Unit 4
Social issues and the environment
Sustainable development is not a new concept. It means living in harmony with the nature in full recognition of the needs of all other species. It is no just “the survival of the fittest”, we must help even the weakest of the species to survive because each species has a role to play that is ultimately beneficial to the earth and all its human population. Our forefathers preached us the need to coexist with the environment in a balanced manner. The needs of the people in different parts of the world may be different, but our dependence on the Nature is similar. The most important thing to remember is that we have only one earth and if we destroy it by our actions, our children will not have a place to live.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Any development activity can be sustainable, if it is “.. a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential, and to improve their quality of life, in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life support systems”. In short, if we care for the comfort of the present generation only and do not think of the needs of the future generations, and we damage the environment by various development activities, these activities will be termed as unsustainable. In taking every action, small or big, the possible damages to the environment must be given full consideration and the action must not leave behind a degraded environment. Technically, sustainable development is defined as a path of development in which no permanent and irreparable damage is done to the environment and the resources are kept intact for the future generations. The earth has everything for each generation, but it depends on the proper use. The present generation can survive very well on the resources available, but they must also leave behind enough resources for the future generations. It is necessary that a sustainable development path do not have any negative factor that is responsible for causing adverse impacts on the environment. A sustainable development programme is friendly to the ecosystem in all respects and has the capacity to absorb abrupt changes of the present and the future. Sustainable development has also a strong element of socio-political development. Thus, sustainable development programme must have equal concern for all sections of the society with a balanced economic development and environmental protection.
A wide range of human activities affect water availability and quality especially in areas with a high population density, concentrated industrial activity and intensive agriculture.
Only a small fraction of the world's population has access to tap water that is suitable for drinking. In the European Union, this service is taken for granted, and it is forgotten that this is not the case everywhere. The indicators selected by the panels of water experts will give a comprehensive description of the pressures imposed on quality and availability of water resources and of the success of environmental policy to reduce them.
The prevention of over-exploitation of ground water and surface water for drinking water or industrial or other purposes;
The prevention of pollution of ground water from diffuse sources; and
A better ecological quality of surface and marine water.
The indicators formulated by the Scientific Advisory Groups for the policy field Water Pollution & Water Resources go into more detail: nutrients, overuse of ground water resources, pesticides, heavy metals and organic matter are listed as the most important pressures on water. A more general indicator "wastewater treated" is also included as a measure of the efforts invested in the protection of water quality.
Water conservation can be defined as:
Any beneficial reduction in water loss, use or waste as well as the preservation of water quality.
A reduction in water use accomplished by implementation of water conservation or water efficiency measures; or,
Improved water management practices that reduce or enhance the beneficial use of water. A water conservation measure is an action, behavioral change, device, technology, or improved design or process implemented to reduce water loss, waste, or use. Water efficiency is a tool of water conservation. That results in more efficient water use and thus reduces water demand. The value and cost-effectiveness of a water efficiency measure must be evaluated in relation to its effects on the use and cost of other natural resources (e.g. Energy or chemicals).
The goals of water conservation efforts include as follows:
Sustainability. To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate.
Energy conservation. Water pumping, delivery, and waste water treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy. In some regions of the world over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management.
Habitat conservation. Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating water flow, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructure.
Rain water harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can make an important contribution to the availability of drinking water. It can supplement the subsoil water level and increase urban greenery. Water collected from the ground, sometimes from areas which are especially prepared for this purpose, is called Storm water harvesting. In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water source. Rainwater harvesting systems can be simple to construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater may not be potable and may require treatment before consumption. As rainwater rushes from your roof it may carry pollutants, such as mercury from coal burning buildings, or bird faeces. Although some rooftop materials may produce rainwater that would be harmful to human health as drinking water, it can be useful in flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering the garden and washing cars; these uses alone halve the amount of water used by a typical home. Household rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than 200 mm (7.9 in) per year, and no other accessible water sources (Skinner and Cotton, 1992). Overflow from rainwater harvesting tank systems can be used to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater recharge; though this is a related process, it must not be confused with rainwater harvesting.
Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within a watershed boundary. Features of a watershed that agencies seek to manage include water supply, water quality, drainage, storm water runoff, water rights, and the overall planning and utilization of watersheds. Landowners, land use agencies, storm water management experts, environmental specialists, water use purveyors and communities all play an integral part in the management of a watershed.
