GE6351 - ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Unit I - Natural Resources
Unit II - Environment, Ecosystems
and Biodiversity
Unit III - Environmental Pollution
Unit IV - Social Issues And The
Environment
Unit V - Human Population and the
Environment
UNIT I - NATURAL RESOURCES
FOREST RESOURCES
OVER EXPLOITATION OF FORESTS
DEFORESTATION
CASE STUDIES
TIMBER EXTRACTION
MINING
DAMS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON FORESTS AND TRIBAL
PEOPLE
WATER RESOURCES
OVER UTILIZATION OF SURFACE AND GROUND WATER
FLOODS AND DROUGHT
CONFLICTS OVER WATER
 BIG-DAMS –BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS
 MINERAL RESOURCES

FOOD RESOURCES
ENERGY RESOURCES
 WIND ENERGY
 OCEAN ENERGY
 BIOMASS ENERGY
 NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
 NUCLEAR ENERGY
 USES OF ALTERNATE (RENEWABLE) ENERGY SOURCES

LAND RESOURCES
 DESERTIFICATION
 LANDSLIDES
 CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES - ROLE OF AN
INDIVIDUAL
 EQUITABLE USE OF RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE STYLE
INTRODUCTION
 DEFINITIONS

Environment is derived from the French word Environ

which means to encircle or surround.
Environment is sum total of water, air, and land, inter-
relationships among themselves and also with the human
beings, other living organisms and property. The above
definition given in Environment Act, 1986 clearly indicates
that environment includes all the physical and biological
surroundings and their interactions.
 SCOPE
 Studying the interrelationships among biotic and abiotic components
for sustainable human ecosystem,
 Carrying out impact analysis and environmental auditing for the
further catastrophic activities,
 Developing and curbing the pollution from existing and new
industries,
 Stopping the use of biological and nuclear weapons for destruction of
human race,
 Managing the unpredictable disasters and so on.

There are some major issues like global warming, depletion of

ozone layer, dwindling forests and energy resources, loss of global
biodiversity etc., that are going to affect the mankind as a whole and
for that we have to think globally.
 NEED FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS
 Public awareness very essential to help understand pros and cons of
environmental problems.
 The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio
de Janerio in 1992 and popularly known as Earth summit followed by the world
summit on sustainable Development in 2002, have highlighted key issues of
global environmental concern.
 Environmental pollution cannot be removed by laws alone.
 The proper implementation and especially public participation are important
aspects.
 Public participation is possible only when the public is aware about the
ecological and environmental issues.
 A drive by the government to ban the littering of polythene cannot be successful
until the public understands the environmental implications of the same.
 The public has to be educated about the fact that if we are degrading our
environment we are actually harming ourselves.
 Renewable Energy Resources:
Definition: They are natural resources which can be regenerated
continuously

Examples: Solar energy = Solar cells, Solar heat collectors, Solar

water heater

Wind energy = Wind mills, Wind farms

Ocean energy = Tidal energy, Ocean Thermal energy, Geothermal

energy

Biomass energy = Biogas, Bio fuel, Hydrogen fuel

Non-Renewable Energy Resources
Non-renewable energy resources are natural resources
which cannot be regenerated once they are exhausted.
They cannot be used again.

 1. Coal
 2. Petroleum
 3. LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
 4. Natural Gas
 5. Nuclear Energy
Forests Resources
A forest is any area with a lot of
trees, are one of the most
important natural resources on
earth.
1/3 of wordl’s land is covered with
forest.

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 The type of forest varies depending on the location of the
forest
Depending upon the climate conditions, forest may be classified as:
Tropical Rain Forests: They are evergreen broadleaf forests
found near the equator. They are characterized by high
temperature, high humidity and high rainfall, all of which favor
the growth of trees.
Important trees: Rubber tree, banana tree.
Tropical deciduous forests:

They are found a little away from the equator and are characterized by
a warm climate the year round. Rain occurs only during monsoon.

Important trees: Teak, sandalwood

Tropical scrub forests: They are found in areas where
the day season is even longer.
Important trees: Oaks, Olives
Temperate coniferous forests:
They are found in temperate areas with adequate rainfall.
The needle typed leaves preserve the moisture.
These are dominated by trees like pines, firs, redwoods etc.

