nervous system.
Not only human beings but even plants, trees and animals are
affected by pollution. Petrol or diesel fumes from lorries, buses,
and cars contain certain chemicals which on coining in contact
with sunlight, are transformed into poisonous substances. These
poisonous substances can affect sensitive plants like tobacco, the
8
tomato, and potato, some varieties of beans and spinach, some
cereal crops and certain flowers. Smoke from factories
manufacturing plastic produce chemicals which injure cotton and
rose plants. Factories processing metal ore produce silver dioxide
which has destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of timber
plantations.
It is true that we have entered the glorious age of machines.
But unless we show more respect for the environment around us,
this may also turn 'into the dark age of pollution.
The Growing Ditch
rE take water for granted. We can get as much of it as
we want by turning on a tap, drawing it from a well or
taking it from a river. But water is precious. History has
been shaped by water. No civilization has prospered without
ample water around it. The Indus Valley Civilization arose on the
banks of the river Indus. Indian kingdoms flourished along the
courses of the rivers Ganga and Kaveri. In ancient Mesopotamia,
people waged war for control of the life-giving rivers Tigris and
Euphrates. When water ran out or became unusable, civilizations
died.
W
Are we taking enough care of this precious commodity? We
waste water and we pollute it. The case of Malappadu, a village in
Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh illustrates this. This village is
situated on the banks of the river-stream Chappadibagu. Less than
1,000 people known as Lambadas live here with their cattle. The
cattle drink water from this stream. Around 1977, this peaceful
village became the victim of a strange disease. The cattle
developed diarrhoea and within a- few days suffered paralytic
strokes. This was followed by more complications and ultimately
death. Scientists who investigated the disease found that the
stream was polluted with lead-based chemicals and the cattle had
died of lead poisoning. The Government of Andhra Pradesh
immediately ordered a nearby factory to stop poisoning the
stream.
The tragedy at Malappadu is a typical example of the poisoning
of rivers and lakes by irresponsible factory management. Industrial
waste products containing dangerous chemicals which may kill
cattle and even human beings are thrown into nearby lakes,
streams and rivers.
In Varanasi, a large oil refinery dumps into the sacred river
Ganga several tonnes of waste products. In addition, more than
10,000 litres of sewage are poured into the river. If the Ganga
receives such treatment, you can imagine the fate of rivers
considered less sacred!
We have already noted that the Dal and Nagin lakes in Srinagar-,
which were once ideal for boating, are now smothered with
waterweeds.
It is estimated that even before ad 2000 all the twenty-two
river systems of the U.S.A. will not be able to support any living
thing such as fish. In other words, these rivers will be biologically (I
„
dead if they continue to be polluted at their present rate. The I
situation in India will probably be the same within the next three
4
to four decades. The Chao-Phraya river in Bangkok and Pasig river '/'A
in Manila are hopelessly polluted. But what is happening today is ' '/
negligible compared to what is likely to occur in the next twenty Af
years if human beings do not help set matters right.
y p
We are slowly poisoning our world. Nature took thousands of -'tf
years to establish huge underground reserves of water which we 'I.
are irresponsibly using up. Thoughtlessly we are destroying the
beauty of sparkling streams and deep, blue lakes.
I A-
The Oceanic Blunder
"E feel that our supplies of water are inexhaustible.
Besides rivers and streams there is the immense
expanse of the ocean. But we don’t usually remember
that the world’s population is expanding so rapidly that the main
problem isn’t whether the water supply is running out but whether
people are outrunning the water supply. Usable water on earth
has definite limits. But the demands of a growing human
population on this supply is without bounds. We can illustrate this
by showing that the ‘infinite ocean’ is quite limited.
The heat of the sun evaporates 340,000 cubic kilometres of
fresh water from the ocean every year. In addition, 60,000 cubic
kilometres are derived from the land. Thus, at any time on an
average nearly 400,000 cubic kilometres of water are moving
between the earth and the sky. What goes up has to subsequently
come down as rain, snow and hail. This is called the ‘water cycle’.
This large mass of water, however, gives per human being less
than 200 cubic metres of water per day. And, human beings are
not the only consumers of water. Animals, birds and even insects
require a daily share of it. Water is used directly for drinking,
washing, etc. and also indirectly, for agriculture and industry. If we
W
do not plan the use of water properly we will soon be in trouble.