Development projects that displace people involuntarily generally give rise to severe economic, social, and environmental problems: production systems are dismantled; productive assets and income sources are lost; people are relocated to environments where their productive skills may be less applicable and the competition for resources greater; community structures and social networks are weakened; kin groups are dispersed; and cultural identity, traditional authority, and the potential for mutual help are diminished. Involuntary resettlement may cause severe long-term hardship, impoverishment, and environmental damage unless appropriate measures are carefully planned and carried out.
The World Bank was the first multilateral lending agency to adopt a policy for Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R).
The treatment of resettlement issues beyond hydropower and irrigation projects to all types of investment operations. It emphasizes the need for:
- Minimizing involuntary resettlement;
- Providing people displaced by a project with the means to improve, or at least restore, their former living standards, earning capacity, and production levels;
- Involving both resettles and hosts in resettlement activities;
- A time-bound resettlement plan; and
- Valuation and compensation principles for land and other assets affected by the project.
A full EA is required if a project is likely to have significant adverse impacts that may be sensitive, irreversible, and diverse. The impacts are likely to be comprehensive, broad, sector-wide, or precedent-setting. Impacts generally result from a major component of the project and affect the area as a whole or an entire sector.
- Dams and reservoirs; Forestry production projects;
- Industrial plants (large-scale) and industrial estates;
- Irrigation, drainage, and flood control (large-scale);
- Land clearance and leveling;
- Mineral development (including oil and gas);
- Port and harbor development;
- Reclamation and new land development;
- Resettlement and all projects with potentially major impacts on people;
- River basin development;
- Thermal and hydropower development; and
- Manufacture, transportation, and use of pesticides or other hazardous and/or toxic materials.
The impacts are not as sensitive, numerous, major, or diverse as category A impacts; remedial measures can be more easily designed. Preparation of a mitigation plan suffices for many category B projects. Few category B projects would have a separate environmental report. Examples of Category B projects are:
- Agro-industries (small-scale);
- Electrical transmission;
- Aquaculture and mariculture;
- Irrigation and drainage (small-scale);
- Renewable energy;
- Rural electrification;
- Tourism;
- Rural water supply and sanitation;
- Watershed projects (management or rehabilitation); and
- Rehabilitation, maintenance, and upgrading projects (small-scale).
The Case study of a village to be affected by the indira sagar pariyojana
Indira Sagar Pariyojana (ISP) has been under planning and construction since decades. Work on the project has gained momentum in the last decade. Since then, the construction has been on and off depending on the availability of funds. On 24 April, 2002, an announcement was published both in Nai Duniya and Dainik Bhaskar1 stating that the village Jabgaon would be inundated with water in the coming monsoons owing to the increase in the height of the dam. The village was being asked to evacuate the area by 20 May, 2002. In March 2002, with the release of funds from the Center to the Narmada Hydro Development Corporation, a decision was taken to increase the height of the dam to 212 m by June 2002. In fact since October 2001, there was a sudden spurt in announcements of the Section 4 notices of land acquisition in the regional Hindi newspapers making it evident that the project would soon be underway again. Meanwhile there had also been reports in the press that the rehabilitation had been lagging behind.
Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, which had been following the events in the history of the construction of this dam, decided to attempt to bring to fore the ground realities regarding the status of resettlement and rehabilitation of villages affected by this project. It was thought that the situation would be analysed at 3 points in time: pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon. Accordingly, 2 visits to this village had been undertaken: the first in the first week of May and the second in the third week of August. There have been less than normal monsoons this year and therefore while the village has not been submerged, some farms had been flooded. The Kendra is a centre set up to monitor, analyse and research water and energy related issues, with a special focus on the latest developments resulting from the liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation of the economy. The Centre is located at Badwani, a district town in Madhya Pradesh five kilometers from the banks of Narmada. While the focus of the work is on water and energy issues, this will be in the larger context of equitable, just and sustainable development.