Evergreen coniferous forests (Boreal Forests): They are

found just south of arctic tundra. Here winters are long,
cold and dry. Sunlight is available for a few hours only.
Important trees: Firs, coast red wood
Temperate deciduous forests: Due to severe winter
with heavy snowfall the trees shed their leaves just
before the winter season.
Important trees: oaks, magnolia
 FUNCTION OF FOREST
Provide habitats to plants, animals and wildlife.

Recycle rainwater and remove pollutants from air.

Control water quality and quantity.

Moderate temperature and weather and control the humidity.

Influence soil conditions and prevent soil erosion and perform

watershed functions.

Promote tourism and contribute aesthetic beauty.

 Uses of Forests
1.1. Commercial uses
Man depends heavily on a larger number of plant
and animal
products from forests for his daily needs.

The chief product that forests supply is

 Wood (fuel)
 raw material (pulp, paper, newsprint, board,
timber for furniture items)
 Supply minor products (gums, resins, dyes,
tannins, fibers)
Medicines and drugs;
 forests lands are used for mining, agriculture,
grazing, and recreation and for development of
dams.
1.2: Ecological uses
Production of Oxygen
Wild life habitat
Regulation of hydrological Cycle
Soil Conservation
Pollution moderators

1.3: Aesthetic value

 Bamboo, aromatic oils etc

1.4: Touristic value

 Ecotourism
Over Exploitation of Forests
Due to over population, the forest materials like food,
medicine, shelter, wood & fuel are not sufficient to
meet the people’s demand. Hence exploitation of forest
increases day by day.
Reason for over exploitation in India:
In India, forest area required to maintain good ecological
balance is 33% but at present only 22% is there. Hence over
exploitation of forest occur.

Causes of over exploitation:

 Increasing agricultural production
 Increasing industrial activities
 Increase in demand of wood resources
Effects of Over exploitation:
 Led to migration of the farmers
 Environment damage is heavy
 Tropical forests are destroyed very fastly
 Countless plants and animal species are endangered
 Marine population will go into extinction
 Dumping of wastes into land, water, & air is a severe
problem
 DEFORESTATION
Deforestation means destruction or removal of forests due to
natural or man-made activities.

Deforestation in India: Deforestation is a continuous process in

India.
About 1.3 hectares of forest land has been lost.
The presence of waste land is a sign of deforestation in India.
Causes of Deforestation:
1. Developmental projects: (Ex) Bigdams, hydroelectric
projects, road construction etc
2. Mining operations: (ex) Mica, coal, manganese,
limestone etc.
3. Raw materials for industries: (ex) for making boxes,
furnitures, plywood, match boxes, pulp etc.
4. Fuel requirements: (ex) Both rural & tribal population
depend on forests for fuel
5. Shifting cultivation: Replacement of natural forest
ecosystem lead to loss of plants & animal species
6. Forest Fires: Due to human interruption & increase in
temperature forest fire happens
 Effects or Consequences of deforestation:

1. Global Warming► Cutting & burning of forest trees increase CO2 content in
atmosphere
This causes global warming and depletion of ozone layer.
2. Soil erosion► Forest trees act as natural barrier to reduce the wind velocity &
reduce soil erosion.
Deforestation causes soil erosion, floods, landslides, and drought.
3. Loss of genetic diversity► Destroy the genetic diversity on earth which
provides food & medicines for entire world.
4. Loss of Biodiversity► When plants does not exist, animals that depend on
them for food & habitat become extinct.
5. Loss of Food grains► Due to soil erosion, the countries loose the food grains.
6. Flood & land slides► frequent floods, landslides in hilly areas and wind speed
are heavy.
7. Unemployment Problems ► people living around forest areas losses their
livelihood.
Preventive measures of conservation of forests
 Planting trees to replace the cut down trees
 Use of wood for fuel should be discouraged
 Controlling forest pest by spraying pesticides using
aeroplanes
 Controlling forest fire by modern techniques
 Controlling over graze by cattle
 Discouraging migration of tribal people by the
government.
 Conducting education & awareness programmes
 Strict implementation of law of forest conservation act.
 Case Studies
1. Desertification in hilly regions of the Himalayas:
Desertification in Himalayas, involving clearance of natural
forests and plantation of monocultures like Pinus roxburghi,
Eucalyptus camadulensis etc., have upset the ecosystem by
changing various soil and biological properties.
The area is invaded by exotic weeds. These areas are not able to
recover and are losing their fertility.
2. Following the destruction of forest rain fall declined in Chhota
Nagpur to such an extent that tea-gardens also disappeared from
the region.
3. Waning rain fall in Udhagamandalam
The rainfall pattern was found to fluctuate with wooded land
area in the hills. When the Nilgiri mountains had luxuriant forest
cover annual rainfall used to be much higher.
 TIMBER EXTRACTION
Logging for valuable timber such as teak and mahogany not
only involves a few large trees per hectare but about a dozen
more trees since they are strongly interlocked with each other
by vines etc.
Also road construction for making approach to the trees
causes further damage to the forests.
In India, firewood demand would continue to rise in future
mostly consumed in rural areas, where alternative sources of
energy, are yet to reach.
Effects of Timber Extraction:
The major effects of limber extraction on forest and tribal
people include :
1.Poor logging results in a degraded forest.
2.Floods may be intensified by cutting of trees or
upstream watersheds.
3.Loss of biodiversity.
4.Climatic changes such as lower precipitation.
5.New logging roads permit shifting cultivators to gain
access to logged areas and fell the remaining trees.
6. It results in forest fragmentation which promotes loss of
biodiversity because some species of plants and animals
require large continuous areas of similar habitat to survive.
7.Exploitation of tribal people by the contractors.
8.Soil erosion specially on slopes occurs extensively.
9.sedimentation of irrigation systems, floods may be
intensified by cutting of trees on upstream.
10. Scientific research documenting the impact of timber
extraction indicate that it has resulted in fragmentation of
the remaining forest, as well as decrease in biodiversity
11. loss of non-timber products and loss of long-term forest
productivity on the site affect the subsistence economy of
the forest dwellers.
 MINING
Mining is the process of removing deposits of ores from
substantially very well below the ground level.
Mining is carried out to remove several minerals including
coal.
These mineral deposits invariably found in the forest region,
and any operation of mining will naturally affect the forests.
Mining from shallow deposits is done by surface mining
while that from deep deposits is done by sub-surface
mining.
More than 80,000 ha of land of the country are presently
under the stress of mining activities.
Effects of mining resources
Mining operation require removal of vegetation along with
underlying soil mantle and overlying rock masses. This
results in destruction of landscape in the area.
 Noise pollution is major problem
 It leads to the emission of dust, suspended particle and
gases which cause air pollution.
Release of harmful trace element e.g., CO, Pb, Cd etc. leads
to the contamination of surface water.
Underground water is also contaminated due to seepage and
infiltration of leached drainage.
Mining leads to the degradation of soil quality, fertility and
makes it toxic.
Natural vegetation get adversely effected due to leached
trace element.
The major consequences of mining is the deforestation
which results in loss of flora and fauna.
It directly affect the ecosystem and its stability as many
species are killed due to toxicity of water and soil and loss
of habitat.
 DAMS & THEIR EFFECTS ON FORESTS
& TRIBAL PEOPLE

Definition: Dams are artificial structures built across the

river to create reservoir to store water.
Indian Scenario: Maharashtra = more than 600 dams,
Gujarat = more than 250 dams
Madhya Pradesh = more than 130 dams
 Effects of dam on forest
Thousands of hectares of forest are cleared for river valley
projects
Forest is also cleared for residential, office, buildings, storing
materials, laying roads etc
Hydro electric projects have led to loss of forest.
Dam construction kills wild animals & aquatic life
Hydro electric projects spread water borne diseases.
Water logging leads to salinity & reduces the fertility of land.
( Examples)
Narmada Sagar Project = submerged 3.5 lakhs hectares of
forest
Tehri dam = submerged 1000 hectares of forest
 Effects of dam on tribal people

