ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES FOR B.

TECH
UNIT– 1
MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Introduction to Environment, objectives and guiding principles of environmental education,

Components of environment, Structure of atmosphere, Sustainable environment/Development,
Impact of technology on the environment in terms of modern agricultural practices and
industrialization, Environmental Impact Assessment 4 Hr

Environmental protection – Role of Government-Assignments of MOEF, Functions of central

and state boards, Initiative and Role of Non-government organizations in India and world. 2 Hr
Self study: Need for public awareness on the environment, Gaia Hypothesis

1.1.Basic Definitions​:

The term ​“Environment”​ was introduced by ​Tyler Miller​. The environment can be broadly
defined as our surroundings. The word Environment originated from ​French​ word “Environ”
which means ​‘things that surround/encircle’. ​Our surrounding includes biotic factors like
human beings, Plants, animals, microbes, etc. and abiotic factors such as light, air, water, soil,
etc.

Environment can also be defined as follows:

1. Environment is the sum total of all conditions and influences that affect the development
and life of all organisms on earth. The living organisms vary from the lowest micro
organisms such as bacteria, Virus, fungus etc to the highest including human beings.
Each organism has its own environment. (Physical and biological surroundings and their
interactions).
2. Environment is the physical and biotic habitat that surrounds us.
3. According to Eugine P. Odum (1971) “Environment is the study of structure and function
of nature.

1.2. Objectives and guiding principles of environmental studies:

The objectives of environmental education are as follows:

(a) Awareness:
To help social groups and individuals acquire awareness and sensitivity to the total
environmental and its allied problems.

(b) Knowledge:
To help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experiences in and acquire a basic
understanding of the environment and its associated problems.

(c) Attitude:
To help social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the
environment and motivation for actively participation in environmental improvement and
protection.

(d) Skill:
To help social groups and individuals acquire skills for identifying and solving environmental
problems.

(e) Evaluation ability:

To help individuals and social groups to evaluate environmental measures and education
programs in terms of ecological, economic, social, aesthetic and educational factors.

(f) Participation:
To provide social groups and individuals with the opportunities to be actively involved at all
levels in working towards the resolution of environmental problems.

The overall goal of environmental education can be expressed in another form as three
principal objectives (UNESCO, 1977).

1- To foster clear awareness and concern about economic, social, political and ecological
interdependence in urban and rural areas.

2- To create new patterns of behaviors of individuals, groups and society as a whole towards the
environment.

3. To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes,
commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment.

Guiding Principles of Environmental Education:

Environmental education must attempt to imbibe in learners a value oriented thought to take care
of the sustainable development. According to UNESCO (1971) the guiding principles of
environmental education should be as follows:

a) The environment must be comprehended as a system which is a functional unit composed

of organized, interacting and independent parts.
b) Environment education should be compulsory, right from the primary level upto the post
graduate stage.
c) Environmental education should have an interdisciplinary approach by including
physical, chemical, biological as well as socio-cultural aspects of the environment.
d) Environmental education should take into account the historical prospective, the current
and the potential historical issues.
e) Environmental education should emphasis the importance of sustainable developments.
f) Environmental education should emphasis the necessity of local, national and
international cooperation in environmental planning.
g) Environmental education should emphasis the necessity of environmental impact
assessment in propose developmental projects to minimize the environmental effects.
 h) Environmental education should lay more stress on practical experience and self
experiences.

1.3. Components of Environment:

The two major classifications of environment are:

(​A) Physical Environment:​ External physical factors like Air, Water, and Land etc. This is also
called the Abiotic Environment.

(B) Living Environment:​ All living organisms around us viz. plants, animals, and
microorganisms. This is also called the Biotic Environment.

Earth’s environment can be further subdivided into the following four segments/
Components/Conceptual spheres:

1. Atmosphere (air or gaseous containing mainly N​2​, O​2​& CO​2​)

2. Hydrosphere (water containing dissolved oxygen & salts)
3. Lithosphere (Solid or Land containing Minerals, salts, food & nutrients)
4. Biosphere (Life bearing layer)
Atmosphere​: The layer of gases surrounding Earth is called the Atmosphere. Atmosphere may
be considered as a transport component that moves the substances from atmospheric sources to
the receptors. Its storage capacity for matter is small compared to the other spheres, but it has an
immense capability for spatially redistributing matters.
Atmosphere is divided into Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere or
Thermosphere & Exosphere based on atmospheric condition and charateristics.

