POLLUTION
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment thatcauses instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the physical systemsor living organisms they are in.[1] Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light energy.Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances orenergies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they areconsidered contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Pollution isoften classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.
HISTORY Prehistory
Humankind has had some effect upon the environment since thePaleolithic era during which the ability to generate fire was acquired. Inthe Iron Age, the use of tooling led to the practice of metal grinding ona small scale and resulted in minor accumulations of discardedmaterial probably easily dispersed without too much impact. Humanwastes would have polluted rivers or water sources to some degree.However, these effects could be expected predominantly to be dwarfedby the natural world.
Ancient cultures
The first advanced civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China,Persia, Greece and Rome increased the use of water for theirmanufacture of goods, increasingly forged metal and created fires of wood and peat for more elaborate purposes (for example, bathing,heating). Still, at this time the scale of higher activity did not disruptecosystems or greatly alter air or water quality.
Middle Ages
The European Dark Ages during the early Middle Ages were a greatboon for the environment, in that industrial activity fell, and populationlevels did not grow rapidly. Toward the end of the Middle Agespopulations grew and concentrated more within cities, creating pocketsof readily evident contamination. In certain places air pollution levelswere recognizable as health issues, and water pollution in populationcenters was a serious medium for disease transmission from untreatedhuman waste.Since travel and widespread information were less common, there didnot exist a more general context than that of local consequences inwhich to consider pollution. Foul air would have been considered a
nuissance and wood, or eventually, coal burning produced smoke,which in sufficient concentrations could be a health hazard in proximityto living quarters. Septic contamination or poisoning of a clean drinkingwater source was very easily fatal to those who depended on it,especially if such a resource was rare. Superstitions predominated andthe extent of such concerns would probably have been little more thana sense of moderation and an avoidance of obvious extremes.
Official acknowledgement
But gradually increasing populations and the proliferation of basicindustrial processes saw the emergence of a civilization that began tohave a much greater collective impact on its surroundings. It was to beexpected that the beginnings of environmental awareness would occurin the more developed cultures, particularly in the densest urbancenters. The first medium warranting official policy measures in theemerging western world would be the most basic: the air we breathe. The earliest known writings concerned with pollution were Arabicmedical treatises written between the 9th and 13th centuries, byphysicians such as al-Kindi (Alkindus), Qusta ibn Luqa (Costa benLuca), Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi (Rhazes), Ibn Al-Jazzar, al-Tamimi,al-Masihi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ali ibn Ridwan, Ibn Jumay, Isaac Israeliben Solomon, Abd-el-latif, Ibn al-Quff, and Ibn al-Nafis. Their workscovered a number of subjects related to pollution such as aircontamination, water contamination, soil contamination, solid wastemishandling, and environmental assessments of certain localities.[2]King Edward I of England banned the burning of sea-coal byproclamation in London in 1272, after its smoke had become aproblem.[3][4] But the fuel was so common in England that thisearliest of names for it was acquired because it could be carted awayfrom some shores by the wheelbarrow. Air pollution would continue tobe a problem there, especially later during the industrial revolution,and extending into the recent past with the Great Smog of 1952. Thissame city also recorded one of the earlier extreme cases of waterquality problems with the Great Stink on the Thames of 1858, whichled to construction of the London sewerage system soon afterward.It was the industrial revolution that gave birth to environmentalpollution as we know it today. The emergence of great factories andconsumption of immense quantities of coal and other fossil fuels gaverise to unprecedented air pollution and the large volume of industrialchemical discharges added to the growing load of untreated humanwaste. Chicago and Cincinnati were the first two American cities toenact laws ensuring cleaner air in 1881. Other cities followed aroundthe country until early in the 20th century, when the short lived Office
of Air Pollution was created under the Department of the Interior.Extreme smog events were experienced by the cities of Los Angelesand Donora, Pennsylvania in the late 1940s, serving as another publicreminder.
POLLUTION POTENTIAL IN THE YAMUNA BASINNon Point Sources of Pollution
The diffused pollution originates mainly from the catchment areathrough movement of water. Pollutants originated from the topsoillosses include soil organic matter, plant residues, nutrient elements,organic chemicals, toxic elements and bacteria. Soil can retain, modify,decompose or absorb pollutants. The important non point pollution sources contributing to river Yamunaare: Agricultural pollution sources & Pollution due to in stream uses of water.
Agricultural Pollution
Agricultural pollution is contributed by following major sources: cattle,agricultural residues and Fertilizer & Pesticide use. The pollution loadgenerated through above sources may be contributed to the rivereither as point source or as non point sources. A large portion of generated agricultural pollution is subjected to phototropic food chainand consumed, hence never reaches to the river. Moreover, the cattleoriginated BOD load is mostly utilized by the rural population either asfuel or manure. The agricultural residues generated as waste in therural areas are subjected to saprotrophic food chain and hencedegraded naturally not contributing to the river pollution.
Pollution due to in-stream uses of water
The main sources of pollution caused by in-stream use of river waterare:Cattle wading, Bathing, Open defecation, Clothes washing.
Cattle wading
Both side banks of entire stretch of river Yamuna is occupied by therural areas. The main activities in these areas are agricultural andcattle farming. The cattle from local farms frequently visit the river forvarious activities especially for wading in the river water. This activityaffects the water quality through many ways. The faucal matter of thecattle contributed during wading directly increase the BOD andColiforms load of the river water. The cattle wading also contributevarious pathogens in the water, which may cause skin and otherdiseases, not only to the other animals but sometimes also to thehuman beings using river water directly or indirectly. The vigorousmovement and activities of cattle in the river disturbs the riverbed,where organic matter and other pollutants are settled in form of
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Pollution and Its Part
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| Upload Date: | 01/14/2009 |
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