You may think that the area under the oceans is very large and
can take all the rubbish we may throw into it. Though the earth
has. about 12,000,000,000 cubic kilometres of water, the effects of
polluting the oceans is becoming evident.
The oceans are receiving the discharge of waste products in
increasing amount and variety. On an average an Indian every year
uses more than one tonne of fuel and two tonnes of mineral, food
and forest products. Nearly all of these materials, employed in
social, agricultural arid industrial activities, are dispersed above the
surface of the earth in different forms and ultimately a major
portion gets dumped into the ocean.
It is estimated that an average Indian contributes every day a
litre of untreated sewage which finds its way into the- oceans.
Scientist’s have investigated the chemicals polluting the ocean.
Several thousands of tonnes of poisonous mercury compounds
used as fungicides, which are initially injected into the
atmosphere, are transported by rivers and eventually find their way
into the ocean. Similar, too, is the case of lead used in special
■"'types of petrol and other fuels. Nearly seventy-five per cent of the
lead produced in automobiles is washed away into the ocean. This
is equivalent in quantity to the total amount dumped by nature.
We do not yet fully know the effect of mercury and lead on fish
and other living organisms of the sea. The real problem is that
mercury, lead and other poisonous substances go into the ocean
but are not taken out of it. These accumulate in the ocean year
after year. Several decades later, they may affect the flora and fauna
in the'depths of the ocean.
An important source of ocean pollution is petroleum. In the
time it takes you to read this page more than 2,000 litres of oil will
have been spilled into the ocean. Every year a few million tonnes
20
of leaked petroleum spread over the ocean. This has resulted in
the smothering of beaches in black slime, ruining the tourist trade,
killing thousands of sea birds and destroying fish harvests.
21
It is estimated that 1,000,000 tonnes of chemicals similar to
petroleum products are produced within the ocean. Thus, we„are
contributing as much petroleum to the ocean as nature itself.
An important item of man-made pollution in the oceans is
D.D.T. Chemicals are increasingly used in controlling insects and
other pests that affect crops. When D.D.T. is sprayed on plants, it
kills the pests and saves the crops. But the plant does not absorb
D.D.T. Most of it is washed away by rain. A good part of it
ultimately finds its way into the ocean. In the ocean almost every
living thing eats other living things and is in turn eaten by others
to form what is called a ‘food-chain'. At the base of this food-chain,
is the algae, a very small single-celled form of life. D.D.T. and
other insecticides are known to affect the food-chain and may
even affect the biology of the ocean because they are persistent
poisons that are almost impossible to destroy. Water, soils and
organisms in various parts of the world probably still possess all
the D.D.T. that has ever been used.
In the course of the evolution of life on earth, certain delicate
balances have been built and interdependences established. Every
living and non-living thing on earth affects and is affected by many
other living and non-living things. If any of these is greatly altered,
nature’s equilibrium will be upset and result in what is known as
an ecological disturbance’. The damage caused by man-made
pollution and its effects on the future of mankind are now being
seriously studied by scientists in a number of countries.
22
The Hidden Menace
N the first chapter we said that air pollution will be the
greatest threat to our health in the future. How can gases
from factory chimneys and exhaust fumes from automobiles
possibly pollute the vast atmosphere which extends for several
thousand metres above the earth? But as stated in Newton’s
Law of Gravitation, the pull of gravity rapidly decreases and so
does the density of air as one goes higher and higher. The first
five-and-a-half kilometres of the atmospheric envelope has as
much air by weight as the rest of the atmosphere. Suppose you
uniformly concentrate the entire atmosphere at its density found at
sea-level. Tire entire atmosphere will then compress to only 9,000
metres. Now you will realise that the atmosphere is not so vast as
to absorb indefinitely the exhaust gases from. automobiles and
factory chimneys all over the earth.
The menace of pollution has been caused by the growth of
industrialisation. You may ask„ why then are we setting up more
and more factories? Shouldn’t we produce fewer lorries, buses and
cars? There are no simple answers to these questions, for
industrialisation has also brought us great benefits.
With the development of science, our medical knowledge has
I
grown considerably. This has led to fewer people dying than those
being born, which in turn has led to an increase in population.