Hydrosphere​ ​:
Approximately 74.5 per cent of the earth’s surface is made up of water and constitutes the
hydrosphere. The water resources include oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, glaciers,
polar ice caps and ground water.

Of this, about 97 per cent of the water is salty and is present in oceans and seas, 2.3 per cent is
present as ice caps and the remaining less than1 per cent (0.7%) as fresh water which we use
variously.

● Water near the poles is very cold and freezes to form polar ice caps, glaciers or icebergs.
However, at the equator water evaporates into gas due to high temperature.

The frozen water in its own sphere is known as ‘cryosphere’. Water is very essential for life and
it is believed that the first signs of life were found in water.

Lithosphere (Land)​:
The Lithosphere is the solid shell of inorganic material on the surface of the earth. It is
composed of soil particles and the underlying rocks down to a depth of 50km.
The uppermost part of the solid earth, consisting of weathered rocks, minerals and
organic matters together, is known as soil.​The soil layer is also referred to as the ​pedosphere
which is a mixture of inorganic and organic solid matter, air, water and micro organisms. Within
the soil, biochemical reactions by micro organisms are responsible for most of the chemical
changes of matter.

Land is very important for use in agriculture, industrialization, transportation, recreation, etc.
The interior of the lithosphere consists of mantle followed by core.

Crust:​It is a solid outer layer or hard outer Covering surface of the earth.
Thickness: Minimum: 5 km i.e., beneath the ocean. Oceanic Crust, Density: 3 to 3.3 g/cc
Maximum: ≈ 80-100km i.e., at the highest mountain ranges. Continental Crust, Density: 2.7 to 3 g/cc

Mantle:
Thickness: ≈ 2900 km
Average density: 3 to 5.5 g/cc
Temperature: ≈ 700​0​C to 1800​0​C

Core:​ Begins at a depth of 2900 km.

i) Outer core: ≈ 2000km, Density=10 to 12g/cc, Composition: Fe, Ni, S and Oxygen
ii) Inner core: ≈ 1200km, Density=12 to 13g/cc, Composition: Fe and Nickel.
Temperature: ≈ 4000​0​C to 5700​0​C

Biosphere​ ​:
It is that part of earth where living (biotic) organisms exist and interact with one another and also
with the non-living (abiotic) components. The living organisms include all of the
micro-organisms, plants and animals.

Biosphere reaches well into the other three spheres, although there are no permanent inhabitants
in the atmosphere.

Relative to the volume of the earth, the biosphere constitutes only a very thin surface layer,
which extends from 11,000 meters below sea level to 15,000 meters above it.

In general, biosphere includes most of the hydrosphere as well as parts of lower atmosphere and
upper lithosphere.

The biosphere contains large quantities of elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Other
essential elements like phosphorus, calcium and potassium are present in smaller amounts.

Bulk of the functioning in the eco-system is based on the input of solar energy and there is
continual recycling of materials at the ecosystem and biosphere levels.

For example, green plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and release oxygen into the
atmosphere, which is then inhaled by the animals for respiration who in return release carbon
dioxide.

In the biosphere, there exist interactions among the organisms. When an organism interacts with
members of its own kind, it is an intra-specific interaction like colonization and then aggregation,
etc.
On the other hand, interaction between different species is known as inter-specific interaction
like neutralism, competition and prey-predator relationships.

The interactions may be harmful or beneficial to the participants but are very important for the
survival, growth, reproduction and continuance of the species.

