F.Y.B.Sc.

Environmental Studies

Chapter 6

Social Issues and The Environment

6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 01

6.2 URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO ENERGY 03

6.3 WATER CONSERVATION, RAIN WATER HARVESTING, WATERSHED

MANAGEMENT 04
6.3.1 Water conservation 04
6.3.2 Rain water harvesting 06
6.3.3 Watershed management 07

6.4 RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE; ITS PROBLEMS

AND CONCERNS. CASE STUDIES 08

6.5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 09

6.5.1 Resource consumption patterns and the need for their equitable utilisation 09
6.5.2 Equity – Disparity in the Northern and Southern countries 11
6.5.3 Urban – rural equity issues 11
6.5.4 The need for Gender Equity 11
6.5.5 Preserving resources for future generations 12
6.5.6 The rights of animals 13
6.5.7 The ethical basis of environment education and awareness 14
6.5.8 The conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India 17

6.6 CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, ACID RAIN, OZONE LAYER DEPLETION,
NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. CASE STUDIES 18
6.6.1 Climate change 18
6.6.2 Global warming 19
6.6.3 Acid rain 20
6.6.4 Ozone layer depletion 21
6.6.5 Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holocaust 22
 6.7 WASTELAND RECLAMATION 23

6.8 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS 25

6.9 ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 29

6.10 AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 30

6.11 WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 32

6.12 WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 33

6.13 FOREST CONSERVATION ACT 35

6.14 ISSUES INVOLVED IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 37

6.14.1 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 37
6.14.2 Citizens actions and action groups 38

6.15 PUBLIC AWARENESS 40

6.15.1 Using an Environmental Calendar of Activities 40
6.15.2 What can I do? 41

*This content is provided by University Grants Commission, New Delhi.

6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO
SUSTAIN- ABLE DEVELOPMENT sound environmental management. He stressed
on the need for sanitation based on recycling
Until two decades ago the world looked at eco- human and animal manure and well-ventilated
nomic status alone as a measure of human de- cottages built of recyclable material. He envi-
velopment. Thus countries that were sioned roads as being clean and free of dust.
economically well developed and where people His main objective was to use village made goods
were relatively richer were called advanced na- instead of industrial products. All these princi-
tions while the rest where poverty was wide- pals are now considered part of sound long-term
spread and were economically backward were development. Gandhiji had designed a sustain-
called developing countries. Most countries of able lifestyle for himself when these concepts
North America and Europe which had become were not a part of general thinking.
industrialized at an earlier stage have become
economically more advanced. They not only ex- A growing realization of the development strat-
ploited their own natural resources rapidly but egy that Mahatma Gandhi had suggested many
also used the natural resources of developing decades earlier is now accepted by experts on
countries to grow even larger economies. Thus development across the world. This is based on
the way development progressed, the rich coun- his concept that the world could support
tries got richer while the poor nations got people’s needs but not their greed. It has be-
poorer. However, even the developed world has come obvious that the quality of human life has
begun to realise that their lives were being seri- worsened as economies grew. The world now
ously affected by the environmental conse- appears to be at a crossroad. It has taken the
quences of development based on economic path of short term economic growth and now
growth alone. This form of development did not suffers the consequences of environmental deg-
add to the quality of life as the environmental radation at the cost of loss of ‘quality of human
conditions had begun to deteriorate. life’. The earth cannot supply the amount of re-
sources used and wasted by the economically
By the 1970s most development specialists be- well off sectors of society as well as that required
gan to appreciate the fact that economic growth for day to day sustenance of the ever growing
alone could not bring about a better way of life population in less developed countries. Society
for people unless environmental conditions were must thus change its unsustainable development
improved. Development strategies in which only strategy to a new form where development will
economic considerations were used, had begun not destroy the environment. This form of sus-
to suffer from serious environmental problems tainable development can only be brought about
due to air and water pollution, waste manage- if each individual practices a sustainable lifestyle
ment, deforestation and a variety of other ill based on caring for the earth.
effects that seriously affected peoples’ well be-
ing and health. There were also serious equity It was also realized that these were not simple
issues between the “haves and the have nots” issues. Indira Gandhi said in the Stockholm Con-
in society, at the global and national levels. The ference in 1972 that poverty was the greatest
disparity in the lifestyles between the rich and polluter. This meant that while the super rich
the poor was made worse by these unsustain- nations had serious environmental problems, the
able development strategies. under-developed in Asia, Africa and South
America had a different set of environmental
Many decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi envi- problems linked to poverty. Developing coun-
sioned a reformed village community based on tries were suffering the consequences of a rap-
idly expanding human population with all its
Social Issues and The Environment
01
effects on the over utilization of natural re- economic opportunity on one hand and the re-
sources. quirements of environment on the other. It is
based on improving the quality of life for all,
Thus increasingly the world began to see the especially the poor and deprived within the car-
need for a more equitable use of earth resources. rying capacity of the supporting ecosystems. It
The control over natural resources and the is a process which leads to a better quality of
wealth that it produces also begins to create life while reducing the impact on the environ-
tensions between people that can eventually ment. Its strength is that it acknowledges the
lead to both strife within a country and wars interdependence of human needs and environ-
between nations. This is also a major cause for mental requirements.
the loss of quality of life. How then could a new
form of development be brought about that To ensure sustainable development, any activ-
could solve the growing discontent in the world? ity that is expected to bring about economic
It has become obvious that development must growth must also consider its environmental
begin to change from aiming at short term eco- impacts so that it is more consistent with long
nomic gains to a long term sustainable growth term growth and development. Many ‘devel-
that would not only support the well being and opment projects’, such as dams, mines, roads,
quality of life of all people living in the world industries and tourism development, have se-
today but that of future generations as well. vere environmental consequences that must be
studied before they are even begun. Thus for
The current strategies of economic development every project, in a strategy that looks at sustain-
are using up resources of the world so rapidly able development, there must be a scientifically
that our future generations, the young people and honestly done EIA, without which the
of the world, would have serious environmen- project must not be cleared.
tal problems, much worse than those that we
are facing at present. Thus current development Large dams, major highways, mining, industry,
strategies have come to be considered unsus- etc. can seriously damage ecosystems that sup-
tainable for the world’s long-term development. port the ecological health of a region. Forests
The newer concept of development has come are essential for maintaining renewable re-
to be known as “Sustainable Development”. The sources, reducing carbon dioxide levels and
nations of the world came to clearly understand maintaining oxygen levels in the earth’s atmo-
these issues at the Rio Conference in 1992. Sev- sphere. Their loss impairs future human devel-
eral documents were created for the United opment. Loss of forests depletes biodiversity
Nations Conference on Environment and De- which has to be preserved to maintain life on
velopment (UNCED), which brought out the fact earth. Major heavy industries if not planned care-
that environment and development were closely fully lead to environmental degradation due to
connected and that there was a need to ‘care air and water pollution and generate enormous
for the Earth’. quantities of waste that lead to long term envi-
ronmental hazards. Toxic and Nuclear wastes
Sustainable development is defined as de- can become serious economic problems as get-
velopment that meets the needs of the ting rid of them is extremely costly. Thus the
present without compromising the ability economic benefits of a project must be weighed
of future generations to meet their own against the possible environmental costs before
needs. It also looks at the equity between coun- a project is permitted.
tries and continents, races and classes, gender
and ages. It includes social development and

02 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

We as citizens of our Nation, and increasingly very little temperature adjustments as the ma-
as citizens of one common future at the global terials used, such as wood and bricks handled
level, must constantly monitor the pattern of temperature changes better than the current
development. If we see that a development concrete, glass and steel of ultra modern build-
project or an industry is leading to serious envi- ings.
ronmental problems, it is our duty to bring this
to the attention of authorities such as the local
administration, the Forest Department or the
Pollution Control Board, to look into the issue. Embodied energy
Further if new development projects are being
planned in and around the place where we live Materials like iron, glass, aluminium, steel,
it is our duty to see that this is brought about in cement, marble and burnt bricks, which are
accordance with environmental safeguards. used in urban housing, are very energy in-
While we all need to think globally, we need to tensive. The process of extraction, refine-
act locally. We have to see to it that we change ment, fabrication and delivery are all energy
development from its present mandate of rapid consuming and add to pollution of earth, air
economic growth without a thought for future and water. This energy consumed in the pro-
ecological integrity, to a more sustainable eco- cess is called embodied energy.
logically appropriate strategy.

If new projects of a large size are to be passed

Government has made it compulsory to publish Until the 1950s many urban kitchens were based
the summary report of the Environmental Im- on fuelwood or charcoal. This was possible and
pact Assessment (EIA) and conduct a ‘Public practical when homes had chimneys and kitch-
Hearing’. It is essential that all of us as respon- ens were isolated from the rest of the house.
sible citizens read, evaluate and respond to such Smoke became a problem once this changed to
public hearings held in our area and make com- apartment blocks. Kerosene thus became a
ments on the possible impacts of the project. In popular urban fuel. This changed to electrical
many situations there are proponents of the energy and increasingly to natural gas by the
project who only look at their own rapid eco- 1970s in most parts of urban India.
nomic gains. It is for citizens as concerned indi-
viduals and groups to counter these vested Urban centers in hot climates need energy for
interests so that our environment is not de- cooling. The early systems of fans changed into
graded further. Life has to be made more liv- air-conditioning, which consumes enormous
able for all. We cannot support the economic quantities of energy. New buildings in our coun-
growth of one sector of society while we per- try have taken to using large areas covered by
mit environmental degradation to destroy the glass. While in cold climates this uses the green
lives of the less fortunate. house effect to trap the warmth of the sun in-
side, in our hot climate this adds several degrees
to the temperature inside. Thus it requires even
6.2 URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO more energy to run large central air condition-
ENERGY ing units. High rise buildings in urban centers
also depend on energy to operate lifts and an
Urban centers use enormous quantities of en- enormous number of lights.
ergy. In the past, urban housing required rela-
tively smaller amounts of energy than we use at
present. Traditional housing in India required
03
Social Issues and The Environment
 6.3 WATER CONSERVATION,
CASE STUDY RAINWATER HARVESTING, WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
Energy efficiency
6.3.1 Water Conservation:
Urban residential and commercial facilities
are responsible for approximately 35% of Conserving water has become a prime environ-
USA’s greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings mental concern. Clean water is becoming in-
need to be made energy efficient and re- creasingly scarce globally. With deforestation
duce carbon dioxide emissions, which cause surface runoff increases and the sub soil water
‘heat islands’ or pockets of high tempera- table drops as water has no time to seep slowly
ture over these urban areas.
into the ground once vegetation is cleared.

As many areas depend on wells, it has become

necessary to go on making deeper and deeper
wells. This adds to the cost and further depletes
Urban transport depends on energy mainly from
underground stores of water. This could take
fossil fuels. Most urban people use their own
years to recharge even if the present rate of
individual transport rather than public transport
extraction is reduced which seems hardly pos-
systems for a variety of reasons. Urban trans-
sible in most situations.
port in different cities and even different parts
of a city are either inefficient or overcrowded.
As deforestation and desertification spreads due
Thus even middle income groups tend to use
to extensive changes in land use the once pe-
their own private vehicles. This means more and
rennial rivers are becoming increasingly seasonal.
more vehicles on the road which leads to traffic
In many areas the small streams run dry soon
congestion, waste of time for all the commut-
after the monsoon as the water table drops fur-
ers, and a great load of particulate matter and
ther and further below the surface. To this is
carbon monoxide from the exhaust of vehicles.
added serious problems caused by rapid surface
This causes a rise in the number of people hav-
flow of water during the rains, which leads to
ing serious respiratory diseases. Thus there is a
extensive floods with loss of life and property.
need to develop a more efficient public trans-
port system and discourage the use of individual
When we waste water, we do not realise that it
vehicles in all our urban areas.
is affecting the lives of all of us in so many dif-
Each of us as an environmentally conscious in- ferent ways. Water has to be equitably and fairly
dividual must reduce our use of energy. An un- distributed so that household use, agriculture
and industry all get a share of the water. It’s
necessary light left on carelessly adds to energy
use. Imagine the amount of energy wasted by over use and misuse due to various activities that
thousands of careless people. If we learned to waste water or cause pollution has led to a seri-
save electricity, we would begin to have a more ous shortage of potable drinking water. Thus
sustainable lifestyle. water conservation is linked closely with overall
human well being.

