What is Pollution?

Pollution, we hear it every other day at school, college and read about it in newspapers. So what is it? Pollution occurs when pollutants contaminate the natural surroundings; which brings about changes that affect our normal lifestyles adversely. Pollutants are the key elements or components of pollution which are generally waste materials of different forms. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance in the environment. With modernization and development in our lives pollution has reached its peak; giving rise to global warming and human illness. Pollution occurs in different forms; air, water, soil, radioactive, noise, heat/ thermal and light. Every form of pollution has two sources of occurrence; the point and the non-point sources. The point sources are easy to identify, monitor and control, whereas the non-point sources are hard to control. Let us discuss the different types of pollutions, their causes and effects on mankind and the environment as a whole.

Types & Causes of Pollution Air Pollution is the most prominent and dangerous form of pollution. It occurs due to many reasons. Excessive burning of fuel which is a necessity of our daily lives for cooking, driving and other industrial activities; releases a huge amount of chemical substances in the air everyday; these pollute the air. Smoke from chimneys, factories, vehicles or burning of wood basically occurs due to coal burning; this releases sulphur dioxide into the air making it toxic. The effects of air pollution are evident too. Release of sulphur dioxide and hazardous gases into the air causes global warming and acid rain; which in turn have increased temperatures, erratic rains and droughts worldwide; making it tough for the animals to survive. We breathe in every polluted particle from the air; result is increase in asthma and cancer in the lungs. Water Pollution has taken toll of all the surviving species of the earth. Almost 60% of the species live in water bodies. It occurs due to several factors; the industrial wastes dumped into the rivers and other water bodies cause an imbalance in the water leading to its severe contamination and death of aquatic species. Also spraying insecticides, pesticides like DDT on plants pollutes the ground water system and oil spills in the oceans have caused irreparable damage to the water bodies. Eutrophication is another big source; it occurs due to daily activities like washing clothes, utensils near lakes, ponds or rivers; this forces detergents to go into water which blocks sunlight from penetrating, thus reducing oxygen and making it inhabitable. Water pollution not only harms the aquatic beings but it also contaminates the entire food chain by severely affecting humans dependent on these. Water-borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea have also increased in all places.

Soil pollution occurs due to incorporation of unwanted chemicals in the soil due to human activities. Use of insecticides and pesticides absorbs the nitrogen compounds from the soil making it unfit for plants to derive nutrition from. Release of industrial waste, mining and deforestation also exploits the soil. Since plants cant grow properly, they cant hold the soil and this leads to soil erosion. Noise pollution is caused when noise which is an unpleasant sound affects our ears and leads to psychological problems like stress, hypertension, hearing impairment, etc. It is caused by machines in industries, loud music, etc. Radioactive pollution is highly dangerous when it occurs. It can occur due to nuclear plant malfunctions, improper nuclear waste disposal, accidents, etc. It causes cancer, infertility, blindness, defects at the time of birth; can sterilise soil and affect air and water. Thermal/heat pollution is due to the excess heat in the environment creating unwanted changes over long time periods; due to huge number of industrial plants, deforestation and air pollution. It increases the earths temperature, causing drastic climatic changes and extinction of wildlife. Light pollution occurs due to prominent excess illumination of an area. It is largely visible in big cities, on advertising boards and billboards, in sports or entertainment events at the night. In residential areas the lives of the inhabitants is greatly affected by this. It also affects the astronomical observations and activities by making the stars almost invisible. Effects of Pollution 1. Environment Degradation : Environment is the first casualty for increase in pollution weather in air or water. The increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to smog which can restrict sunlight from reaching the earth. Thus, preventing plants in the process of photosynthesis. Gases like Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause acid rain. Water pollution in terms of Oil spill may lead to death of several wildlife species. 2. Human Health : The decrease in quality of air leads to several respiratory problems including asthma or lung cancer. Chest pain, congestion, throat inflammation, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease are some of diseases that can be causes by air pollution. Water pollution occurs due to contamination of water and may pose skin related problems including skin irritations and rashes. Similarly, Noise pollution leads to hearing loss, stress and sleep disturbance. 3. Global Warming : The emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading to global warming. Every other day new industries are being set up, new vehicles come on roads and trees are cut to make way for new homes. All of them, in direct or indirect way lead to increase in CO2 in the environment. The increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increases the sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas. 4. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is the thin shield high up in the sky that stops ultra violet rays from reaching the earth. As a result of human activities, chemicals, such as

