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Environmental Issues
INTRODUCTION

POLLUTION
-Any undesirable change in physical , chemical or
biological characteristics of air , land , water or soil

-Agents that bring about an undesirable change called

Pollutants

-Government of India passed Environment (Protection)

Act , 1986 to protect & improve quality of environment

AIR POLLUTION AND ITS CONTROL

~Any undesirable change in the physical , chemical or

biological characteristics of air

Harmful Effects of Air Pollution

-Air pollutants cause injury to all living organisms
-Reduce growth & yield of crops & cause premature death
of plants
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-Deleteriously affect the respiratory system of humans &

animals

Cause Of Air Pollution

-Automobiles are major cause of atmospheric pollution
-Use of lead-free petrol or diesel can reduce the
pollutants they emit
-Smokestacks of thermal power plants , smelters release
particulate & gaseous air pollutants with harmless gases ,
such as nitrogen , oxygen , etc
↓
Must be separated before releasing the harmless gases
into the atmosphere

-Fine particulates can be inhaled deep into the lungs

Cause : Breathing & respiratory symptoms , irritation ,
inflammations & damage to the lungs & premature deaths

Control Of Air Pollution

(1) Catalytic Converters
(2) Electrostatic Precipitator
(3) Scrubber
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CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

Having expensive metals namely platinum-palladium

& rhodium as the catalysts
↓
Are fitted into automobiles for reducing emission of
poisonous gases
↓
Exhaust passes through the catalytic converter
↓
Unburnt hydrocarbons are converted into carbon
dioxide & water
↓
Carbon monoxide & nitric oxide are changed to
carbon dioxide & nitrogen gas

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR

-Can remove over 99% particulate matter present in the

exhaust from a thermal power plant

Has electrode wires that are maintained at several

thousand volts
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↓
which produce a corona that releases electrons
↓
Electrons attach to dust particles giving them a net
-ve charge
↓
Collecting plates are grounded & attract the
charged dust particles
↓
velocity of air b/w the plates must be low enough to
allow the dust to fall

SCRUBBER

-Scrubber can remove gases like sulphur dioxide

-In scrubber , the exhaust is passed through a spray of

water or lime
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Figure-16.1

Controlling Vehicular Air Pollution - A Case Study

Of Delhi
-In 1990s Delhi ranked 4th among 41 most polluted cities
of world
-In Delhi, Entire fleet of public transport switched over
to Compressed Natural Gas Because :

-CNG burns most efficiently

-Very little of it is left unburnt
-CNG is cheaper than petrol or diesel
-Cannot be siphoned
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Problem of using CNG is the difficulty of laying down

pipelines to deliver CNG through distribution points/
pumps & ensuring uninterrupted supply

Parallel steps taken in Delhi for reducing vehicular

pollution include :
-Use of unleaded petrol
-Use of low-sulphur petrol and diesel
-Use of catalytic converters in vehicles
-Application of stringent pollution level norms for
vehicles , etc

Table-16.1
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NOISE POLLUTION

~Undesired high level of sound

Effects Of Noise Pollution

-Psychological & physiological disorders in humans

-High sound level , 150 dB or more damage ear drums

thus permanently impairing hearing ability

-Chronic exposure to a relatively lower noise level

permanently damage hearing abilities of humans

-Causes sleeplessness , increased heart beating , altered

breathing pattern

Causes Of Noise Pollution

-Burning of crackers
-Transportation system
-Air craft and rail traffic

Control Of Noise Pollution

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-Use of sound absorbent materials or by muffling noise

-Making horn-free zones around hospitals & schools
-Using permissible sound-levels of crackers & of
loudspeakers
-Laying down timings after which loudspeakers cannot be
played

Water Pollution And Its Control

~Any undesirable change in the physical , chemical or

biological characteristics of water
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~Government of India passed Water (Prevention &

Control of pollution) Act , 1974 to safeguard our water
resources

Domestic Sewage And Industrial Effluents

-Sewage is a domestic waste contains biodegradable

organic matter , nitrates , phosphates , & other nutrients ,
& toxic metal ions

-Amount of organic matter in sewage water by

measuring Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

-BOD is amount of oxygen required by aerobic

microorganisms to break down all organic matter
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Figure-16.2

Harmful Effects Of Water Pollution

-Micro-organisms involved in biodegradation of organic

matter in the receiving water body consume
a lot of oxygen
|
Result : Sharp decline in dissolved oxygen downstream
from the point of sewage discharge
Causes : mortality of fish & other aquatic creatures