Traditional systems of collecting water and us-

ing it optimally have been used in India for many
generations. These have been forgotten in the
recent past. Conserving water in multiple small
percolation tanks and ‘jheels’ was important in

04 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

traditional forms of agriculture. Villages all over During the British period many dams were built
the country had one or more common ‘talabs’ across the country to supply water especially to
or tanks from which people collected or used growing urban areas. Post independence, India’s
water carefully. policy on water changed towards building large
dams for expanding agriculture to support the
As women had to carry water to their homes green revolution. While this reduced the need
over long distances, this was a time consuming to import food material and removed starvation
and laborious activity, thus the water could not in the country, the country began to see the
be wasted. Many homes had a kitchen garden effects of serious water shortages and problems
that was watered by the wastewater. Conser- related to its distribution. The newer forms of
vation of water was done in traditional homes irrigated agriculture such as sugarcane and other
through a conscious effort. water hungry cash crops required enormous
quantities of water. Finally however, such irri-
gated areas become waterlogged and unpro-
CASE STUDY ductive. As excess water evaporates rapidly from
the surface of heavily irrigated croplands, it pulls
Pani Panchayat – Pune District, up subsoil water along with salts to the surface
Maharashtra of the soil. This leads to salinization by which
the land becomes unproductive. Reducing the
Mahur village in Pune District of Maharashtra high salinity levels in soil is extremely expensive
is situated in a drought prone area. People and frequently impossible.
were not able to grow a good crop in most
years. Clean drinking water was also scarce. With all these ill effects of the poorly conceived
Vilasrao Salunkhe initiated a movement management of water at the national and local
known as Pani Panchayat, to conserve wa- level there is a need to consider a new water
ter in this drought prone area. Watershed policy for the country.
development was initiated on a barren and
uncultivated piece of land belonging to a Saving water in agriculture: Drip irrigation sup-
temple. Conservation of soil and water har- plies water to plants near its roots through a
vesting through a comprehensive micro- system of tubes, thus saving water. Small per-
watershed management program gradually colation tanks and rainwater harvesting can pro-
led to a surplus of water. Out of the 16 hect- vide water for agriculture and domestic use.
ares of land in the village, 9.6 hectares were Rainwater collected from rooftops can be stored
brought under irrigation, 2.4 hectares was or used to effectively recharge subsoil aquifers.
afforested and 4 hectares was converted into
percolation tanks. Wells and field bunds were Saving water in urban settings: Urban people
built. While 200 quintals of grains were pro- waste large amounts of water. Leaking taps and
duced on 24 acres of Salunkhe’s land, 40 pipes are a major source of loss of water. Ca-
acres in the same area yielded only 10 quin- nals and pipes carrying water from dams to the
tals. This made other villagers follow suit. The consumer lead to nearly 50% loss during trans-
area rapidly turned green and productive. fer. Reducing the demand for water by saving it
is more appropriate than trying to meet grow-
ing demands.

Social Issues and The Environment 05

6.3.2 Rain water Harvesting and zooplankton (microscopic animals). This can
be pathogenic and cause infections. Thus keep-
As our world faces serious water shortages, ev- ing the water uncontaminated is of great im-
ery drop of water we can use efficiently becomes portance.
of great value. One method is to manage rain
water in such a way that it is used at the source. Current technologies of rainwater harvesting
If as much water as possible is collected and require that all roof and terrace water passes
stored this can be used after the rainy season is down into a covered tank where it can be stored
over. In many parts of the world especially in for use after the monsoon. This is most advan-
very dry areas this has been traditionally prac- tageous in arid areas where clean water is very
ticed. However the stored water has to be kept scarce. However there are practical difficulties
pollution free and clean so that it can be used such as constructing large storage tanks which
as drinking water. Stored water can grow algae are expensive.

CASE STUDY
duced to a point that it cannot be taken di-
Mewar, Rajasthan rectly to the fields for irrigation.

The Mewar region of Rajasthan has a rich Chak: Chak is a big plot of land, usually a
legacy of traditional water harvesting systems charnot or village pasture land, enclosed by a
to share the available water for cultivation. stone boundary wall called kot. Tree planta-
There are various types of rainwater harvest- tions, seeding of grass for fodder, contour
ing systems. bunds with trenches and loose stone check
dams are developed in the chak. The chak is
Medhbandi: This is a stone embankment built used for fodder and fuel wood. It reduces soil
on a hill slope to help create a level field for erosion and enhances recharge of ground
cultivation. It controls erosion and conserves water.
moisture.
Talab: The Mewar region is well-known for
Naada/bandha: These are stone check dams its built reservoirs (talabs). Udaipur City is fa-
across streams or gullies that are constructed mous for its large number of talabs, and is
to capture runoff on a stretch of fertile land called the lake city. A small reservoir of less
that is submerged in water during the mon- than five bighas is called talai, a medium sized
soon. The land not only becomes more fertile lake is called bandh or talab and a bigger lake
after trapping silt, but also retains substantial is called sagar or samand.
quantities of water in the soil. These dams are
constructed in phases over several years. The Saza kuva: This is an open dug well which has
height is slowly increased up to the right height several owners. In Mewari language, saza
of the check dam which determines the size means partner. This is an important method
of the naada. for irrigation in the Aravalli hills. About 70,000
wells in the Udaipur District provide water for
Hembar: These are small temporary dams con- 80% of the area under irrigation and provide
structed with stones, twigs and mud over a water for their owners. These are considered
seasonal stream when water flows in it is re- common property resources.

06 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

Another way of using rooftop rainwater har- along contours of the hill to hold the rainwater
vesting is to collect it so that it percolates into and allow it to percolate into the ground. This
the ground to recharge wells instead of flowing ensures that underground stores of water are
over the ground into rivers. Thus by recharging fully recharged. This is enhanced by allowing
ground water harvested from rooftops, the grasses and shrubs to grow and by planting trees
water table rises and the surrounding wells re- (mainly local species) which hold the soil and
tain water throughout the year. prevents it from being washed away in the
monsoon. Local grass cover can however only
increase if free grazing of domestic animals is
6.3.3 Watershed Management: prevented by stall feeding.

Rivers originate in streams that flow down The next measure is to make ‘nala’ plugs in the
mountains and hill slopes. A group of small streams so that the water is held in the stream
streams flow down hillsides to meet larger and does not rush down the hillside. In selected
streams in the valley which forms the tributar- sites, several small check dams are built which
ies of major rivers. The management of a single together hold back larger amounts of water. All
unit of land with its water drainage system is these measures constitute sound watershed
called watershed management. It is a technique management. It improves the water table and
that has several components. This includes soil keeps the streams and nalas flowing through-
and water management and developing veg- out the year.
etative cover. The natural drainage pattern of a
watershed unit if managed appropriately can
bring about local prosperity by a year round Watershed management principles:
abundance of water that improves the quality
of human life in the area. This is a land management program that
looks at a region from the perspective of all
As it provides water throughout the year, this its water related issues. It can be used to
improves health in the community, as clean manage a river from its source to its termi-
water becomes available. Watershed manage- nation. Watershed management could also
ment enhances the growth of agricultural crops consider the management of a single valley
and even makes it possible to grow more than as a unit, based on its small streams. Saving
one crop in a year in dry areas. water from its local source by allowing it to
percolate into the ground by nala plugs and
Watershed management begins by taking con- check dams instead of allowing it to run off
trol over a degraded site through local partici- rapidly along the surface during the mon-
pation. People must appreciate the need to soon, is a major aspect of good watershed
improve the availability of water both in quan- management. This allows underground aqui-
tity and quality for their own area. Once this is fers to fill so that ground water is recharged.
adequately demonstrated, the community be- Deforestation is a major cause of poor wa-
gins to understand the project, people begin to ter supply. Afforesting such degraded areas
work together in the activities that lead to good is an important aspect of watershed man-
watershed management. agement.

The first technical step is to take appropriate

soil conservation measures. This is done by con-
structing a series of long trenches and mounds

Social Issues and The Environment 07

6.4 RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION
OF PEOPLE: ITS PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS CASE STUDY

Major projects such as dams, mines, express- The Tehri Project

ways, or the notification of a National Park dis-
rupts the lives of the people who live there and The Tehri Dam in the outer Himalayas in Uttar
may also require moving them to an alternative Pradesh, when finished will submerge Tehri
site. None of us would like to give up the home town and nearly 100 villages. Since the dam
we grew up in. Uprooting people is a serious was sanctioned in 1972, local people have
issue. It reduces their ability to subsist on their been opposing the dam and resisting its con-
traditional natural resource base and also struction. Scientists, environmentalists and
creates great psychological pressures. Especially other groups have also opposed this dam.
tribal people, whose lives are woven closely
around their own natural resources, cannot Little is done to ensure proper rehabilitation
adapt to a new way of life in a new place. Thus and compensation for nearly a lakh of people
no major project that is likely to displace people who will be uprooted from their homes as a
can be carried out without the consent of the result of this dam, with little hope of reha-
local people. In India, lakhs of people have been bilitation, as no alternative land is available.
unfairly displaced by thousands of dams created There is also emotional and psychological
since independence to drive the green revolu- trauma caused by forcibly removing people
tion. The dams have been built virtually at the from their homeland where their families
cost of these poor local people who have been have lived for centuries.
powerless to resist the Government’s will. The
Government is expected to find ‘good’ arable
land to resettle displaced persons and provide Resettlement not only puts pressure on the
them with an adequate rehabilitation package project affected people but also on the people
to recover from the disruption. This has rarely who have been living in the area that has been
occurred to the satisfaction of the project af- selected for resettlement. Thus both the com-
fected individuals. In many cases across the munities suffer and conflict over resources is a
country, this has not been implemented satis- distinct possibility in future.
factorily for decades.

Resettlement requires alternate land. However, CASE STUDY

in our overpopulated country, there is no ar-
able high quality land available. Thus most Indigenous tribes
project affected persons are given unusable
wasteland. Rehabilitation involves more than just It is not flora and fauna alone that is under
giving land. In most cases this is also not ad- the threat of extinction. Among the many
equately done. The greatest battle to save their tribes across the globe, the Jarawa of the
own precious land has been carried out by the Andamans in the Indian Ocean are dwin-
tribal people of the Narmada River. They have dling. Dispossession of their customary rights
fought to save their lands for decades. The over land has put their survival at risk. They
Narmada Bachao Andolan has shown how bit- have been compelled to give up their tradi-
ter people can get over this issue. tional lifestyles resulting in rapidly diminish-
ing indigenous population.

08 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

There are however situations where communi- to the urban sector. Wealth also shifts in the
ties request for shifting to a new site. This is same direction. This unequal distribution of
often observed where people live inside or on wealth and access to land and its resources is a
the periphery of a National Park or Wildlife Sanc- serious environmental concern. An equitable
tuary. In these situations, such as the Gir in sharing of resources forms the basis of sustain-
Gujarat, the local people have asked to be given able development for urban, rural and wilder-
alternate land where they could live peacefully ness dwelling communities. As the political
away from lions that kill their cattle, but the Gov- power base is in the urban centers, this itself
ernment has been unable to find suitable areas leads to inequalities and a subsequent loss of
where they can be shifted for decades. sustainability in resource management in the
rural and even more so for forest dwelling
people.
6.5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES
AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS In 1985, Anil Agarwal published the first report
on the Status of India’s Environment. It empha-
Environmental ethics deals with issues related sized that India’s environmental problems were
to the rights of individuals that are fundamen- caused by the excessive consumption patterns
tal to life and well being. This concerns not only of the rich that left the poor poorer. It was ap-
the needs of each person today, but also those preciated for the first time that tribals, especially
who will come after us. It also deals with the women and other marginalized sectors of our
rights of other living creatures that inhabit our society, were being left out of economic devel-
earth. opment. There are multiple stakeholders in In-
dian society who are dependent on different
natural resources which cater directly or indi-
6.5.1 Resource consumption patterns and rectly to their survival needs. Anil Agarwal
the need for their equitable utilisation: brought forth a set of 8 propositions which are
of great relevance to the ethical issues that are
Environmental ethics deals with issues that are related to environmental concerns. These in-
related to how we utilise and distribute re- clude:
sources. Can individuals justifiably use resources
so differently that one individual uses resources 1. Environmental destruction is largely caused
many times more lavishly than other individuals by the consumption of the rich.
who have barely enough to survive? In a just
world, there has to be a more equitable sharing 2. The worst sufferers of environmental de-
of resources than we encounter at present. The struction are the poor.
just distribution of resources has global, national
and local concerns that we need to address. 3. Even where nature is being ‘recreated’, as
There are rich and poor nations. There are rich in afforestation, it is being transformed
and poor communities in every country. And away from the needs of the poor and to-
there are rich and poor families. In this era of wards those of the rich.
modern economic development, the disparity
between the haves and have-nots is widening. 4. Even among the poor, the worst sufferers
Our human environments in the urban, rural and are the marginalised cultures and occupa-
wilderness sectors, use natural resources that tions, and most of all, women.
shift from the wilderness (forests, grasslands,
wetlands, etc.) to the rural sector, and from there

Social Issues and The Environment 09

5. There cannot be proper economic and so- crustacea, are seriously affected by the degra-
cial development without a holistic under- dation of aquatic ecosystems. Fuelwood gath-
standing of society and nature. erers from different types of forests, and
pastoralists who are dependent on common
6. If we care for the poor, we cannot allow grazing lands suffer when their resources are
the Gross Nature Product to be destroyed depleted.
any further. Conserving and recreating na-
ture has become our highest priority. Several marginalised sectors of society are most
affected by deforestation, or the loss of grass-
7. Gross Nature Product will be enhanced only land tracts, or the deterioration of perennial
if we can arrest and reverse the growing water sources. All these effects can be linked to
alienation between the people and the com- unsustainable increasing pressures on land and
mon property resources. In this we will have natural resources.
to learn a lot from our traditional cultures.

