India has made much progress since struggling for its independence to today's IT revolution.While the progress is spectacular, it is also the genesis of many by-products which have contaminated the environment and have brought about adverse changes in the ecosystem. Such undesired and adverse impact on the environment around us that leads to its qualitative degradation is termed as pollution – an issue that threatens life all around us.

How and Why Does it Happen?

Modern progressive life in India necessitates use of many consumer and products. These are mass produced in factories to cater for the ever-growing demands. Most of such products are non-biodegradable that add waste and land pollutants. Various causes are:-

Industrial waste

• Hydro-carbons.
• Chemicals

House-hold & Societal/ CommunityWaste.

• Litter & Garbage

Garbage dumped in Bangalore

• Unmanaged, untreated sewage
• Electronic waste
• Automobile waste

Other Reasons include:

• Insecticides -Chemical agents fertilizers herbicides
• Plastic bags

• Deforestration
• Uncontrolled mining
• Land use imbalance, unplanned construction and irrational urbanisation
• Petro-chemical agents, anti-freeze/oils leaking from automobiles
• Disproportionate consumption and left-over wastes

How can we prevent it? 

• Adopting use of paper bags(or better still recycled paper, jute and yarn)
• Organic food- Go organic –adopt this as your lifestyle mantra
• Preferential use of bio-degradable products while discouraging non-bio-degradable products
• Avoid spilling petroleum/ synthetic oils on ground- use bins and trays instead
• Encourage tree planting events

• Proper waste management procedures for industrial waste disposal
• Simple measures such as planting a tree on birthdays & anniversaries
• Spread the word, educate others starting with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and seek participation/ responsibility from others too.