Unit-6: Social Issues and Environment

NOTES BY:
Ms. Rashmi Shrivastava
Assistant Professor,
PSIT College of Higher Education,
Kanpur, Up, India.

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A social issue is problem that influences many citizens within a society. It is a group of
common problem in present-day society and one that many people strive to solve. It is often
the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control.
Common social issues are:
 Poverty and homelessness- one-quarter of the world's population lives in conditions
that harm their health and safety. Many do not have shelter, a basic human need for
survival.
 Climate Change- A warmer, changing climate is a threat to the entire world. Climate
change affects the entire world population and is one of the most devastating
problems humanity has ever faced.
 Overpopulation- As the population of the world grows, resources become scarcer.
 Immigration stresses- People move from one country to another, and in itself, this isn't
a social problem. However, immigration can place stress on government programs
and social systems within a country, and it can be a divisive topic in a society.
 Civil rights and racial discrimination- Civil rights, or the rights of citizens in a country
to have equal treatment socially and politically, is another one of the most significant
social issues.
 Gender inequality- Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions
of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially
constructed gender roles.
 Healthcare availability- There is lack of good healthcare availability throughout the
globe.
 Childhood Obesity- Some types of social problems are health-based, but they also
have an impact on socio-economic issues.
 Bullying- That which we call “bullying” is a form of aggression, located on a
continuum with a wide range of other forms of abuse and assault against children,
such as physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse, perpetrated by peers, by known
adults or by strangers.

Issues of Environment
Environmental issues are harmful effects of human activity on the biophysical environment.
The prominent issues of environment are:
 Biodiversity

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 Biodiversity is about not just the wealth of nature, but also the health of nature.
Loss of biodiversity undermines the ability of ecosystems to function
effectively and efficiently and thus undermines nature's ability to support a
healthy environment.
 Water
Some 80 percent of the world's wastewater is dumped—largely untreated—
back into the environment, polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans. This widespread
problem of water pollution is jeopardizing our health. Unsafe water kills more
people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined.
 Deforestation
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification,
soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
 Pollution
One of the greatest problems that the world is facing today is that
of environmental pollution, which is causing grave and irreparable damage to
the natural world and human society with about 40% of deaths worldwide being
caused by water, air and soil pollution and coupled with human overpopulation.
 Climate Change
Increased heat, drought and insect outbreaks, all linked to climate change, have
increased wildfires. Declining water supplies, reduced agricultural yields,
health impacts in cities due to heat, and flooding and erosion in coastal areas
are additional concerns.

Social issues of environment

Environmental issues may present themselves as temporary or permanent changes to the

atmosphere, water, and land due to human activities, which can result in impacts that may be
either reversible or irreversible.

 Air emission and air quality

Emissions of air pollutants can occur from a wide variety of activities during
construction, operation and decommissioning of a client's/investee's operations.
Air emissions are typically associated with processes such as combustion, storage of
materials or other industry-sector specific processes.
 Energy use and conservation

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 Many issues arise from the use of energy: greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain,
climate change, and dependency on depleting supplies of fossil fuels —
especially from politically unstable regions of the world.
 Wastewater and water quality
Wastewater includes process wastewater, wastewater from utility operations,
stormwater and sanitary wastewater. Wastewater varies in quality and quantity
by industry sector.
 Hazardous material use
Hazardous materials are materials that represent a risk to human health, property, or
the environment due to their physical or chemical characteristics. These can be
classified according to the hazard as explosives; compressed gases, including toxic or
flammable gases; flammable liquids; flammable solids; oxidizing substances; toxic
materials; radioactive material; and corrosive substances.
 Waste
Disposing of waste has huge environmental impacts and can cause serious
problems. Some waste will eventually rot, but not all, and in the process it may
smell, or generate methane gas, which is explosive and contributes to the
greenhouse effect.
 Land Contamination
Land can become contaminated due to releases of hazardous materials, wastes, or oil,
including naturally occurring substances.
Releases of these materials may be the result of historic or current site activities,
including accidents during their handling and storage, or due to poor management or
disposal. Land is considered contaminated when it contains hazardous materials
concentrations, including oil, above baseline and/or naturally occurring levels.
Contaminated lands may involve topsoils or subsurface soils that, through leaching
and transport, may affect groundwater, surface water, and adjacent sites. Where
subsurface contaminant sources include volatile substances, soil vapor may also
create potential for contamination through infiltration of indoor air spaces of
buildings.
 Labour and working condition
For any business, the workforce is a valuable asset, and a sound worker-management
relationship is a key ingredient to the long-term sustainability of the enterprise.
Failure to establish and foster a sound worker-management relationship can
undermine worker commitment and retention, result in labor strikes, and can
jeopardize the operations. Conversely, through a constructive worker-management
relationship, and by treating the workers fairly and providing them with safe