8. It is totally inadequate to talk only of sus- “I am often amazed and extremely angry,
tainable rural development, as the World when people talk about Environment Edu-
Conservation Strategy does. We cannot cation for the villages. It is the so-called, edu-
save the rural environment or rural people cated people who need Environment
dependent on it, unless we can bring about Education more than anyone else”.
sustainable urban development. – Anil Agarwal, ‘Human-Nature Interac-
tions in a Third World Country’.

Equitable use of forest resources: We

think of forests as being degraded due to The well to do educated urban dweller con-
fuelwood collection by poor rural communi- sumes much larger quantities of resources and
ties, but forget that the rich use much greater energy, than the traditional rural individual. Ur-
quantities of timber. Biomass based indus- ban dwellers who are far removed from the
tries include cotton textiles, paper, plywood, source of natural resources that sustain their lives
rubber, soap, sugar, tobacco, jute, choco- thus require exposure to a well-designed envi-
late, food processing and packaging. These ronment education program to appreciate these
need land, energy, irrigation and forest re- issues. While the rural people have a deep in-
sources. Do each of us realise this when we sight on the need for sustainable use of natural
utilise, use excessively or waste these re- resources and know about methods of conser-
sources that we get indirectly from the for- vation, there are however several newer envi-
ests? ronmental concerns that are frequently outside
their sphere of life experiences. Their traditional
knowledge of environmental concerns cannot
Who pays for the cost of environmental degra-
be expected to bring about an understanding
dation? Most sections of society do not feel the
of issues such as global warming, or problems
direct effects of degradation of the environment
created by pollution, pesticides, etc. These
till it is too late. Those who suffer most are the
people thus require a different pattern of envi-
poor, especially rural women, and tribal people
ronment education that is related to their gaps
who are dependent on forests. Traditional fish-
in information. With the rapidly changing rural
ermen who are dependent on streams and riv-
scenario the development that is thrust on un-
ers, and coastal people who fish and catch
suspecting rural communities needs to be ad-

10 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

dressed through locale specific environment such as in South and Southeast Asia and South
awareness programs designed specifically for America. People living in the economically ad-
rural school children and adults. This must also vanced nations use greater amounts of resources
use their local traditional knowledge systems as and energy per individual and also waste more
a base on which modern concepts can be built, resources. This is at the cost of poor people who
rather than by fostering concepts that are com- are resource dependant and live in developing
pletely alien to their own knowledge systems. nations.

Common property resources in India once in- The economically advanced West has exploited
cluded vast stretches of forests, grazing lands their own natural resources to such an extent
and aquatic ecosystems. When the British found that they have exhausted them nearly every-
that they were unable to get enough wood for where. They now buy their resources from re-
ship building and other uses they converted for- source rich but economically deprived nations
est areas into Government ‘Reserved Forests’ for at a low cost. This depletes the developing na-
their own use to grow timber trees. This alien- tions of natural resources on which their poor
ated local people from having a stake in pre- depend for their livelihood.
serving these resources. This in turn led to
large-scale losses in forest cover and the cre- Changing this unfair economic practice to a
ation of wasteland. In the past, in traditional more just and fair way in managing trade would
villages that were managed by local panchayats, require a new thinking on the part of people
there were well defined rules about managing who live in the super rich countries.
grazing lands, collecting forest resources, pro-
tecting sacred groves, etc. that supported con-
servation. There was a more or less equitable 6.5.3 Urban – rural equity issues
distribution that was controled by traditional
mechanisms to prevent misuse of common prop- The common property of rural communities has
erty resources. Any infringement was quickly increasingly been used to supply the needs of
dealt with by the panchayat and the offender the urban sector. Land itself that was once held
was punished. Common property resources as a common property resource of villages is
were thus locally protected by communities. As being taken over by the urban and industrial
landuse patterns changed, these mechanisms sectors as it expands. The rural sector not only
were lost and unsustainable practices evolved, supplies food, but also a part of the energy needs
frequently as a result of an inadequately planned (mainly fuelwood) to most towns and cities in
development strategy. India, at a pittance. As a result, the commons of
the rural sector are being depleted of their re-
sources. Thus while the cities get richer, the ru-
6.5.2 Equity – Disparity in the Northern and ral sector, especially the landless, get poorer.
Southern countries The urban rich must appreciate where their re-
sources are derived from and be willing to pay a
Environmental ethics are concerned with, who fair price for using them.
owns resources and how they are distributed.
This can be looked upon at different levels. At
the global level it deals with the great North – 6.5.4 The need for Gender Equity
South divide between the rich industrialized
nations of North America and Europe, as against All over India, especially in the rural sector,
the needs of developing countries of the South women work on the whole longer hours than
11
Social Issues and The Environment
men. The life of a woman is enmeshed in an natural resources more deeply than men. Thus
inextricable cycle of poverty. In attempting to several environmental movements such as
eke out a living from their environment, they Chipko have been more strongly supported by
must constantly collect fuelwood for their homes local women folk rather than men.
and for sale to nearby urban areas. They labori-
ously collect fodder for their cattle. They have
to trudge several kilometers to reach a reason- 6.5.5 Preserving resources for future gen-
ably clean water source. And finally must cook erations:
meals in a smoky unhealthy atmosphere on crop
waste or other inefficient sources of energy. All Can we use up all the resources of the world,
this can take 10 to 12 hours a day of very hard leaving nothing for our future generations? This
work, every day of the year. There is thus the ethical issue must be considered when we use
question of who should control the environmen- resources unsustainably. If we overuse and mis-
tal resources of a rural community. Unfortu- use resources and energy from fossil fuels, our
nately it is the men who play a decisive role in future generations would find survival much
managing the village commons and its resources more difficult. A critical concern is to preserve
whereas it should be the local women whose species and natural undisturbed ecosystems that
lives are deeply linked with the utilisation and are linked with bioresources, which must be
conservation patterns of natural resources, who protected for the use of future generations. Our
should be decision makers at the local level. Un- generation does not own the world’s resources
fortunately women have not been given an to do whatever we please with them. Just as
equal opportunity to develop and better their our ancestors have left resources for us, it is our
lot. This begins with the lack of attention given duty to leave them behind for our future gen-
to girls whose education is always given less at- erations. These unborn people have a right to
tention than the boys in the family. Unless soci- these resources. We only hold the world as trust-
ety begins to see that development cannot be ees so that future generations can also survive.
planned by a male dominated society from the
male perspective alone, will we be able to cre- Our current development strategies have led to
ate a better living environment for women and environmental resources being overused and
their children? misused by our present generation, without a
thought for the needs of future unborn gen-
The great divide between women and men is erations. We need to appreciate that the next
most apparent in communities that live near generation and those that will come later also
forests and have by tradition made the woman have a right to the earth’s natural resources. As
play a greater role than men in collection of they are not here today to exercise their rights,
natural resources. Women fetch water, collect it is our generation’s responsibility to appreci-
fuelwood, fruit, medicinal products, etc. day in ate the needs of future generations. We have
and day out, while the men work only sporadi- no right to destroy their claim to the use of the
cally in the fields. This disparity in the lives of earth’s resources just because of the accident
women and men has also led to a lower access of being born before them. Development strat-
to education and health care for girl children. egies have not looked at the sustainable levels
at which we can use resources so that the rights
This has deep implications for the rate of utili- of future generations are protected. We are not
zation of natural resources and its conservation. given the earth so that we can use up its re-
Rural women who are intimately connected to sources. It is given to us to hold in trust so that
resources, appreciate the value of conserving

12 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

future generations are given their just share of nature by itself has natural prey-predator rela-
the earth’s resources. tionships, left to itself, nature maintains a bal-
ance in each ecosystem. While evolution has
developed a system whereby species become
6.5.6 The rights of animals: extinct and new ones evolve to fill the world’s
ecosystems with new plant and animal species,
Can man, a single species, use and severely ex- it is man alone that has been responsible for
ploit the earth’s resources which we share with the recent rapid decline in the number of spe-
billions of other plant and animal species? Within cies on earth. Much more important man is now
our world there are a variety of living beings. reducing the abundance levels of so many spe-
The plants and animals that share the earth with cies that in the near future we will in all prob-
us too have a right to live and share our earth’s ability create a major extinction spasm on earth
resources and living space. We have no right to that will seriously endanger the existence of
push a species that has taken millions of years mankind. Thus endangering the existence of
to evolve towards extinction. Not only do wild wild plants and animals and bringing them close
and domesticated animals have a right to life, to the brink of extinction is not only unfair to a
but have the right to a dignified existence. Cru- species but also to future generation of people
elty to an animal is no different ethically from who may find them of great use. Quite apart
cruelty to another human being. from the use of these species, there is a strong
ethical basis for the rights of animals and plants
to exist on earth. Every individual, human or
Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy was based on animal, that is living has feelings and emotions.
the assumption that human beings were not Cruelty to animals is a crime that must be re-
masters of the other forms of life. He be- garded seriously and action must be taken
lieved that humans were ‘trustees of the against offenders. Animals have a right to a dig-
lower animal kingdom’. nified existence, and their life, well-being and
liberty must be respected. While dominating
over the animal world due to his superior intel-
Human beings are one small cog in the wheel ligence, man cannot remain unfeeling to the
of life on earth. We frequently forget that man right to life and well being of other species. There
has learned to exploit nature and other species is a growing awareness of animal rights in our
well beyond what we should use justifiably. Ev- country and cruelty to animals is being increas-
ery plant and animal has a right to life as a part ingly regarded as a criminal offence.
of our earth’s community of living things. While

Social Issues and The Environment 13

 CASE STUDY but that this has led to serious floods and loss
of precious soil.
Chipko movement
Chipko activists have made long padyatras
About 300 years ago, a ruler in Rajasthan de- across the Himalayas protesting against de-
cided to fell ‘khejri’ trees in his State to create forestation. The movement has been highly
lime. Local women led by a Bishnoi woman, successful and has been primarily supported
Amrita Devi, clung to the trees to prevent the by empowering local women’s groups who
felling of the trees that formed the basis of are the most seriously affected segment of
the scarce resources on which they were de- society by deforestation. The movement has
pendent. The women were ruthlessly massa- proved to the world that the forests of the
cred. It is said that the ruler later realised his hills are the life support systems of local com-
mistake. The story however has been remem- munities of immense value in terms of local
bered and was revived in the 1970s when se- produce that is essential for the survival of lo-
vere tree felling for timber in the Himalayas cal people and that the forest has less quanti-
prompted local women, supported by people fiable but even more important ecological
such as Sunderlalji Bahuguna and Chandi services such as soil conservation and the main-
Prasad Bhat, led a people’s movement to pre- tenance of the natural water regime of the
vent deforestation by timber contractors. They whole region.
called their movement the ‘Chipko’ movement
in memory of the event during which women The ability of local women to band themselves
had clung to their trees and given up their together in the foothills of the Himalayas goes
lives. The movement followed the path the back to the pre Independence days when
300 Bishnoi women had taken three centu- women such as Miraben, a disciple of Gandhiji,
ries ago in Rajasthan. moved to this region and understood that it
was the deforestation that led to floods and
Chipko is a movement primarily begun and devastation of villages in the valleys and in the
supported by local women in the hills of Gangetic plains below. They also appreciated
Uttarakhand and Garhwal, where the women that substitutions of oak and other
have had to bear the brunt of deforestation. broadleaved forests of the Himalayas by plant-
They have not only realised that their fuelwood ing fast growing pine for timber and resin was
and fodder resources have receded away from an ecological and social disaster which reduced
their ‘resource use areas’ around their settle- the forest resources used by traditional hill
ments due to commercial timber extraction, communities.

6.5.7 The ethical basis of environment edu- lege level be exposed to a course on environ-
cation and awareness: ment. It is not to create only an awareness of
environmental issues, but also to bring about
Perhaps the most important concern is related pro environmental action. Among the variety
to creating an ethos that will support a sustain- of tools that can bring home the ethical issues
able lifestyle in society. This brings us to the need of the environment, no solution is as powerful
for environmental education. The Honorary Su- as real life experiences in nature. Creating a love
preme Court of our country has thus ordered for nature brings about strong pro environmen-
that every young individual at school and col- tal action. Our current educational processes at

14 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

school and college level are being reoriented to
Education in nature – The Shantiniketan
bring this about.
model

The Gandhian way of life Rabindranath Tagore founded Shantiniketan

and taught an environment-based philoso-
Mahatma Gandhi had deep insights into the phy. Tagore’s philosophy of education fo-
need to conserve resources. ‘Mans needs but cused attention on the need for a
not his greed can be supported by our earth’ harmonious association between human
was an important concept that was initiated beings and their environment. To achieve this
by him when people had not realized how he relied on exposing young people to na-
short the world would be of resources in ture. This went back to our roots where in
future. At the time natural resources seemed ancient India, learning centers were estab-
to be limitless to most people. This was thus lished in remote forests. Tagore linked these
a new concept and suggested the need for concepts with celebrations of nature through
a uniquely different pattern of living. music, dance, drama and poetry. At
Shantiniketan, there were celebrations for
Gandhiji believed in simplistic living to save each season and ceremonial tree planting.
our earth’s resources. He once said that if He started Vriksha ropan way back in 1928.
India was to become an industrial nation on In fact much of what was initiated in
the lines of England, the world itself would Shantiniketan is now accepted as the route
be stripped bare of its resources by India’s to environment education and sustainable
people alone. living and is essentially based on preserving
nature.