These four spheres (Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere and Biosphere) are closely
inter-related and their inter-relation can be schematically depicted as follows:

1.4. Structures of atmosphere:

In general, air pressure and density decrease with altitude in the atmosphere. However,
temperature has a more complicated profile with altitude, and may remain relatively constant or
even increase with altitude in some regions. Because the general pattern of the
temperature/altitude profile is constant and recognizable through means such as ​balloon
soundings​, the temperature behavior provides a useful metric to distinguish between atmospheric
layers. In this way, Earth's atmosphere can be divided (called atmospheric stratification) into five
main layers. Excluding the exosphere, Earth has four primary layers, which are the troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.
From highest to lowest, the five main layers are:
Exosphere: 700 to 1600 km
Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km
Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km
Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km
Troposphere: 0 to 12 km
The Atmosphere is divided into layers according to major changes in temperature. Gravity
pushes the layers of air down on the earth's surface. This push is called ​air pressure​. 99% of the
total mass of the atmosphere is below 32 kilometers.

Troposphere​: 0 to 12 km (at poles troposphere extends upto 8kms and at equator 16 kms)-
Contains 75% of the gases in the atmosphere. This is where you live and where weather occurs.
As height increases, temperature decreases. The temperature drops about 6.5 degrees Celsius for
every kilometer above the earth's surface.

Tropopause - located at the top of the troposhere. The temperature remains fairly constant here.
This layer separates the troposphere from the stratosphere. We find the ​jet stream​ here. These are
very strong winds that blow eastward.

Stratosphere​: 12 to 50 km - The temperature in this region increases with altitude from -60​0​C to
-2​0​C. This layer contains the ozone layer. Ozone acts as a shield for in the earth's surface. It
absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This causes a temperature increase in the upper part of
the layer.

Mesophere​: 50 to 80 km -The temperature drops in this layer to about -90 or -100 degrees
Celsius, i.e. temperature decreases with altitude from -2​0​Cto -90​0​C. This is the coldest region of
the atmosphere. This layer protects the earth from meteoroids (A meteoroid is a small rocky or
metallic body travelling through space). They burn up in this area.

Thermosphere​: 80 km and up - The air is very thin. Thermosphere means "heat sphere". The
temperature is very high in this layer because ultraviolet radiation is turned into heat.
Temperatures often reach 2000 degrees Celsius or more.

This layer contains:

Ionosphere​ - This is the lower part of the thermosphere. It extends from about 80 to 700 km.
Gas particles absorb ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the sun. The particles of gas become
electrically charged (ions). Radio waves are bounced off the ions and reflect waves back to earth.
This generally helps radio communication. However, solar flares can increase the number of ions
and can interfere with the transmission of some radio waves.

Exosphere​:The upper part of the atmosphere. It extends from about 700 km for thousands of
kilometers. Air is very thin here. This is the area where satellites orbit the earth.

Magnetosphere​: The area around the earth that extends beyond the thermosphere. The earth's
magnetic field operates here. It begins at about 1000 km. It is made up of positively charged
protons and negatively charged electrons. This traps the particles that are given off by the sun.
They are concentrated into belts or layers called the Van Allen radiation belts. The Van Allen
belts trap deadly radiation. When large amounts are given off during a solar flare, the particles
collide with each other causing the ​aurora borealis​ or the northern lights.
NOTE:

Note: Lapse Rate:​ Temperature lapse rate is the rate of change of temperature with altitude.
The rate of temperature change decrease with increase in altitude and occurs in an unperturbed
dry air mass at 9.8​o​C. This is called the dry adiabatic lapse rate.

Lapse rate is taken positive when temperature decreases with increasing height.

Temperature Inversion:​ Temperature inversion is the condition in which the temperature of the
atmosphere increases with altitude in contrast to the normal decrease with altitude. When
temperature inversion occurs cold air underlies warmer air at higher altitudes.

Temperature inversion may occur during passage of cold front or result from the inversion of sea
air by cooler on shore breeze.

Carrying capacity:​ It is the number of individual in an environment can support without degradation.

Upper limit of development, beyond which the quality of human life, health, welfare, safety or
community character with in an area will be adversely affected.

Estimated carrying capacity of a earth = 10 to 15 billion people.

Carrying capacity can be increased by:

● Increased food production from same land.
● Waste water technologies.
● Rain water harvesting.

Ecological Footprints:​ It is defined as the productive area required to produce the natural
resources you consume and the required land to dispose the waste that you generate.
It is also defined as a measure of human demand on the Earth's ​ecosystems​, the
amount of ​natural capital​ used each year. The footprint of a region can be contrasted with the
natural resources it generates.

