Acid Rain

Acid Rain refers to a mixture of deposited material (wet or dry) coming from the atmosphere having huge amounts of nitric acid and sulphuric acid.

In simple terms, it means the rain that is acidic in nature due to the presence of certain elements in the air which is aggravated by the pollution of cars and industrial processes. Acidity is determined on the basis of the pH balance of the water droplets.

Both natural and man-made reasons are said to play an important role in the occurrence of Acid Rain. Both volcanoes and decaying vegetation are the natural reasons for the release of gases that result in the formation of Acid Rain. However, the majority of gases come from man-made sources, such as fossil fuel combustion.

Acid Rain has alarmingly negative effects which can be described as:

• Acid Rain can cause various respiratory problems and make breathing more difficult.
• It speeds up the decay of building materials and the paint on them is more likely to peel.
• The acidity also wears down stone statues, making them appear older and reducing their value. For example, the Taj Mahal has had to face the ill-effect of Acid Rain on its structure.
• Acid Rain also releases excess aluminium into the soil around trees, which makes difficult for them to absorb the water. For example, in Germany, there is a place called the “Black Forest”, which received its name because acid rain caused the trees to drop their needles with the result that they simply turned to black trunks and branches.
• It may not seem as though Acid Rain is much of an issue, but it can cause disasters, more than that we can even imagine.

There are number of ways to prevent Acid Rain. But one way by which each one of us can stop it is by start adopting cleaner forms of energy, such as solar power, recycling of waste and use of electric cars. As we know, there are numerous attempts to clean the air, but the atmosphere is still a long way from being clean. If man becomes more careful about environment, the occurrence of Acid Rain can be minimised. But if we are not resolute in our attempts to reduce atmospheric pollution, we may eventually cause grave damage to all our natural resources, which would lead to the extinction of life on the Planet Earth