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were released int to the atmosphere which contributed to the depletion of ozone layer. 5. Infertile Land : Due to constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil may become infertile. Plants may not be able to grow properly. Various forms of chemicals produced from industrial waste is released into the flowing water which also affects the quality of soil. Pollution not only affect humans by destroying their respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological systems; it also affects the nature, plants, fruits, vegetables, rivers, ponds, forests, animals, etc, on which they are highly dependent for survival. It is crucial to control pollution as the nature, wildlife and human life are precious gifts to the mankind.

Environmental protection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the natural environment on individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and technology, the biophysical environmentis being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been recognized, and governments have begun placing restraints on activities that cause environmental degradation. Since the 1960s, activity of environmental movements has created awareness of the variousenvironmental issues. There is no agreement on the extent of the environmental impact of human activity, and protection measures are occasionally criticized. Academic institutions now offer courses, such as environmental studies, environmental management and environmental engineering, that teach the history and methods of environment protection. Protection of the environment is needed due to various human activities.Waste production, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity (resulting from the introduction of invasive species and species extinction) are some of the issues related to environmental protection. Environmental protection is influenced by three interwoven factors: environmental legislation, ethics and education. Each of these factors plays its part in influencing national-level environmental decisions and personal-level environmental values and behaviors. For environmental protection to become a reality, it is important for societies to develop each of these areas that, together, will inform and drive environmental decisions.[1]

Approaches to environmental protection[edit]

Voluntary environmental agreements[edit]
In industrial countries, voluntary environmental agreements often provide a platform for companies to be recognized for moving beyond the minimum regulatory standards and, thus, support the development of [2] best environmental practice. In developing countries, such as throughout Latin America, these agreements are more commonly used to remedy significant levels of non-compliance with mandatory

regulation. The challenges that exist with these agreements lie in establishing baseline data, targets, monitoring and reporting. Due to the difficulties inherent in evaluating effectiveness, their use is often questioned and, indeed, the environment may well be adversely affected as a result. The key advantage [3] of their use in developing countries is that their use helps to build environmental management capacity.

[3]

Ecosystems approach[edit]
An ecosystems approach to resource management and environmental protection aims to consider the complex interrelationships of an entire ecosystem in decision making rather than simply responding to specific issues and challenges. Ideally the decision-making processes under such an approach would be a collaborative approach to planning and decision making that involves a broad range of stakeholders across all relevant governmental departments, as well as representatives of industry, environmental groups and community. This approach ideally supports a better exchange of information, development of [4] conflict-resolution strategies and improved regional conservation.

International environmental agreements[edit]

Many of the earths resources are especially vulnerable because they are influenced by human impacts across many countries. As a result of this, many attempts are made by countries to develop agreements that are signed by multiple governments to prevent damage or manage the impacts of human activity on natural resources. This can include agreements that impact factors such as climate, oceans, rivers and air pollution. These international environmental agreements are sometimes legally binding documents that have legal implications when they are not followed and, at other times, are more agreements in principle or are for use as codes of conduct. These agreements have a long history with some multinational [5] agreements being in place from as early as 1910 in Europe, America and Africa. Some of the most wellknown multinational agreements include: the Kyoto Protocol, Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

Government[edit]
Discussion concerning environmental protection often focuses on the role of government, legislation and law enforcement. However, in its broadest sense, environmental protection may be seen to be the responsibility of all people and not simply that of government. Decisions that impact the environment will ideally involve a broad range of stakeholders, including industry, indigenous groups, environmental group and community representatives. Gradually, environmental decision-making processes are evolving to [6] reflect this broad base of stakeholders and are becoming more collaborative in many countries. Many constitutions acknowledge the fundamental right to environmental protection, and many [7] international treaties acknowledge the right to live in a healthy environment. Also, many countries have organizations and agencies devoted to environmental protection. There are international environmental protection organizations, as the United Nations Environment Programme. Although environmental protection is not simply the responsibility of government agencies, most people view these agencies as being of prime importance in establishing and maintaining basic standards that protect both the environment and the people interacting with it.