Uttaranchal's disaster management
Uttaranchal's location and geographical features render it vulnerable to minor changes. Hence any activity disapproved by mountain ecosystem triggers a disaster. One cannot stop disaster happening but can certainly take some steps to reduce its effects. If disasters cannot be averted, then reduction of losses of any type caused by disaster becomes a focal point of the policy for disaster management. To devise Uttaranchal's disaster management mechanism for reduction of effects of disaster, i.e. damage to property and loss of life and the rapid and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
The study reveals that 83 villages in Uttaranchal need rehabilitation but, to date, Uttaranchal has no resettlement and rehabilitation policy. In India only three States, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, have state-wide resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) policies. Other States have issued Government Orders or Resolutions, sometimes sector-wide but more often for specific projects. The study is based on secondary data; however, sufficient care has been taken to consider all important factors while suggesting Rehabilitation Policy for Uttaranchal State. A disaster of rare severity requires a high level of resettlement and rehabilitation assistance from the State. Sound Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy helps the Government to tackle the problem immediately and efficiently.
1 It has been realised empirically that all the major religions and their diverse religious associations share the belief that humans are stewards of the environment and its resources. Therefore, they would account for the way they led their lives, including how they treated the biodiversity resources in nature.
2 Religion plays out its role in environmental conservation and protection by its beliefs and teachings; it guides the relationship between man and nature, it offers moral framework. The major religions; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism have adopted similar approaches or traditions that are geared towards environmental conservation. These are: dominion: humans at the top of Creation and using natural resources as needed. Stewardship: humans having a delegate dominion over Creation and being responsible and accountable for their use of natural resources, empathy: nature is affected by human misbehaviour and God and worship: nature gives glory to God and nature is sacred. These approaches correlate and they all complement each other.
3 Each religion through its beliefs expresses concern for the environment and guides its believers towards conservation. The Buddhists believe in oneness and between humanity and nature. If you harm the environment, you harm yourself too; hence taking care of nature is taking care of yourself. Another practice is that of peace and compassion to everyone and everything and ultimately ensuring a balance between human practices and conservation.
4 Christianity, through bible teachings, promotes environmental care through the belief of nature’s divinity and humanity’s responsibility to look after creation/nature. This is also supported by Islam through the teachings of Quran that refer to nature as beautiful and sacred.
5 Hinduism also practices ecosystem protection beliefs and a good example is Mahatma Gandhi who promoted peace and coexistence with fellow humans and nature too, his teachings are extensive and all work towards environmental care.
6 Judaism also, through its teachings, plays a role in ensuring a proper environment. Nature is a central and since God is the owner, we should leave it as we found it. Judaism also discourages unnecessary destruction and destructive human activities.
7 Many religious groups are engaged it restoration and environmental protection activities. This has also led to the development of a new field of study/specialization; Eco-theology, which incorporates the concept of ecosystem management in religious teachings.
8 However, the role of religion and all these efforts and teachings seem to be currently fruitless due to our individual behaviours, it all boils down to your practices and activities, as it is always said, change begins with you.
Climate Change
Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a long period (typically 30 years) . Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a long period (typically 30 years). A warming planet alters weather patterns, water supplies, seasonal growth for plants and a sustainable way of life for us and the world’s wildlife. Climate change has already started, but it’s not too late to take action.
Changes occur due to climate change are:
- Sun’s output
- Earth’s orbit
- Drifting continents
- Volcanic eruptions
Global warming is a Global phenomenon. It refers to a gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth due to trapping of green house gases. A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are 95-100% certain that it is primarily caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Gases such as CO2, SO2, NO2,CH4, etc. Are the green house gases. Most of these are the polluting gases that are produced by the industries. These gases trap the heat from the sunrays that are reflected from the sun.
Causes of Global Warming
It is the effect of the process of trapping of Heat due to CO2 which has been going on since times unknown. As we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for energy or cut down and burn forests to create pastures and plantations, carbon accumulates and overloads our atmosphere. Certain waste management and agricultural practices aggravate the problem by releasing other potent global warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide.
The major greenhouse gases are water vapour, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect; carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%;and ozone (O3), which causes 3-7%. Clouds also affect the radiation balance.
Human activity since the Industrial Revolution has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to increased radioactive forcing from CO2, methane, troposphere ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide.
Effects of global warming
- Sea level rise is accelerating. The planet's temperature is rising.
- Dangerous heat waves are becoming more common.The number of large wildfires is growing.
- Extreme storm events are increasing in many areas. More severe droughts are occurring in others. These are having significant and harmful effects on our health, our environment, and our communities.