With more people, the necessities of life—food, clothes and even
drinking water—are required in greater quantities. As long as the
population keeps swelling we can live comfortably only by more
industrialisation.
We have to set up more and more factories to produce the
clothes we wear. We have to use more insecticides and fertilizers
and make a larger number of tractors to cultivate the land more
extensively and increase our food production. If more factories are
built, the demand for energy to run them also increases. For more
energy' to be produced, we have to bum more coal and oil.
You may have heard coal being called the ‘Black Diamond’ and
oil ‘Liquid Gold’. These descriptions are certainly appropriate as
both are prized fuels in producing the energy that is required to
run factories. Unfortunately, these valuable fuels are among the
worst offenders in the pollution of air. Over the past fifty years
nearly half the known reserves of coal and oil in the world have
been burnt. Industrialisation is taking place so rapidly that it won’t
be surprising if the remaining half is exhausted within the next
twenty-five years. You can imagine how much more pollution will
be caused! Thus the hazards to health caused by this hidden
menace may defeat the ultimate aim of industrialisation which is a
more comfortable life.
Have you ever visited a power generating station using coal or
oil? If you haven’t try to visit the one at Indraprastha Estate in
Delhi, that at Trombay in Bombay or some other. You will see
large clouds of smoke bellowing out of the chimneys. The power
generating station at Indraprastha Estate emits every month about
thirty tonnes of polluting gas per square kilometre around it. Do
24
you know what will happen if you are caught in a full blast of this
smoke for a long time? You may get a headache, feel dizzy, your
eyes will start flickering, your ears will ring, you may vomit, have
difficulty.in breathing or perhaps even become unconscious. This
is because the smoke produced is the dangerous gas carbon
monoxide.
Why does carbon monoxide affect us this way? Our blood has
a substance called ‘haemoglobin' which reacts with oxygen.
Unfortunately, it can also react with carbon monoxide. Even more
unfortunately carbon monoxide reacts with haemoglobin 200
times faster than oxygen. Let us suppose we breathe polluted air
which has only one part of carbon monoxide and 100 parts of
oxygen. Even then, our blood will haye twice as much carbon
monoxide as oxygen. This reduces the ability of our blood to take
oxygen and we could get any of the symptoms, from headaches to
26
unconsciousness, depending upon the extent to which our blood
can absorb oxygen
How is carbon monoxide produced by burning coal or oil? If
sufficient oxygen is present and if enough time is allowed for
burning coal or oil, the harmless gas carbon dioxide is produced.
However, when coal is burnt in a power station or petrol in the
engine of a car the burning is incomplete. This is because the
supply of oxygen is not adequate—enough time is not available
for ■ the burning. Such incomplete burning produces carbon
monoxide.
If carbon monoxide was the only menace, it would not have
been difficult to bring it below the danger mark but power stations
produce many other chemicals too. Half of all the silver dioxide
and nitrogen oxide come from them as do more than a quarter of
the soot panicles that float around in the atmosphere. And if
nothing is done to remedy the situation, it is likely that within the
next fifteen years the atmosphere will contain more than double
the present level of these dangerous chemicals.
India has enormous coal deposits, specially of low grade coal
in the eastern region. Inevitably, coal will thus continue to be the
major fuel in power generation even if it causes pollution. Since
what cannot be cured has to be endured, we should explore ways
of reducing the pollution in the atmosphere by cleaning the gas
flowing out of chimneys.
One of the ways of doing this is to completely bum the
combustible gases left half-burnt by power plants. Complete
burning converts poisonous carbon monoxide into harmless
caibon dioxide. Equipment known as The Flair’ can do this. As it
does not cost much, it is ideally suited for countries like India.
If equipment for fighting pollution is already available, why
28
hasn’t every' factory' installed it? The reason is rather complicated. A
tine life story' will explain this. In 1971, a new steel mill was
commissioned in America in Texas. The mill was near a major
wildlife sanctuary. In their desire to preserve the wildlife near
them the management invested about ten per cent of their total
cost on pollution-control equipment. The result was a pollutionfree factory. Everyone was happy' including the managers of the
wildlife sanctuary'. But within a few y'ears, the steel mill was in
difficulties. As a lot of money' had been spent to set up a pollutionfree factory; the price of the steel produced turned out to cost
more. Their competitors, who did not invest in pollution-control
equipment, could sell their product cheaper!
