Environmental Management

Prof. C.K.Sreedharan Unit No: 01

What is an environment?

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It may be defined as the surroundings of man including: Air Water Land Natural resources Flora ( plant kingdom)and Fauna(animal kingdom).

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All our ancient scriptures, like the oldest Rig Veda, says that this universe is made up of Pancha Bhootas namely: Prithvi- Earth Jalam- Water Vayu- Air AkashAgni- Fire

 The Vedas preaches that in order to survive in this universe the mankind should live in harmony with the Pancha Bhootas. If the equilibrium is violated it will be disastrous for the universe. Hence it is necessary to nurture , respect and safeguard our universe.

 It is the physical environment that provides the resources necessary for mans survival. All enterprises including human beings, natural surroundings, living and non-living things work within the environment and react to it.

Concept of ecosystem
World around us has two kinds of components, namely: 1. Living- beings and 2. Non-living beings. Living-beings and non-living beings together make up our environment.

 The living-beings are called BIOTIC. Non-living beings are called ABIOTIOC.
Living-organisms use the abiotic elements around them for food and shelter, in order to grow, survive and reproduce.

 Thus, the nature of abiotic factors in a place decides the nature of the living organisms that will live in that place. Biotic factors, abiotic factors and their interaction with one another together form an ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM OR ECOSYSTEM.

 Earth has different ecosystems in different parts like equator, deserts, evergreen forests, coral reefs, polar regions etc. Different ecosystems result in the BIODIVERSITY of our universe.

Carbon cycle
Human beings and other living beings breath out Carbon-di-oxide. Plants take this carbon-di-oxide for photosynthesis in the presence of sunlight and give out Oxygen. This Oxygen is consumed by human and other living beings. Thus equilibrium is maintained by the nature.

Water cycle
Sunlight evaporates water. This water goes up, condensates and become clouds. Clouds bring rains. Thus water which was evaporated comes back to earth. Hence equilibrium is maintained.

Human activities creating havoc

Nature always maintains equilibrium in the environment. Human beings are mainly responsible for plundering and destroying our environment irreversibly.

Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels- coal, petroleum products, gaswhich have taken millions of years to formare mainly responsible for the environmental degradation. Industrialization has resulted in the large scale burning of fossil fuels in industries and in vehicles.

Primary energy

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Primary energy sources are those which are found and stored by nature. Example: Coal Oil Natural gas Nuclear energy Wood

Secondary energy
Primary energy sources are converted to secondary energy sources. Example: Coal, oil or gas is converted to steam and electricity.

Renewable energy

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

It is the energy obtained from the sources that are inexhaustible and continuously regenerate. Example: Wind energy Solar energy Tidal energy Geo-thermal energy and Hydro-electric power.

Non-renewable energy
It is the conventional fossil fuel- such as coal, oil and gas- which are likely to deplete with time. It is estimated that worlds non-renewable energy sources may not last for more than next 50 years.

Environmental pollution
Pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that have harmful effects on plants, animals and human beings. Pollution is mainly man-made.

 Pollutants include solid, liquid or gaseous substances- produced due to human activities, which have a detrimental effect on our environment. The nature and concentration of a pollutant determine the severity of its detrimental effects on human health.

 Pollutants can be classified as follows: 1. Degradable pollutants: These can be rapidly broken down by natural processes. ExampleDomestic sewage. 2. Slowly degradable pollutants: These are pollutants that remain in the environment for many years in an unchanged condition and take decades or longer to degrade. Example- Plastics.

3. Non-degradable pollutants: These can not be degraded by natural processes. Example: Lead, mercury, nuclear wastes.

Air pollution
The origin of air pollution on the earth van be traced back to the times when man started using firewood as means of cooking and heating. Hippocrates, the great Greek scholar talks about air pollution in 400 BC.

 Air pollution began to increase in the beginning of the 20 th. Century with the development of transportation system and industrial revolution,consuming a large amount of diesel, petrol, coal and natural gases.

 The greatest industrial disaster leading to serious air pollution took place in Bhopal, where the extremely poisonous Methyl Iso Cyanate (MIC) gas was accidentally released from the Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing plant, on the night of December 2, 1984. The effects of the disaster on human health and the soil are even felt today.

 Sources of air pollution: Air pollution occurs due to the presence of undesirable solid or gaseous particles in the air, in quantities that rae harmful to human health and environment. An average human requires about 12 kgs of air each day, which is nearly 10 times the amount of food we eat.

 Air may become polluted by: 1. Natural causes and 2. Human activities.