Prevention Of Global Warming
The various ways to control Global Warming are:-
- Control of population. But, since it is not possible to control population, the best way to control Global warming is by planting trees - Decrease deforestation/plant forests
- Produce more fuel-efficient vehicles
- Use of ecofriendly and biodegradable products.
- Improve energy-efficiency in buildings
- Develop carbon capture and storage processes
ACID RAIN is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is usually acidic i.e. it has low pH. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.
Involves deposition of aqueous acids, acidic gases and acidic salts. Acid deposition has 2 parts: wet and dry - Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog & snow - Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles - Half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition.
Sources
Acid rain comes from chemical reactions in the atmosphere among oxygen, water and sulfur or nitrogen oxides. When sulfur dioxide dissolves in small droplets of water in clouds, it reacts with the hydrogen and oxygen of the water to form a weak solution of sulfuric acid. Similarly, nitrogen oxides form weak nitric acid in water droplets. The clouds can drift over hundreds of miles carrying their acid droplets. When conditions are right for rain, the droplets grow and fall to the ground. In many areas of the United States, such as the great plains, the acid rain falls mostly on land used for agriculture.
Causes of Acid Rain
The primary cause of acid rain is the emission of harmful gases and emissions by industrial power plants and factories, and to some extent, cars as well.
Burning of fossil fuels lead to emission of gases that give oxides of sulphur and nitrogen.
Burning of gasoline and diesel in cars build the amount of acidified water droplets in the atmosphere.
Effects of Acid Rain
The effects of acid rain are unhealthy and harmful. Buildings, national monuments and bridges tend to deteriorate faster.
Acid rain has been found to be very hard on trees. It weakens them by washing away the protective film on leaves, and it stunts growth.
The biggest reason to find satisfactory solutions for acid rains is the damage to natural ecosystems. This rain will affect the plants, trees, rivers, lakes, soil and land wherever it may fall on.
Animals and plants that live in such areas are severely affected. Their food sources get diminished, they may develop unhealthy diseases or mutations, or they may even die in extreme cases,
EFFECT ON HUMANS
The pollutants that cause acid rain—sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides damage human health. These gases interact in the atmosphere to form fine sulphate and nitrate particles that can be transported long distances by winds and inhaled deep into people's lungs. When we breathe in air pollution, these very fine particulates can easily enter our body, where they can cause breathing problems (asthma), bronchitis and over time even cause skin cancer.
Solutions for acid rain
To solve the acid rain problem, people need to understand how acid rain damages the environment. They also need to understand what changes could be made to the air pollution sources that cause the problem. Use Low Sulphur Coal The amount of sulphur oxides emitted by a power plant can be reduced by burning coal with a very low percentage of sulphur present.
The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, preventing it from reaching the earth’s surface. This layer in the atmosphere protects life on earth from the dangerous UV radiation from the sun. The chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which were used as refrigerants and aerosol spray propellants, posed a threat to the ozone layer.
The destruction of the ozone layer is seen to cause increased cases of skin cancer and cataracts. It also causes damage to certain crops and to plankton, thus affecting natures food chains and food webs. This in turn causes an increase in carbon dioxide due to the decrease in vegetation. Protecting the Ozone Layer Ban the use of CFC’s Have to replace with something Current replacements are greenhouse gases and do not eliminate ozone depletion, just slow it down.
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, large radioactivity release to the environment, or reactor core melt." The prime example of a "major nuclear accident" is one in which a reactor core is damaged and large amounts of radiation are released, such as in the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986.
The impact of nuclear accidents has been a topic of debate practically since the first nuclear reactors were constructed. It has also been a key factor in public concern about nuclear facilities. Some technical measures to reduce the risk of accidents or to minimize the amount of radioactivity released to the environment have been adopted. Despite the use of such measures, "there have been many accidents with varying impacts as well near misses and incidents.
The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere. As a result, the average surface temperature is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism.
Solar radiation at the high frequencies of visible light passes through the atmosphere to warm the planetary surface, which then emits this energy at the lower frequencies of infrared thermal radiation. Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases, which in turn re-radiate much of the energy to the surface and lower atmosphere. The mechanism is named after the effect of solar radiation passing through glass and warming a greenhouse, but the way it retains heat is fundamentally different as a greenhouse works by reducing airflow, isolating the warm air inside the structure so that heat is not lost by convection.
