Environmental Issues

Pollution is the undesirable change brought about by chemical, particulate

matter, or biological materials to air, water, or soil.

Air Pollution

Air is a complex, dynamic natural entity, which is essential for supporting life

on earth.
Air pollutant is a substance that causes harm to the humans and other living

organisms.
Some of the common pollutants of air:
Nitrogen dioxide
Sulphur dioxide
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
Volatile organic compounds
Particulate matter
Control of Air Pollution

Air pollution causes severe respiratory disorders in humans and other

animals and also affects plants. It can be controlled by the following ways:
Fitting smokestacks and smelters, with filters to separate pollutants from

the harmless gases

Particulate matter can be removed by using an electrostatic precipitator.
It contains electrode wires maintained at several thousand volts, which
produce electrons. These electrons cling on to dust particles and give them a
net negative charge and are attracted by collecting plates, which are
grounded. The velocity of air passing through the plates should be low
enough to allow the dust to fall.

A scrubber can be used to remove gases such as SO2 wherein the exhaust

passes through a spray of water or lime.

Vehicular pollution can be reduced by using less polluting fuels such as CNG,
which is more efficient and less costly as compared to petrol or diesel. In
2002, all the buses were switched to CNG in Delhi and this has indeed led to

a fall in pollution levels in the city.

Vehicles can be fitted with catalytic converters that have metals such as
platinum, palladium, and rhodium as catalysts. These catalysts carry out the
following conversions:
Unburnt hydrocarbons CO2 and H2O
Carbon monoxide Carbon dioxide
Nitric oxide Nitrogen gas
Unleaded petrol must be used with catalytic converters as presence of lead
in the petrol inactivates the catalyst.
Greenhouse Effect

It is a natural phenomenon that keeps the earths atmosphere warm.

Without this phenomenon, the temperature of the earth would become too

cold for living beings to survive.

The greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, etc.) absorb the heat of sun and the

earth and emit it back to the earths surface.

Thus, these gases prevent a part of heat rays from escaping into
atmosphere.
This cycle is repeated many times to maintain the earths temperature to an

optimum 15C.
The concentration of these gases has increased due to increased
industrialisation, leading to the heating up of the earths surface (global

warming).
This has increased the overall temperature of the earth, resulting in changes
in the earths climate. During the last century, the temperature of earth has

increased by 0.6C.
This increase in temperature is ultimately believed to cause the melting of

polar ice caps, rise in the sea level, and submerging of the coastal areas.
Greenhouse effect can be controlled by reducing the use of fossil fuels,
which produce greenhouse gases on burning, afforestation, efficient energy
usage, etc.

Water Pollution

Water is very essential for the maintenance of life on earth.

Due to human activities, water bodies have become polluted all over the

world.
Some of the common pollutants and their sources are:
Domestic sewage It mainly contains organic matter, which is
biodegradable. Microorganisms involved in their degradation consume a lot
of oxygen and the BOD of the water body increases leading to the death of
fishes and other aquatic life. Sewage also contains many pathogenic
microbes, which may cause the outbreak of many diseases such as typhoid,
jaundice, etc.
Industrial Effluents Industrial effluents contain inorganic toxic
substances, which may undergo biomagnification (increase in
concentration of a toxin at successive trophic levels). The toxin gets
accumulated in the body of an organism and is passed on to the next level.
For example, DDT and other heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, etc.
Thermal wastewater discharge Heated water flowing out of the
thermal power plants increase the temperature of the water body. It
eliminates the cold water species and promotes the warm water species. In
the long run, it causes damage to the indigenous biodiversity of the water
body.
Eutrophication
It is the ageing of a water body due to nutrient enrichment of its water. It

can be natural or artificial.

The natural process takes thousands of years, but due to human activities,

this process has got accelerated (accelerated/cultural eutrophication).

Release of nutrient rich sewage and industrial effluents lead to introduction
of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and increase in temperature
and BOD of the water body, causing increased biological activity, thereby
leading to algal blooms. This results in the loss of indigenous flora and

fauna.
In some cases, large masses of floating plants (bog) develop, finally
converting the water body into land.
Control of Water Pollution

Raw sewage can be treated using biological and other means to remove the
solid, suspended, and inorganic materials before it is released back into the

environment.
Nitrogenous fertilizers can be denitrified using microbes, which can convert

nitrate and nitrite into gaseous nitrogen by a process called de-nitrification.