The only' answer is that the evil of pollution has to be fought
collectively' and regulations passed obliging all factories to invest
in pollution-control measures.
The other alternative is to discourage the use of coal and oil as
far as is practicable and encourage other methods of power
generation. Atomic power stations are a good alternative. This
power from the atom is the same power which is used
destructively in atomic bombs. It should really be used to generate
energy'. But it should be used carefully. Safe methods of throwing
away' radio-active wastes are essential. Another attractive alternative
is to tap energy' from sunshine. It is free from pollution. However,
solar power stations are still in the experimental stage and it may
be many' years before we adopt this method on a large scale for
the generation of pollution-free energy'. A great deal of research is
being done all over the world to develop devices that harness
natural forces such as the wind, tides and ocean waves for power.
32
Behind the Fumes
IME automobile is the second largest polluter of the
atmosphere and in some urban localities, is a far greater
danger to our health than the smoking of tobacco. In the
world there is an automobile for every' ten people. These
automobiles are responsible for the largest production of
poisonous carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The automobile,
however, is regarded as an important item of property' next only to
land and a house. So it would be almost impossible to stop the
making and using of automobiles just because they are a major
source of pollution. What we can do is to make them less
dangerous by fitting, them with pollution-control gadgets.,
If the automobile., owner spends about Rs. 2QQO/- on a
‘Recycler’, pollution can'be decreased substantially. Tfife gadge.t
gets rid of the poisonpus unburnt hydrocarbon compounds,in the engine. Though it cahnot fully eliminate pollution, it is che^p. Jhe
more the owner is prepared to spend,., the greater will be the
effectiveness of the poilutidn;contrQl . gadget. Another gadget
’ ' ■ invented a few years ago burns, hydrogen arid' carbon compounds
at very high temperatures using a blow torch. An efficient but
■ more''e?fpensive gadget called the ‘Muffler’ removes, ninety' per
‘d bent of the. pollution from automobiles-.
T
There are other substances released by automobiles which are
not only highly poisonous but also difficult to destroy. Lead is a
typical example. Lead is dangerous to human and animal life but
despite this a lead-bearing chemical is added to certain types of
high performance petrol. In the U.S.A. alone, the weight of lead
contributing to pollution is more than the combined weight of the
people in India and China.
Because of the high cost of pollution-control gadgets, many
automobile owners do not buy them. So automobile
manufacturers should be directed by the Government to fit them
in during manufacture. As a second step, an alternative means of
transport like electric trains could be used increasingly. As a
further step, owners of old automobiles should be persuaded to fit
in pollution-control gadgets.
The third major source of air pollution, roughly a fifth of the
total, originates from factory' chimneys. In contrast with the first
two—power generation stations and automobiles—industry
produces a wide variety of pollution-creating chemicals which
differ from one industry to another.
•1
I
;
.
_____
_
’
With growing industrialisation, the kinds of poisonous
chemicals which are released into the atmosphere are steadily
increasing. Some of these may affect the health of living matter, in
an unpredictable way. Many people in industrial towns are familiar
with corroded doors, windows and walls in their homes. If you
visit such a town, you can often smell the chemical pollutants in
the atmosphere. Those living there may not be aware of the Smell
because they are used to it.
Developing countries such as India, Thailand and the
Philippines have been caught in the spiral of industrial growth and
are not adequately conscious of the dangerous consequences of
pollution. In their large cities are becoming evident the horrors of
pollution similar to those of the cities of Europe at the beginning
of the century. Pollution in the textile city of Kanpur in Uttar
Pradesh is six times more than that of the famous cotton city of
Manchester in England in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
In Kanpur, the factories alone contribute as much pollution as that
from all the inhabitants. Bombay is another case in point. Within
the next twenty years, the number of factories in and around
Bombay will have increased threefold. But even today more than
1,000 tonnes of poisonous chemicals, soot and din are emitted
into the atmosphere over Bombay. In fact, the average level of the
oxides of sulphur present in the atmosphere over Bombay is more
than twice the safety level recommended by the United Nations
and some areas within Bombay crossed the danger level long ago.
We can only hope that our cities do not suffer the fate of London
in December 1952. That year, due to some peculiar weather
conditions, smoke accumulated for five days in the foggy' air. As
many as 4,000 people died in this smoke-infected fog. Bombay
may experience similar disasters if the present increase in
pollution is not checked soon.