The existence of the greenhouse effect was argued for by Joseph Fourier in 1824. The argument and the evidence was further strengthened by Claude Pouillet in 1827 and 1838, and definitively proved experimentally by John Tyndall in 1859, and more fully quantified by Svante Arrhenius in 1896.
If an ideal thermally conductive blackbody was the same distance from the Sun as the Earth is, it would have a temperature of about 5.3°C. However, since the Earth reflects about 30% (or 28%) of the incoming sunlight, the planet's effective temperature (the temperature of a blackbody that would emit the same amount of radiation) is about −18 or −19°C, about 33°C below the actual surface temperature of about 14°C or 15°C. The mechanism that produces this difference between the actual surface temperature and the effective temperature is due to the atmosphere and is known as the greenhouse effect. Earth’s natural greenhouse effect makes life as we know it possible. However, human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have greatly intensified the natural greenhouse effect, causing global warming.
Reclaiming lands that have been laid waste in an extraction or industrial process is "wasteland reclamation." Strip-mining coal produces wastelands. Using chemicals in an industrial process, then dumping the used chemicals either on the land or into a stream creates wastelands or releasing chemicals into the air in an industrial process can create waste lands. When there is no regulation of wastes disposal by the industry can create wastelands. And finally, nuclear accidents can create wastelands.
Environment keeps changing over time naturally and it is also amenable to changes by human beings. Thanks to scientific and technological developments, our ability to alter the environment has increased tremendously, whereas the capacity of environment to cope with those alterations is limited. Nature's bounty and abundance are disappearing at a rapid rate now in many regions of the world including India due to the human alterations of the environment. All this has brought to the fore the need for protection and preservation of environment and the urgency of developing sound environmental policies and programmes. Without them, development would not only be unsustainable but would be tantamount to retrogression. The challenge of creating and maintaining a sustainable environment is probably the single most pressing issue confronting us today and will remain so in the foreseeable future.
The Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development and Government of India has identified different types of degraded wastelands and has prepared a Wasteland Atlas of India for the year 2000, with the help of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites. According to their estimates, the degraded wastelands accounted for about 20.16 % of India’s total geographical area. The degraded lands include several types of land such as gullied and /or ravinous land, water-logged and marshy land, land affected by salinity and / or alkalinity, degraded pastures / grazing land, degraded notified forest land, mining industrial wastelands, eroded steep slopping land, sandy and desertic lands, and barren rocky /stony wastelands. Whatever the type of degradation, a common characteristic of degraded lands is that their productivity is almost negligible but it could be restored through proper reclamation measures and management.
It is estimated that in India in 1994, about 188 million ha of land, which is 57 per cent of the country’s total geographical area of about 329 million ha, was degraded. Of the 188 million ha of degraded land, about 149 million ha was affected by water erosion, 13.5 million ha by wind erosion, about 14 million ha by chemical deterioration and 11.6 million ha by water-logging (Sehgal and Abrol, 1994). A recent survey by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning revealed that 66 per cent of India’s total geographical area (around 192 m ha) was at varying stages of degradation (quoted in Haque, 1997).
Land degradation has significant adverse impacts on crop productivity and the environment. Joshi and Jha (1991) in a study of four villages in Uttar Pradesh found that a 50 per cent decline in crop yields over a period of eight years was due to salinity and water -logging caused by the irrigation system.
Consumerism and waste products
- Consumerism is related to the constant purchasing of new goods, with little attention to their true need, durability, product origin, or the environmental consequences of their manufacture and disposal.
- Consumerism interferes with the sustainable use of resources in a society by replacing the normal common sense desire for an adequate supply of life’s necessities, with and insatiable quest for things that are purchased by larger and larger incomes to buy them.
- Especially in developed countries, landfills are being rapidly filled with cheap discarded products that fail to work within short time and cannot be repaired.
- In many cases, consumer products are made psychologically obsolete by advertising industry long before they actually wear out.
- The inordinate amount of waste that is generated by consumer-oriented societies around the world is now a serious environmental issue.
- Most human activities are related to production and consumption cycle which produce excessive amounts of waste in the form of solid, liquid and gaseous waste products.
- With the advent of and industrial civilization, the highly complex technological processes for production of goods have rapidly increased problems due to inadequate waste disposal.