Integrated wastewater management as practiced in Arcata, CaliforniaIn this approach, the water is first treated by conventional means such as
filtration, sedimentation, and chlorine treatment, followed by bioremediation.
(Marshes having appropriate plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae were seeded,
which assimilate dangerous pollutants such as heavy metals)

Solid Waste

Consists of all the unwanted undesired materials thrown into the dustbin
It may be composed of biodegradable or non-biodegradable wastes.
Open dumps used for disposing solid waste serves as breeding ground for

rats and flies. Therefore, sanitary landfills are used as a substitute for these.
Biodegradable wastes can be either aerobically on anaerobically broken
down using microbes. The non-biodegradable waste can be recycled, reused,

or dumped in landfills.
Hospital wastes also contain hazardous materials, which have to be disposed

properly. Hospital wastes are generally incinerated.

Irreparable computers and other electronic goods make up e-wastes, which
are either dumped in land fills or are incinerated. E-waste can be recycled
also to recover metals such as copper, iron, silicon, gold, etc.

To use the plastic waste in an efficient way, polyblend, a fine powder of

recycled modified plastic, has been developed. When polyblend is mixed with
bitumen, it can be used to lay roads with greater water repellent capacity
and greater life.

Agrochemicals and Radioactive Wastes

Agrochemicals

The increased use of pesticides, fertilizers for increasing the produce has led

to eutrophication and biomagnifications in water sources.

In order to check this, the concept of organic farming is increasingly
becoming popular. In this technique, instead of using chemical fertilizers and
pesticides, natural materials and techniques such as organic manure (cow
dung manure), compost, biological pest control, and crop rotation are used.
This leads to a balanced soil, which does not cause soil infertility, but causes
the rejuvenation of the soil.
Radioactive Wastes

Nuclear energy is a non-polluting energy except the threats posed by

accidental leakage and difficult disposal of radioactive waste.

Radioactive substances cause severe damages such as mutations and cancer

in lower doses and higher doses can be lethal.

Radioactive wastes should be suitably pre-treated in shielded containers
buried under rock surfaces about 500 m under the earths surface.
Improper Utilisation of Resources

Natural resources can get degraded by their improper use.

Soil erosion and desertification Over-cultivation, overgrazing,
deforestation, and poor irrigation techniques lead to soil erosion and

desertification.
Water logging and soil salinity - Lack of proper drainage leads to water
logging, which affects the crops and also leads to increase in the salinity of
the soil.

Ozone Depletion and Deforestation

Ozone Depletion

The ozone layer is found in the upper part of the stratosphere.

It protects the earth from the harmful UV rays of the Sun. High energy UV

rays break the bonds within the molecules such as DNA and proteins.
Ozone is formed by the action of UV rays on oxygen molecule and its

thickness is measured in Dobson units (DU).

The ozone layer is getting depleted by the action of chlorofluorocarbons

(CFCs) found in refrigerants and perfumes.

The CFCs are acted upon by UV rays in the stratosphere, liberating the Cl
atoms, which act as catalysts to degrade ozone into molecular oxygen.
The ozone depletion is particularly greater in Antarctica, resulting in the

formation of a large thinned ozone layer commonly known as ozone hole.

The UV rays of shorter wavelength cause skin cancers, mutations in the

cellular DNA, snow-blindness, cataract, etc.

To check this ozone depletion, Montreal Protocol was passed in 1987 to
control the use of substances that cause ozone depletion.
Deforestation

It is the unlimited cutting of trees and conversion of forests into cultivable

land.
In the beginning of 20th century, India had 30% of its area under forests,

which was reduced to just 19.4% by the end of 20th century.

Deforestation is a result of a number of human activities such as increased
population and the demand for land.
Trees are cut for timber, fuel, and also for Slash and burn agriculture, also
called Jhum cultivation. In this, trees are cut and plant remains in the forest

are burned since the ash acts as a fertilizer.

Some of the major effects of deforestation are the increase in carbon-dioxide
levels, loss of habitat for wild animals, soil erosion, and consequent

desertification.
Deforestation can be controlled by reforestation and afforestation.
In 1980s, the concept of Joint Forest Management was introduced by the
government of India. In this, support of local communities was taken for
conservation of forests and in return, the local people were free to use the
products obtained from the forests.