-Sewage from our homes as well from hospitals contains

many undesirable pathogenic microorganisms
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Cause : diseases like dysentery , typhoid , jaundice ,

cholera

Causes Of Water Pollution

ALGAL BLOOM
-Presence of large amounts of nutrients in waters also
causes excessive growth of planktonic (free-floating)
algae

-Cause : deterioration of the water quality and fish

mortality & some bloom-forming algae are toxic to human
beings & animals
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Figure-16.4

WATER HYACINTH (Eichhornia crassipes)

-‘Terror of Bengal'

-Most problematic water weed which grow abundantly in

eutrophic water bodies , & lead to an imbalance in the
water ecosystem

Water Hyacinth

BIOMAGNIFICATION
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-Increase in concentration of the toxicant at successive

trophic levels

-Happens Because : Toxic substance accumulated by an

organism cannot be metabolized or excreted , & is thus
passed on to the next higher trophic level

-Example of toxic substances - mercury , DDT

EUTROPHICATION
-Natural aging of a lake by biological enrichment of its
water

NATURAL EUTROPHICATION

-Streams draining into the lake introduce nutrients such

as nitrogen & phosphorus due to which aquatic organisms
grow

-As silt & organic debris pile up , the lake grows shallower
& warmer, with warm-water organisms supplanting those
that thrive in a cold environment
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-Marsh plants take root in the shallows & begin to fill in

the original lake basin

-Lake gives way to large masses of floating plants (bog) ,

finally converting into land

CULTURAL or ACCELERATED Eutrophication

-Pollutants from man’s activities like effluents from the

industries & homes can radically accelerate the aging
process

Caused By :
-Sewage , agricultural & industrial wastes
-Nitrates & phosphates , which act as plant nutrients

-Sewage and plant nutrients overstimulate the growth of

algae
Causing : Unsightly scum & unpleasant odors , & robbing
the dissolved oxygen from water , & other pollutants
flowing into a lake may poison whole populations of fish
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-whose decomposing remains further deplete the water’s

dissolved oxygen content & thus a lake can choke to death

-Thermal wastewaters flowing out of

electricity-generating units are another cause of pollution

-Thermal wastewater can eliminate the number of

organisms sensitive to high temperature
Ehance the growth of plants & fish in extremely cold areas
but only after causing damage to the indigenous flora and
fauna

Control Of Water Pollution

Cleaning of waste water occurs in two stages :

-Conventional sedimentation , filtering & chlorine
treatments are given
-Biologists developed a series of six connected marshes
over 60 hectares of marshland

-Plants , algae , fungi & bacteria were seeded into this

area , which neutralize , absorb & assimilate the pollutants
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-The water flows through the marshes , it gets purified

naturally

-Citizens group called Friends of the Arcata Marsh

(FOAM) is responsible for the upkeep and safeguarding of
this wonderful project

Ecological Sanitation
-Sustainable system for handling human excreta , using
dry composting toilets
-With the help of ecological sanitation human excreta can
be recycled into a resource (as natural fertilizer)

-There are working ‘EcoSan' toilets in Kerala & Sri Lanka

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Figure-16.5

Figure-16.3

SOLID WASTES

Refer to everything that goes out in trash

Municipal Solid Waste : wastes from homes , offices ,

stores , schools , hospitals

Types Of Solid Wastes

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Bio-degradable :
-Wastes which can be degraded by microorganisms
-Eg : food materials

Recyclable
-Wastes which can be converted into new materials
-Eg : glass , paper

Non-biodegradable
-Wastes which cannot be degraded or takes long time to
get degraded
-Eg : Plastic

Prevention Of Solid Wastes

-Reduction in use of plastics & use of eco-friendly

packaging
-Carrying cloth or other natural fiber carry-bags
-Refusing polythene bags

-Burning & open dumps are used to reduce the volume of

the wastes
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-Open dumps serve as the breeding ground for rats & flies
-Sanitary landfills were adopted as the substitute for
open-burning dumps

POLYBLEND
-Fine powder of recycled modified plastic which is mixed
with bitumen to lay roads

HOSPITALS WASTES
-Contain disinfectants , harmful chemicals & pathogenic
micro-organisms
-Incinerators are used to dispose hospital waste

ELECTRONIC WASTES (e-wastes)

-Irreparable computers & other electronic goods
-E-wastes are buried in landfills or incinerated

