Essay on Environmental Pollution by Team The WisdomPost & Sophia

Types of Environmental Pollution:
Environmental pollution is usually thought to be a reference to air pollution. However, it is a general term used to refer pollution occurring in air, soil and water as well as other forms of pollution such as the ones caused due to heat, light, radioactive materials and noise.
Causes of Environmental Pollution:
Each type of environmental pollution has its own set of sources, some of which can be easily identified while some may not be direct sources of pollution, though they may trigger the same. For instance –
Industrial waste – The waste generated from different industries is a major cause of water, air and soil pollution. The chemical waste from industries contaminates the water to such an extent that there have been instances wherein some regions of the world, people suffer from specific diseases due to the presence of contaminated water around them. Also, smoke or harmful gases such as sulphur, nitrogen and carbon released as residues from the industries get mixed with air and contaminate it.
Vehicles – Use of vehicles has become rampant and there has been a massive growth in the last decade. Though the use of vehicles has benefited us in a larger way, the emissions from the vehicles have led to a massive increase in air pollution. In fact, many cities in the world have been forced to chalk out strategies such as odd and even, where vehicles ply on odd or even days based on their registration numbers just to curb the growing air pollution in such cities. Also, the immense use of petroleum fuels has led to the depletion of fossil fuels from the soil further depleting the resources available to mankind.
Agricultural Waste – Due to the ever-growing population, the demand for agricultural products has increased manifold. This has led to the rampant use of pesticides and chemicals in order to increase the productivity. However, this practice has its share of effects on the environment. For instance, the cotton belt of Punjab in India has been boon for the cotton industry, but at the same time, people living in this region have been found to suffer from different forms of cancer due to the large use of pesticides and chemicals in this area.