Toxic, contaminating pollutants in the environment cause mayhem and introduce dangerous, non-biodegradable compounds into living spaces. Pollution is caused by these destructive chemical-laden poisonous substances. This essay on pollution crisis in metropolitan areas is ideal for students who are preparing for competitive examinations.
Population growth, environmental degradation, and climate change
For many millions of years, mankind has damaged the world around us. It has reached catastrophic levels today. As a result of a drastically reduced vegetation belt and high pollution levels, metropolitan areas pose a greater risk. Containing pollution is not possible, nor is it possible to reduce pollution levels using scientific means.
Automobiles are more prevalent in urban areas; factories and industries emit more pollutants; food is more likely to be falsified. Global warming has resulted as a result of a general increase in average temperatures. This has resulted in an increase in cancer and asthma cases, as well as an increase in acid rains. We’re polluting the air, the water, and the land, and it’s ruining our environment.
Farm Residues Burning/Incineration of farm waste
It doesn’t matter whether we’re driving to the outskirts of a city or not, we’ll see thick and thin clouds of smoke rising from tiny or large farmlands. It could be paddy straws or any other agricultural waste that is being burned. They are huge polluters. In addition, they can have a negative impact on our health. They have a high concentration of microparticles that might clog our lungs and cause respiratory problems. A large concentration of these micro-particles in the smoke from a residue burning operation could cause serious respiratory harm in the immediate metropolitan environment.
This type of smoke-emitting residue burning has extremely high levels of hazardous components such as nitrogen, phosphorus, etc. Because of the high potassium and sulphur levels, the soil top layers can be ruined in neighbouring areas as a result. As a result, even lush soils might become barren and unsuitable for cultivation over the course of a few decades. Soil pollution would be a logical place to place this concern.
As a result of the Air Crime of 1981, burning crops and farm leftovers is considered an inappropriate and penal act and can be punished in court As a result, farmers are able to carry on with their unscientific practises with little or no repercussion. There is a simple solution to this burning problem: find other places to store farm residues so that they don’t get burned.
Pollution Transportation in India
To youngsters, automotive pollution is like chocolate. Emissions from automobile exhausts contaminate the air, causing damage to the ecosystem. Animal and plant life are negatively affected, as is the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Carbon monoxide, hazardous nitrogen oxide, ammonia, excessive hydrogen, and sulphur dioxide are some of the motor or vehicle pollutants. People in metropolitan areas have become more adventurous in their vehicle selections as a result of economic emancipation.
Now, a tiny four-person family has four distinct automobiles for each member to use. It’s not a matter of necessity, but rather of luxury. Family cars are now polluting nearly four times more than they used to. For obvious reasons, the term “vehicle pollution” is widely used in urban settings. Our atmosphere can be severely damaged by greenhouse emissions.
Fuels such as gasoline and diesel emit toxic byproducts into the environment when they are burned. There is a long list of contaminants in the smoke from automobiles. Particulate matter can suffocate our lungs and cause serious diseases like cancer, therefore it’s important to keep it clean. The fuel that discreetly leaks from automobiles’ fuel tanks is highly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Because they are silent, they can deplete the atmosphere’s protective layers and amplify the greenhouse effect.
Improved Resource Management
When it comes to urban pollution, air pollution is by far the most prevalent and harmful. We can’t blame pollution on cars alone. Almost everything we use in our daily lives is made of plastic.
Plastic toothbrushes, plastic mugs, plastic pencils, etc. are all commonplace in our household. All of our lives are centred around the use of plastics. After being thrown away, plastic does not decompose and can pose serious health risks that cannot be remedied. Every year, we see dead whales washed up on the coasts of large oceans, their stomachs stuffed with tonnes of plastic. There are various alternatives to plastic that are more environmentally friendly.
Lighting and fans are often left on when we leave our rooms, resulting in energy waste. Every residence, whether in the city or the country, generates mounds of garbage every day. Using a scientific approach to waste disposal could eliminate soil pollution and encourage the development of improved methods for handling, processing, and disposing of garbage and other resources.
Paper is recyclable, but plastic is not. As a result, we can replace our plastic bags with paper ones. We must guarantee that paints, varnishes, and old batteries are disposed of properly. A failure to properly dispose of them could lead to increased pollution of your immediate surroundings or neighbourhood.