Agrochemicals And Their Effects

-Chemicals which are used in agriculture

-Example : herbicides , fungicides , pesticides

-Increasing amounts of artificial fertilizers can cause

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eutrophication

-Integrated organic farming is a cyclical zero-waste

procedure where waste products from one process are
cycled in as nutrients for other processes

Examples :
-Cattle excreta (dung) are used as manure
-Crop waste is used to create compost - can be used as
a natural fertilizer , used to generate natural gas

RADIOACTIVE WASTES

-Contain radioactive materials

-Radiation given off by nuclear waste

Causes : mutations to occur at a very high rate

-At high doses nuclear radiation is lethal but at lower

doses it creates various genetic disorders
Eg : Cancer

-Storage of nuclear waste after pre-treatment done in

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shielded containers buried within the rocks , about 500 m

deep below the earth’s surface

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT & Global Warming

-Naturally occuring Phenomenon

-Responsible for heating of Earth’s surface & atmosphere
-CO2 & CH4 common greenhouse gases
-Important to increase the temperature - essential for
the organisms to live
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Figure-16.6

Due to the increase in the level of greenhouse gases the

Earth gets heated which is K/a Global warming

Effects Of Global Warming

-Deleterious changes in the environment - resulting in

odd climatic changes
-Increased melting of polar ice caps as well as of other
places like the Himalayan snow caps
-Rise in sea level that can submerge many coastal areas

How To Control Global Warming

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-Cutting down use of fossil fuel

-Improving efficiency of energy usage
-Reducing deforestation
-Planting trees & slowing down the growth of human
population

Figure-16.7

Ozone Depletion In The Stratosphere

-Upper part of the atmosphere - Stratosphere

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-Ozone is a layer in the earth’s stratosphere acts as

shield absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun

-UV rays highly injuries to living organisms as the

chemical bonds within DNA & proteins of living organisms
break by high energy

-Thickness of the ozone in a column of air from the

ground to the top of the atmosphere is measured in terms
of Dobson Units (DU)

-Ozone gas is continuously formed by the action of UV

rays on molecular oxygen - also degraded into
molecular oxygen in the stratosphere
|
so there should be a balance b/w production &
degradation of ozone in the stratosphere

-Balance has been disrupted due to enhancement of

ozone degradation by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

-CFCs discharged in the lower part of atmosphere move

upward & reach stratosphere
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-In stratosphere , UV rays act on them releasing Cl

atoms

-Cl degrades ozone releasing molecular oxygen , with

these atoms acting merely as catalysts

-Ozone depletion resulted in formation of a large area of

thinned ozone layer - Ozone Hole

-UV-B damages DNA and mutation may occur

Causes : aging of skin , damage to skin cells & various
types of skin cancers

-In human eye , cornea absorbs UV-B radiation , & a high

dose of UV-B causes inflammation of cornea -
Snow-Blindness cataract

Montreal Protocol
-International Treaty
-Signed at Montreal (Canada) in 1987 (effective in 1989)
-Control the emission of ozone depleting substances
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Figure-16.8

Degradation by Improper Resources Utilisation

And Maintenance

Degradation of natural resources occurby improper

resource utilization practices such as :

Soil Erosion & Desertification

-Soil erosion is the removal of the top layer of the soil

-Human activities such as over-cultivation , unrestricted

grazing , deforestation & poor irrigation practices , results
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in arid patches of land

-Extend & meet over time , a desert is created

Waterlogging & Soil Salinity

-Irrigation without proper drainage of water leads to
waterlogging in the soil

Waterlogging draws salt to the surface of the soil

↓
deposited as a thin crust on the land surface or
starts collecting at the roots of the plants
↓
Damages the crop production

DEFORESTATION

-Conversion of forested areas to non-forested ones

Causes of Deforestation

Slash & Brun agriculture / Jhum Cultivation

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-Famers cut down the trees of the forest & burn the plant
remains
-North-eastern states of India
-Ash is used as fertilizer
-Land is used for farming or cattle grazing
-If land is left uncultivated for several years
replenishment of minerals occur

Effects of Deforestation

-Enhanced carbon dioxide concentration in the

atmosphere
-Loss of biodiversity
-Disturbs hydrologic cycle
-Soil erosion , desertification in extreme cases

Reforestation
-Process of restoring a forest that once existed but was
removed at some point of time

Government of India has recently instituted The Amrita

Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award
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Government of India has introduced the concept of Joint

forest Management (JFM) , 1980s so as to work closely
with the local communities for protecting & managing
forests

Chipko Movement , 1974 was started by local women of

Garhwal Himalayas to protect trees