1.5. Sustainable Environment/Sustainable Development:

Environmental sustainability involves making decisions and taking action that are in the interests
of protecting the natural world, with particular emphasis on preserving the capability of the
environment to support human life. It is an important topic at the present time, as people are
realizing the full impact that businesses and individuals can have on the environment.

Sustainable development is the key to sustainable environment.

As per the definition, of then the director of WHO, Prime minister of Norway,
G.H.Brundtland sustainable development means “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”.
 Over exploitation of natural resources, particularly by the developed countries, since
1970s is fast heading towards unsustainable growth and collapse of our life support base.

In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held at

Rio de Janerio, Brazil. The declaration on agenda- 21 adopts a global programme of action on
sustainable development in social, economic and political contexts for 21st Century.

The important components of sustainable development are:

Population stabilization (growth below 0.5%)
Integrated land use planning
Conservation of Biodiversity
Air and water pollution control
Renewable energy resources
Recycling of wastes and residues
Environmental education and awareness at all levels.

Objectives of sustainable development:

● Primary goal is to achieve a reasonable and equitable distributed level of economic well
being that can be maintained continually for future generations.
● Displacement of materials by industrial and agricultural activities or human induced
material flow causing the severe anthropogenic impact on the natural system needs to be
studied and compared with the natural flows.
● It implies using renewable natural resources in a manner which does not degrade or
eliminate them or diminish their usefulness for future generations.
● It requires depleting non-renewable energy resources at a slow rate so as to ensure the
high probability of an orderly society transition to renewable energy sources.
Depending on above, sustainability can be divided into 3 types:
i) Social ii) Ecological iii) Economical.

1.6. Impact of Technology/Human activities on the environmentin terms of modern

agricultural practices and industrialization:

Improvement of technologies in the following fields causes major impacts on the environment
i.e. atmosphere/Hydrosphere/Lithosphere:
● Agriculture
● Housing
● Industries
● Transportation activities
● Mining

Agriculture: Agriculture method was discovered almost 10,000 years ago. In the early period,
man used the primitive practice of slash and burn cultivation or shifting cultivation, which is still
prevalent in many tribal areas, as in north east India in hill regions.

Two modes of Agriculture:

1. Traditional method of Agriculture
2. Modern method of Agriculture
Traditional Agriculture: It involves small plots, simple tools, natural water, organic fertilizer
and several crops. The yield is however low, but it is still used by about 50% of the world
population.

Impacts of traditional agricultural method:

i) Depletion of nutrients: During slash and burn of trees in forests, the organic matter
in soil is destroyed and within a short period most of the nutrients are taken up by the
crops. Thus the soil becomes deficient in nutrients and compels the cultivators to
shift to another area.
ii) Deforestation: Forest land is cleared by slash and burn of trees in forest for
cultivation purposes. Frequent shifting of cultivation plots leads to deforestation i.e
loss of forest cover.
iii) Soil erosion: As a result of deforestation, soil gets exposed to weathering forces i.e
rain, wind and storms & it is subjected to erosion. The net result is loss of top fertile
soil. It takes 300 years to form 1 inch top fertile soil.

Modern Agriculture: It is based on high input – high output technique using hybrid seeds of
high yielding variety and abundant irrigation water, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This is
the basis of “Green Revolution” which boosted the production of wheat and other crops and
India became self-sufficient in food.

Impacts of modern agricultural method on environment (Atmosphere/hydrosphere/Lithosphere):

i) Impact from HYV (High yielding varieties): Application of seeds of HYV gave
rise to monoculture ie., same species grown over vast areas, such monoculture is
vulnerable to attack by some pathogen, which spreads like wild fire, devastating crops
over large area.

ii) Fertilizer problems: Essential micronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous and

potassium (NPK) are supplied by chemical fertilizers. Indiscriminate use of chemical
fertilizers causes micronutrient imbalance in the soil which ultimately loses
productivity.

iii) Nitrate pollution: From agricultural fields nitrogenous fertilizers leach into soil and
finally contaminate ground water. When the nitrate level in ground water exceeds
25mg/l, they can cause a serious health hazard “Blue baby syndrome”, which affect
mostly infants (babies under age 7) even leading to death.