Vark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Vark (disambiguation). Vark or varak (Sanskrit: ), is any foil composed of a pure metal, typically silver, sometimes gold,[1] used for garnishing sweets in South Asian cuisine. The silver is edible, though flavorless. Vark is made by pounding silver into a sheet a few micrometres thick, and backed with paper for support; this paper is peeled away before use. It is extremely brittle and breaks into smaller pieces if touched. Vark sheets are laid or rolled over some South Asian sweets. Edible silver and gold foils on sweets, confectionary and desserts is not unique to the Indian subcontinent; other regions such as Japan and Europe have long used precious metal foils as food cover and additive, including specialty drinks such as Danziger Goldwasser.[1] Vegetarian lobbyists claim that vark is commonly hammered between layers of animal fat or hide and is thus a non-vegetarian product. However, there are certain vegetarian options of varaq available in markets. [2] Like silver vark also there is gold vark in the form of gold leaf, gold flakes and gold dust.

Safety[edit]
Gold and silver are approved food foils in the European Union, as E175 and E174 additives respectively. The independent European food-safety certification agency, TV Rheinland, has deemed gold leaf safe for consumption. Gold and silver leaf are certified kosher.These inert precious metal foils are neither [3][4][5] considered as toxic to human beings nor broader ecosystem. One study has found that about 10% of 178 foils studied from the Lucknow (India) market were made of aluminium. Of the tested foils, 46% of the samples were found to have the desired purity requirement of 99.9% silver, whereas the rest had less than 99.9% silver. All the tested Indian foils contained on average trace levels of nickel (487 ppm), lead (301 ppm), copper (324 ppm), chromium (83 ppm), cadmium (97 ppm) and manganese (43 ppm). All of these are lower than natural anthropogenic exposures of these metals; the authors suggest there is a need to address a lack of purity standards in [6][7] European Union and Indian food additive grade silver. The total silver metal intake per kilogram of sweets eaten, from vark, is less than one milligram. Large quantities of ingested bioactive silver can cause argyria, but the use of edible silver or gold as vark is not considered harmful to the body, since the metal is in inert form (not ionic bioactive [5] [2] form), and the quantities involved in normal use are minuscule.

Etymology and origins[edit]

Varaka is mentioned in several ancient Sanskrit documents, particularly in Ayurvedic and medical [8][9] literature. Varaka means cloth, cloak or a thing that covers something else. The word varaka is [10][11] mentioned with swarna (gold), tara (silver) or rupera (silver) in these documents; the discussion is in three forms of these precious metals: patra (leaf),varaka (thin foil) and bhasma (powder). Ayurvedic documents consider silver as an antimicrobial astringent, while gold is claimed to be an [10] aphrodisiac. This is not unique to Indian subcontinent; in Europe, edible gold ( Aureum potabile) and

silver were also claimed to have medicinal properties; later studies found the edible metal foils to be [12] simply inert. Vark is sometimes spelled Varaq, varq, vark, varkh, varakh, varkha, or waraq (Hindi: ,Urdu: Hindustani pronunciation: [q]). The word is related to Arabic: which means a leaf, paper.
[13]

waraq,

Sare Jahan se Accha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Urdu poem. For other use(s), see Sare Jahan se Accha (disambiguation). Sare Jahan se Accha (Urdu: Hind or T n

