Pollution comes in various forms including water, air, and soil pollution. Water pollution stems from effluent discharge from factories and sewage, posing health risks like cholera. Air pollution in Pakistan causes over 22,000 deaths annually from traffic and industrial emissions. Soil pollution arises from agriculture, mining, and nuclear waste. Mitigation strategies address specific pollutants and aim to strengthen regulations, incentives, and waste management.

1. Pollution Hazards
and its Mitigations
By Atif Nauman (University of Gujrat)

2. Outline
• What is Pollution?
• Pollution Types
• Water Pollution
i. Hazards
ii. Mitigations
• Air Pollution

3. Outline
i. Hazards
ii. Mitigations
• Soil Pollution
i. Hazards
ii. Mitigations
• Discussion

4. Introduction
• Definition: The presence in or introduction into the environment
of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

5. Pollution
The pollution depends on the Earth at several different levels
• Hydrosphere
Example: water
• Atmosphere
Example: air
• Lithosphere
Example: soil
• Biosphere
Example: living world
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

6. Pollution
 Pollution can be classified according to the medium which is
contaminated or where the contamination occurs:
• Water pollution
• Air pollution
• Soil pollution
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

7. Water Pollution
 In developed nations…
• Potable drinking water is readily accessible.
• Water used in households is treated to remove dangerous
pollutants.
• Pollutants enter water supplies several ways.
• Example: pollution from precipitation.
• Example: pollution from irrigation runoff.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

8. Effluent
• Definition: Wastewater from factories and refineries that is
released directly into urban water supplies.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

9. • Why is effluent a concern in waterways?
• May contain harmful by-products of manufacturing
processes
Example: washing of solvents in drainage systems
• May be in the form of heated wastewater from industry
Example: raising the temperature of aquatic systems
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

10. Sewage
• Definition: Polluted water that contains human waste,
garbage, and other household wastewater.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

11. Sewage
• In developed countries, sewage is treated with a system of
screens, filters, and chemicals to remove particulate matter,
organic matter, and other contaminants.
• Sewage processing in the United States
 80% of sewage goes through treatment processes
 10% of sewage goes through septic systems
 10% of sewage is untreated

12. Wastewater Treatment Facilities
• A by-product of the sewage treatment process is sediment,
called sludge.
• Historically, sludge was dumped into water bodies or taken
to landfills.
• Now, sludge is dried and then used for compost material or
as fertilizers in agricultural settings.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

13. Water Pollutants and Human
Health
• Most water pollutants can be dangerous to human
health.
Example: Lead in water supplies from pipes and pipe
solder may cause brain damage, especially in children.
• Untreated or untreated sewage discharges can also be
harmful to human health.
Example: microbes
Definition: very tiny pathogens, or organisms such as
protests, bacteria, or viruses, that cause disease.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

14. Water Pollution Hazards
Common water-related illnesses:
 Cholera
 Dysentery:
 Malaria:
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

15. Waterborne Disease
Outbreaks in Karachi
• Between 1971 and 1985, Karachi reported more
cases of waterborne disease than any other state.
• Karachi created the Safe Drinking Water Program
under the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) to oversee the public water
supplies.
• Mission: Evaluate and monitor the state’s water
treatment plants.
• Since 1990, a sharp reduction in waterborne
diseases has been recorded.
(Source: The News)

16. Air Pollution
• Causes of air pollution:
• Natural
Example: forest fires.
• Human Activities
Example: combustion of fossil fuels as energy.
• Major sources of air pollution remain industrial processes
and motor vehicles

17. Common Air Pollutants
Ozone (O3):
Found in Earth’s upper and lower atmosphere
Upper atmosphere:
Protects Earth from harmful solar radiation.
Lower atmosphere:
Pollutant that can cause (chronic) respiratory tract
infections, eye irritation, coughing, shortness of breath,
nausea, wheezing, and headaches.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

18. Common Air Pollutants
Carbon Monoxide (CO):
• Colorless, odorless gas.
• Formed from the incomplete combustion of fuels.
• Commonly found in automobile and industrial
emissions.
• Exposure to carbon monoxide includes symptoms such
as headaches, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms at low
levels.

