Acid rain possesses some truly disastrous impacts on the planet.

Acid rain, a result of air pollution, refers to a form of precipitation with low pH levels. It occurs when the emissions containing sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) react with the water molecules, oxygen and other substances in atmosphere, producing sulfuric acid and nitric acid. While acid rain mostly describes rain with acidic components, it can also include fog, snow, hail and dust. This falls to the ground causing several hazardous effects on us.

Soil: Acid rain contributes to soil pollution as it alters the overall chemical structure of soil. It decreases soil's pH levels killing numerous microbes living there. Also, the hydronium ions present in acid rain release toxic substances such as aluminium that get mixed with the soil. It also removes several essential minerals from the soil.

Water: The toxic substances that acid rain releases into the soil, get mixed up with the water in ponds, lakes and rivers in the end. The water becomes very acidic causing a threat to fishes and other aquatic wildlife. Also, acid rain enters the ground and pollutes the fresh water. This is causing a severe water crisis across the globe.

Forests: As acid rain damages the overall quality of soil, it's quite obvious that this also has a negative impact on the trees and plants. The aluminium released into the soil causes extreme harm to the plants. Also, as there's a lack of nutrients in the soil, the trees cannot grow properly and become unhealthy. The rain makes the forests very weak, restricting their ability to photosynthesis. As a result, the forests become vulnerable to various kinds of diseases.

Architecture: Acid rain causes huge damage to the architectural structures like buildings, monuments, statues, bridges and more which are made from marble, limestone etc. These stones get severely damaged after being reacted to the chemicals present in acid rain. This also damages the paint, making the structures appear dull. Hundreds of architectural structures (including Taj Mahal in India) across the world are sufferingfrom acid rain.

Human health: Millions of people globally die each year due to water related diseases, which are a result of acid rain. The small chemical particles present in acid rain enter our lung tissues and cause various respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis etc. It causes severe damage to the heart and digestive system. The acidic substances of this rain also affect our eye health.

Therefore, it's high time we should focus on finding solutions to prevent this phenomenon.