Microplastics in Ganga

Topics Covered: Pollution and conservation related issues.

Microplastics in Ganga:

Context:

Various stretches of Ganga have been polluted with Microplastics, a recent study has revealed.

• The highest concentration of such plastic was found at Varanasi, comprising single-use and secondary plastic products.

What are Microplastics?

Microplastics are defined as synthetic solid particles sized ranging from 1 micrometre to 5 millimetre (mm), which are insoluble in water.

Reasons behind this:

1. Untreated sewage from many cities along the river’s course.
2. Industrial waste and religious offerings wrapped in non-degradable plastics pile pollutants into the river as it flows through several densely populated cities.
3. The plastic products and waste materials released or dumped in the river break down and are eventually broken down into microparticles.

Why is plastic pollution especially harmful?

1. Plastic can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose depending on the type of plastic and where it has been dumped.
2. Some marine species such as zooplanktons show preferential ingestion of smaller particles, making them easier to enter the food chain and their conversion to fast-sinking faecal pellets.
3. Over the past few years, various news reports have shown that marine animals such as whales, seabirds and turtles unknowingly ingest plastic and often suffocate to death.

Impact on humans:

1. For humans, too, marine plastic pollution is harmful if it reaches the food chain. For instance, microplastics have been found in tap water, beer and even salt.
2. One of the first studies to estimate plastic pollution in human ingestion that was published in June 2019 said that an average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic each year.
3. Consumption of plastic by humans is harmful since several chemicals that are used to produce plastics can be carcinogenic.
4. Even so, since microplastics are an emerging field of study, its exact risks on the environment and human health are not clearly known.

India’s efforts to beat plastic pollution:

• More than 20 States and Union Territories have joined the fight to beat the plastic pollution, announcing a ban on single-use plastics such as carry bags, cups, plates, cutlery, straws and thermocol products.
• India has also won global acclaim for its “Beat Plastic Pollution” resolve, under which it pledged to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.

Insta Curious: 

Have you heard about the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML)?  Read here

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About Microplastics.
2. What is bioaccumulation?
3. What is good chain?
4. What are food webs?

Mains Link:

Discuss the challenges posed by Microplastics on human health.

Sources: the Hindu.