Everything humans do has residue. These residues are generally harmful to the environment and are called pollutants that spread pollution into the environment. Pollution spreads due to various reasons, and there are various ways of this spreading of pollution. To easily point out a source of pollution, the environmental regulatory agencies have recognized two categories,
- The point source of pollution
- Non-point source of pollution
Let’s get into detailed information on point and non-point sources of pollution.
What are point & non-point sources of pollution?
The point source and non-point source pollution are contrary to each other. The point source of pollution is the easiest one to point and track. As the name suggests, the point source of pollution that has a definite origin and can be traced back to it. On the contrary, the non-point source of pollution is something that can’t be traced back to its origin nor has a definite source of origin.
According to definitions by EPA or the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the point source of pollution enters into the environment through an identified confined place like sewerage system, drains, factory outlets, etc. Whereas, non-point source of pollution has no definite or confines place of pollutant carriage system. It mostly comes from various sources and gets mixed into the environment or water bodies, their natural agents like rainwater or snow. The pollutants from agricultural fields or abandoned mines, when washed away due to rain, get mixed into the water bodies and hence, create pollution.
The main difference between point source and non-point source pollution are
● Point sources of pollution have a definite path that carries away the pollutants. The drains, chimneys, and factory outlet, etc. carries the pollutants to a definite source. Electronics factories, paper factories, paint factories, etc. are pointed source pollution examples that create the most water and air pollution.
● Non-profit sources of pollution have no definite carrier. They get carried away with natural carries like water and air. The waste from fertilizers, when combined with rainwater, might create acids, which get carried away into ponds, lakes, and rivers, creating pollution. Some of the non-point source pollution examples are sedimentation, soil erosion, waste from livestock, water from agricultural fields, etc.
Types of non-point source pollution
Like point sources of pollution, no point sources are hard to identify. They are identifiable and are only carried away along with air, water, and human contact and get deposited in the water bodies or soil. The types of non-point sources of pollution could be the feces, bacteria-containing water, or water from the livestock flowing into the soil and then carried away into water bodies because of rains is a source of this pollution and contamination of water bodies. The pesticides and insecticide used in the crop fields get carried away due to rain into the water bodies; this is a type of no point source of pollution.
Types of point source pollution
There are various types of a point source of pollution, amongst which factory waste is an eminent contributor. There are various factories from simple to compound, and every factory has a little or huge amount of waste.
This pollutant/waste generally gets mixed either in the river or any water bodies, or they mix in the air. The factories like paper, electronics, etc. are the foundations of a point source of pollution. Even animal or livestock farms are also called the point source of pollution. The sewerage system of the household area, as well as the factories that lead to the water bodies carrying toxic chemicals, are the point source of pollution too.
Which of the following sources of pollution would be the most difficult to track and regulate?
From the above definition of the point and non-point source of pollution, is it clear that non-point source of pollution is the most difficult to track and regulate? This is because these sources of pollution are not getting in direct contact with the deposition spaces. They need to be carried away by agents like snow, water, and air.
The pollutants like waste from your houses, the way from agricultural fields the waste from abandoned coal mines, they don’t directly pollute the air or the water or the soil. When these pollutants mix with water, they get carried away with it and combine with fresh land, water, and air, making it polluted.
This is hard to regulate and identify because they are not carried away through any tunnel or sewage system or a chimney. These pollutants get combined with fresh air and water with natural agents, or sometimes humans carry it with them. The human shoe can be a source of pollutants that get transferred from one place to another and resulting in pollution.
This is your answer to, “Which of the following sources of pollution would be the most difficult to track and regulate?”.
Which of these sources of pollution is difficult to regulate?
The non-point sources of the portion are hardest to regulate and point out because they don’t flow from a specific point either and are carried through a specific carrier like drains or tunnels.
Non-Point & Point Source Pollution Prevention
There are always some preventive measures that we can take to care for our mother nature and prevent the environment from degradation. The primary task is to chalk out a better sewerage system from the factories. Keeping that in mind, every country has some rules and regulations laid down for factors that produce the point and non-point sources of pollution. Let’s learn below how to control point and non-point sources of pollution.
How to control Non-point pollution sources?
There are various ways to control the non-point source of pollution.
● Constructing a wasteland next to a factory or a livestock rearing factory can reduce no point source of pollution.
● A retention pond will help capture the sediments and contamination within the pond itself.
● Sediment fences made of fabrics will filter out the sediments, wastes from.
The water and hence help in the reduction of waste contamination in water bodies.
How to control Point source pollution prevention?
A better sewerage system and outlet can help prevent the source of pollution. Also, many countries have some rules set. They need to get their water checked before releasing it into the water bodies. Constructing sediment fences in livestock rearing factories will help filter out the sewage and reduce pollutants into water bodies.
