Causes, effects and measures to control maritime pollution.

Three quarters of the earth's terrain is surrounded by oceans. India itself is a peninsula, surrounded by oceans from three sides. The Bay of Bengal is to the east, the Arabian Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the south. In addition there are 5 major oceans in the world.

The oceans are an important place in terms of geographical and climatic conditions. At the same time, oceans are of great importance economically. Passenger and freight transportation through sea is done on a large scale. In addition, many kinds of marine fish, organisms, oysters, pearls and many valuable plants are obtained from the sea. The sea also has an immense stock of petroleum products. Needless to say, the sea is an important cornerstone of the economy. Seas are of utmost importance from a social point of view. At present, maritime boundaries are also under discussion for the protection of national borders.

Causes, effects and measures to control maritime pollution

There is no doubt that as the rivers meet in the sea, they carry everything brought with them into the sea. That is, domestic and industrial contaminated water, pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, urban and industrial solid waste, agricultural waste, nuclear waste, polyethylene etc. are finally found in the sea. It is estimated that about 30-35 million kilograms of plastic packing material and bags are dumped directly into the sea. While about 200 million kilos of plastic waste reaches the oceans through various rivers.

Marine pollution caused by oil leakage

The second major pollutant of the oceans is oil. Most of the oil is transported through the oceans. Due to their crash or leakage, a large amount of oil is dispersed into the sea. About 300 million gallons of oil are leaked into the sea every year.

80% of the waste received directly into the sea or through rivers, 10% by dredging, industrial waste and sewage sludge is 9%.

Most of the world's oil is transported by sea. Tankers and super tankers used in oil transportation cause a large amount of oil leakage during transportation. Also, during the excavation of petroleum oil on the beach, large quantities of oil are found in the sea. An estimated one tonne of oil leak occurs during sea transportation of 10 million tonnes of oil. In addition, with the advent of sea storms, the oil being transported in large quantities gets into the sea water.

The problem of oil leakage from ships in seawater or for any other reason is a serious environmental problem. Because once oil is mixed in seawater, it is almost impossible to separate it. Due to the low surface tension of the oil, it immediately spreads over the surface of the water. On the surface of the water it becomes a thin film.

Around 1.6 million barrels of crude oil in 1978 from a leak near the French Coast in the Amoco Cadiz tanker, 3.3 million barrels of oil from the Ixtock Eye oil well in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 and a sea storm on the shores of Shetland Island in January 1993. 6,80,000 barrels of oil have leaked into the oceans. Many similar incidents occur from time to time in the oceans, causing a large amount of oil leakage.

Effects of marine pollution

1. Lack of dissolved oxygen in seawater: -

As the amount of pollutants, especially organic pollutants in seawater increases, the amount of oxygen dissolved in water decreases. The reason for this is that as the microorganisms and bacteria present in the water eat the organic matter present as pollutants, as the number of them increases, the consumption of dissolved oxygen also increases and the oxygen dissolved in the water is less than the same intensity. Is. In fact, increasing the amount of organic matter in seawater naturally increases its BOD and BOD. Increasing the amount of oxygen dissolved in water reduces.

2. Impact on marine organisms: -

The leakage of oil in seawater creates a thin film of oil on the seawater surface, so that the atmosphere's air does not come into direct contact with the water surface, thereby reducing the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water. In addition, the detergents used to remove leaky oil also greatly affect the aquatic life of the sea. These chemical detergents are extremely toxic. Due to their aquatic organisms, these chemicals fall into the food chain. At the same time, they are also deposited in marine sediments. Many species of marine organisms are thus ending up becoming victims of detergents. These harmful chemicals get into the body of human beings when they accept sea creatures that eat detergent.

3. Impact on food chain: -

During marine pollution, they are reached through various physicochemical actions along the seafood chain or surface sediments of the pollutants. They also reach the food chain of humans through the absorption of pollutants by marine organisms or by their absorption by marine flora. Many toxic pollutants cause the death of marine organisms and flora and thus affect the ecosystem of the sea. It also has the opposite effect on marine biodiversity.

4. Other effects: -

In addition to the above, maritime pollution has a side effect on marine organisms. Many seabirds that depend on different organisms such as fishes, etc., are either killed by pollutants in the food chain or die by swallowing polythene bags found in seawater. Sometimes polythene bags are stuck in their neck and they die due to suffocation.

The most adverse effect of sea pollution is affecting corals found in the oceans. Sensitive corals are slowly eroding due to pesticides, weed destroyers, petroleum hydrocarbons, toxic metals and radioactive pollutants found in marine pollutants.

Control of maritime pollution

As we have discussed, all the rivers eventually merge into the oceans. The main cause of maritime pollution is the contaminated water and waste brought by these rivers. Domestic contaminated water is found in large quantities in oceans through industrial rivers through rivers. Therefore, it is clear that if the contaminated water of the river is cleansed before getting into the oceans, the pollution in the oceans can be reduced. For this, every industrial unit should set up a contaminated water treatment plant for proper treatment of industrial contaminated water. At the same time, proper treatment of domestic contaminated water from urban bodies is also necessary. Until the treatment of contaminated water is ensured, the problem of pollution cannot be controlled. Separation of industrial and domestic contaminated water, as well as other wastes transported through rivers, is required before being found in the sea. Marine pollution can also be controlled by monitoring maritime activities. To the extent possible, leakage of oil, etc. in the seas should be avoided. Proper arrangement should also be made to prevent nuclear waste from getting into the seas. Marine pollution can be controlled only by not understanding the sea as a dumping site, making it an integral part of a living ecosystem and preventing it from getting outside pollutants.

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