) ; formal name: T n -e-i-Hind (Urdu: Anthem of the People of Hindustan"), is one of the enduring

patriotic poems of the Urdu language. Written for children in theghazal style of Urdu poetry by poet Muhammad Iqbal, the poem was published in the weekly journal Ittehad on 16 August 1904.[1]Recited by Iqbal the following year at Government College, Lahore, now in Pakistan, it quickly became an anthem of opposition to theBritish rule in India. The song, an ode to Hindustanthe land comprising present-day Bangladesh, India, and Pakistanboth celebrated and cherished the land even as it lamented its age-old anguish. As Tarana-eHindi, it was later published in 1924 in the Urdu bookBang-i-Dara. Iqbal was a lecturer at the Government College, Lahore at that time, and was invited by student Lala Har Dayal to preside over a function. Instead of delivering a speech, Iqbal sang Saare Jahan Se Achcha. The song, in addition to embodying yearning and attachment to the land of Hindustan, expressed "cultural memory" and had an elegiac quality. In 1905, the 27-year old Iqbal was still in his idealistic phase and viewed the future society of the subcontinent as both a pluralistic and composite Hindu-Muslim culture. Later that year he left for Europe for a three-year sojourn that was to transform him into an Islamic philosopher and a visionary of a future Islamic society.

Popularity in India[edit]
In spite of its creator's disavowal of it, Saare Jahan Se Achcha has remained popular in India for over a century. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have sung it over a hundred times when he was imprisoned at [6] Yerawada Jail in Pune in the 1930s. The poem was set to music in the 1950s by sitarist Ravi Shankar and recorded by singer Lata Mangeshkar. Stanzas (1), (3), (4), and (6) of the song became an [1] unofficial national anthem in India, and were also turned into the official quick march of the Indian [7] Armed Forces. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian cosmonaut, employed the first line of the song in 1984 [8] to describe to then prime minister Indira Gandhi how India appeared from outer space. Current prime [1] minister, Manmohan Singh, quoted the poem at his first press conference.

Saare Jahaan Se Achha Lyrics sare jahan se accha hindostan hamara hum bulbulain hai is ki, yeh gulsitan hamara ghurbat men hon agar ham, rahta hai dil vatan men samjho vahin hamen bhi, dil hain jahan hamara parbat voh sab se uncha, hamsaya asman ka voh santari hamara, voh pasban hamara godi men khelti hain is ki hazaron nadiya gulshan hai jin ke dam se, rashk-e-janan hamara aye ab, raud, ganga, voh din hen yad tujhko utara tere kinare, jab karvan hamara maz'hab nahin sikhata apas men bayr rakhna hindvi hai ham, vatan hai hindostan hamara yunan-o-misr-o-roma, sab mil gaye jahan se ab tak magar hai baqi, nam-o-nishan hamara kuch bat hai keh hasti, milati nahin hamari sadiyon raha hai dushman, daur-e-zaman hamara iqbal ko'i meharam, apna nahin jahan men m'alum kya kisi ko, dard-e-nihan hamara sare jahan se accha hindostan hamara ham bulbulain hai is ki, yeh gulsitan hamara

Vijayi vishwa tiranga pyaara Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humara Sadaa shakti sarsaane waala, Prem sudha barsaane waala, Veero ko harshaane waala, Maatru bhoomi ka tan-man saara, Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humara. Swatantra ke bheeshan run mein, Lakhkar josh badhein kshan-kshan mein, Kaape shatru dekh kar man mein, Mit jaye bhay sankat saara Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humaara.

Is zande ke neeche nirbhay, Rahei(n) swaadheen hum avichal nishchay. Bolo Bhaarat maata ki jay. Swatantrata ho dhyey humara Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humaara. Aao, pyaare veero! Aao; Desh- dharm par bali-bali jao Ek saath sab mil kar gaao, Pyaara Bhaarat desh humaara, Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humaara. Iski shaan na jaane paaye, Chaahei(n) jaan bhale hi jaye, Vishwa vijay karke dikhlaaye, Tab hove praan poorna humaara Jhanda uncha rahei(n) humaara, Vijayi vishwa tiranga pyaara.