Speech on Marine Pollution: Causes, Consequences and Measure

Speech on Marine Pollution: Causes,  Consequences and Measure!

Marine pollution can be defined as, “undesirable changes in physical, chemical and biological properties of sea water resulting in harm to living resources and impairment of quality for use of sea water.”

Marine Pollution and Resource Degradation

Oceans play a vital role in the global environment. Covering 70 percent of the earth’s surface, they influence global climate, food production and economic activities. Despite this vital role, coastal and marine systems are being rapidly degraded in many parts of the globe. In coastal areas, where human activities are concentrated, pollution, over-exploitation of resources, development of critical habitats such as wetlands and mangroves, and runoff from poor land use practices have led to drastic reduction in near shore fisheries’ production.

Causes of Marine Pollution:

The following are the causes of marine pollution:

1. Domestic Wastes:

Domestic waste is the main sources of marine pollution which is dumped directly into sea water. Rivers also act as large- scale collectors and carriers of waste from diverse sources and off-load them into the sea. Move over, domestic wastes and sewage include many organic and inorganic compounds and biological compounds which cause marine pollution.

2. Industrial Wastes:

Industrial units set up at the banks of seashore discharge all their wastes into the sea. Industrial wastes also alter natural composition and quality of sea water by adding colour, odour and many chemical and biological agents to it which lead to marine pollution.

3. Radioactive Wastes:

Radioactive materials are also among the major risks of causing marine pollution. Now-a-days many countries of the world conduct their nuclear tests in oceans. These tests increase the quantity of radioactive materials in oceans, thereby polluting sea water.

4. Recreational and Other Activities:

Recreational activities such as boating in seas, diving, fishing, etc. are responsible for increasing pollution in oceans.

5. Oil:

Sources of oil pollutants are petroleum products, cargo tankers washing at sea, accidental spillage and oil refineries near coastal areas. Oil leakages from corroded pipelines which cross waterways also lead to oil pollution in sea water. Often oil tankers are involved in accidents on the sea and spill crude oil into the sea water, thereby endangering marine life.

6. Coastal Environments:

Coastal marine environments are showing signs of stress from increasing pollution from shipping and mining activities and unsustainable fishing practices. It is estimated that ten percent of the world’s coral reefs, which support about one-third of the world’s marine fish have been already severely degraded. If current trends persist, one third of the world’s reefs will be destroyed within two decades.

Social and Economic Consequences of Marine Pollution

The consequences of marine pollution are as follows:

1. Effects on Human Beings:

Marine pollution affects the human population in various ways:

(a) Greater incidence of illness due to consumption of contaminated fish and shell fish;


(b) Decline in marine fisheries production, and increased prices resulting in lower per capita consumption, especially of the poor people;

(c) Unemployment and social dislocation caused by the collapse of traditional fisheries;

(d) Decline in coastal tourism; and

(e) Waste management on land, particularly in rapidly growing coastal settlements.


2. Effects on Vegetation:

Marine pollution affects vegetation, which directly affects the organisms that depend on them.

3. Global Warming:

Sea water acts as a huge sink of carbon dioxide but its ability to absorb C02 gas is decreasing with an increase in pollution level of sea water. This results in higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in atmosphere, which is responsible for climate change and hence global warming.

Measures to Control Marine Pollution:

The following steps should be taken to control marine pollution:

1. Management of Fisheries:

There is a need to improve management of fisheries both capture and culture.

2. Effluent Treatment Plants:

There is a need to install effluent treatment plants and monitoring of coastal waters to prevent health related diseases.

3. Sustainable Waste Management:

It includes the following steps:

(a) Domestic waste and sewage should be treated before discharge in the sea; and

(b) Dumping of hazardous and toxic wastes should be banned.

4. Implementation of International Laws:

International laws should be strictly implemented. Moreover, nuclear testing in seas should be banned.

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