Environmental pollution has become a matter of grave concern and it is clear that the issue must be dealt with early in the 21st century, before it is too late. Nanotechnology is a promising discipline that shows promise of impacting diverse fields, including environmental pollution. In this chapter, various types of environmental pollution and the scope of nanotechnology in addressing these problems are discussed. The literature on the treatment, remediation and detection (sensors) of various environmental pollutants is surveyed, with focus on the timely detection of the pollutants. Cost‐effective strategies and niche approaches that offer good potential for application not only in real‐time pollution detection, but also in pollution treatment and remediation, are discussed.