We want to breathe clean air but every year we are burning vast
amounts of coal and oil which produce the equivalent of four
times each individual’s weight of pollution. Imagine the pollution
if power generation doubles by ad 2000! Within the next thirty-' to
forty' years the air we breathe, wherever we are on earth, will no
longer be safe. We are slowly' endangering life on earth.
38
The Dusty Future
STRONAUTS viewing the earth from a spacecraft circling the
globe have reported seeing a continuous blue haze over
-Central Africa, Brazil and South-East Asia, and a brown haze
of dust suspended over the Indian subcontinent, China, West Asia
and parts of Africa. Both are due to the thoughtless burning of
agricultural wastes and destruction of forests. This shows that the
rich industrialised countries are not the only culprits in causing
pollution. Recent investigations indicate that tropical grassland
fires and the burning of agricultural wastes contribute almost as
much pollution as do factories all over the world. There are
2,000,000,000 hectares of burnable land in the world in the form
of cultivated land, permanent meadows and pastures. These areas
are often subjected to seasonal burning. It is estimated that more
than 6,000,000,000 tonnes of agricultural wastes and other
vegetation are burnt eveiy year, and dust and soot is being
continuously injected into the atmosphere.
In the tropical savannah alone as much as five tonnes of
burnable agricultural waste accumulates for each hectare of
cultivated land. A number of countries, including many parts of
India, practise a ‘slash and bum’ clearing of rice crop wastes.
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Another important source of pollution are chemicals like
■D.D.T. D.D.T. has been in use for several decades. Such
insecticides are highly poisonous and can contaminate foodgrains.
Dust arid soot particles that float in air are together called
‘particulates’. Particulates may be man-made from industrial
’activities and agricultural burning and also thrown into the
atmosphere by nature during the eruption of volcanoes. Scientists
and meteorologists believe that an increasing concentration of
these particulates can change the climate of a country.
To understand how climate can change by man-made
— pollution it is first necessary to understand how climate was
affected by the eruption of major volcanoes in the past.
Let us go back a little in history.
In 1883, the Indian Ocean was rocked by a tremendous
explosion caused by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano
u ‘Krakatoa’. Reverberations were felt as far as Rodrigues Island, 5,000
kilometres away. This gigantic
explosion hurled several cubic
kilometres of ash and dust into the
atmosphere. Although much of this
came down very soon, a sizeable
quantity of the finer particulates
formed a huge cloud which floated
westwards. This dust cloud which
formed around 26 August, 1883, made
a complete circle of the earth by 10
September and then continued to
orbit the earth many times. During its journeys the cloud began
spreading and very soon the dust fanned out and almost covered
the entire globe. The atmosphere became somewhat opaque and
the rays of the sun were able to come through with less strength.
The earth’s climate is dependent on the rays of the sun, so the
weather in several parts of the world was noticeably affected.
Moreover dust particles floating in the atmosphere for a long time
over large areas will reflect more sunlight back into space. This
reduces the number of rays falling on the surface of the earth.
Energy from the sun is in the form of light. When it reaches the
in other forms
surface of the earth, it may be sent back into space i„
like heat. The dust cover in the atmosphere prevents a sma part
of the solar rays from coming in but the heat energy from tie
surface somehow finds its way into space in large quantities.
Therefore, the energy going out will be more than the eneigy
coming in, thus noticeably lowering the temperature. The eneigy
available in the atmosphere is manifest in the form of atmospheric
wind, ocean tides, the formation and precipitation of clouds and
cyclones. This energy may become less and less and thus affect the
weather. If this continues for a few years, it may affect the climate
(the long term trends of the weather) also. Though scientists are
certaii i that greater dust in the atmosphere influences weather and
climate they are not sure to what extent it does so.
Dust pollution is further caused by an unexpected source. In
recent times, human interference with nature has increased the
amount of dust thrown into the atmosphere by winds. Agricultural
activity is also responsible for big dust storms in the Great Plains
of North America. We in India are familiar with the dust storms
arising over the Thar desert which sweep dust to areas'as far off as
Delhi. This is believed to be the result of man-made changes in
the landscape like the over-grazing of grasslands by cattle.
