Water Pollution and its effects are one of the major crisis that India is dealing with and many other nations as well. Earth has been blessed with abundance of water resources to make life comfortable but unfortunately the life on earth is the reason of why now life is becoming difficult on Earth. 97% of water on Earth is contained in the seas and oceans that are saline in nature and thus that water cannot be put to use directly but other than that we are endowed with fresh water resources like rainfall, rivers, springs, lakes, glaciers and the like.
Still, why is that today we are suffering from water crisis? Why like India many countries do not have water to complete their basic necessities? We have abundance of water then why are people dying due to scarcity of water? The answer is shameful as the blame of water scarcity or water shortage lays entirely on us – the humans. Since the beginning of time, we are so busy exploiting the resources of Nature that we have forgotten that it will be us only who will have to suffer the consequences. With advancements in science, technology and industries, we have now reached new heights but if we look back, we are the generation who has exploited the earth the most and are still doing it. By talking about the Polluted Beaches – Reinforcing the need to fight Water Pollution, the aim is to look at the present condition of polluted beaches and fight water pollution in every possible way.
The root cause of water shortage is that the water present in fresh water resources are polluted to such an extent that they cannot be used. The biggest example and visible example of this can be seen in India. Be it the Indian rivers even the holiest of them like Ganges and Yamuna today are flooded with pollutants of various forms. Even the Indian beaches are becoming an example of portraying the level of water pollution in India.
Beaches are often associated with the holiday mood. As soon as one thinks of the beaches one has the image of scenic beauty, long beaches covered with sand, sunny weather and tides of the gigantic oceans. The whole image is very relaxing and happy. But unfortunately, during the last few years, this image of peaceful, soothing and cleansing beaches has eroded completely. India is a country that benefits to a huge degree from departments of travel and tourism and beaches have always been a favorite tourist attraction point. But with the current situation, beaches have become a place which people tend to avoid due to the large amount of water pollution.
Not only water pollution, land pollution has also become a threat to the Indian beaches. Be it the famous beaches of Goa or Mumbai, pollution caused by humans is now becoming dreadful for humans, animals as well as for the ocean itself. The coastal waters are becoming worse every day and the beaches are also polluted to a large extent.
The main cause of water pollution in any water body is caused by humans. We are careless when it comes to taking care of natural resources and we take them as granted. We throw a waste poly bag in the river thinking “the river is so big, what damage will a poly bag do” but the problem arises here itself. If all have the similar mindset and continue throwing their personal wastes, there will come a time that the amount of waste accumulated will be in much larger proportion than to the volume of water. Poly bags, sewage wastes, human excreta, dead and decayed human, animals and plants, chemicals directed into the water bodies by factories and industries are all major water pollutants. People enjoy their day on beaches, and then leave the waste on the coasts to be washed away by the sea into the sea. But it is the rule of oceans that whatever wastes it washes away with itself, it also brings it back on the shores and this is what the final result of our carelessness exampled by polluted Indian beaches and also of many other nations.
Some recent researches and reports have declared that the amount of waste discharges into the oceans are so excruciating for the ocean and the marine life to handle that they are suffering in the gravest manner. With the plastic and other harmful toxic wastes that are dumped into the oceans, the marine life is getting affected. Several species of fishes and plants are not able to survive in such a large amount of polluted water. Their habitat is under threat and if the current practice of polluting the water continues with same speed then there might come a time when oceans will have no life but just become a dumping area. Many types of fishes that are not able to survive in polluted water are dying at an alarming rate and this is upsetting the food-web of the aquatic life.
The harmful chemicals and toxins dumped in the ocean are also threatening the water quality. Fishes that inhibit in the polluted water bodies when consumed by humans are becoming the source of many dangerous diseases like skin cancers, infections and the like. The presence of Faecal Coliform which is causing a number of diseases and is a major factor that affects the oxygen balance in water has now reached to such a large number that the water has become very harmful. The scenic beauty of the sand covered beaches is now been replaced by beaches covered with poly bags, waste, bottles and smelling awfully bad. This whole conversion of picture is the resultant of what humans have done to Nature.
When there was a time when beaches meant refreshing air and clean water today beaches are stinking like sewage and the water is becoming a breeding ground for many diseases. It is high time for the authorities and visitors to take an active role in preservation of beaches and maintain cleanliness. By taking proper care not to pollute at the individual level and also by coaxing the government to take strict actions against those who disrespect the laws, we can all bring a change in the condition of beaches.