- With the rapid increase in population, the amount of waste in terms of quantity and quality has increased waste management pressure many-fold in recent years.
- Our health will be affected by dangerous industrial effluents, and be will be smothered by clouds of smoke and unhealthy gases.
Therefore, the reuse of goods and waste utilization should become a part of the production-consumption cycle. - For example, it is estimated that the per capita production of domestic waste is many times higher in a developed country hence compared to a developing country.
- Large quantities of solid, liquid and gaseous waste is produced by urban industrial communities in the form of plastic, paper, leather, tin cans, bottles, mineral refuse, and pathological waste from hospitals.
- Dead animals, agricultural wastes, fertilizer and pesticide overuse, and human and animal excreta are essentially rural concerns.
- This attitude towards waste has led to disastrous effects on the environment besides the overexploitation of natural resources.
An Act to provide for the protection and improvement of environment and formatters connected therewith. Whereas the decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm in June, 1972, in which India participated, to take appropriate steps for the protection and improvement of human environment. The Environment (Protection) Act 1986 was introduced after the Bhopal gas tragedy during Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of our country.
OBJECTIVES
- To protect the forests and wildlife in the country.
- To improve the quality of life by protection of environment.
- To co-ordinate the activities of the various regulatory agencies already in existence.
Environment it includes water, air and land and the inter relationship which exists between water, air and land and human being, other living creatures, plants, micro organisms and property.
Environment pollutant
It means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be injurious to environment pollutant.
Hazardous substance
It means any substance or preparation which, by reason of its chemical or physic-chemical properties or handling, is liable to cause harm to human beings, other living creatures, plant, micro-organism, property or the environment.
Environment pollution
It means the presence of any environmental pollutant in the environment. It includes all extraneous materials that are harmful to human being ,animals and plants life.
Sources And Causes For The Pollution
- Combustion
- Construction
- Mining
- Agriculture Chemical plants
- Coal-fired power plants
- Oil refineries
- Petrochemical plants, Nuclear waste
- Large livestock farms (dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.)
- PVC factories
- Plastics factories and other heavy industry are increasingly significant in the pollution equation.
Air pollution refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are detrimental to human health and the planet as a whole. It is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air. Sources of Air Pollution are:-
- Man-made
- Natural
Major Air Pollutants
- Carbon Monoxide
- Sulphur Dioxide
- Carbon Dioxide
- Chlorofluoro Carbon
- Nitrogen Oxide
- Ozone
Object
- To provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.
- To provide for the establishment of central and state board with a view to implement the Act.
- To confer on the boards the power to implement the provisions of the Act and assign to the boards functions relating to pollution.
Prevention And Control Of Air Pollution
- Power to declare air pollution control areas
- Power to give instructions for ensuring standards for emission from automobiles • Restrictions on use of certain industrial plants
- Person carrying on industry, etc. not to allow emission of air pollutants in excess of the standards laid down by State Board
- Power to take samples of air or emission and procedure to be followed in connection therewith
Environmental Pollutants
- Burning fossil fuel
Burning fossil fuels in cars and power stations releases SO2 and other green house gases.
- SO2 dissolve in rain – acid rain
Acid rain damages trees and pollutes rivers and lakes which Results in erosion of buildings and statues.
Penalties And Procedure
Failure to comply with the provisions of section 21 or section 22 or with the directions issued under section 31A.— (1) whoever fails to comply with the provisions of section 21 or section 22 or directions issued under section 31A, shall, in respect of each such failure, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year and six months but which may extend to six years and with fine, and in case the failure continues, with an additional fine which may extend to five thousand rupees for every day during which such failure continues after the conviction for the first such failure. (2) If the failure referred to in sub-section (1) continues beyond a period of one year after the date of conviction, the offender shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years but which may extend to seven years and with fine.
The Water Act was enacted by Parliament Act, 1974 purpose to provide for the prevention of control of water pollution and the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water. As on day, it is applicable in all the states of India.
OBJECTIVES
- The water(prevention and pollution control) act 1974, provides for following:
- Prevention and control of water pollution
- Maintaining or restoring the wholesomeness of water
- Establishment of board for prevention and control of water pollution
- An act to provide for the levy and collection of a cess on water consumed by persons carrying on certain industries and by local authorities, with a view to augment the resources of the central board and the state boards for the prevention and control of water pollution constituted under the water (prevention and control of pollution) act, 1974.