Adding to the dust in the atmosphere are gases like sulphur
dioxide and hydrogen sulphide which are ejected continuously
from the chimneys of factories. They are also released by the decay
of vegetation and other biological matter. Although these gases
disperse in a few hours, yet within this time, the sulphur dioxide
■ reacts with ammonium to produce fine particles of ammonium
sulphide. These particles float in the atmosphere for a long time.
Thus we see that man is outdoing nature in contributing to a dusty
I future.
How Much is too Much?
"E inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. So do most
animals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects. On the other hand,
almost all forms of vegetation take in carbon dioxide and
give out oxygen. If the proportion of oxygen and carbon dioxide
in the air remains constant for a long time it means that plant and
animal life have come to an equilibrium regarding each other’s
existence. But what would happen if we increased the proportion
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Would it change the
equilibrium evolved by nature over millions of years?
What are the natural or man-made sources of carbon dioxide
which could increase its level in the atmosphere?
The atmosphere and vegetation exchange carbon dioxide
substantially. From the atmosphere it goes into vegetation. When
vegetation decays, carbon dioxide is released back into the
atmosphere. As carbon dioxide is taken in by vegetation in spring
and summer and released when it decays in winter, so the amount
of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere changes from season
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to season.
The role played by the oceans is also crucial. The ocean
absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, much more being
concentrated on the deeper portions than near the surface. It also
releases carbon dioxide. If the amount . of carbon dioxide
decreases, we may hope that the carbon dioxide released from the
ocean will compensate for it. But what would happen, if the
amount in the atmosphere increases rather than decreases? Will
the ocean absorb the excess carbon dioxide?
Despite a lot of research, there is no definite answer to this
question. Some scientists believe that even if the ocean absorbs a
part of the extra load of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it may
store it only temporarily and release it back into the atmosphere in
the course of time. Other scientists hold that the extra load will be,
by and large, transferred to vegetation and the ocean. If the first
theory' is correct, then carbon dioxide will be a major pollutant
about which we have to be very' careful.
Carbon dioxide is also absorbed into the ground from the
atmosphere for the manufacture of fossil fuels like coal and oil—
but only' a tiny fraction, one in 10,000 tonnes. However, when
these fuels are burnt the carbon dioxide released is more than
1,000 times that used during fossilisation.
The tens of thousands of years of nature’s hard work in the
forming of fossil fuels is being burnt almost completely within 100
years of industrialisation. At the present tempo, the next twentyfive years will see an alarming rate of release of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere. This may upset nature’s balance.
Even though carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere only
to the extent of 0.03 per cent, many scientists believe that it has a
definite influence over climate. Even if this claim is partly true, it
will spell disaster, if the amount of carbon dioxide is substantially
increased.
In fact it is believed that the level of carbon dioxide that was
present in the atmosphere during the Ice Age may reappear by this
process. We could be playing around dangerously with the earth’s
climate.
The Ozone Layer
ETWEEN heights of twenty' and thirty' kilo
metres from the ground the earth’s
atmosphere is covered by what is called
the ‘ozone layer’. A few kilometres thick, this layer
is spread over the entire globe and shields all
living things below from ninety-nine per cent of
the sun’s ultra-violet rays—rays beyond the violet
band in the spectrum of light. Without the
protection of this layer the full blast of the ultra
violet rays would reach the surface of the earth
and scientists have found that increased exposure
to ultra-violet rays can cause skin allergies and
even skin cancer in human beings and animals.
Moreover, scientists believe that the climate
on earth as we know it today is due to the ozone
layer. The destruction of this layer could create an
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effect over the earth very7 similar to the artificial heat in a green
house. A green-house’s roof allows in the sun’s light but prevents
much of the heat inside from escaping. Thus a green-house effect
over the earth would melt the polar ice and drastically affect the
climate everywhere. Many7 scientists believe that life on earth did
not evolve until after the ozone layer was formed.
It is, therefore, absolutely7 essential to protect the thin, sensitive
ozone lay7er. Three different scientific innovations are responsible
for releasing into the atmosphere the dangerous chemicals which
are destroying the lower part of the ozone layer.