 Natural causes: Volcanoes- which release ash,dust, sulphur and other gases. Forest fires The above naturally occurring pollutants tend to remain in the atmosphere for a short time and do not lead to permanent atmospheric change.

Human activities: Emissions from vehicles Emissions from industries Emissions of man made gases like- CFC, chlorine, bromine etc.

 Natural pollutants and pollution due to human activities are known as Primary Pollutants.

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There are five primary pollutants that together contribute carbon to about 90 % of the air pollution. They are: Oxides of - co & co 2 Oxides of nitrogen - NO x Oxides of sulphur - SO x Volatile organic compounds- VOC- mostly hydrocarbons. Suspended particulate matter- SPM.

The pollutants that are produced in the atmosphere when certain chemical reaction take place among the primary pollutants are called secondary pollutants. Example: 1. Sulphuric acid- H2SO4 2. Nitric acid- HNO3

Ambient air quality norms in India

Area Industrial Residential Sensitive SPM Sox Nox Ug / m 3 Ug / m 3 Ug / m 3 500 120 120 200 100 80 30 80 30

Control measures for air pollution

1. By passing the flue gases through the scrubber which removes the pollutant 2. Through wet collectors, electrostatic precipitation etc (Draw diagrams)

Water pollution
Although 71 % of the earths surface is covered with water, only a tiny fraction of this water is available to us as fresh water. About 97 % of the total water available on earth is found in the oceans and is too salty for drinking or irrigation.

 The remaining 3 % is fresh water. Of this 2.997 % is locked up in polar ice caps and glaciers. Thus only 0.003 % of the earths total volume of water is essentially available in the form of ground water, water in lakes, rivers etc. Hence water is a very precious resource.

Means of water pollution

1. Through domestic waste. 2. Through industrial sewage 3. Through excess fertilizers applied on the agriculture field, which seep through the ground 4. Accidental oil spills.

State of Indian rivers

Indians always worshipped the rivers and most of the rivers are named after the gods. All our scriptures and Vedas talk about the Godliness and holiness of our rivers. A single dip in our holy rivers is supposed to wash away all our sins and misdeeds.

 However, a large majority of the Indian population, including those who worship the rivers, do not think twice before polluting a river. Every single river in India- including Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari etc. is polluted.

 Water from the rivers are drawn for irrigation through the network of canalsthereby reducing the amount of water that flows downstream. What really flows in the river is sewage and industrial pollutants-which are discharged into the river.

 Inspite of several studies conducted so far, the govt. is not able to tackle the issue. Sewage and municipal effluents account for about 75 % of pollution and the remaining 25 % is from industrial effluents. In 1985, Govt. of India launched the Ganga Action Plan(GAP), the largest ever river clean up operation in the country.

 In the year 1991 GAP Phase II was taken up, including the cleaning operation in the tributaries of Ganga- namely Yamuna, Gomti etc. In 1995, the National River Conservation Plan was launched. Under this, all the rivers in India were taken up for clean-up operation.

 In most of the plans, the sewage is diverted to sewage treatment plants- before letting into the main river. The biggest drawback of this river cleaning programs was that, no specific responsibility regarding who would pay for the running the treatment facilities, in the long run.The cost is entirely borne by the Central Govt. and the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

 Another factor is the erratic power supply and all these sewage treatment plants are heavily dependent on power. Hence most of the facilities are underutilized.

Soil pollution
The soil is the thin covering over the land, consisting of mixture of minerals, organic material, living organisms, air and water, that together support the growth of plant life. Several factors contribute to the formation of soil. Mechanical weathering of rocks due to temperature changes, flowing water etc. result in the formation of soil.

 We cant manufacture soil, even with a tank load of chemicals. We may enhance the fertility of soil, but we cant recreate what we destroy. The soil is a resource for which there is no substitute.

 Causes of soil degradation: 1. Erosion: It is the movement of topsoil from one place to another.It is often caused by wind and flowing water. It is also accelerated by human activities such as construction , deforestation etc. The loss of top soil makes a soil less fertile and reduces its water holding capacity.

 The washed out topsoil clogs lakes affecting the aquatic life. For one inch of topsoil to form, it takes about 200 to 1000years, depending upon the climate and soil type. Thus if the top soil erodes faster than it is formed, the soil becomes a non-renewable resource.

2. Excess use of fertilizers/pesticides: - Approximately 25 % of the worlds crop yield is through the use of fertilizers. Pesticides are used to ensure a good yield. - Excess use not only affects the soil but also they pollute the ground water through soil seepage.