Application and Commencement
It applies in the first instance to the whole of the States of Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal and the Union Territories.
POLLUTION
- Pollution means such as
- Contamination of water or
- Alternation of physical, chemical Or biological properties of water or
- Discharge of any Sewerage effluent Or trade Effluent Of or any other liquid or solid substance into water As may render such water harmful
- To public health
- To domestic , commercial , industrial, agriculture
- To life of animal And plant or aquatic Organisms.
Sewage effluent
Sewage effluent means effluent from Any sewerage system or Disposal works and Includes silage from open drains. Trade effluent Trade effluent includes . Any liquid ,solid or gaseous Substance Which discharge from any Premises Used for Carrying on Any industries operation or processes, or treatment And disposal system Other than domestic sewage.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India only had five designated national parks.
Objectives
Prohibition on Hunting of Specified wild animals, birds and plants.
Setting up and management of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Control of Trade and Commerce in wildlife and wildlife products.
Definitions under the Act
- "animal" includes amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles, and their young, and also includes, in the cases of birds and reptiles, their eggs.
- "animal article" means an article made from any captive or wild animal, other than vermin, and includes an article or object in which the whole or any part of such animal has been used and an article made therefrom.
- "hunting" includes
- Capturing, killing, poisoning, snaring, or trapping any wild animal, and every attempt to do so
- Driving any wild animal for any of the purposes specified in sub clause
- Injuring, destroying or taking any body part of any such animal, or in the case of wild birds or reptiles, disturbing or damaging the eggs or nests of such birds or reptiles.
- "taxidermy" means the curing, preparation or preservation of trophies
- Rugs, skins, and specimens of such animals mounted in whole or in part through a process of taxidermy
- Antler, horn, rhinoceros horn, feather, nail, tooth, musk, eggs, and nests.
- "wildlife" includes any animal, bees, butterflies, crustacean, fish and moths; and aquatic or land vegetation which forms part of any habitat.
- Hunting of Wild Animals • The Act prohibits hunting of wild animals. No person shall hunt any wild animals as specified in the schedules.
However there are some exceptions to it.
Sanctuary: - An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. • Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death.
National Park:- A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns.
Forest conservation is a practice of planning and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability for the generations.
The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was acted to control deforestation.
Penalties for offences in Reserved Forests: – No person is allowed to set fire or clearings – Cattles are not permitted – No permission to collect any forests products
Protected forests – No permission to do anything for trees which are mentioned in Act.
Environmental legislation is evolved to protect our environment as a whole, our health, and the Earth’s resources. The presence of a legislation to protect air, water, soil etc., does not necessarily mean that the problem is addressed. Once legislation is made at the global, national or state level, it has to be implemented.
There are several NGO’s in the country such as WWF-1, BEAG and the BNHS, which take these matters to court in the interest of conservation. Anyone can request them to help in such matters. There are also legal experts such as MC Mehta who have successfully fought cases in the courts to support environmental causes.
- Environmental sensitivity in our country can only grow through a major public awareness campaign.
- This has several tools:
- The electronic media, The press,
- School and college education, Adult education
- Orienting the media to protect pro-environmental issues is an important aspect.
- Several advertising campaigns frequently have messages that are negative to environmental preservation.
REFERENCES TEXT BOOKS:
1. Text book of Environmental Studies for Undergraduate Courses by Erach Bharucha for University Grants Commission, Universities Press.
2. Environmental Studies by Palaniswamy – Pearson education
3. Environmental Studies by Dr.S.Azeem Unnisa, Academic Publishing Company
4. Textbook of Environmental Science by Deeksha Dave and E.Sai Baba Reddy, Cengage Publications.
5. Text book of Environmental Sciences and Technology by M.Anji Reddy, BS Publication.
6. Comprehensive Environmental studies by J.P.Sharma, Laxmi publications.
7. Environmental sciences and engineering – J. Glynn Henry and Gary W. Heinke – Prentice hall of India Private limited.
8. A Text Book of Environmental Studies by G.R.Chatwal, Himalaya Publishing House
9. Introduction to Environmental engineering and science by Gilbert M. Masters and Wendell P. Ela - Prentice hall of India Private limited.