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 and healthy working conditions, all the stakeholders may create tangible benefits,
such as enhancement of the efficiency and productivity of their operations.
 Community health
Community health is the intersection of healthcare, economics and social
interaction. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the role this type
of healthcare plays in their everyday lives.
 Non-renewable resources
Non-renewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and
nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced,
which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them
to supply most of our energy needs.

Water Conservation

Water conservation is the careful use and preservation of water supply. It includes both the
quantity and quality of water utilized. Water is an essential asset for the nourishment of all
life. The fundamental demand for all activities appropriates from local use to the agricultural
industry.
With the regular expanding weight of the human population, there has been a serious tension
on water resources. Negligence of customary water bodies like tanks and lakes, unpredictable
and abuse of groundwater, and incorrect preservation of surface water systems have bothered
the issue. Still further and is no doubt going to grow in the years to come.
Water conservation has turned into an essential practice in every part of the world, even in
regions where water appears to be enough. It is the most practical and environment-friendly
approach to lessen our need for water. Utilizing less water likewise puts less weight on our
sewage treatment facilities which use an ample amount of energy for heating water.
The main problems with water are water shortage, shortages of clean water and waterborne
diseases. A lack of access to safe water caused 80% of all deaths around the developing
world. More than 5 million people die each year from water-related diseases such as hepatitis
A, dysentery and severe diarrhea.

An approximated 900 million to 1.1 billion people worldwide lack clean drinking water and
2.4 billion lack basic sanitation. Demand for water is increasing at a rate faster than
population growth. Over the past 70 years, while the world's population has tripled, demand
for water has increased sixfold. The United Nations estimates that in 2025 that 5 billion of the
world's 8 billion people will live in areas where water is scarce. Many of these people will
have difficulty to access enough water to meet their basic needs.

Increasing populations, growing agriculture, industrialization and high living standards have
boosted demand for water. All this while drought, overuse and pollution have decreased the
supplies. To make up for the shortfall, water is often taken from lakes, rivers and wetlands,
causing serious environmental damage. According to a 2003 United Nations report, “Across
the globe, groundwater is being depleted by the demands of megacities and agriculture, while
fertilizer runoff and pollution are threatening water quality and public health."

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It seems there are alarming predictions every week related to water such as disease, crop
disasters, starvation, famines and war. Safe drinking water and sanitation is one of the major
challenges in many developing countries, from shanty towns and areas to urban poor cities.
At least in rural areas, the poor can dig wells and take care of the sanitation in their fields.

Conserving water

There are major disagreements between environmentalists and agriculturists on how available
water should be managed. But, water experts say that progress made in cleaning water and
making it cheap has only encouraged people to waste it.

However, the goals of planners in solving water problems is to keep water cheap so poor
people can get it but at the same time keep it expensive so people don’t waste it. In places
where water is subsidized, due to the cheap prices, people tend to waste it. The obvious
solution was to end the subsidies.

The most practical solution is reusing and recycling water. Some cities can meet a fifth of
their water needs by recycling water. Worldwide, two thirds of urban water doesn’t get
treated. Systems that treat and reuse water are often least costly. The most efficient way to
clean water but have difficulty overcoming the aversion is to have drinking water derived
from sewage.

Ultraviolet radiation is a popular means of disinfecting water but is less effective when the
water contains sediments and sludge. For places where water is collected from dirty ponds
and lakes, people have to clean the water by folding clean clothes several times before
placing them over a jug as the water pours through it. The cloth acts as a filter from all sorts
of disease-causing organisms.

Through harvesting, transporting and storing rainwater, old and tried and true methods are
being brought back to conserve water. These methods are brought back because modern
technology can’t solve problems in little communities. Systems that use catchments, gutters
and other channels, storage tanks and gravity or pump driven delivery systems. These are
cheaper or at least equal in cost to drilling and building a well.

