UNIT 2

• How do industries pollute the environment?

Industries have majorly contributed to the development and economic growth of India but
they also significantly contributed to the pollution of air, water, land and noise pollution. This
has massively led to the degradation of the environment.

Water Pollution

• Due to discharge of effluents, organic and inorganic industrial wastes into rivers, lakes have
led to the increase in water pollution.
• Major solid wastes in India are steel and iron slags, phospo-gypsum, fly ash.
• Water and soil pollution are closely connected.
• Garbage, salts, packaging, industrial effluents, harmful chemicals pollute the soil and make it
useless.
• Groundwater also gets contaminated when rain water percolates to the soil carrying the
pollutants.

Noise Pollution

• The negative impacts of noise pollution on humans are different physiological effects,
increasing blood pressure, increased heart rate, causes hearing impairment, causes irritation
and anger.
• A lot of noise is generated by pneumatic and electrical drills, saws, generators, factory
equipment, machineries, construction activities, industrial activities.
• Unwanted sound is a major source of stress and irritation.

Air Pollution
• Air pollution adversely impacts the atmosphere, plants, animals and humans.
• Bhopal Gas tragedy is one of the worst air pollution in the history of India.
• Air pollution has long term effects and is very hazardous.
• Air pollution is caused by the presence of a high proportion of undesirable gases such as
carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Airborne particulate materials contain both liquid and solid particles like mist, sprays, dust
and smoke.
• Smoke is emitted from small and big factories by burning fossil fuels, smelting plants,
refineries, brick kilns, paper and chemical factories.

Thermal Pollution
• When hot water is drained from thermal plants and factories into rivers, ponds before
cooling, thermal pollution of water takes place.
• Wastes from nuclear weapon production facilities, waste from nuclear power plants causes
many problems such as miscarriages, birth defects, cancer.
• Human population growth impacts the Earth
system in a variety of ways, including:

1. Increasing the extraction of resources from the environment. These resources

include fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), minerals, trees, water, and wildlife, especially
in the oceans. The process of removing resources, in turn, often releases pollutants
and waste that reduce air and water quality, and harm the health of humans and
other species.
2. Increasing the burning of fossil fuels for energy to generate electricity, and to power
transportation (for example, cars and planes) and industrial processes.
3. Increase in freshwater use for drinking, agriculture, recreation, and industrial
processes. Freshwater is extracted from lakes, rivers, the ground, and man-made
reservoirs.
4. Increasing ecological impacts on environments. Forests and other habitats are
disturbed or destroyed to construct urban areas including the construction of homes,
businesses, and roads to accommodate growing populations. Additionally, as
populations increase, more land is used for agricultural activities to grow crops and
support livestock. This, in turn, can decrease species
populations, geographic ranges, biodiversity, and alter interactions among
organisms.
5. Increasing fishing and hunting, which reduces species populations of the exploited
species. Fishing and hunting can also indirectly increase numbers of species that are
not fished or hunted if more resources become available for the species that remain
in the ecosystem.
6. Increasing the transport of invasive species, either intentionally or by accident, as
people travel and import and export supplies. Urbanization also creates disturbed
environments where invasive species often thrive and outcompete native species.
For example, many invasive plant species thrive along strips of land next to roads
and highways.
7. The transmission of diseases. Humans living in densely populated areas can rapidly
spread diseases within and among populations. Additionally, because transportation
has become easier and more frequent, diseases can spread quickly to new regions.
• Urbanization can impact the Earth system in a
variety of ways, including:
1. Causing habitat loss and deforestation, which can decrease species populations,
ranges, biodiversity, and alter interactions among organisms.
2. The evolution of life cycles and traits that help species survive and reproduce in
distrubed or altered ecosystems. For example, some bird populations living
in urban environments have altered their beak shape to be able to more effectively
eat the seeds in human-made bird feeders.
3. The transmission of diseases. Humans living in densely populated areas can rapidly
spread diseases within and, with the ease and volume of transportation, among
populations.
4. Increasing the transport of invasive species, either intentionally or by accident, as
people travel and import and export supplies in and out of cities. Urbanization also
creates disturbed environments where invasive species often thrive and
outcompete native species. For example, many invasive plant species thrive along
strips of land next to roads and highways.
5. Increasing regional temperatures. The use asphalt and other dark colored materials
in urban areas increases the amount of sunlight absorbed. This creates urban heat
islands, whereby cities experience higher temperatures than surrounding areas.
6. Paving land with concrete can increase water runoff, increasing erosion and
decreasing soil quality. This can also decrease water quality by
increasing sediment and pollutants in rivers and streams.
7. Changing how much and how fast water cycles through the biosphere and
atmosphere. Trees and other plants return a significant proportion of precipitation to
the atmosphere via a process called transpiration. Thus, the loss of
plant productivity and biomass decreases the amount of water cycling through
the biosphere and atmosphere, while increasing plant productivity and biomass
increase the amount of water cycling.