Question
What does microplastics flowing into the river system
talk about our waste management? An analysis of the stretches of the river Ganga by Delhi-based environment NGO Toxics Link has revealed pollution by microplastics, defined as synthetic solid particles sized ranging 1 micrometre (μm) to 5 millimetre (mm), which are insoluble in water. The Ganga flows across five States and has been at the centre of a massive multi-crore undertaking by the Centre, in the form of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, to rid it off contamination. Microplastics are recognised as a major source of marine pollution. Untreated sewage from many cities along the river’s course, industrial waste and religious offerings wrapped in non-degradable plastics pile pollutants into the river as it flows through several densely populated cities. The plastic products and waste materials released or dumped in the river break down and are eventually broken down into micro particles and the river finally transports significantly large quantities downstream into the ocean, which is the ultimate sink of all plastics being used by humans. Essentially all along microplastics are flowing into the river system. It does reflect or suggest a direct linkage between the poor state of both solid and liquid waste management; hence it is critically important to initiate steps to remediate it. The study, ‘Quantitative analysis of Microplastics along River Ganga’ was based on an analysis of water samples at Haridwar, Kanpur and Varanasi. The highest concentration of such plastic was found at Varanasi, comprising single-use and secondary plastic products. The water testing was carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa. The samples were tested to identify the exact type or resin core and the results show presence of at least 40 different kinds of polymers as microplastics. The shapes and nature of the observed resins ranged from fibres to fragments, films and beads. Fragments were the predominant shape in all locations, followed by film and fibre. Microbeads were observed in Varanasi and Kanpur, while no beads were found in Haridwar. The most frequent size range observed in all the samples wasSolution
In the passage, it is mentioned that “It does reflect or suggest a direct linkage between the poor state of both solid and liquid waste management”
- A container contains milk and water in the ratio 7:5, respectively. It also contains 40 litres of sugar solution. If a certain quantity of mixture which co...
A mixture contains milk and water, where the difference between the quantities of milk and water is 20% of the total mixture, which is 180 ml. If adding...
In a 220 litres mixture, milk is 20% more than water. On adding (n - 6) litres water and (n + 6) litres milk, the milk to water ratio becomes 5:4. Find ...
In 100 litres of a mixture (milk + water), ratio of quantity of milk to that of water in a mixture is 5:3, respectively. (2x + 18.6) litres of milk and ...
A 420 litre mixture contains only milk and water in the ratio 5:2 respectively. If 'x' litre of water is added to the mixture, then ratio of milk and w...
640 litres of mixture ‘A’ contains milk and water in it. If mixture ‘A’ is mixed with 560 litres of mixture ‘B’ which contains water and sal...
A milkman mixes two types of milk, one costing ₹60 per liter and the other costing ₹90 per liter, to make a mixture. The final mixture is sold at �...
A 240-litre mixture contains only milk and honey in the ratio 5:3, respectively. If 'Q' wishes to increase the percentage of milk...
A mixture contains (3x + 60) litres of alcohol and (4x – 40) litres of spirit. 20% of the mixture is taken out, and some quantity of alcohol and spiri...
A container holds (p + 80) liters of juice and 'p' liters of water. If 60 liters of juice and (p/2) liters of water are added to ...
