Sources of Pollution on the Land Base & Coastal Base
- Sewage is released in the coast in many places around the world.sewage outlet image by Sam Smith from Fotolia.com
Sources of pollution from land and coastal bases vary around the world, depending on the country, population size and the intensity of human activities developed there, reports The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. However, domestic sewage is one of the most common land-based pollution to the sea in many countries, followed by agricultural and industrial sources. - Drastic changes in coastal habitats occur, due especially to the growing number of
human settlements. Pollution by sewage and domestic waste is the biggest and most damaging cause of environmental imbalance on many coasts. According to a document published by United Nations University in 2002, about 50 percent of the urban sewage in the world is directly released into the sea, without prior treatment. - Agriculture is becoming more dependent on artificial fertilizers and toxic pesticides, according to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The rain washes away nutrients and pesticides used excessively in the soil, which eventually end up at the coast. This causes many environmental problems such as eutrophication (high nutrient concentration), hypoxia(oxygen depletion) and shifts in the planktonic communities, which causes instability along the food chain.
- Factories transform raw materials into industrial goods, such as steel, paper and chemicals. Large industries produce great amounts of toxic and hazardous
wastes, such as lead, arsenic and chromium. However, small industries contribute to up to 50 percent of total industrial pollution in many countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, reports The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