Displacement of tribal people

Cultural change affects the tribal people mentally &
physically
They do not accommodate the modern food habits &
life styles.
Tribal’s are ill treated by modern society
They are recognized and compensated
Their body condition will not suit the new area & are
affected by many diseases.
 WATER RESOURCES
Water is an important component of all living beings. Nearly 80% of
earth’s surface is covered by water.
Uses of Water
Due to its unique properties, water is of multiple uses for all living
organisms.
Water is absolutely essential for life.
Most of the life processes take place in water contained in the body.
Uptake of nutrients, their distribution in the body, regulation of
temperature, and removal of wastes are all mediated through water.
Human beings depend on water for almost every developmental activity.
Water is used for drinking, irrigation, and transportation, washing and
waste disposal for industries and used as a coolant for thermal power
plants.
Water shaped the earth's surface and regulates our climate.
HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE:
 Evaporation:
Heat energy from the sun evaporates water from oceans, rivers,
streams, lakes, ponds etc.
 Condensation & Precipitation:
Precipitation (rainfall) occurs due to the condensation of water &
falls to earth.
Once water condenses, it is pulled into the ground by gravity.
 Transpiration & respiration:
Plants absorb water through their roots & loose water through
their leaves to the atmosphere & this process is transpiration.
Animals & plants break down sugars and produce energy with
liberation of CO2 & H2O is respiration.
Thus the process of evaporation, condensation & transpiration
is called hydrological cycle.
 OVER UTILIZATION OF SURFACE
AND GROUND WATER
With increasing human population and rapid development,
the world water withdrawal demands have increased many
folds and a large proportion of the water withdrawn is
polluted due to anthropogenic activities.
Out of the total water reserves of the world, about 97% is
salty water and only 3% is fresh water.
Even this small fraction of fresh water is not available to us
as most of it is locked up in polar ice caps and just 0.003%
is readily available to us in the form of ground water and
surface water.
Effects of over exploitation of water
Subsidence: When ground water withdrawal is more than its
recharge rate, the sediments in the aquifer (a layer of rock that
is highly permeable and contains water) get compacted, a
phenomenon knows as ground subsidence. It results in sinking
of overlying land surface. Due to this structural damage in
buildings, fracture in pipes etc., occurs.
Lowering of water table: Mining of groundwater is done
extensively for irrigating crop fields. However, excessive
mining would cause lowering of water table.
Water logging: When excessive irrigation is done with
brackish water it raises the water table gradually leading to
water-logging and salinity problems.
Benefits of Constructing Dams:
Control flood & store water
Divert water from river into a channel
Used for drinking & agricultural purposes
Built for generating electricity
Used for recreational purposes
Navigation & fishery can be developed in dam areas
Help for the socio economic development of the society
Used for irrigation during dry seasons
Prevent drought
Problems of Constructing Dams:

Upstream Problem:
Displacement of tribal people

Loss of forests, flora & fauna

Soil erosion, sedimentation, siltation occurs

Water logging retards plant growth

Spread of vector-borne & water borne diseases

Reservoir Induced Seismicity (RIS) causes earthquake

 Down stream problems:

 Water logging causes salinity

 Silt deposition in rivers

 Salt water intrusion in river

 As nutrients deposits in reservoir, land losses its fertility

 Structural defects of dam destroy many living organisms

 MINERAL RESOURCES
Definition: Mining is the process of extracting of metals from
the mineral deposit.
Types:
1. Surface mining: It is process of extraction of raw materials
form surface.
2. Underground mining: It is the process of extraction of raw
materials below the earth’s surface
Open-Pit mining: machines dig holes & remove the ores. (ex)
Iron, copper, limestone, marble etc
Dredging: Scraping the minerals from under-water mineral
deposit by chained buckets & draglines.
Strip mining: The ore is stipped off by using bulldozers,
stripping wheels.
 Effects of over exploitation of mineral resources
Rapid depletion of mineral deposits
Wastage & dissemination of mineral deposits
Causes environmental pollution
Needs heavy energy requirements.
Vibration developed during mining causes earthquake
Causes Noise pollution
Reduces size & shape of forest areas
Continuous mining causes landslides, Causes migration of
tribal people.
 Environmental Damage caused by mining activities:
Damage Effect
1. De-vegetation & · Topsoil & vegetation are removed from mining areas.
defacing of landscape · De-vegetation leads to severe ecological losses.

2. Groundwater · Mining pollutes the ground water.

contamination · Sulphur present in many ores, is converted into sulphuric acid by
microbial action.
· Hence water becomes acidic.
· Some heavy metals also leach into ground water.
3. Surface water The drainage of acid mine contaminates streams & lakes.
pollution · Radioactive substances like Uranium contaminate the surface water
& Kill the aquatic animals.
4. Air pollution Smelting & roasting done to purify the metal causes air pollution &
affects the nearby vegetation.
*The SPM (suspended particulate matter) like Arsenic, cadmium, lead
etc. contaminate the atmosphere & affects public health.
5. Subsidence of Lands Mining results in cracks in houses, tilting of buildings, bending of rail
tracks etc.