Synopsis:
1- The Importance of environment. The environment of the earth is great blessing for mankind. There are various activities in the environment.
2- Various technological process initiated by man disturb the ecological balance. It is a pity that it has never occurred to man that what he considers great technological break-through are serious threats to his environment.
3- Enormous damage done in the recent past. Much damage had not been done till the end of the last century. The rapid pace of technological development in the twentieth century has, however caused enormous damage.
4- Various causes of environment pollution. The smoke emitted from factories, insecticides, synthetic detergents, inorganic nitrogen fertilizer contaminate the air and water that we use. The dumpling of human refuse into rivers also contaminates the water used by us. The destruction of forests, erosion of soil, loss of wild life etc are other factors responsible for environment pollution. Pollution due to nuclear testing. Noise pollution.
5- How to check environment pollution. (i) There should be stringent laws to tackle the problem. (ii) Suitable public opinion should be built up. (iii) Scientific knowledge should used to keep the environment pure.
Earth is the only planet endowed with an environment. The thin cover of air and water that surrounds the earth, known as biosphere, protects and sustains life. Biosphere is a finally balance mixture of oxygen nitrogen carbon dioxide argan and water vapours. It has been maintained and established by the life-cycle of plants, animals and bacteria. Without the biological process that have gone on the soil for thousand of years, we could have neither coal,oil nor food crops. Without the photosynthesis activity of green plants, there would be no oxygen to support human or animal life. Similarly, for the supply of pure water we have to be thankful to myriads micro-organism in aquatic system as also to the action of plants and animals.
Man has always made use of his inventive genius to force nature to yield its secrets. He has made spectacular break- through and technology, firmly believing that sort of progress he is making is an unmixed blessing. He has seldom given through to the fact that the air he breathes, the water he drinks, or the food he eats could be exhausted.And so would be the rich raw materials which he makes the earth yield. He has always assumed the bounties of nature to be inexhaustible. There is little realization on his part that what he considers progress is seriously disturbing the ecological balance and leading to breakdown of the life-supporting system on the earth.
Nature has been suffering from the past several hundred years but the problem did not assume serious proportion so long as the damage was the contaminate and not beyond self-repair. These limits were exceeded with the he spectacular technological break-through accomplished during the recent years. The highly developed nations which benefited most from these break-through were the first experience by the environment diseases bred by advanced technology.
In Pakistan, the problem of environment pollution is related to increase in industrial activity which has brought along air, water and noise pollution. It would be worthwhile to discuss the causes of such pollution and to try and eliminate those which are well within our reach.
One of the chief air pollutants is smoke which arise from our factories and is harmful for our lungs. The increase in respiratory diseases may be attributed to the rising air pollution. Efforts Should be made to confine the factories and chemical laboratories to the outskirts of the cities. The unfortunate incident of gas leakage at Quetta which claimed so many lives and left so many people permanently handicapped was an extreme effect of air pollution. The ever rising number of heavy vehicle is adding to air pollution by constantly emitting foul smoke.
Water, that we just cannot do without is not free from pollution either. Human waste, animal-bathing, industrial waste etc. make water and unfit for drinking. It is not and not surprising to find diseases like cholera frequently spreading in the form of epidemics. Even major rivers like the Ravi have become extremely polluted, because of which it has become to essential to the clean its water at a great expense.
A new kind of Pollution that is acquiring serious dimensions is noise pollution. Loud horns from an exclusively large number of vehicle on road, loud-speakers, amplifiers, music system, etc. disturb the peace of the already tense modern man. Very loud sounds have impaired hearing in a large number of people and caused nervous problem in several others. it is quite possible to check this pollution by the use of silencers in vehicles, by playing soft music in prohibiting the use of loudspeakers etc.
Nuclear tests during recent years have played have havoc with our environment. The fall-out from these test his increased the incidence of a cancer and congenital diseases. Radiation from nuclear plants is also very dangerous from human health. The recently concluded Gulf War during which several oil wells caught fire and not only emitted dense smoke but also disturbed the temperature pattern of the region has a caused great damage to our environment.
In recent years, there has been an increasing realization of the gravity of the problem. The UN itself has been taking step to focus attention on this hazard. In fact the degradation of the environment is not merely the question of pollution but it embraces the whole concept of the quality of human life. The destruction of forests, the erosion of the soil, the neglect of lands, the loss of wild life, the accumulation of wastes,the plight of urban areas are some of the examples of degradation of environment. So are diseases, dirt, hunger, which is so vital to healthy human and animal life.
To meet the Situation in an effective manner, the anti-pollution laws have to be made stringent. Laws have to be passed banning the use of certain type of fuels and inefficient equipment. Enlightened public opinion can play a very useful role. More Scientist and technical expert should be employed to keep to the atmosphere and water supplies clean and healthy. Organic waste should be properly treated and processed. Soil nutrients can be produced from much of the human and industrial wastes. In the ultimate analysis, environmental pollution reduces itself to the question of reordering the relationship among the economic need of man and the biology of the planet. The basic need is to keep the environment clean and conducive to good health. We must stop abusing nature and develop an aesthetic sense to appreciate and preserve the environment which is a pre-requisite for living a happier and fuller life.
(Ecological - related to the environment; Contaminate - to make impure; Erosion - the process of wearing away; Stringent - strict; Myriads - numberless; Aquatic - related to water; Spectacular - remarkable; Bounties - blessing; Incidence - occurrence; Congenital - from the time of birth; Hazard - risk; Malnutrition - state of being undernourished; Nutrients - elements that give nourishment; Conducive - helping to produce.)