There are two aspects that are closely connected Many species were not only valued, but also ven-
with ethical issues that are related to our envi- erated.
ronment. These are based on valuing nature and
appreciating the beauty of nature and treasur- In today’s world where many of us are far re-
ing the magnificence of the wilderness. moved from nature, we need to remind our-
selves that everything we use, if tracked back
Valuing nature as a resource: It is essential that to its source, has come from nature. We de-
a value system that is based on environmental pend on an intact unpolluted world which is
concern becomes a part of the thinking that we based on nature’s goods and services. No life is
as responsible citizens of our country and our possible without this. If we as citizens begin to
earth need to bring into our own daily lives. again respect Nature and all its varied species
For our ancestors, Nature was considered to be forming a complex web of life, and appreciate
like a mother. This has been essentially forgot- Nature’s functions and services, it will continue
ten. In ancient India, forests were considered to support our lives. If we disrespect nature one
sacred. We now know that forests clean up our cannot expect her to continue to support our
air, and act like a sponge that can hold water well being. Nature’s resources that we all use
for the dry season. In the Hindu scriptures, Bud- and depend on can only be optimized if they
dhist philosophy and especially in the Jain reli- are equitably shared by all of us. If the disparity
gion, each and every species on earth is is too great it can only result in anarchy. The
supposed to have a place in the scheme of life. ‘have not’s’ cannot be expected to remain in

Social Issues and The Environment 15

abject poverty, making a bare minimum living or seashore where man’s hand has not made
from the meager resources they can get, while drastic changes to the ecosystem and one be-
the ‘haves’, who are already rich become richer gins to value its beauty. It is there to heal the
through unsustainable consumer oriented, human soul and elevate his spirit. Without the
short-term economic development strategies. wilderness, the earth would be a sad bleak hu-
man dominated landscape. The problem is how
Bringing back an ethic for nature conservation much of the wilderness can we preserve in the
requires environment education and conserva- presence of an ever-growing hunger for land
tion awareness. The best way to do so is to ex- and resources for its utilitarian values. Unless
pose young people not only to our dependence we begin to see the ecological values of the wil-
on natural resources from the wilderness, but derness, an ethic for its conservation cannot
by bringing about an appreciation of the beauty become part of our daily lives. And without the
and wondrous aspects of nature. This forms a wilderness the earth will eventually become
sharp contrast to the sad plight of degraded unlivable.
areas and polluted sites in which most of hu-
manity now lives in the developed and develop- The concept of ‘Karma’ is based on a thinking
ing world. that the soul moves from man to animal and in
reverse depending on ones actions. This itself
Appreciating the beauty of Nature and treasur- brings about a concept of the oneness of all
ing the magnificence of the Wilderness: We of- forms of life. Ahimsa or non-violence towards
ten take Nature for granted. We rarely take the life which includes all plants and animals pro-
opportunity to gaze at a scenic sunset, or spend vides India with its basic philosophy which early
the time to sit in the incredible silence of the Hindu philosophers and later sages such as Bud-
forest, or listen to the songs of birds and the dha, Mahavir and Mahatma Gandhi spoke of.
sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Buddhist and Jain philosophy is intrinsically wo-
Or take the trouble to watch the magic of a ven around non-violence and the great value of
seed germinating from the ground and gradu- all forms of ‘life’. It brings in the notion that
ally growing into a seedling over several days. animals are not to be viewed purely for their
Or observe a tree through a round of seasons utility value but are a part of the earth’s one-
as it gets new leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. ness which is linked with our own lives as well.
Or reflect on the incredibly large number of link- In Hindu philosophy the earth itself is respected
ages between all the different animals and birds and venerated. In contrast, in Western thought
that depend on the seasonal changes in their Nature is to be subjugated and used. These are
habitat. It is the beauty of Nature that gives it basic differences in thinking processes. Several
an intrinsic value which we tend to ignore. These modern philosophers in the West have now
are not mundane day to day events, they are begun to see these eastern patterns of thought
magical and mystical aspects of nature’s clock as a new basis for human development. This
that is ticking silently all around us. They are shift however, from a purely utilitarian or scien-
part of our living throbbing earth. If we fail to tific exploitation of Nature, to one of harmony
enjoy these wondrous aspects of Nature our lives with Nature, can only occur if each of us loves
will always remain empty. and respects nature’s great ‘oneness’.

Once we realise that the wilderness has a value

all its own, this puts man in his rightful role as a
custodian of nature rather than an exploiter. Visit
a wilderness area, a forest, lakeside, waterfall,

16 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

6.5.8 The conservation ethic and traditional invaluable help to Rama during his travels to
value systems of India Lanka. The Sun god, Surya, rides a horse and
has a superb chariot on which he moves through
In ancient Indian traditions people have always the sky. The lion is linked to Durga and the
valued mountains, rivers, forests, trees and sev- blackbuck to the moon godess. The cow is as-
eral animals. Thus much of nature was vener- sociated with Krishna. Vishnu’s incarnations
ated and protected. Forests have been have been represented as taking various animal
associated with the names of forest gods and forms which serially include, fish, tortoise, a boar
goddesses both in the Hindu religion as well as and a dwarf, and a half man half lion form.
in tribal cultures. ‘Tree’ goddesses have been
associated with specific plant species. Ficus The associations to various plants that have been
religiosa, the peepal tree, is venerated and is given a religious significance include Tulsi, which
thus not to be cut down. The Banyan tree in is linked to Lakshmi and Vishnu. The Tulsi plant
some regions such as Maharashtra, is venerated is also linked to the worship of ones own ances-
once a year by tying a thread around it as a tors. The peepal tree is said to be the tree under
symbol of respect. The Tulsi plant is grown on which Buddha attained enlightenment. It is also
the doorstep outside every home. associated with Vishnu and Krishna. Several trees
are associated with the goddess Laxmi, includ-
Patches of forest have been dedicated to a de- ing Amalaki, Mango and the Tulsi shrub.
ity in many Indian cultures especially in tribal
areas. These traditionally protected forest Traditions also held that these species, which
patches depict the true nature of undisturbed were considered as an important aspect of Na-
vegetation and have a large number of indig- ture, were the basis of local life support systems
enous plant species as their exploitation has been and were integral to bringing about a harmoni-
controlled through local sentiments. ous life. In traditional societies of the past, these
examples were all a part of ethical values that
Certain species of trees have been protected as protected nature. As modern science based on
they are valued for their fruit or flowers. The the exploitation on nature spread into India,
mango tree is protected for its fruit around most many of these traditions began to lose their ef-
farms even when wood becomes scarce. The fectiveness as measures that led to conserving
Mohua tree (Madhuca indica) is protected by nature.
tribal people as it provides edible flowers, oil
from its seeds and is used to make a potent Concepts that support nature’s integrity must
alcohol. Many plants, shrubs and herbs have thus become a part of our modern educational
been used in Indian medicines which were once systems. This constitutes a key solution to bring
available in the wild in plenty. These are now about a new ethic of conserving nature and liv-
rapidly vanishing. Many species of animals are ing sustainable lifestyles.
venerated as being the ‘vahan’ or vehicle of dif-
ferent gods on which they are said to travel
through the cosmos.

In Indian mythology, the elephant is associated

with Ganesha. The elephant headed Ganesha
is also linked to the rat. Vishnu is associated with
the eagle. Rama is linked to monkeys. In my-
thology, Hanuman, the monkey god, rendered

Social Issues and The Environment 17

6.6 CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL Niño is likely to increase. Global mean sea level
WARMING, ACID RAIN, OZONE LAYER is projected to rise by 9 to 88 cm by the year
DEPLETION, NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS 2100. More than half of the world’s population
AND HOLOCAUST now lives within 60km of the sea. They are likely
to be seriously impacted by an ingress of salt
6.6.1 Climate change: water and by the rising sea. Some of the most
vulnerable regions are the Nile delta in Egypt,
The average temperature in many regions has the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh,
been increasing in recent decades. The global and many small islands including the Marshall
average surface temperature has increased by Islands and the Maldives, (WHO, 2001).
0.6° + 0.2° C over the last century. Globally,
1998 was the warmest year and the 1990s the Human societies will be seriously affected by
warmest decade on record. Manycountries have extremes of climate such as droughts and floods.
experienced increases in rainfall, particularly in A changing climate would bring about changes
the countries situated in the mid to high lati- in the frequency and/or intensity of these ex-
tudes. tremes. This is a major concern for human
health. To a large extent, public health depends
In some regions, such as parts of Asia and Af- on safe drinking water, sufficient food, secure
rica, the frequency and intensity of droughts shelter, and good social conditions. All these
have been observed to increase in recent de- factors are affected by climate change. Fresh
cades. Episodes of El Niño, which creates great water supplies may be seriously affected, reduc-
storms, have been more frequent, persistent and ing the availability of clean water for drinking
intense since mid-1970s compared with the pre- and washing during drought as well as floods.
vious 100 years. All these are signs that the earth Water can be contaminated and sewage sys-
is sick. Its climate is changing, making it more tems may be damaged. The risk of spread of
difficult for mankind to survive. The earth is los- infectious diseases such as diarrhoeal diseases
ing its ability to balance itself due to the imbal- will increase. Food production will be seriously
ances created by human activities. reduced in vulnerable regions directly and also
indirectly through an increase in pests and plant
Projections of future climate change are derived or animal diseases. The local reduction in food
from a series of experiments made by computer production would lead to starvation and mal-
based global climate models. These are worked nutrition with long-term health consequences,
out on estimates of aspects such as future popu- especially for children. Food and water short-
lation growth and energy use. Climatologists of ages may lead to conflicts in vulnerable regions,
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with serious implications for public health. Cli-
(IPCC) have reviewed the results of several ex- mate change related impacts on human health
periments in order to estimate changes in cli- could lead to displacement of a large number
mate in the course of this century. These studies of people, creating environmental refugees and
have shown that in the near future, the global lead to further health issues.
mean surface temperature will rise by 1.4° to
5.8°C. Warming will be greatest over land ar- Changes in climate may affect the distribution
eas, and at high latitudes. The projected rate of of vector species (e.g. mosquitoes) which in turn
warming is greater than has occurred in the last will increase the spread of disease, such as ma-
10,000 years. The frequency of weather ex- laria and filariasis, to new areas which lack a
tremes is likely to increase leading to floods or strong public health infrastructure. The seasonal
drought. There will be fewer cold spells but more transmission and distribution of many diseases
heat waves. The frequency and intensity of El

18 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

that are transmitted by mosquitoes (dengue, new and unexpected ones. Strategies aimed at
yellow fever) and by ticks (Lyme disease, tick- reducing potential health impacts of anticipated
borne encephalitis) may spread due to climate climate changes should include monitoring of
change. infectious diseases and disease vectors to de-
tect early changes in the incidence of diseases
and the geographical distribution of vectors; en-
vironmental management measures to reduce
CASE STUDIES risk; disaster preparedness for floods or
droughts; and their health related consequences.
Damage to coral reefs, Pacific It will be necessary to create early warning sys-
tems and education for epidemic preparedness.
The severity of periodic warming due to El Improved water and air pollution control will
Nino in 1997 in the Pacific led to the most become increasingly essential for human health.
serious death in coral ever known. It is esti- Public education will have to be directed at
mated that about 10% of the Earth’s coral changes in personal behaviour. Training of re-
reefs were dead, another 30 % were seri- searchers and health professionals must become
ously affected and another 30% were de- an essential part of the world becoming more
graded. responsible towards the expected outcome of
Global Climate Change (GCC).
The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network
Townsville, Australia, has predicted that all
the reefs could be dead by 2050. 6.6.2 Global warming:

About 75% of the solar energy reaching the

Butterfly populations in the United King- Earth is absorbed on the earth’s surface which
dom increases its temperature. The rest of the heat
radiates back to the atmosphere. Some of the
Global warming is leading to an early arrival heat is trapped by greenhouse gases, mostly
of butterflies in Britain. Scientists say that but- carbon dioxide. As carbon dioxide is released by
terflies can now be spotted much earlier ev- various human activities, it is rapidly increasing.
ery year in the last two decades. Some, like This is causing global warming.
the red admiral, can now be seen a month
earlier than was the case in the mid – 1970s. The average surface temperature is about 15°C.
Others, like the peacock and the orange tip This is about 33°C higher than it would be in
are appearing between 15 and 25 days ear- the absence of the greenhouse effect. Without
lier than in the past. Future rise in tempera- such gases most of the Earth’s surface would
ture is likely to have a detrimental effect on be frozen with a mean air temperature of -18°C.
these butterflies. Some butterflies which
need cooler temperatures might suffer. Human activities during the last few decades of
industrialisation and population growth have
polluted the atmosphere to the extent that it
has begun to seriously affect the climate. Car-
A Task Group set up by WHO has warned that bon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by
climate change may have serious impacts on 31% since pre-industrial times, causing more
human health. Climate change will increase vari- heat to be trapped in the lower atmosphere.
ous current health problems, and may also bring There is evidence to show that carbon dioxide
Social Issues and The Environment 19
levels are still increasing. Many countries have industrial activities account for 61% of sulfur
signed a convention to reduce greenhouse gases dioxide pollution. Motor vehicle exhaust fumes
under the United Nations Convention on Cli- are the main source of nitrogen oxides. The ac-
mate Change. Current international agreements ids in acid rain chemically react with any object
are however not still effective to prevent the they come in contact with. Acids react with other
significant changes in climate and a rise in sea chemicals by giving up hydrogen atoms.
levels.
Effects: Acid rain is known to cause widespread
environmental damage.
Global warming is accelerating faster than
what climatologists had calculated a few 1. Acid rain dissolves and washes away nutri-
years ago. In 1995, the Intergovernmental ents in the soil which are needed by plants.
Panel on Climate Change predict that glo- It can also dissolve naturally occurring toxic
bal warming would rise temperatures by 3.5 substances like aluminium and mercury,
to 10 degrees Centigrade during the 21st freeing them to pollute water or poison
century, if the present trends continue. It is plants.
now believed that this could be much
greater. This would lead to not only tem- 2. Acid rain indirectly affects plants by remov-
perature changes but in the amount of rain- ing nutrients from the soil in which they
fall. India may see great annual fluctuations grow. It affects trees more directly by cre-
in rainfall leading to floods and drought. ating holes in the waxy coating of leaves,
causing brown dead spots which affect the
plant’s photosynthesis. Such trees are also
6.6.3 Acid rain: more vulnerable to insect infestations,
drought and cold. Spruce and fir forests at
When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural higher elevations seem to be most at risk.
gas are burned, chemicals like sulfur dioxide and Farm crops are less affected by acid rain than
nitrogen oxides are produced. These chemicals forests.
react with water and other chemicals in the air
to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid and other harm- 3. Acid rain that falls or flows as ground wa-
ful pollutants like sulfates and nitrates. These ter to reach rivers, lakes and wetlands,
acid pollutants spread upwards into the atmo- causes the water in them to become acidic.
sphere, and are carried by air currents, to finally This affects plant and animal life in aquatic
return to the ground in the form of acid rain, ecosystems.
fog or snow. The corrosive nature of acid rain
causes many forms of environmental damage. 4. Acid rain also has far reaching effects on
Acid pollutants also occur as dry particles and wildlife. By adversely affecting one species,
gases, which when washed from the ground by the entire food chain is disrupted, ultimately
rain, add to the acids in the rain to form a more endangering the entire ecosystem. Differ-
corrosive solution. This is called acid deposition. ent aquatic species can tolerate different
levels of acidity. For instance clams and
Damage from acid rain is widespread in North mayflies have a high mortality when water
America, Europe, Japan, China and Southeast has a pH of 6.0, while frogs can tolerate
Asia. In the US coal burning power plants con- more acidic water, although with the de-
tribute to about 70% of sulfur dioxide. In cline in supply of mayflies, frog populations
Canada oil refining, metal smelting and other may also decline. Land animals that are de-

20 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

 pendent on aquatic organisms are also af- 6.6.4 Ozone layer depletion:
fected.
Ozone is formed by the action of sunlight on
5. Acid rain and dry acid deposition damages oxygen. It forms a layer 20 to 50kms above the
buildings, automobiles, and other structures surface of the earth. This action takes place
made of stone or metal. The acid corrodes naturally in the atmosphere, but is very slow.
the materials causing extensive damage and Ozone is a highly poisonous gas with a strong
ruins historic buildings. For instance the odour. It is a form of oxygen that has three at-
Parthenon in Greece and the Taj Mahal in oms in each molecule. It is considered a pollut-
India have been affected by acid rain. ant at ground level and constitutes a health
hazard by causing respiratory ailments like
6. Although surface water polluted by acid rain asthma and bronchitis. It also causes harm to
does not directly harm people, the toxic sub- vegetation and leads to a deterioration of cer-
stances leached from soil can pollute water tain materials like plastic and rubber. Ozone in
supply. Fish caught in these waters may be the upper atmosphere however, is vital to all
harmful for human consumption. Acid, life as it protects the earth from the sun’s harm-
along with other chemicals in the air, pro- ful ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer in the
duces urban smog, which causes respira- upper atmosphere absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet
tory problems. radiation, preventing it from reaching the earth’s
surface.
Solutions: The best way to stop the formation
of acid rain is to reduce the emissions of sulfur This layer in the atmosphere protects life on
dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmo- earth from the dangerous UV radiation from the
sphere. This can be achieved by using less en- sun. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that
ergy from fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs,
and industry. Switching to cleaner burning fu- which were used as refrigerants and aerosol
els is also a way out. For instance using natural spray propellants, posed a threat to the ozone
gas which is cleaner than coal, using coal with layer. The CFC molecules are virtually indestruc-
lower sulfur content, and developing more effi- tible until they reach the stratosphere, where
cient vehicles. If the pollutants have already been UV radiation breaks them down to release chlo-
formed by burning fossil fuels, they can be pre- rine atoms. The chlorine atoms react with ozone
vented from entering the atmosphere by using molecules which break down into oxygen mol-
scrubbers in smokestacks in industry. These spray ecules, which do not absorb UV radiations. Since
a mixture of water and limestone into the pol- the early 1980s, scientists detected a thinning
luting gases, recapturing the sulfur. of the ozone layer in the atmosphere above
Antarctica. This phenomenon is now being de-
In catalytic converters, the gases are passed over tected in other places as well including Austra-
metal coated beads that convert harmful chemi- lia. Although the use of CFCs has been reduced
cals into less harmful ones. These are used in and now banned in most countries, other chemi-
cars to reduce the effects of exhaust fumes on cals and industrial compounds such as bromine,
the atmosphere. Once acid rain has affected soil, halocarbons and nitrous oxides from fertilizers
powdered limestone can be added to the soil may also attack the ozone layer.
by a process known as liming to neutralize the
acidity of the soil. The destruction of the ozone layer is seen to
cause increased cases of skin cancer and cata-
racts. It also causes damage to certain crops and

Social Issues and The Environment 21

to plankton, thus affecting natures food chains
and food webs. This in turn causes an increase CASE STUDY
in carbon dioxide due to the decrease in veg-
etation. Nuclear disasters and leakages

With the signing of the Montreal Protocol in In 1986 the Nuclear Power Station at
1987, a treaty for the protection of the ozone Chernobyl in USSR developed a problem that
layer, the use of CFCs was to be banned by the led to a fire and a number of explosions in
year 2000. After 2000, the ozone layer is ex- its Nuclear Reactor. The radioactive dust
pected to recover slowly over a period of about spread over many kilometers and covered
50 years. not only Europe but North America as well.
Three people died in the explosion and 28
shortly after due to radiation exposure. Some
6.6.5 Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holo- 259 sick were hospitalized. As the area had
caust: to be evacuated 1,35,000 people had to be
moved immediately and another 1.5 lac by
Nuclear energy was researched and discovered 1991. As radioactive fall out continued even
by man as a source of alternate energy which more people had to be moved. An estimated
would be clean and cheap compared to fossil 6.5 lakh people may have been seriously af-
fuels. And although this did happen, along with fected. They may get cancer, thyroid
the benefits of nuclear energy came its down- tumours, and cataracts, and suffer from a
falls. In the short history of nuclear energy there lowered immune mechanism.
have been accidents that have surpassed any
natural calamity or other energy source extrac- As radioactivity passes from grass to herbi-
tion in their impacts. A single nuclear accident vores, sheep in Scotland and Reindeer in
can cause loss of life, long-term illness and de- Lapland were affected and were unfit for
struction of property on a large scale for a long human consumption. Vegetable, fruit and
period of time. Radioactivity and radioactive fall- milk were contaminated in Europe.
out leads to cancer, genetic disorders and death
in the affected area for decades after, thus af- A French Nuclear Waste Processing Center
fecting all forms of life for generations to come. in Normandy may have affected the lives of
children playing nearby. They may develop
leukemia (blood cancer) in later life.

Nuclear holocaust:
The use of nuclear energy in war has had dev-
astating effects on man and earth. The
Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident during World
War II, the only use of nuclear power in war in
history, is one of the worst disasters in history.
In 1945, the United States dropped atomic
bombs in Japan over the towns of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. These two atomic bombs killed
thousands of people, left many thousands in-
jured and devastated everything for miles

22 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

around. The effects of the radiation from these with extreme difficulty can be used for forestry
nuclear bombs can still be seen today in the form or to recreate natural ecosystems.
of cancer and genetic mutations in the affected
children and survivors of the incident. Agriculture: Wasteland can be reclaimed for
agriculture by reducing the salt content which
can be done by leaching and flushing. Gypsum,
6.7 WASTELAND RECLAMATION urea, potash and compost are added before
planting crops in such areas.
Loss of vegetation cover leads to loss of soil
through erosion, which ultimately creates waste- Agro forestry: This involves putting land to mul-
lands. This is one of the pressing problems of tiple uses. Its main purpose is to have trees and
the country. Loss of soil has already ruined a crops inter- and /or under planted to form an
large amount of cultivable land in our country. integrated system of biological production within
If it remains unchecked, it will affect the remain- a certain area. Thus, agro forestry implies inte-
ing land. Unless we adequately safeguard our gration of trees with agricultural crops or live-
‘good’ lands, we may eventually face a serious stock management simultaneously.
shortage of food grains, vegetables, fruit, fod-
der and fuel wood. Hence, conservation of soil, Forestry: Attempts to grow trees in highly non
protecting the existing cultivable land and re- alkaline saline soils have been largely unsuccess-
claiming the already depleted wastelands fig- ful. Field experiments have shown that species
ures prominently among the priority tasks of like Eucalyptus, Prosopis and Acacia Nilotica
planning for the future. Some of the wasteland could not be grown in highly alkaline soil. Stud-
reclamation programs have been unsuccessful ies have shown that if tree seedlings are planted
because after sometime the land reverts to its with a mixture of original soil, Gypsum, and
original poor condition due to mismanagement manure, better growth can be achieved. It is
and unscientific ways in which the reclamation however important to use indigenous species
has been carried out. of trees so that the program recreates the local
ecosystem with all its species.
In choosing wasteland reclamation methods at-
tention must be paid to the cost factor. This has
to be taken into account before deciding on a Need for wasteland development:
particular method for reclamation of wastelands. Wasteland development provides a source of
A proper study of environmental aspects and income for the rural poor. It ensures a constant
human impacts which are responsible for the supply of fuel, fodder and timber for local use.
development of wastelands have to be looked It makes the soil fertile by preventing soil ero-
into. sion and conserving moisture. The program
helps maintain an ecological balance in the area.
Wasteland can be classified into three forms: The increasing forest cover helps in maintaining
(1) Easily reclaimable, (2) Reclaimable with local climatic conditions. Regenerated vegeta-
some difficulty, (3) Reclaimable with extreme dif- tion cover helps in attracting birds which feed
ficulty. on pests in the surrounding fields and function
as natural pest controllers. The trees help in hold-
Easily reclaimable wastelands can be used for ing back moisture and reduce surface run off
agricultural purposes. Those which can be re- rates thus helping in the control of soil erosion.
claimed with some difficulty can be utilized for
agro forestry. Wastelands that are reclaimed
23
Social Issues and The Environment
Components of wasteland reclamation: velopment provide the local people with newer
The first major task is the identification of the technological advances. Guidelines regarding
problem at the micro level. For this it is neces- control of water logging must be provided. Ap-
sary to have District, Village and plot level sur- propriate technologies must be made available
veys of the wasteland. A profile of the maps to people belonging to the weaker sections and
indicating the detailed distribution and informa- landless farmers. Collective efforts have to be
tion on the wasteland is essential. With the help made to check soil losses through water and
of local government institutions such as the vil- wind erosion to prevent the collapse of the irri-
lage Panchayats, along with Block Development gation system through siltation. Plans concern-
Officers, Revenue Department functionaries, a ing wasteland reclamation and utilization
plan based on the community needs must be prepared at various stages must be properly in-
produced. This must be done through a partici- tegrated for a successful long-term outcome.
patory exercise that involves all the different
stakeholders in the community. A think-tank of
administrators, ecologists, and local NGOs must CASE STUDY
also be involved in the process.
Tehri, Uttar Pradesh
The next step is to identify the factors that are
responsible for the formation of wastelands. Nagchaund village in Tehri District of Uttar
Based on these factors the wasteland is classi- Pradesh was once an eroded and deforested
fied into: marginally, partially or severely dete- land. When Soban Singh Bhandari returned
riorated lands. Locale specific strategies for to his village after retirement from the army
reclaiming the wasteland must be worked out. in 1987 he was struck by this degradation.
Government officials along with the local NGOs After six months he became the pradhan of
must assist the farmers by demonstrating im- the village and decided to implement vari-
proved methods of cultivation, arranging for ous village development schemes differently.
loans for the small, marginal and landless farm- Through the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, he
ers and the people from the weaker sections of gained immense community support. In
the society. Involving local women has proved 1990 the Forest Department selected a 30-
to be of great value. Another essential compo- hectare barren piece of community land for
nent of the program is to organize publicity cam- a micro-watershed development program.
paigns, integrated with training farmers and The villagers controlled grazing in the area,
frontline Government and Forest Department undertook plantations for fuel and fodder.
staff on the various aspects of wasteland utili- Bhandari helped the village raise money by
zation. Environmental scientists can help by sug- selling the fodder from the area to a neigh-
gesting the necessary changes in cropping boring village and the money was used for
patterns particularly for drought prone areas. development and maintenance work. This
Other tasks that should be addressed include community effort has had a great impact on
the selection of appropriate crops for fodder and the ecology of the area. The moisture con-
trees that provide local people with non-wooded tent of the area increased and the water
forest products according to the nature of the sources of the villages were recharged. Lo-
wasteland. Testing soil in laboratories provides cal people now have access to all the natu-
guidance to the farmers on the proper land ral resources they need for their daily lives.
management to be used. Irrigation and other
expertise needed for improving productivity
without creating unsustainable patterns of de-

