Acid Rain

Acid Rain can be defined as a type of rain or fog which is acidic in nature.

Basically, Acid Rain occurs when hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) react with rain .Exhaust fumes and open-air burning release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. When these gases enter the environment, they mix with the pure rain water to form deadly chemicals & acids like carbonic acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Eventually, they form acid rain.

Acid Rain Causes

Mostly, Acid Rain occurs as a result of rising levels of pollution. Acid Rain is thus quite common in large towns and cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi, etc. This is due to the rapid industrialization and urbanization in these areas. However, acid rain and its effects are not confined or limited to these areas only; as the air blows it takes the hazardous chemicals along with it to far off places. Scientists also agree that the fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, when burnt are a major cause of Acid Rain. Thus, industries which use fossil fuels like the automobile industries, paper industries and chemical industries should minimize the emission of harmful gases, which will in return reduce the percentage of acid in the rain.

Adverse Effects of Acid Rain

Acid rain has many adverse effects which can be described as follows:

Lakes and rivers cannot sustain aquatic life when acid rain flows into the water. Acid rain affects the aquatic habitat of the ecosystem. The number and types of water animals and other aquatic plants that live in these waters decrease as the lakes, streams and other freshwater bodies become more acidic.

It also leads to a reduction in crop yields.

It causes massive damage to the forests and wildlife. When acid rain falls in forest areas, it releases toxic metals such as lead and zinc which cause the reduced growth of trees and plants. In this way, acid rain brings about reduced growth and the ultimate forest depletion.

Being corrosive in nature, it can cause extensive damage to the buildings and infrastructure. An example of an important building that has been corroded by Acid Rain is the Taj Mahal at Agra.

Acid Rain also affects human beings. Skin problems such as rashes and itching, hair loss and breathing problems are caused due to acid rain. Acid rain can also lead to heart and lung problems.

Due to acid rain, the poisonous metals seep into underground drinking water sources also, thereby making it unfit for human consumption.

Solutions to acid rain:

Most of the factories are required to be equipped with Scrubbers now. Despite being very expensive to maintain, they remove maximum amount of sulphur dioxide after the coal is burnt. In scrubbers, poisonous gases are sprayed with a mixture of water and lime; limewater, which make a substance known as Sludge.

Another solution to lake acidity is liming. Lime is very alkaline, so when poured into lakes, it clears out the acidity. The only problem with liming is that it is expensive and only a temporary solution.

Another solution is something called a catalytic converter, which is required for all cars, buses, autos and other road transport. The converter is mounted on the exhaust pipe forcing all exhaust to pass through it. The catalytic converter converts the gases like nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and unburned hydrocarbons into a cleaner air.