Few of the other practices which can be adopted are:

• Avoid throwing leftover water in bottles

• Don’t water lawn on an everyday basis

• Install residential water purifiers

• Use broom to clean sideways instead of hosing

Rain water harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the simple process or technology used to conserve Rainwater by

collecting, storing, conveying and purifying of Rainwater that runs off from rooftops, parks,
roads, open grounds, etc. for later use.

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Rainwater harvesting systems consists of the following components:

 Catchment- Used to collect and store the captured Rainwater.

 Conveyance system – It is used to transport the harvested water from the catchment to
the recharge zone.
 Flush- It is used to flush out the first spell of rain.
 Filter – Used for filtering the collected Rainwater and remove pollutants.
 Tanks and the recharge structures: Used to store the filtered water which is ready to
use.
The process of rainwater harvesting involves the collection and the storage of rainwater with
the help of artificially designed systems that run off naturally or man-made catchment areas
like- the rooftop, compounds, rock surface, hill slopes, artificially repaired impervious or
semi-pervious land surface.
Several factors play a vital role in the amount of water harvested. Some of these factors are:

 The quantum of runoff

 Features of the catchments
 Impact on the environment
 Availability of the technology
 The capacity of the storage tanks
 Types of the roof, its slope and its materials
 The frequency, quantity and the quality of the rainfall
 The speed and ease with which the Rainwater penetrates through the subsoil to
recharge the groundwater.
The rainwater harvesting system is one of the best methods practised and followed to support
the conservation of water. Today, scarcity of good quality water has become a significant
cause of concern. However, Rainwater, which is pure and of good quality, can be used for
irrigation, washing, cleaning, bathing, cooking and also for other livestock requirements.

The benefits of rainwater harvesting system are listed below.

 Less cost.
 Helps in reducing the water bill.
 Decreases the demand for water.
 Reduces the need for imported water.
 Promotes both water and energy conservation.
 Improves the quality and quantity of groundwater.
 Does not require a filtration system for landscape irrigation.
 This technology is relatively simple, easy to install and operate.
 It reduces soil erosion, stormwater runoff, flooding, and pollution of surface water
with fertilizers, pesticides, metals and other sediments.
 It is an excellent source of water for landscape irrigation with no chemicals and
dissolved salts and free from all minerals.

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In addition to the great advantages, the rainwater harvesting system has a few disadvantages
like unpredictable rainfall, unavailability of the proper storage system, etc.
Listed below are few more disadvantages of the rainwater harvesting process.

 Regular Maintenance is required.

 Requires some technical skills for installation.
 Limited and no rainfall can limit the supply of Rainwater.
 If not installed correctly, it may attract mosquitoes and other waterborne diseases.
 One of the significant drawbacks of the rainwater harvesting system is storage limits.

Environment Protection Act

• Enacted in the wake of Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

• Under article 253 of the constitution, this act came up in 1986. It has 26 section and 4
chapter.

• The purpose of the Act is to implement the decisions of the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment of 1972 (Stockholm Conference).

• The decisions relate to the protection and improvement of the human environment and
the prevention of hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants and property.

• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 authorizes the central government to protect
and improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and
prohibit or restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on
environmental grounds. The Environment (Protection) Act was enacted with the
objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment. It
empowers the Central Government to establish authorities charged with the mandate
of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle specific
environmental problems that are peculiar to different parts of the country. The Act
was last amended in 1991.
• The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of
emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.
• The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 is to
control the generation, collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of
hazardous waste.
• The Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Rules define the terms used in
this context, and sets up an authority to inspect, once a year, the industrial activity
connected with hazardous chemicals and isolated storage facilities.
• The Manufacture, Use, Import, Export, and Storage of hazardous Micro-organisms/
Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules,1989 were introduced with a view
to protect the environment, nature, and health, in connection with the application of
gene technology and micro-organisms.

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Wildlife Protection Act

The Indian Parliament enacted the Wildlife (Protection) Act in 1972, which provides for the
safeguard and protection of the wildlife (flora and fauna) in the country.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 currently consists of 7 chapters, its 66 sections and six
schedules. This Act has been amended 6 times till now—in 1982, 1986, 1991, 1993, 2002
and 2006.

Chapter I

This preliminary chapter defines the applicability of this Law in India.

Chapter II

This chapter prohibits the hunting of wild animals.

Chapter III

This chapter is about the protection of some specified plants.

Chapter IV

It states the rules for sanctuaries, national parks and closed areas.

Chapter IVA

This chapter points out the directions of recognizing a zoo, the composition of zoo
authorities, their functions and regulations.