24 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

The demands of our increasing human popula- by the process of development. It is seen that
tion for environmental goods and services has today’s consumption patterns are depleting
imposed severe pressures on the available land natural resources at a rapid rate and widening
resources especially on the forests and green the inequalities in consumption in different so-
cover. This is closely linked to the wellbeing of cieties. Consumerism causes wasteful use of en-
the rural population which constitutes a large ergy and material far beyond that needed for
percent of the population which depends on everyday living at a comfortable level. Money is
local natural resources for their survival. The in- not the only way to measure the cost of an item
creasing demand for food, fodder, fuel wood, that we use. When one adds up all the raw
etc. has led to activities that are responsible for material and energy that goes into the manu-
increasing environmental degradation. This is re- facture of goods or the services provided by
sponsible for the extension of wastelands. Thus nature that one uses during a day’s activities,
the development of agro forestry based agri- the toll on the environment is large. When this
culture and forestry has become the prime pre- cost is multiplied over a lifespan, the amount is
requisite for an overall development of the staggering. If one considered the overutilisation
economy in the country. The pressure on land is in each family, city or a country, the impacts are
already very high and the only hope of increas- incredibly high. For example: two hundred bil-
ing productivity lies in bringing appropriate im- lion cans, bottles, plastic cartons and paper cups,
provement in the various categories of are thrown away each year in the “developed”
wasteland spread over the country. world. “Disposable” items greatly increase this
waste. Rather than compete on quality or reli-
ability, many industrial consumer products are
6.8 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE made for one-time use. Buying quality products
PRODUCTS that are warranteed against failure or wearing
out, learning about the raw materials that things
Modern societies that are based on using large are made of, and an appreciation of their origin
amounts of goods, especially those that are from nature’s storehouse, as well as knowing
manufactured for one time use, are extremely the conditions of the workers that make them,
wasteful. The increasing consumption of natu- are some ways of resisting consumerism and
ral resources has lead to serious environmental decreasing waste.
problems around the world. Current consump-
tion patterns are depleting non-renewable re-
sources, poisoning and degrading ecosystems, CASE STUDY
and altering the natural processes on which life
depends. The present pattern of consumption, Himachal Pradesh was the first State in India
especially in affluent societies, is mainly respon- to regulate the manufacture and use of plas-
sible for the high level of utilization of resources. tics. The State proposed a ban on all types
People in the industrialized countries make up of polythene packing.
20% of the world population but consume 80%
of the world’s resources and produce 80% of
wastes. This is due to a pattern of economic
development that ensures that people go on While there may be some new appliances and
consuming even more than they actually need. cars that are more productive and energy effi-
India is rapidly moving into this unsustainable cient, discarding the old often leads to an al-
pattern of economic growth and development. most total waste of the energy and material
The rich in such a society get richer often at the already invested in these products. This alone
cost of the poor whose lives are not improved 25
Social Issues and The Environment
may more than nullify the energy savings of the cal processes for production of goods has rap-
new product. This is a tricky problem. idly increased problems due to inadequate waste
disposal. This creates a heavy burden on natu-
Consumerism is related to the constant purchas- ral resources, degrades the environment and cre-
ing of new goods, with little attention to their ates health hazards. With the rapid increase in
true need, durability, product origin, or the en- population, the amount of waste in terms of
vironmental consequences of their manufacture quantity and quality has increased waste man-
and disposal. Consumerism is driven by huge agement pressures many fold in recent years. If
sums spent on advertising designed to create the high quantities of waste generated contin-
both a desire to follow trends, and a personal ues, mankind will be drowned under heaps of
feeling of satisfaction based on acquisition. garbage, and streams of sewage. His health will
Materialism is one of the end results of con- be affected by dangerous industrial effluents,
sumerism. and he will be smothered by clouds of smoke
and unhealthy gases. Human civilisation will run
Consumerism interferes with the sustainable use out of resources, preventing further develop-
of resources in a society by replacing the nor- ment.
mal common sense desire for an adequate sup-
ply of life’s necessities, with an insatiable quest The increasing demands of consumption on the
for things that are purchased by larger and larger finite resources of the planet, increasing level
incomes to buy them. There is little regard for of environmental pollution, and the problems
the true utility of what is bought. An intended of waste disposal must be changed to the care-
consequence of this strategy which is promoted ful utilization of resources, recovery of used
by those who profit from consumerism, is to material by waste recycling. Therefore reuse of
accelerate the discarding of the old, either be- goods and waste utilization should become a
cause of lack of durability or a change in fash- part of the production -consumption cycle. Uti-
ion. Especially in developed countries, landfills lizing various forms of waste must be made a
are being rapidly filled with cheap discarded part of the planning and development process.
products that fail to work within a short time Current patters in the industrial sector have led
and cannot be repaired. In many cases consumer to the disposal of waste in a careless uneco-
products are made psychologically obsolete by nomical manner. Burning or dumping wastes
the advertising industry long before they actu- into streams and oceans, or creating more land-
ally wear out. fills damages the environment. For example it is
estimated that the per capita production of do-
The inordinate amount of waste that is gener- mestic waste is many times higher in a devel-
ated by consumer-oriented societies around the oped country when compared to a developing
world is now a serious environmental issue. Most country. Unfortunately, many developing coun-
human activities are related to production and tries are now working out similar wasteful trends
consumption cycles which produce excessive through development, but do not have the same
amounts of waste in the form of solid, liquid economic potential to handle the waste this new
and gaseous waste products. The problems of unsustainable strategy produces. Large quanti-
waste management in the urban and rural sec- ties of solid, liquid and gaseous waste is pro-
tors are different. Rural communities that were duced by urban industrial communities in the
smaller, once had a limited amount of waste form of plastic, paper, leather, tin cans, bottles,
which was recycled as the communities used mineral refuse, and pathological waste from
them effectively. With the advent of an indus- hospitals. Dead animals, agricultural wastes,
trial civilization the highly complex technologi- fertilizer and pesticide overuse, and human and

26 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

animal excreta are essentially rural concerns. The Bagasse, a waste product of the sugar industry,
waste is either discharged into the atmosphere, is used in the paper, ply industries.
into water sources, or buried underground.
These wastes are not considered to have any The material left over after extraction of oil from
economic value. This attitude towards waste has seeds is used as cattle feed.
led to disastrous effects on the environment
besides over exploiting natural resources.
CASE STUDY

Reduce, reuse, recycle Plastic to oil

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or the 3Rs principle, is
the new concept in waste management. But The Indian Oil Corporation Limited and the
what does it actually mean? Although some Department of Science and Technology are
waste is inevitable in any society, we must mini- expected to establish India’s first plant to
mize the generation of waste at the source by convert waste plastic into petrol, diesel and
using minimal resources. Do not use what you LPG.
do not need. The goal of every society should
be to reach a low-waste or no waste society.

Eg. Fancy packaging of consumer products in The generated waste or discarded material that
two or three layers is not necessary. cannot be used again in its original form can be
sent back to the industry to be broken down
Use your own reusable cloth/ jute bags instead and used as a resource to be made into a new
of plastic bags. product of the same type or into something
entirely different.
The residual waste can be converted into a
useable resource. In developed countries waste Eg. Plastic items are recycled into new plastic
is used to produce energy. products.

Several technological breakthroughs have re- Metal scrap and broken glass is used to make
cently been made to recover material from in- new metal products.
dustrial waste such as heavy metals and
chemicals such as mercury and nitric acid. Thus Finally, the waste material generated which can
the waste does not remain a waste product any- neither be reused or recycled, must be disposed
more, but becomes a useful resource. off in a proper manner with minimum impact
to the environment.
Eg. Using kitchen wet waste to make compost
that can be used as an organic fertilizer. - Non toxic solid waste should be properly
segregated and disposed off in landfills that
Using sewage in a biogas plant to make fuel. are properly sealed to avoid leakage and
contamination of surrounding land and
One industry’s waste could be a valuable re- groundwater.
source for another industry.
- Toxic wastes should be treated or disposed
Eg. Cloth rags from the textile industry are off separately in a proper manner.
bought and used by paper and other industries.
27
Social Issues and The Environment
- Sewage and industrial wastewater should 1. Use only as much as you need, be it any re-
be adequately treated and raw materials re- source – water, food, paper, etc.
covered from it where possible before it is
released into our rivers and waterways. 2. Next time you throw away something, think
about whether it is really a waste. If it is of no
The 3R principle of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, use to you, could someone else use it?
should be followed in that order. Reuse rinse water to water your garden, etc.
Donate old clothes to the needy, instead of
- Reduction is the best option. If we reduce throwing them away.
at source, there is a smaller chance of waste
generation and the pressure on our already 3. If you are sure the item is not usable in its
stretched natural resources is reduced. present form, can it be recycled? Paper, plas-
tics, glass, metal can all be recycled.
- Reuse is the next best option, as the prod-
uct is reused in its current form without any 4. Segregate your waste into wet and dry gar-
energy expended to convert it into a new bage. Wet garbage includes most kitchen
item. wastes. Most of this can be used for composting.
Most dry garbage is recyclable.
- Recycling is the last option, as although it
converts a waste into a resource, it uses The amount of dry waste generated in your
energy to transform that resource into a household is an indicator of how well you are
new useable product. following the 3Rs principle. A lot of dry waste
means you should go back to the ‘Reduce and
Thus by following the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ Reuse’ principles and try to follow them better.
principle, i.e. by reducing use at source, by re-
using and recycling whatever possible and fi- 5. Avoid the use of non-biodegradable materi-
nally by proper disposal of residual waste, we als such as Styrofoam and certain types of plas-
can cut down or the waste generated and en- tics.
sure that the minimal residual waste does not
harm our environment. This principle can be Although most plastics are recyclable, recycling
followed by everyone, from an individual or an still takes up energy, which is another precious
industry to a whole country. resource not to be wasted. If thrown away as
waste, Styrofoam and plastics can take hundreds
What can I do? You can follow the 3Rs prin- of years to decompose.
ciple in the following ways:
6. Do not litter or throw garbage in public places.
Garbage and litter is a visual contaminant and
can cause diseases health problems. Proper dis-
posal of garbage is an important part of waste
management.

7. Be a conscious consumer and do not buy prod-

ucts that are over packaged. Try choosing prod-
ucts that are made from recycled material or
are organically grown.

28 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

 Resources must be conserved by proper selec-
Suggestions for better waste management:
tion, production technologies, recovering and
recycling what is usable and reducing unneces-
1) Every country must survey all the differ-
sary demands for consumption and inventing
ent forms of waste generation along
technologies which would make it possible for
with its sources. They must set up pri-
reusing the waste resources so as to reduce over-
orities concerning waste utilization.
exploiting of our existing resources.
Most waste can be converted to re-
sources which can enhance the
economy of the country. 6.9 THE ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT
2) Plans should be prepared for control-
ling waste at the source. This must in-
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 not only
clude segregation of wet and dry waste,
has important constitutional implications but
where the wet waste can be converted
also an international background. The spirit of
to compost and used and the dry waste
the proclamation adopted by the United Nations
is recycled.
Conference on Human Environment which took
3) Research and developmental programs
place in Stockholm in June 1972, was imple-
to find innovative methods of waste re-
mented by the Government of India by creating
cycling must be encouraged. Recycling
this Act.
should be a part of conservation and
environmental protection programs. Pri-
Although there were several existing laws that
vate and public organizations for waste
dealt directly or indirectly with environmental
recycling and management should be
issues it was necessary to have a general legis-
set up.
lation for environmental protection because the
4) Uneconomical methods of waste dis- existing laws focused on very specific types of
posal like land filling, or incineration
pollution, or specific categories of hazardous
must be reduced to a minimum. Plans
substances or were indirectly related to the en-
for appropriate disposal of non-utilizable
vironment through laws that control landuse,
hazardous waste from chemical indus-
protect our National Parks and Sanctuaries and
tries must be implemented and strictly our wildlife. However there were no overarching
monitored.
legislation and certain areas of environmental
5) Every community should organize exten-
hazards were not covered. There were also gaps
sive programs on education and dem-
in areas that were potential environmental haz-
onstration on the reduction of waste,
ards and there were several inadequate linkages
and the proper disposal and effective in handling matters of industrial and environ-
reutilization of waste material. People
mental safety. This was essentially related to the
should be informed of the need for
multiplicity of regulatory agencies. Thus there
waste management to protect the qual-
was a need for an authority which could assume
ity of the environment. This should be the lead role for studying, planning and imple-
included in the curriculum at school and
menting long term requirements of environmen-
college level.
tal safety and give directions to, as well as
6) Every society should make efforts to de-
coordinate a system of speedy and adequate
sign peoples’ life styles and cultural pat-
response to emergency situations threatening
terns based on low waste production. the environment.
The goal of every society should be to
reach a low-waste or no waste society.