19. Air Pollution Effect on Human Body

20. Air Pollution Hazards
 Allergy:
Reaction to the body to a foreign substance that, in similar amounts
and circumstances, is harmless to most other people.
 Asthma:
Disorder of the lungs in which airways tend to constrict, resulting in
episodes of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing, and tightness of the
chest.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

21. Air Pollution Facts about Pakistan
• Cleaning Pakistan’s Air’.
• Pakistan’s urban air pollution is among the most severe
in the world and it engenders significant damage to
human health and the economy.
• More than 22,600 adult deaths in 2005 were caused
in some way by urban air pollution. Outdoor air
pollution alone causes more than 80,000 hospital
admissions per year. Nearly 8,000 cases of chronic
bronchitis, and almost five million cases of lower
respiratory cases in children under the age of five.
(Source: Dawn News)

22. Air Pollution Mitigation
DEP: Bureau of Air Quality:
• Works with industry, businesses, schools, and communities to
reduce air pollutant emissions.
• Issues permits, regulates emissions, and approves air quality
plans.
• Enforces air quality by monitoring overall air quality.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

23. Air Pollution Mitigations
• Clean Mower Rebate Program:
• Goal: replace gasoline-powered lawn equipment with electric equipment
• Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program:
• Goal: provide financial assistance and information on alternative fuels and
vehicles
• Small Business Assistance Program:
• Goal: provide small businesses with information on pollution prevention
practices
• Drive Clean:
• Goal: ensure registered motor vehicles are properly inspected and
maintained.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

24. Soil Pollution
 Common Soil Pollutants:
• Pollution that contaminants all, or at least portions of land and
underlying soils.
Common soil pollution sources:
i. Agriculture:
Example: sediments, pesticides, herbicides, animal wastes, and
fertilizers resulting from poor irrigation systems and the improper
disposal of wastes
ii. Industrial Processes:
Example: release of toxic substances from industry, poor mining
practices, oil and gas well leaks, and underground storage tanks (Ex.
Love Canal, NY et. al.)
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

25. Soil Pollution
Soil Pollutants : Nuclear Wastes
• Radioactive waste is generated by industry and research facilities
Example: hospitals
• Two types of waste
o High- level waste (HLW)
o Low- level waste (LLW)

26. Soil Pollution
• Nuclear Wastes: High-level wastes (HLW)
• Highly radioactive.
• Remains radioactive for long periods of time.
• Found in nuclear reactor waste products and industrial gauges.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

27. Soil Pollution Mitigations
• A typical High Level Waste (HLW) or Spent Fuel (SF) disposal
concept includes steel canisters (1) containing waste (2) placed in
horizontal drifts (3), surrounded by a clay barrier made up of
blocks (4) manufactured from high-density compacted bentonite
and situated deep within crystalline rock.

28. Soil Pollution Mitigations
Nuclear Wastes: Low-level wastes (LLW)
• Low to moderately radioactive.
• Emit radioactive particles under decay is complete.
• Found contaminated clothing, filters, and paper, some glass item
used for medicine, manufacturing, and research, resins, radiation
gauges, and smoke detectors.
• A low-level waste facility has been proposed to isolate and store
waste material.
(Source: Environment Pollution: Hazards And Control
By R.D. Gupta)

29. Soil Pollution Facts about Pakistan
• Household waste generated in Pakistan by per house is
0.283kg to 0.613kg per day or by per house is 1.896
kg to 4.29 kg per day.
• In Karachi, one of the big cities in Pakistan, the waste
that is generated contains 8.41 per paper, 8.11 per
cent cardboard, 6.20 per cent plastic, 5.21 per cent
glass, 4.08 per cent & metal and 8.93 per cent
textiles.
(Source: Pakistan Environment Protection Agency)

30. Recommendations about Pollution
• More efficient use of energy.
• The use of less-polluting fossil fuels.
• Increased use of non-fossil energy sources, to
the extent that these are compatible with other
policy goals.
• The use of newer and environmentally more
benign combustion technologies.
• Stricter control of air pollutant emissions.