Today more and more people are travelling either for business
or as tourists. They are impatient to get to their destinations and
demand faster and faster means of transport. The age of supersonic
transport (S.S.T., aeroplanes that fly at speeds exceeding that of
sound) came into being to satisfy this demand. The U.K., France,
the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. invested thousands of millions of dollars
in the development of such aeroplanes. Unfortunately, S.S.T. is a
source of pollution of the upper atmosphere. The exhaust from
the jet of these aeroplanes contains the oxides of nitrogen,
especially nitric oxide, which can destroy the ozone layer. Though
many countries are now considering banning S.S.T. flights over
their territory, not all are doing so. The effect may not be very
evident until a few hundred aeroplanes fly through the upper
atmosphere around the world. If so many aeroplanes are put into
operation there may be a very real threat to the ozone layer even
before AD 2000.
When nuclear' bombs such as those which destroyed the
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki explode, large
quantities of oxides of nitrogen are created. These rise into the
upper atmosphere and may reach the ozone layer. Pressure from
scientists has reduced the danger to the ozone layer from this
source. Almost all countries, except France arid China, have
stopped atmospheric nuclear explosions.
Another hazard to the delicate ozone layer is posed by aerosol
cans like hair-dye or perfume-spray containers. Besides the liquid
to be sprayed like the hair-dye or perfume these cans contain
certain gases like fluoro-carbon introduced at high pressure, to
help propel the liquid which is suspended as small particles in it.
When a button is pressed on the can, the liquid and gas combined
form a mixture called ‘the aerosol’. Hundreds of products have
come into the market based on the principle of the aerosol spray.
Scientists are campaigning with only limited success for the
banning of aerosol containers.
Scientists are worried about the safety of life on earth in the
next few decades. Short-sighted commercial interests oppose the
ban on the use of things producing ozone destroying chemicals.
Many of the effects such as the increase of cancer cases may not be
noticeable until about fifteen to twenty years later but the well
being of the new generation will be affected by the time they are
middle-aged.
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The Garbage Mountain
IHE biggest obstacle to clean living is pollution from solid
wastes. Do you know that, at present, all over the world,
people throw away 10,000,000,000 tonnes of solid wastes
annually? This may be something as simple as animal dung or as
complex as that created by scientific and technological advances—
plastic cans, glass bottles, polythene bags, paper, nylon and even
cars that haw become junk. If we pile these up at sea-level
conically with a base of one kilometre radius, the peak would be
higher than Mount Everest. So, we are creating at least one Mount
Everest of rubbish every year! Almost half of this is made of animal
dung and nearly a third of mineral and industrial wastes. The rest
is composed of left-overs from crops, household, commercial and
municipal wastes. The outer limit of the problem of solid wastes,
is the plight of Americans and Europeans who do not know what
to do with their discarded cars. The beautiful landscape of North
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Why is solid waste such a serious problem? For one thing,
every cubic metre of garbage can foster about 750,000 flies, not to
mention rats, mice, mosquitoes, cockroaches, etc. It becomes the
breeding ground for disease-bearing bacteria. Furthermore it
spoils the landscape and devours our living space. Every passing
day brings in more solid wastes which cannot be destroyed easily.
Today’s industry is greatly contributing to this menace. In the
market you get all kinds of things packed nicely in plastic bags.
After use, you throw away the plastic bag. Even if reused for
sometime, as soon as a hole or two appear in them, you throw
them away. The number of such use-and-throw items is growing.
The city’s garbage trucks carry away a fantastic mixture of
discarded things. The portion which stinks is the easiest to get rid
of. Much of the problem is posed by the synthetic stuff which
cannot be destroyed by any simple means. That is why these
things are called ‘non-degradable’. If you bury a nylon
handkerchief in the ground, you will find it a few years later in
almost the same condition. Nylon and other synthetic materials are
non-degradable. Bacteria in the soil which feast on garbage of
biological origin cannot eat synthetic materials. All over the world,
every year, we throw away 150,000,000,000 cans, 80,000,000 tonnes
of bottles and 150,000,000 tonnes of paper and plastic, creating
larger and larger mountains of garbage whose disposal we are
leaving to the future.
and other vehicles which are junk as there are families in India'
We are making this once beautiful planet of ours uglier and uglier
day by day.
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Children and Pollution
HE saddest pan of the pollution story is that the heaiin
of children is more affected by air pollution than, that-of
adults. Why is this so?
