Title: In A Plastics World — On Safe Bottled Water
(The presence of plastics in drinking water must compel
drastic action)
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Plastics are now widely present in the
environment, as visible waste along coastlines, in lakes and rivers, and even
in the soil.
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The recent finding that microplastic
particles are found even in ‘safe’ bottled water indicates the
magnitude(volume) of the crisis.
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There is little doubt that the global
production of plastics, at over 300 million tonnes a year according to the UN
Environment Programme, has overwhelmed the capacity of governments to handle
what is thrown away as waste.
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Microplastics are particles of less than 5 mm
that enter the environment either as primary industrial products, such as those
used in scrubbers and cosmetics, or via urban waste water and broken-down
elements of articles discarded by consumers.
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Washing of clothes releases synthetic
microfibres into water bodies and the sea.
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The health impact of the presence of
polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and other chemicals in drinking
water, food and even inhaled air may not yet be clear, but indisputably these
are contaminants.
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It is heartening that the WHO has come
forward to commission a review of the health impact of plastics in water.
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Last December in Nairobi, UN member-countries
resolved to produce a binding agreement in 18 months to deal with the release
of plastic into the marine environment.
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The problem is staggering: eight million
tonnes of waste, including bottles and packaging, make their way into the sea
each year.
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There is now even the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch of plastic debris.
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India has a major problem dealing with
plastics, particularly single-use shopping bags that reach dumping sites,
rivers and wetlands along with other waste.
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The most efficient way to deal with the
pollution is to control the production and distribution of plastics.
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Banning single-use bags and making consumers
pay a significant amount for the more durable ones is a feasible solution.
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Enforcing the Solid Waste Management Rules,
2016, which requires segregation of waste from April 8 this year, will retrieve
materials and greatly reduce the burden on the environment.
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Waste separation can be achieved in
partnership with the community, and presents a major employment opportunity.
Conclusion
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The answer lies in changing the very nature
of plastics, from cheap and disposable to durable, reusable and fully
recyclable. There is consensus that this is the way forward.
United Nations Environment
Programme
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The United Nations Environment Programme is
an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities,
assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies
and practices.
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It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first
director, as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
(Stockholm Conference) in June 1972.
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Headquarters :
Nairobi, Kenya
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Head :
Erik Solheim
UNEP's main activities are related to:
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Climate change; including the Territorial
Approach to Climate Change (TACC)
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Disasters and conflicts
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Ecosystem management
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Environmental governance
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Environment under review
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Harmful substances
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Resource efficiency.
Vocabulary:
- Compel (verb) = Force to do something (मजबूर करना)
- Magnitude (noun) = Volume, quantity (परिमाण)
- Overwhelm (verb) = Overcome (पराजित)
- Scrubber (noun) = A brush or other objects used to clean something
- Discard (verb) = Get rid of sth as no longer useful or desirable (अलग करना)
- Inhale (verb) = Breathe in (साँस खींचना)
- Indisputably (adv) = In a way that can not be challenged (निर्विवाद रूप से)
- Contaminant (noun) = A polluting or poisonous substance that makes something impure(दूषित पदार्थ)
- Accumulation (noun) = The acquisition of something
- Induce (verb) = Succeed in persuading to something (प्रेरित करना)
- Aggravate (verb) = Annoy or exasperate (उत्तेजित करना)
- Stagger (verb) = Move unsteadily, astonish (लड़खड़ाना, चौंका देना)
- Debris (noun) = Scattered pieces of rubbish or remains (मलबा)
- Durable (adj) = Long lasting (टिकाऊ)
- Feasible (adj) = Practicable, doable (संभव)
- Segregation (noun) = Separation (अलगाव)
- Consensus (noun) = A general agreement (आम सहमति)
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