[​Blue baby syndrome/Methaemoglobanemia: Gastric juices (body fluids) of new

born baby are neutral rather than acidic. So nitrates easily get reduced to nitrites.
The absorption of nitrites into the blood stream and their combination with
haemoglobin forms the complex methaemoglobin. Methaemoglobin does not have
the ability to carry oxygen, so that the organs and tissues of the body are deprived
(lack/poor) of this life sustaining element Oxygen resulting in Blue coloration of the
body of the baby]

iv) Eutrophication: Agricultural run-off water contains fertilizer components

particularly Nitrogen & Phosphorous, which reaches nearby water bodies and causes
the over nourishment of lakes or water bodies and give rise to the phenomenon of
Eutrophication. (​Eu​ means ​more​ and ​Trophication​ means ​nutrition​).
 As a result, there is an excessive growth of algal species, which is known as ​algal
bloom​. The water body or lake soon gets filled up with algal species which quickly
complete their life cycle and die thus adding a lot of organic matter. Dissolved
oxygen in the lake is consumed (lowered) for the oxidation of these organic matters
and fish get killed so that the lake becomes a dead pool of water devoid of plants and
animals. Thus the lake ecosystem gets degraded due to Eutrophication.
v) Pesticide side effects: Several thousand pesticides are used in agriculture for
destroying pest and boosting crop production. In the early period of human
civilization arsenic, sulphur, lead and mercury were used to pests. From 1940
onwards synthetic organic pesticides such as DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloro
ethane) discovered by Paul Muller 1939 have been used.
During 1940-50, it saved 5 million lives from malaria, typhus etc and also protected
crops from huge loss. But DDT and other pesticides show number of harmful side
effects on environment.
DDT and many other pesticides are non-biodegradable and so persist in the food
chain which enters even human beings, which quite harmful.
vi) Water logging: Excessive irrigation of croplands for good growth of crop leads to
water logging. In the absence of adequate drainage, excess water is accumulated
which seeps into the underlying water table. Pore spaces in the soil get fully
drenched with water and soil-air becomes deficient. The water table rises and the
roots of plants have insufficient air for respiration. This decline crop yield with
decrease in soil strength.
vii) Salinity problem: In addition to water logging, salinity also rises from excessive
irrigation. So the soil gets enriched with salt such as Sodium chloride, Sodium
sulphate, Calcium chloride, Magnesium chloride etc. Salinity causes stunted plant
growth and reduces crop yield.

Industry:​Industrialization has brought economic prosperity; additionally it has resulted in more

population, urbanization, obvious stress on the basic life supporting systems while pushing the
environmental impacts closer to the threshold limits of tolerance. With booming industrial
growth and relatively low land mass, environmental sustainability is now becoming a significant
deciding factor in industrial development process.
Industries produce environmental hazards everywhere. Examples of such industry are Chemical,
Pharmacy, Biomedical, Textile, Sugar, Tanneries (leather), and metallurgical industry.
Impacts on environment (Atmosphere/hydrosphere/Lithosphere):

❖ Pressure on land and other natural resources for raw materials.

❖ Water pollution
❖ Air pollution
❖ Soil contamination
❖ Noise pollution
❖ Destruction of habitat
❖ Pressure on transport system
❖ Disposal of radioactive wastes from nuclear reactors
❖ Threatening ozone layer with depletion
So in order to reduce the harmful effects on environment, the industries should treat their wastes
before disposal in such a way that it does not have the harmful impacts on environment.
1.7. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

History: ​Environmental impact assessments commenced in the 1960s, as part of increasing

environmental awareness​. EIAs involved a technical evaluation intended to contribute to more
objective decision making. In the United States, environmental impact assessments obtained
formal status in 1969, with enactment of the ​National Environmental Policy Act​. EIAs have been
used increasingly around the world. The number of "Environmental Assessments" filed every
year "has vastly overtaken the number of more rigorous ​Environmental Impact Statements​ (EIS).

An EIS is a document required by the ​National Environmental Policy Act​ (NEPA) for certain
actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for
decision making. It describes the positive and negative ​environmental effects​ of a proposed
action, and it usually also lists one or more alternative actions that may be chosen instead of the
action described in the EIS. An Environmental Assessment is a "mini-EIS designed to provide
sufficient information to allow the agency to decide whether the preparation of a full-blown
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary. EIA is an activity that is done to find out
the impact that would be done before development will occur.