Social Issues and The Environment 29

This Act was thus passed to protect the envi- dioxide, nitrogen oxide, volatile organic com-
ronment, as there was a growing concern over pounds (VOCs) or other toxic substances beyond
the deteriorating state of the environment. As a prescribed level. To ensure this, Pollution Con-
impacts grew considerably environmental pro- trol Boards (PCBs) have been set up by Govern-
tection became a national priority in the 1970s. ment to measure pollution levels in the
The decline in the environmental quality, was atmosphere and at certain sources by testing
evidenced by increasing pollution, loss of forest the air. This is measured in parts per million or
cover and an increasing threat to biodiversity. in milligrams or micrograms per cubic meter. The
particulate matter and gases that are released
The presence of excessive concentrations of by industry and by cars, buses and two wheel-
harmful chemicals in the atmosphere and ers is measured by using air sampling equipment.
aquatic ecosystems leads to the disruption of However, the most important aspect is for
food chains and a loss of species. These are people themselves to appreciate the dangers of
symptoms of a rapidly deteriorating environ- air pollution and reduce their own potential as
ment. The growing risks of environmental acci- polluters by seeing that their own vehicles or
dents and threats to life support systems now the industry they work in reduces levels of emis-
looms threateningly over our civilisation. The de- sions.
cision taken at the conference in Stockholm
strongly voiced these environmental concerns This Act is created ‘to take appropriate steps
and several measures were made possible for for the preservation of the natural resources of
environmental protection. While the need for a the earth which among other things includes
wider general legislation to protect our environ- the preservation of high quality air and ensures
ment is now in place, it has become increas- controlling the level of air pollution.
ingly evident that our environmental situation
continues to deteriorate. We need to implement The main objectives of the Act are as follows:
this Act much more aggressively if our environ-
ment is to be protected. (a) To provide for the Prevention, Control and
abatement of air pollution.
Public concern and support is crucial for imple-
menting the EPA. This must be supported by an (b) To provide for the establishment of Central
enlightened media, good administrators, highly and State Boards with a view to implement
aware policy makers, informed judiciary and the Act.
trained technocrats who together can influence
and prevent further degradation of our environ- (c) To confer on the Boards the powers to
ment. Each of us has a responsibility to make implement the provisions of the Act and
this happen. assign to the Boards functions relating to
pollution.

6.10 THE AIR (PREVENTION AND Air pollution is more acute in heavily industrial-
CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT ized and urbanized areas, which are also densely
populated. The presence of pollution beyond
The Government passed this Act in 1981 to clean certain limits due to various pollutants dis-
up our air by controlling pollution. Sources of charged through industrial emission are moni-
air pollution such as industry, vehicles, power tored by the Pollution Control Boards set up in
plants, etc. are not permitted to release particu- every State.
late matter, lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur

30 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

Powers and Functions of the Boards Whoever contravenes any of the provision of
Central Board: The main function of the Cen- the Act or any order or direction issued is pun-
tral Board is to implement legislation created to ishable with imprisonment for a term which may
improve the quality of air and to prevent and extend to three months or with a fine of
control air pollution in the country. The Board Rs.10,000 or with both ,and in case of continu-
advises the Central Government on matters con- ing offence with an additional fine which may
cerning the improvement of air quality and also extend to Rs 5,000 for every day during which
coordinates activities, provides technical assis- such contravention continues after conviction
tance and guidance to State Boards and lays for the first contravention.
down standards for the quality of air. It collects
and disseminates information in respect of mat- What can an individual do to control air pollu-
ters relating to air pollution and performs func- tion?
tions as prescribed in the Act.
1) When you see a polluting vehicle take down
State Pollution Control Boards: The State Boards the number and send a letter to the Road
have the power to advice the State Government Transport Office (RTO) and the Pollution
on any matter concerning the prevention and Control Board (PCB).
control of air pollution. They have the right to
inspect at all reasonable times any control equip- 2) If you observe an industry polluting air, in-
ment, industrial plant, or manufacturing process form the Pollution Control Board in writing
and give orders to take the necessary steps to and ascertain if action is taken.
control pollution. They are expected to inspect
air pollution control areas at intervals or when- 3) Use cars only when absolutely necessary.
ever necessary. They are empowered to provide Walk or cycle as much as possible instead
standards for emissions to be laid down for dif- of using fossil fuel powered vehicles.
ferent industrial plants with regard to quantity
and composition of emission of air pollutants 4) Use public transport as far as possible, as
into the atmosphere. A State Board may estab- more people can travel in a single large ve-
lish or recognize a laboratory to perform this hicle rather than using multiple small ve-
function. hicles which add to pollution.

The State Governments have been given pow- 5) Share a vehicle space with relatives and
ers to declare air pollution control areas after friends. Carpools minimise the use of fossil
consulting with the State Board and also give fuels.
instructions for ensuring standards of emission
from automobiles and restriction on use of cer- 6) Do not use air fresheners and other aero-
tain industrial plants. sols and sprays which contain CFCs that de-
plete the ozone layer.
Penalties: Persons managing industry are to be
penalized if they produce emissions of air pol- 7) Do not smoke in a public place. It is illegal
lutants in excess of the standards laid down by and endangers not only your own health
the State Board. The Board also makes applica- but also that of others.
tions to the court for restraining persons caus-
ing air pollution. 8) Coughing can spread bacteria and viruses.
Use a handkerchief to prevent droplet in-

Social Issues and The Environment 31

 fection which is air borne. It endangers the ever, preventing pollution is better than trying
health of other people. to cure the problems it has created, or punish-
ing offenders.
It is a citizen’s duty to report to the local au-
thorities such as the Collector or the Pollution The main objectives of the Water Act are to pro-
Control Board, and the press about offences vide for prevention, control and abatement of
made by a polluter so that action can be taken water pollution and the maintenance or resto-
against the offender. It is equally important to ration of the wholesomeness of water. It is de-
prevent and report to the authorities on cutting signed to assess pollution levels and punish
down of trees, as this reduces nature’s ability to polluters. The Central Government and State
maintain the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels. Governments have set up Pollution Control
preventing air pollution and preserving the qual- Boards that monitor water pollution.
ity of our air is a responsibility that each indi-
vidual must support so that we can breathe air
that will not destroy our health. Functions of the Pollution Control Boards:
The Government has given the necessary pow-
ers to the PCBs to deal with the problems of
6.11 THE WATER (PREVENTION AND water pollution in the country. The Government
CON- TROL OF POLLUTION) ACT has also suggested penalties for violation of the
provisions of the Act.
The Government has formulated this Act in 1974
to be able to prevent pollution of water by in- Central and State water testing laboratories
dustrial, agricultural and household wastewa- have been set up to enable the Boards to assess
ter that can contaminate our water sources. the extent of water pollution and standards have
Wastewater with high levels of pollutants that been laid down to establish guilt and default.
enter wetlands, rivers, lakes, wells as well as the
sea are serious health hazards. Controlling the The Central and State Boards are entitled to
point sources by monitoring levels of different certain powers and functions which are as fol-
pollutants is one way to prevent pollution by lows:
giving a punishment to a polluter. However it is
also the responsibility of people in general to Central Board: It has the power to advise the
inform the relevant authority when they see a Central Government on any matters concern-
likely source of pollution. Individuals can also ing the prevention and control of water pollu-
do several things to reduce water pollution such tion. The Board coordinates the activities of the
as using biodegradable chemicals for household State Boards and also resolves disputes. The
use, reducing use of pesticides in gardens, and Central Board can provide technical assistance
identifying polluting sources at workplaces and and guidelines to State Boards to carry out in-
in industrial units where oil or other petroleum vestigations and research relating to water pol-
products and heavy metals are used. Excessive lution, and organizes training for people involved
organic matter, sediments and infecting organ- in the process. The Board organizes a compre-
isms from hospital wastes can also pollute our hensive awareness program on water pollution
water. Citizens need to develop a watchdog through mass media and also publishes data
force to inform authorities to take appropriate regarding water pollution. The Board lays down
actions against different types of water pollu- or modifies the rules in consultation with the
tion. A polluter must pay for his actions. How- State Boards on standards of disposal of waste.

32 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

The main function of the Central Board is to that fails to comply with the directions given in
promote the cleanliness of rivers lakes streams the subsections of the law can be convicted or
and wells in the country. punished with imprisonment for a term of three
months or with a fine of Rs10,000 or both and
State Boards: They have the power to advise in case failure continues an additional fine of
the State Government on any matters concern- Rs.5,000 everyday. If a person who has already
ing water pollution. It plans a comprehensive been convicted for any offence is found guilty
program for the prevention of water pollution. of the same offence again, he/she after the sec-
It collects and disseminates information on wa- ond and every subsequent conviction, would be
ter pollution and participates in research in col- punishable with imprisonment for a term not
laboration with the Central Board in organizing less than two years but which may extend to
training of people involved in the process. The seven years with fine.
Board inspects sewage or trade effluents, treat-
ment plants, purification plants and the systems What can individuals do to prevent water pollu-
of disposal and also evolves economical and re- tion?
liable methods of treatment of sewage and other
effluents. It plans the utilization of sewage wa- 1. Inform the Pollution Control Board of any
ter for agriculture. It ensures that if effluents offender who is polluting water and ensure
are to be discharged on land the waste is di- that appropriate action is taken. One can
luted. The State Board advises State Govern- also write to the press.
ments with respect to location of industries.
Laboratories have been established to enable 2. Do not dump wastes into a household or
the Board to perform its functions. industrial drain which can directly enter any
water body, such as a stream, river, pond,
The State Boards have the power to obtain in- lake or the sea.
formation from officers empowered by it who
make surveys, keep records of flow, volume, and 3. Do not use toilets for flushing down waste
other characteristics of the water. They are given items as they do not disappear but reap-
the power to take samples of effluents and sug- pear at other places and cause water pollu-
gest the procedures to be followed in connec- tion.
tion with the samples. The concerned board
analyst is expected to analyze the sample sent 4. Use compost instead of chemical fertilizers
to him and submit a report of the result to the in gardens.
concerned Board. The Board is required to send
a copy of the result to the respective industry. 5. Avoid use of pesticides at home like DDT,
The Board also has the power of inspecting any Melathion, Aldrin, and use alternative meth-
plant record, register, document or any mate- ods like paste of boric acid mixed with gram
rial object, and can conduct a search in any place flour to kill cockroaches and other insects.
in which there is reason to believe that an of- Use dried neem leaves to help keep away
fence has been conducted under the Act. insects.

Penalties are charged for acts that have caused

pollution. This includes failing to furnish infor- 6.12 THE WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT
mation required by the Board, or failing to in-
form the occurrence of any accident or other This Act passed in 1972, deals with the declara-
unforeseen act. An individual or organisation tion of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
33
Social Issues and The Environment
and their notification. It establishes the struc- six years and not less than two years with a pen-
ture of the State’s wildlife management and the alty of Rs.10,000.
posts designated for Wildlife Management. It
provides for setting up Wildlife Advisory Boards. What can an individual do?
It prohibits hunting of all animals specified in
Schedules I to IV of the Act. These are notified 1) If you observe an act of poaching, or see a
in order of their endangeredness. Plants that are poached animal, inform the local Forest De-
protected are included in schedule VI. partment Official at the highest possible
level. One can also report the event through
The Amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act the press. Follow up to check that action is
in 2002 is more stringent and prevents the com- taken by the concerned authority. If no ac-
mercial use of resources by local people. It has tion is taken, one must take it up to the
brought in new concepts such as the creation Chief Wildlife Warden of the State.
of Community Reserves. It has also altered sev-
eral definitions. For instance in animals, fish are 2) Say ‘no’ to the use of wildlife products and
now included. Forest produce has been rede- also try to convince other people not to buy
fined to ensure protection of ecosystems. them.