... ■
In children, more air is exchanged between the lungs and the
atmosphere than in adults. This is because children take part in
more physical activity. If more air enters their lungs so do .
proportionately more pollutants. In fact, young children inhale
twice the quantity of pollutants per kilogramme of body weight
than adults.
Moreover, many other air pollutants like lead are found at a •
level of one metre from the ground and not at two metres. This >
' means that children breathe air with more pollutants than adult/J
who are taller than them. In addition, when playing, children “W/
up dust on which pollutants have settled.
//[
Little children often put into their mouth things like/me j
coloured pages of comic books and painted toys. These ccAwiry
lead which enters their intestines. The effects of lead on healtiyanel
greater when there is a deficiency of vitamins, minerals a/dl
protein. This is often the case when children are growing /ip'
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These are just a few reasons why children are more affected by
pollution than adults.
Even at the present level of pollution, a few million children
under fourteen may have been exposed to health hazards. In a few
decades, pollution may result in chronic health disturbances. If
pollution continues to increase, by AD 2000 the number of
affected children may grow to several tens of millions. Tire
dangers to health due to pollution for children below fourteen
would be comparable to those faced by chain-smokers. Bronchitis
would be more common and carbon monoxide would affect their
nervous system.
The responsibility of some industrialists is obvious from a case
discovered several years ago. A chemical factory in Japan was
pouring its mercury wastes into Minamata Bay. All those who ate
fish from this bay got a tenable illness now popularly known as the
‘Minamata disease’. This is a strange ailment of the nervous system.
It killed many and crippled numerous others. Children were the
worst affected. Even unborn children in their mother’s wombs
were afflicted. The worst of it was that this particular factory had
been throwing out this poison into the waters for fifty years
without anyone being aware of the hazard. The danger is,
therefore, our ignorance of the poisonous materials around us.
The chemical pollutants which caused the Minamata disease are
all around us in small dosages. Mercury is used in thousands of
factories which manufacture plastics, paper, paints, polishes, etc.
Many such wastes get suspended in the air we breathe. It is
possible that some of us are already affected by mercury poisoning
without even being aware of it.
Lead is probably the worst of the air-borne chemicals affecting
the mental health of children. We learnt in an earlier chapter that
even the exhausts of automobiles throw up lead particles.
In the case of noise pollution too it is children who are most
vulnerable. Statistics have shown more child deaths near London
airport than in the rest of Britain and doctors feel that noise may
be responsible. Without doubt too much noise damages the
hearing and may lead to mental illness.
The effects of pollution are often evident at a considerable
distance from the place where the substance was first applied and
even a long time afterwards. In twenty years our water supply
could contain concentrations of nitrates originally applied as
fertilizer which could threaten the capacity' to carry' oxygen in the
blood of children.
We don’t seem to be aware enough that lack of action
concerning pollution is putting the health and well-being of a
whole generation at stake.
Fighting the Menace
NFORTUNATELY it is only recently that we have
begun questioning the wisdom of our ways. If by the
sweep of a magic wand we stopped contributing to the
pollution of air, water and land the world would be a happier and
healthier place. But such magic wands do not exist. To stop
pollution requires discipline and determination. It also demands
organized effort and Government regulation.
The example of the river Thames which flows through London
is worth mentioning. Around 1950 the river had become dirty and
smelly and so filled with poisonous chemicals from industrial and
domestic waste that it would not sustain any life. A decade later
consciousness of the damage resulted in regulations to restrict the
discharge of industrial waste and sewage into the river. Shortly
afterwards the level of oxygen in the water increased and fish
began to be found once again in areas where they had long been
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absent
. To help fight the menace of pollution, we can follow certain
simple do’s and don’ts in our day-to-day life. We must be able to
distinguish between degradable and non-degradable wastes. They
should only be disposed of in garbage-bins provided by our
municipalities. We must reduce the use of non-degradable
material like plastic bags and glass bottles. Let us help
organizations which recycle such material. If we buy a car, we
must insist on having pollution-control gadgets fitted in it. Our
farmers must not bum agricultural wastes recklessly. Aerosol cans
should be banned.
Our primary aim should therefore be to recycle and reuse
discarded materials, avoid waste and repair the damage we have
already done to our environment. It is our world. It concerns us.
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