Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Environmental
Environmental
Issues
Isssues
1. Pollution
QQ Pollution is defined as an undesirable change in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of air,
land, water or soil.
QQ Pollutants are the agents which bring about an undesirable change in the properties of air, water and
soil.
QQ The Government of India has passed the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to protect and improve
the quality of environment. (air, water and soil)
2. Air Pollution
QQ Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of air that exert
adverse effects on living beings is defined as air pollution.
(i) Causes
(a) Smoke from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, etc.
(b) Decomposition of garbage resulting in release of unwanted gases into the atmosphere.
(c) Burning of fossil fuels in automobiles and industries release particulate and air pollutants.
(d) Use of leaded petrol.
(e) Gaseous wastes or particulate matter as by-products of various industries.
(f) Smoke stacks of thermal power plants, smelters and other industrial release, particulate and
gaseous air pollutants with harmless gases like N2, O2, etc.
Water line
Discharge corona spray
Negatively charged wire
Particulate
Dust particles matter
(b) Scrubber
OO It is used to remove gases like sulphur dioxide from industrial exhaust.
OO The exhaust is passed through a spray of water or lime.
OO Water dissolves gases and lime reacts with sulphur dioxide to form a precipitate of calcium
sulphate and sulphide.
(c) Catalytic converters
OO These are fitted into automobiles for reducing emission of poisonous gases like NO2 and CO.
OO They have expensive metals like platinum–palladium and rhodium as catalysts.
Supreme Court.
OO Advantages of CNG over diesel/petrol:
(a) CNG burns most efficiently without leaving any unburnt remnant behind.
(b) CNG is cheaper than petrol or diesel.
(c) CNG cannot be siphoned off by thieves and adulterated like petrol or diesel.
OO Some other steps to reduce vehicular pollution:
3. Noise Pollution
QQ Noise is defined as undesired high level of sound.
(i) Causes
(a) Loudspeakers, music systems and TV, used for entertainment.
(b) Jet planes and rockets (release 150 dB or more sound)
(c) Industrial noises
(d) Social functions
(e) Crackers, detonations
4. Water Pollution
QQ Water pollution is defined as any undesirable change in the physical, chemical and biological
properties of water that may affect the human beings and domestic species.
QQ The Government of India has passed the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, to
safeguard our water resources.
Table 16.1: Sources of Water Pollution and its Effects on Living Organisms
0.1% Impurities
(DDT
(DDT
Large fish
(DDT 0.04 ppm)
(DDT
(DDT
(DDT
Fish-eating
Fish-eating
Fish-eating
Fish-eating birds
(DDT0.003
(DDT
(DDT
(DDT
Fish-eatin
(DDT
(DDT
(DDT0.5
(DDT 25 ppm)
(DDT 0.003 ppm)
(DDT0.04
(DDT0.04
(DDT0.04
(DDT 2 ppm)
Zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton
(DDT 0.04 ppm) (DDT 0.5 ppm)
Large fish
Large fish
Large fish
Large fish
Small
Small
Small
Small fishbirds
(DDT 2 ppm) (DDT 25
Water
Water
Water
0.003
0.003
0.5 ppm)
0.5
0.5
25 ppm)
25 ppm)
25 ppm)
2 ppm)
2 ppm)
2 ppm)
fish
fishbirds
fishbirds
ppm)
ppm)
ppm)
ppm)
ppm)
ppm)
Dissolved oxygen
Concentration
BOD
Direction of flow
Sewage
discharge
Fig. 16.4 Effect of sewage discharge on some important
characteristics of a river
7. Solid Wastes
QQ These are discarded solid materials which are produced due to various human activities.
QQ Solid wastes can be biodegradable, recyclable or non-biodegradable.
QQ Solid wastes can be of the following types:
(i) Municipal solid wastes: Wastes from homes, offices, schools, hospitals, etc., that are collected and
disposed by the municipality which generally consists of paper, leather, textile, rubber, glass, etc.
(ii) Industrial wastes: The wastes like scraps, fly ash, etc., generated by industries.
(iii) Hospital wastes: Hazardous wastes containing disinfectants and other harmful chemicals,
pathogenic microbes, generated by hospitals.
(iv) Electronic wastes (e-wastes): These are the damaged electronic goods and irreparable computers.
(v) Polystyrene and plastic packaging, used for fruits, vegetables, biscuits, milk, etc.
(i) Causes
OO Chemical seepage from industries.
OO Inorganic fertilisers and pesticides, herbicides, etc.
(i) Cause
OO Increase in the level of greenhouse gases N2O 6%
(CO2, methane, etc.) in the atmosphere.
These gases allow the heat waves to reach CFCs 14%
earth but prevent their escape and thus the
earth becomes warm.
(d) CFCs have permanent and continued effect as chlorine atoms are not consumed.
(e) Over the Antarctic region, there has been thinning of large area of ozone layer that has resulted
in formation of ozone hole.
15. Deforestation
QQ Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forested areas to non-forested area.
QQ Removal of forest areas to fulfil the need of growing human population is called deforestation.
QQ Almost 40 per cent forests have been lost in the tropics and 1 per cent forests in the temperate region.
QQ In India, at the beginning of the twentieth century, forests covered about 30 per cent of land whereas
by the end of the century, it shrunk to 19.4 per cent.
QQ The National Forest Policy (1988) of India has recommended 33 per cent forest cover for the plains
and 67 per cent for the hills.