Chapter V

This chapter is about restrictions on the trading of wild animals. It states wild animals to be
State government property, bans possession, trading, of these animals or their derivative
parts.

Chapter VA

It is about the ban in trading of animals, animal articles and trophies of certain specified or
scheduled animals.

Chapter VI

It regulates the prevention and detection of offences to Wildlife. It grants the power of entry,
searching, arresting and detention of the offenders to the Chief Wildlife Warden or wildlife
authorities. It also lays out suitable penalties and punishments for offenders.

Chapter VII This chapter mentions rules for other matters related to wildlife protection and
management. It mentions the rules for appointments for public servants, no actions against
those authorities by whom any damage caused by doing anything that is in good faith.

The 6 Schedules give a list of the wildlife species considered under this Act. The list contains
plant and animal species according to their scientific names.

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Schedule 1 Species- tiger, blackbuck, Himalayan Brown Bear, Brow-Antlered Deer, Blue
whale, Common Dolphin, Cheetah, Clouded Leopard, hornbills, Indian Gazelle, etc.

Schedule 2 species- Kohinoor (insect), Assamese Macaque, Bengal Hanuman langur, Large
Indian Civet, Indian Fox, Larger Kashmir Flying Squirrel, Kashmir Fox, etc.

Schedule 3 & 4- hyena, Himalayan rat, porcupine, flying fox, Malabar tree toad, etc.

Schedule 5- mice, rat, common crow, fruit bats, etc.

Schedule 6- pitcher plant, blue vanda, red vanda, kuth, etc.

There are five types of protected areas as provided under the Act. They are described below.

• Sanctuaries: “Sanctuary is a place of refuge where injured, abandoned, and abused

wildlife is allowed to live in peace in their natural environment without any human
intervention.” Examples: Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary (Rann of Kutch, Gujarat);
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (oldest bird sanctuary in India); Dandeli
Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).

• National Parks: “National Parks are the areas that are set by the government to
conserve the natural environment.” Examples: Bandipur National Park in Karnataka;
Hemis National Park in Jammu & Kashmir; Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

• Conservation Reserves: The State government may declare an area (particularly

those adjacent to sanctuaries or parks) as conservation reserves after consulting with
local communities.

• Community Reserves: The State government may declare any private or community
land as a community reserve after consultation with the local community or an
individual who has volunteered to conserve the wildlife.

• Tiger Reserves: These areas are reserved for the protection and conservation of tigers
in India. They are declared on the recommendations of the National Tiger
Conservation Authority.

• Biosphere Reserve: The Indian government has established 18 biosphere reserves.

(categories roughly correspondingly to IUCN Category V Protected areas) to protect
larger areas of natural habitat than a typical national park or animal sanctuary, and
that often include one or more national parks or preserves, along with buffer zones
that are open to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to
the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who
inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. Nilgiri Biosphere reserve (Tamil Nadu),
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (Uttarakhand), Similipal Biosphere Reserve (Odisha).

Forest conservation act

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 an Act of the Parliament of India to provide for the
conservation of forests and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto.
It was further amended in 1988.This law extends to the whole of India. It was enacted

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by Parliament of India to control further deforestation of Forest Areas in India. The act came
into force on 25 October 1980. It has five sections.

 Section 2 of the Act deals with a restriction on the de-reservation of forests or the use
of forest-land for non-forest purposes.
 Power to make rules for carrying out the provisions of this act is vested with the
central government.
 The appeal from the decision of any authority under this Act shall lie to the National
Green Tribunal.
 Penalty for contravention of the provisions of this Act- section 3-A of this act
provides that whoever contravenes or abets the conservation of any of the provision
of section 2, above mentioned shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a
period, which may extend to fifteen days.

National Green Tribumal

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a statutory body that was established in 2010 by
the National Green Tribunal Act.

It was set up to handle cases and speed up the cases related to environmental issues. The
Principal Bench of the NGT has been established in the National Capital – New Delhi, with
regional benches in Pune (Western Zone Bench), Bhopal (Central Zone Bench), Chennai
(Southern Bench) and Kolkata (Eastern Bench).

There is an urgent need to inculcate sensitivity towards environmental degradation among

people by fostering environmental ethical values. Environmental Ethics attempts to define
what is right and what is wrong regardless of cultural differences. We human beings have a
fundamental duty towards nature to respect and care for the Earth, protect life-support
systems, biodiversity and ensure sustainable development.

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