Essay on Pollution

Pollution is the mixing of harmful substances into our surroundings. It is one of the biggest problems of our time. Air is polluted by the smoke of vehicles, factories and burning waste, which causes breathing troubles. Water is polluted when sewage, chemicals and garbage are thrown into rivers and lakes, which spreads disease and kills fish. Soil is spoiled by plastic and by too much chemical fertiliser. Loud horns, machines and loudspeakers create noise pollution, which harms hearing and peace of mind. The main causes are careless use of resources, growing traffic and cutting of trees. We can fight pollution by planting trees, using public transport or cycles, saying no to plastic bags, saving electricity and never littering. A clean earth is our duty towards the children of tomorrow.

Nature has given us clean air to breathe, pure water to drink and fertile soil to grow our food. When harmful things are added to these gifts and make them unfit for use, it is called pollution. As cities, factories and vehicles have grown, pollution has become a danger to all life on earth.

Pollution is mainly of four kinds. The first is air pollution. Vehicles, factories, power plants, the burning of garbage and crop stubble, and firecrackers fill the air with smoke and poisonous gases. In many cities the air becomes unsafe in winter. Dirty air causes cough, asthma and diseases of the lungs and heart.

The second is water pollution. Sewage from towns, chemical waste from factories and garbage are poured into rivers, lakes and the sea. Even our holy rivers have not been spared. Polluted water spreads diseases such as cholera, typhoid and jaundice, and it kills fish and other water animals.

The third is soil or land pollution. Heaps of garbage, plastic that does not rot for hundreds of years, and the heavy use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides poison the land. The poison enters our food through crops.

The fourth is noise pollution. Horns, loudspeakers, machines and loud music disturb sleep and study. Constant noise can cause headache, high blood pressure and loss of hearing.

The causes behind all of these are similar: a growing population, careless use of resources, the cutting down of forests and our habit of using things once and throwing them away.

The government makes laws and sets limits, but pollution cannot be controlled without the people. Each of us can help. We can plant trees and look after them. We can walk, cycle or use buses and the metro for short and daily trips. We can carry a cloth bag and refuse plastic. We can put wet and dry waste in separate bins, save electricity and water, and celebrate festivals without smoke and noise.

The earth does not belong to us alone. We have borrowed it from the generations to come. If each of us changes a few habits, the air, water and land can be clean again.