Question

The headlines of a local newspaper read the following:

What could be the common cause for these tragedies?

• A. The industrial effluents were dumped into water bodies without treatment.
• B. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide combined with water and came down as acid rain.
• C. Combustion of wastes resulting in high carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere.
• D. Usage of harmful pesticides carelessly.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide combined with water and came down as acid rain.

• Power plants, combustion of fossil fuels, exhausts from vehicles , etc., release compounds like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air.
• These substances rise very high into the atmosphere and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants like sulphuric acid and nitric acid which precipitate as acid rain.
• The precipitated acidic impurities increases the pH of water bodies, making the life uninhabitable for aquatic organisms. The crops dependant on these rivers for water are also severely affected. It also causes a condition called marble cancer, i.e., corrosion or yellowing of monuments made of marble.