Environmental pollution
Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 9 "Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems"
Meaning
Environmental pollution is the release of substances and energy from the waste of human activities into our surroundings. It harms living things and damages property. Geographers classify it by the medium, meaning what carries and spreads the pollutants. This gives four types: air, water, land and noise pollution. Each type has its own sources. Examples are burning coal and petrol for air, sewage and factory waste for water, garbage and pesticide residues for land, and traffic and machines for noise.
Example
Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh shows several types at once. Its tanneries dump waste into the Ganga, which is water pollution. Its traffic and factories also cause air and noise pollution.
Don't confuse with
- Pollutants: these are the substances that cause the harm, such as lead or sulphur oxides. Pollution is the harmful condition they create.
- Land degradation: this is a fall in land's ability to produce. Erosion or salt build-up can cause it without any pollutant being added.