Pollution and National Income Loss
In addition to adding more items to our wardrobe, we should also be aware of the fact that we are contributing to the pollution problem in our environment by adding more items to our wardrobe. By not recycling and littering, we pollute the environment and diminish the quality of life for all people. We pollute the air and the water. Our industrial pollution adds trash and generates more devastation than we can imagine.” As a result of pollution, there are a number of associated expenditures that increase from time to time.
Taking a country’s GDP into account, the costs of pollution aren’t immediately recognisable. If we look at relative numbers, we can see that the same is true of our national income, as well. For example, every visitor that visited Varanasi and drank from the sacred Ganges River polluted or added to pollution. Plastic wastes or contaminated water sources could be the cause.
To clean up the river, it needed millions of crores of rupees until the pollution became unbearable. Taxpayer funds are used for this purpose. The national income is substantially impacted by pollution issues when there are so many sources of pollution at so many different locations. Pollution is exacerbated by environmental problems, and taxpayers’ money is drained by the need for massive relief monies for welfare programmes. To raise public awareness, citizens’ charters have emerged, and we should stop allowing this threat.
Reputation in the world
Urban environments are filled with pollution, filth and dirt, all of which we see on a regular basis. Whether at train stations, airports, or bus terminals, hygienic knowledge and consciousness are low. Visitors from other countries who are looking for business opportunities have to compete for space and greenery in a dirty and germ-filled environment. Because of pollution and environmental damage, our international reputation is often tarnished.
Risk of disease
One look at the grimy conditions that prevail in a slum neighbourhood will give you a sense of how filthy it is and how many diseases and life-threatening viruses and bacteria are thriving there. Pollution can cause a wide range of dangerous diseases in both humans and animals, according to the World Health Organization. Asthma and bronchitis are becoming more widespread in cities. Even younger generations are falling victim to it.
As a result, smoking in public areas is a common occurrence in cities. Smoking can lead to lung cancer. As a result of the high levels of pollution in cities, respiratory diseases are on the rise. Cholera and diphtheria are easily spread by waterborne pollutants. When children are mistakenly fed dirty water, dysentery is a regular concern. Mixing sewage with drinking water can trigger gene mutations and influence the specific production of progeny in humans.
As a matter of fact, consuming food with excessive quantities of adulterants and poisonous minerals or chemicals can lead to gastrointestinal problems and even incurable diseases. As a result of environmental pollution, we hear more and more about cancer-causing mutations.
World Health Organization (WHO)’s Annual Pollution Report
According to some of the most recent reports that have been published in India, there are a number of cities that are very polluted and pose a threat to their residents and their health. It’s no secret that Gwalior has one of the worst air pollution problems in the country. Aside from safety requirements, the WHO also sets acceptable pollution limits. Delhi, for example, has a far higher pollution level than these allowable thresholds of air pollution. As a result, there is a lot of harmful pollution in the air.
This list is slowly being populated by the Himalayan area and its neighbouring states as they transition from low to high levels of air pollution. An annual global report released by the World Health Organization collects research data from almost 3,000 Indian cities and then compiles it into a list of the most polluted cities. There are committees within the Indian government that are tasked with acting on this information and monitoring pollution levels.
Indian Cities Ranking in Polutted List
Many Indian cities have made it onto the list of the world’s most polluted cities. It’s more than simply a few; they’re a huge source of pollution. This is followed by Allahabad, Patna and Raipur in order. On the list is Delhi, which is a close second. Pollution from power plants and industries in these cities is at an all-time high.
Lists of polluted cities took into account air, water, and land contamination. To enforce standards, these cities need to address serious health issues and enact more effective regulations to reduce pollution. Pollution poses a number of different challenges and risks, including environmental degradation and the emergence of health issues.
Conclusion
Pollution has become a global concern in the last few years. All around us, pollution may be found: in our rubbish, sewage, and industrial waste from factories and enterprises. As a result of contaminants and their effects, human beings and all life on the planet are at risk. There are laws in place to keep an eye on the pollution levels. These laws aren’t strictly enforced. To combat pollution, the government has amended environmental laws and set up a special ministry for the environment and green tribunals. In India, pollution levels in urban areas are significantly higher than in rural areas.