Definition:​ The exercise of visualizing or assessing the effects of a project on the environment
before taking it up is called ​Environmental Impact Assessment.​ It prevents environmental and
economic liabilities (burden) that may arise in future.
Large scale man made activities create environmental impacts. The effects of these activities can
be felt during the construction and operation of projects. It become difficult to mitigate (reduce)
or avoid the ill effects after establishing the projects. Therefore the impacts that may arise later
have to be visualized beforehand so that the developmental activities are harmonized
(coordinated) with the environment.

Process:​ EIA is conducted step by step in a systematic way.

Step 1:​ Description of the project and site of construction. Water and other raw material
requirement is estimated. Industrial processes, production etc are described.

Step 2:​ Alternative sites for the project are evaluated for consideration.

Step 3: Baseline data collection​ – It describes the existing environmental status of the study
area which is the area covered by a certain radius with the proposed project/industry as the
centre.
In the base line study, data on the following aspects are collected.
❖ Land and land use pattern
❖ Existing water resources – Quantity and quality wise
❖ Air quality
❖ Metrology & Climate data such as temperature, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall &
humidity
❖ Soil quality
❖ Seismological characteristics
❖ Noise and traffic
❖ Biological environment – plant species, animal and endangered species.
 ❖ Agricultural potential
❖ Historical sites and monuments
❖ Tourist spots& Religious centers
❖ Wild life Sanctuaries
❖ Schools, hospitals etc.
❖ Demography, cultural and socio-economic environment
❖ Any other environmentally significant parameter.
The possible impacts of the proposed project on the existing environmental setting are
assessed by superimposing the effects of the project on the existing environment. If the impacts
are not acceptable, corrective measures are incorporated into the proposed project and then
correlated with the existing environmental set up. If significant negatives are not observed, work
on the project may be permitted otherwise permission will not be given. In the EIA exercise, the
public is also allowed to participate and express its opinion.
Based on the outcome of the EIA studies, a status report called ​‘Environmental Impact
Statement’ (EIS)​ is prepared, which serves as a guideline for establishing environmentally
sustainable activity.
In India, the ministry of Environment and Forest ​(MOEF)​ guides & controls the EIA
process through the state pollution control boards.

1.8. Environmental Protection

Role of Government:

Rules and regulations have been framed in most of the countries in order to protect the
environment. In this regard Japan is the first country that amended laws for punishment of
crimes against environment.

India’s active interest in environment was initiated in 1972 when the then Prime Minister (late
Smt.Indira Gandhi) attended the United Nations Conference on Human Environment. A
National Committee on Environmental Planning and Co-ordination (NCEPC) was created to act
as the apex advisory body in the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

The successor of NCEPC was the Department of Environment (DOEn) in 1980 within the
ministry of Science and Technology, headed by the Prime Minister. The DOEn is the nodal
agency to ensure environmental protection, to conduct environmental impact studies of
development projects and have the administrative responsibility for pollution monitoring and
control. In 1985, the topics of wildlife and forests were added to the list and a new ministry of
Environment and Forests was created, which remained under the charge of the Prime Minister.
The Committee which recommended to form separate ministry was headed by ​N.D.Tiwary.

The assignments of the Ministry of Environment and Forests are:

i) Environmental Laws and Policies

ii) Environmental Monitoring and Control
iii) Survey of Conservation of Natural Resources
iv) Management of Forests and Conservation of Wildlife
 v) Environmental Education, Awareness and Information
vi) International Co-operation.
Different Government Acts/Regulations were enacted or promulgamated to minimize the pollution and
degradation of environment.

Fundamental duties; Article 48-A & 51-A:

According to 48-A, “The state shall Endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to
safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.”
According to 51-A, “It shall be duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural
environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living
creatures.”
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):
The Central Pollution Control Board, a statutory organization was established in September
1974, under the water act, 1974. It serves as the technical adviserto the Central
Government(MOEF) on any matter concerning the prevention and control of pollution with the
provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Functions of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

Subjected to the provisions of Water Act and Air Act, the functions of the Central Board are;
1. To advice the central government on any matter concerning the prevention and control of
water and air pollution.
2. To coordinate the activities of state boards and resolve disputes among them.
3. To promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the states by prevention,
control, and abatement of water pollution.
4. Provide technical assistance and guidance to the state board, carry out and sponsor
investigation and research relating to problems of water pollution.
5. Organize through mass media, a comprehensive program regarding the prevention and
control of water pollution.
6. Collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data relating to water pollution and
the measure devised for its effective prevention and control and prepare manuals, codes
regarding the treatment and disposal of sewage and trade effluents.
7. Establish and recognize a laboratory to enable the board to perform its functions under
this section effectively.

Functions of State Board (SPCB):

1. To plan and comprehensive program for the prevention, control or abatement of pollution
of stream and wells in the state.
2. To advice the state government on any matter concerning the prevention, control or
abatement of pollution.
3. To collect and disseminate information in respect of matters relating to water and air
pollution and their prevention and control.
4. To encourage, conduct and participate in investigation and research relating to the
problems of water pollution.
5. To collaborate with central board in organizing the training of persons.
6. To inspect effluent treatment plants, trade wastes and domestic wastes.
Environmental Legislation:
The Environment (Protection) Act 1986:
This act came into force on Nov.19, 1986, the birth anniversary of our Late Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi. She took keen interest in environmental issues of the country. This act aimed to
protect and improve the quality of environment by Central Government with coordination of the
State Government. This act deals with standards of quality of air, water and soil. This act
consists of 4 chapters containing 26 sections.

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was amended in 1994 to include Environmental Impact
Assessment(EIA) of various developmental projects. These projects have to take clearance from
the central government prior to establishment.

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974:

This Act came into force on 23​rd​ March 1974. This act was amended in the years 1978 and 1988.
The Water Act was enacted under article 252(1) of the constitution as a social welfare measure
which includes the following points:

i) To prevent and control water pollution

ii) To establish Central and State boards for the prevention and control of water
pollution and
iii) To provide and confer powers and functions to the Central and State board to restore
wholesomeness of water.

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972:

This act came into force on 9th December 1972 in all states and union territories of India, except
the state of Jammu and Kashmir, by the notification of the Central Government. The act was
amended in the years 1982 and 1986. It contains 7 chapters, 6 schedule and 66 sections. The
main aim of this act is to assure conservation and management of wild life.
The major activities under this act are as follows:

i) Major protected areas like National parks, Sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves were
developed.
ii) Protection to endangered plants and animals.
iii) There is provision for trade and commerce in some wildlife species with license for
sale, transfer etc.
iv) Grant of permit to hunt the animals for special purpose like collection of specimens
for recognized Zoo or for Museum.
v) Hunting of wild animals to be banned.
vi) There is total restriction of entry in sanctuary.
vii) Central Zoo authority was also formed.

Forest Conservation Act, 1980:

In spite of enforcement of Indian Forest Act, 1927, and National Forest Policy, 1952,
deforestation continued. To solve this problem, forest conservation ordinance, 1980, was passed
by the president of India, which was later accepted as Forest Conservation Act, 1980. This act
came into force on 25​th​ October 1980. This act extended to all Indian states and Union territories
except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This act was amended in 1988.

The main aims and the features of this act include:

i) The concept that the large scale deforestation, which is still continued, disturbs the
ecological balance and degree environment is the basis for this act to come into
enforcement. Thus the use of effective measures to control deforestation is the main
aim of this act.
ii) The provisions of this act are effective for all kinds of forests.
iii) Forests shall be considered as natural resource and not an economic resource.
iv) According to section 2, the state government or any other authority needs to take
prior approval of central government for using forest land for non forestry purposes.
v) Permission in such cases may be granted only for development activities and only
when there exists enough provision of reforestation in an equivalent area.
vi) Whoever fails to comply with or contravenes this act shall be punished.
vii) This act has provisions to restrict encroachment of forest lands by landless tribal
people.

Air (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1981:

The Air (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1981 was enacted by the parliament to
implement the decision taken at the United Nation Conference on the Human Environment held
at Stockholm in June, 1972 in which India participated. It includes the preservation of the
quality of air and control of Air Pollution.

Objectives:​ The main objectives of act were as follows,

i) To provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

ii) To provide for the establishment of Central and State Boards.
iii) To provide for conferring powers and functions to such boards.
iv) To lay down the standards to maintain the quality of air.

Many other acts were also enacted to prevent the environmental pollution such as

i) Public liability insurance act (1991)

ii) Motor Vehicle Act (1988)
iii) The national environment tribunal act (1995)
iv) Biomedical waste (handling & management) Rule (1995).
v) Noise pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules (2000)
vi) Municipal solid waste (Management and Handling) Rules (1999).

1.9. Initiatives by Non-Governmental organizations (NGO):

NGOs play important roles in environmental awareness and education. Out of about 200 NGOs,
170 are engaged these areas; 50 in nature conservation, 50 in pollution control, 45 in
afforestation and social forestry, 15 in rural development and 10 in eco-development. Most of
these carry out academically oriented activities. In critical situations, they also launch
environmental movements. Among the pioneer NGOs, mention should be made of the
following;
1. Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad. (KSSP)
2. Bombay Natural history society: It was set up at Mumbai in September 1883.
3. Centre for Science and environment (CSE), New Delhi, It was set up in 1980.
4. World-Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-I), New Delhi: It was established in 1969 in
Mumbai and shifted to New Delhi. The coordinating body WWF International is located in
Gland in Switzerland.
5. Uttarkhand Seva Nidhi (UKSN), Almora: UKSN is a Nodal Agency that gives financial
support to needful NGO’s for their environment related activities.
6. Kalpavriksh, Pune: This NGO is active in several parts of India.
7. The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore.
8. Nilgiri wildlife and Environment Association.
9. Centre for Environmental Education (CEE), was set up in 1984.
10. Gandhi Peace Foundation: It was started at Delhi in June 1979.

Major ​International NGOs includes Greenpeace and Green cross International,

WWF-International etc.

Objectives of NGO’s:
l. To highlight role of NGOs in theenvironment protection and to specifythe aims and objectives
of environmentalNGOs
2. To describe and analyse achievementsof some environmental NGOs in India.
3. To point out the limitations inperformance of environmental NGOs inIndia.

Role of NGO:
1. Creating awareness among people on current environmental issues and their solutions.
2. Being involved in the protection of human right to have a clean environment.
3. Transferring information through newsletter, articles, brochures and individuals etc.
4. Conducting participatory rural appraisal.
5. Helping the village administrative officials in the preparation, application and execution
of projects on environmental protection.

Major Environmental Movements:

Chipko Movement:​In 1973, the Chipko movement (Chipko means to hug or stick to) was
launched by Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunder Lal Bahuguna against large scale felling of trees by
timber contractors in the Uttarakhand hills.

Silent Valley Movement:​Silent Valley occupies an area of 8950 hectares at an altitude of 3000ft
in Palakkad district, Kerala. It is surrounded by the thick biodiversity i.e., various species of
animals such as Lion Tailed monkeys and plants. The Kerala State Government decided to
construct a dam in the Silent Valley for generation of 120MW of electricity in 1976.
In order to save the Silent Valley from destruction in the process of government dam project,
the Kerala-based NGO, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) launched the Silent Valley
Movement, supported by students, teachers and people of Kerala.
 Finally the prime Minister in 1983 (Smt.Indira Gandhi) accepted the recommendation of top
scientists and environmentalists and declared the Silent Valley as the Biosphere Reserve by
cancelling the hydel project proposed by State Government.

Narmada Bachao Andolan:​MP Government undertook a gigantic plan-Narmada Basin

Development Programme-which involves construction of 31 large dams for Narmada and its
tributaries. The benefit was high, but according to environmentalists and environment action
groups, massive damming of the Narmada river could be a blueprint for disaster. The basin is
one of the most dense forests in India. The project would imply displacement of over 1 million
people, mostly tribals, submerging of over 1000 villages and over 50,000 hectares of agricultural
land and also loss of forests in the region. The environmental action groups, led by the
environmentalist, Smt.Medha Patkar, organised sustained movement to stall the projects of
Sardar Sarovar and Narmada Sagar dams and partly succeeded.

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