While there are several changes, the new Act 3) Reduce the use of wood and wood prod-
still has serious issues concerned with its imple- ucts wherever possible.
mentation. Laws are only as good as the ones
that can be complied with. The Act is expected 4) Avoid misuse of paper because it is made
to deter people from breaking the law. How- from bamboo and wood, which destroys
ever, there are serious problems due to poach- wildlife habitat. Paper and envelopes can
ing. One cannot expect to use the Act to reduce always be reused.
this without increasing Forest Staff, providing
weapons, jeeps, radio equipment, etc. for es- 5) Create a pressure group and ask Govern-
tablishing a strong deterrent force. ment to ensure that the biodiversity of our
country is conserved.
Penalties: A person who breaks any of the con-
ditions of any license or permit granted under 6) Do not harm animals. Stop others from in-
this Act shall be guilty of an offence against this flicting cruelty to animals.
Act. The offence is punishable with imprison-
ment for a term which may extend to three years 7) Do not disturb birds nests and fledglings.
or with a fine of Rs 25,000 or with both. An
offence committed in relation to any animal 8) When you visit the Zoo do not tease the
specified in Schedule I, or Part II of Schedule II, animals by throwing stones or feeding
like the use of meat of any such animal, or ani- them, and prevent others from doing so.
mal articles like a trophy, shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term not less than one 9) If you come across an injured animal do
year and may extend to six years and a fine of what you can to help it.
Rs 25,000.
10) If the animal needs medical care and ex-
In the case of a second or subsequent offence pert attention contact the Society for the
of the same nature mentioned in this sub-sec- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in your city.
tion, the term of imprisonment may extend to

34 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

11) Create awareness about biodiversity con- it became clear that forests must be protected
servation in your own way to family and for their other functions such as maintenance
friends. of soil and water regimes centered around eco-
12) Join organizations, which are concerned logical concerns. It also provided for the use of
with protection of biodiversity, such as goods and services of the forest for its local in-
Worldwide Fund For Nature –India (WWF- habitants.
I), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS),
or a local conservation NGO. The new policy framework made conversion of
forests into other uses much less possible. Con-
servation of the forests as a natural heritage finds
6.13 FOREST CONSERVATION ACT a place in the new policy, which includes the
preservation of its biological diversity and ge-
To appreciate the importance of the Forest Con- netic resources. It also values meeting the needs
servation Act of 1980, which was amended in of local people for food, fuelwood, fodder and
1988, it is essential to understand its historical non-wood forest products that they subsist on.
background. The Indian Forest Act of 1927 con- It gives priority to maintaining environmental
solidated all the previous laws regarding forests stability and ecological balance. It expressly
that were passed before the 1920’s. The Act states that the network of Protected Areas
gave the Government and Forest Department should be strengthened and extended.
the power to create Reserved Forests, and the
right to use Reserved Forests for Government In 1992, the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the
use alone. It also created Protected Forests, in Constitution furthered governance through
which the use of resources by local people was panchayats. It gives States the ability to provide
controlled. Some forests were also to be con- power to the local panchayats to manage local
trolled by a village community, and these were forest resources.
called Village Forests.
The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was en-
The Act remained in force till the 1980s when it acted to control deforestation. It ensured that
was realised that protecting forests for timber forestlands could not be de-reserved without
production alone was not acceptable. The other prior approval of the Central Government. This
values of protecting the services that forests was created as States had begun to de-reserve
provide and its valuable assets such as the Reserved Forests for non-forest use. States
biodiversity began to overshadow the impor- had regularized encroachments and resettled
tance of their revenue earnings from timber. ‘Project Affected People’ from development
Thus a new Act was essential. This led to the projects such as dams in these de-reserved ar-
Forest Conservation Act of 1980 and its amend- eas. The need for a new legislation became ur-
ment in 1988. gent. The Act made it possible to retain a greater
control over the frightening level of deforesta-
India’s first Forest Policy was enunciated in 1952. tion in the country and specified penalties for
Between 1952 and 1988, the extent of defor- offenders.
estation was so great that it became evident
that there was a need to formulate a new policy Penalties for offences in Reserved Forests: No
on forests and their utilisation. Large tracts of person is allowed to make clearings or set fire
forestland had already been diverted to other to a Reserved Forest. Cattle are not permitted
uses. The earlier forest policies had focused at- to trespass into the Reserved Forest. Felling,
tention on revenue generation only. In the 1980s collecting of timber, bark or leaves, quarries or

Social Issues and The Environment 35

collecting any forest product is punishable with 3) Be in touch with concerned local NGOs and
imprisonment for a term of six months, or with associations. Organize one with other like
a fine which may extend to Rs.500, or both. minded people if none exist in your area.

Penalties for offences in Protected Forests: A 4) Create awareness about the existence and
person who commits any of the following of- value of National Parks and Sanctuaries and
fences like felling of trees, or strips off the bark build up a public opinion against illegal ac-
or leaves from any tree or sets fire to such for- tivities in the forest or disturbance to wild-
ests, or kindles a fire without taking precautions life.
to prevent its spreading to any tree mentioned
in the Act, whether standing or felled, or fells 5) Pressurize the authorities to implement the
any tree, drags timber, or permits cattle to dam- forest and wildlife laws and rules to protect
age any tree, shall be punishable with imprison- green areas.
ment for a term which may extend to six month
or with a fine which may extend to Rs.500, or 6) Take legal action if necessary and if pos-
both. sible through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
against the offending party. Use the help
When there is a reason to believe that a forest of NGOs who can undertake legal action.
offence has been committed pertaining to any
forest produce, the produce together with all 7) Help to create public pressure to change
tools used in committing such offences may be rules laws and procedures when necessary.
seized by any Forest Officer or Police Officer.
Every officer seizing any property under this sec- 8) Use better, ecologically sensitive public
tion shall put on the property a mark indicating transport and bicycle tracks. Do not litter in
the seizure and report the seizure to the Magis- a forest area.
trate who has the jurisdiction to try the offence.
Any Forest Officer, even without an order from 9) Participate in preservation of greenery, by
the Magistrate or a warrant, can arrest any per- planting, watering and caring for plants.
son against whom a reasonable suspicion ex-
ists. Whom should forest offences be reported to?
If you as a citizen come across anyone felling
What can an individual do to support the Act? trees, encroaching on forest land, dumping gar-
bage, cutting green wood, lighting a fire, or cre-
1) Be alert to destructive activities in your lo- ating a clearing in Reserved Forests, Protected
cal green areas such as Reserved Forests and Forests, National Park, Sanctuary or other for-
Protected Forests, and in Protected Areas est areas, you must report it to the forest / wild-
(National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries). life officers concerned. For urgent action one
Report any such act to the Forest Depart- can contact the police. In fact you should file an
ment as well as the Press. Report of viola- FIR in any case because it serves as an impor-
tions can be made to the Conservator of tant proof that you have made the report.
Forest, District Forest Officer, Range Forest
Officer, Forest Guard or the District Com-
missioner, or local civic body.

2) Acquaint yourself with the laws, detailed

rules and orders issued by the Government.

36 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

6.14 ISSUES INVOLVED IN passed. The Ministry of Environment and For-
ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ests (MoEF) has identified a large number of
LEGISLATION projects that need clearance on environmental
grounds. The EIA must define what impact it
Environmental legislation is evolved to protect would have on water, soil and air. It also re-
our environment as a whole, our health, and quires that a list of flora and fauna identified
the earth’s resources. The presence of a legisla- in the region is documented and to specify if
tion to protect air, water, soil, etc. does not nec- there are any endangered species whose habi-
essarily mean that the problem is addressed. tat or life could be adversely affected. Most de-
Once a legislation is made at the global, Na- velopment projects such as industries, roads,
tional or State level, it has to be implemented. railways and dams may also affect the lives
For a successful environmental legislation to be of local people. This must be addressed in the
implemented, there has to be an effective EIA. There are 30 different industries listed by
agency to collect relevant data, process it and MoEF that require a clearance before they are
pass it on to a law enforcement agency. If the set up.
law or rule is broken by an individual or institu-
tion, this has to be punished through the legal Impacts created by each type of industry differs
process. Information to law enforcement offi- and the proposed sites also vary in their sensi-
cials must also come from concerned individu- tivity to impacts. Some areas are more fragile
als. In most situations, if no cognizance is given, than others. Some have unique ecosystems.
the interested concerned individual must file a Others are the habitats of wildlife and some may
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for the protection be the home of endangered species of plants
of the environment. There are several NGOs in or animals. All these aspects require evaluation
the country such as WWF-I, BEAG and the BNHS before a development project or an industry site
which take these matters to court in the inter- is cleared.
est of conservation. Anyone can request them
to help in such matters. There are also legal ex- New projects are called ‘green field projects’
perts such as MC Mehta who have successfully where no development has been done. Projects
fought cases in the courts to support environ- that already exist but require expansion must
mental causes. A related issue is the fact that also apply for clearance. These are called ‘brown
there are several irregular practices for which a field projects’.
bribe to an unscrupulous official is used to cover
up an offence. Thus the general public must act After the Environmental Protection Act of 1986
as a watch dog not only to inform concerned was passed, an EIA to get an environmental
authorities, but also to see that actions are taken clearance for a project became mandatory.
against offenders.
Project proponents are expected to select a com-
petent agency to undertake an EIA. Projects can
6.14.1 Environment Impact Assessment be classified into those with a mild impact, a
(EIA): moderate impact or a serious impact. Some may
have temporary major impacts, during the con-
For all development projects, whether Govern- struction phase, which could later become less
ment or Private, the MoEF requires an impact damaging, or be mitigated by a variety of mea-
assessment done by a competent organisation. sures. In other situations the impact may con-
The EIA must look into physical, biological and tinue and even increase, for example where toxic
social parameters. EIAs are expected to indicate solid waste will be constantly generated. Some
what the likely impacts could be if the project is
37
Social Issues and The Environment
projects could thus cause temporary reversible cies without population assessments, or census
damage while others can have irreversible or figures of wildlife, or a study of the effects on
even permanent impacts. the ecosystem as a whole. Changes in landuse
patterns effect whole communities of living or-
To get an environmental clearance the proposer ganisms. This is rarely taken into account, as such
of the project is expected to apply to the State issues are difficult to assess in quantifiable terms.
Pollution Control Board. The PCB checks and
confirms that the EIA can be initiated. The Issues related to equity of resources that are in-
Agency that does the assessment submits a Re- evitably altered by development related projects
port to the proposer. This may take several are also not fully addressed. These cryptic con-
months. A Report of the Environmental State- cerns must be dealt with more seriously in envi-
ment is forwarded to the MoEF, which is the ronmental assessments and the public at large
impact assessment authority. should know and appreciate these inadequa-
cies. It is not sufficient to say that an EIA has
After 1997, the MoEF has stipulated that a public been done. It is the quality and sincerity of the
hearing should be done at the local level. The EIA that is of importance.
Pollution Control Board puts an advertisement
about the hearing in the local vernacular press. An EIA is not intended to stop all types of devel-
An Environmental Impact Statement which is opment. The siting of an industry can be se-
an Executive Summary of the EIA is kept for the lected carefully and if it is likely to damage a
public to read. The venue and time of the Public fragile area an alternate less sensitive area must
Hearing is declared. Once the hearing is held be selected.
and opinions have been expressed, both for and
against the project, the minutes of the meeting In some cases it is essential to drop projects al-
are sent to the MoEF. Though this is done, it is together if the anticipated impacts are likely to
evident that the voices of project affected people be very severe. In other cases it is necessary for
are still not heard. In some cases NGOs have the project to counter balance its effects by miti-
taken up the cause of local people. Until educa- gating the ill effects on the environment. This
tional levels and environmental awareness be- means compensating for the environmental
comes a part of public thinking and is objectively damage by afforestation or creating a Protected
based on the facts of the case, these hearings Area in the neighbourhood at the cost of the
will remain an inadequate tool to control pos- project. Rehabilitation and resettlement of
sible impacts of new development projects. project affected people is a key concern which
should be given adequate funds and done after
Experience shows that a large number of EIAs a consent is clearly obtained from the people
are inadequately researched and frequently bi- living in the area. In most cases it is advisable to
ased as they are funded by the proposer of the avoid resettlement altogether. If an area’s veg-
project. While most EIAs are adequate for stud- etation is being affected project costs must in-
ies on the possibilities of air, water and soil pol- clude the cost of compensatory afforestation
lution, they generally deal inadequately with and other protective measures.
issues such as preservation of biodiversity and
the social issues that may arise from future en-
vironmental impacts. 6.14.2 Citizens actions and action groups:

Biodiversity concerns frequently are sketchily Citizens must learn to act as watch dogs to pro-
considered and mostly consist of a listing of spe- tect their own environment from the conse-

38 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

quences of unsustainable projects around them.
CASE STUDY
Well informed citizens not only have rights but
also have a duty to perform in this regard. They
The Narmada Issue
can join action groups to develop a lobby to
strengthen the environmental movements in the
country, their State, town or village. The controversy over the plan to build sev-
eral dams on the Narmada River and its tribu-
Individuals can take one or several possible ac- taries symbolizes the struggle for a just and
tions when they observe offenders who for their equitable society in India. The construction
own self interest damage the environment for of these dams displaces many poor and un-
others living in the area. An individual has the derprivileged communities, destroying their
right to bring an environmental offence or nui- relatively self-sufficient environmentally
sance to the attention of concerned authorities. sound economy and culture and reducing a
This ranges from Government line agencies such proud people to the status of refugees or
as the Police, the Forest Department, the Col- slum dwellers.
lector or Commissioner of the area as the case
may be. At times the concerned officials may The Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the
not be able to easily appreciate complex envi- Narmada Movement) is one of the most dy-
ronmental concerns and the individual may have namic people’s movements fighting for the
to learn how to communicate these issues in a rights of these underprivileged people who
way in which it becomes essential for the con- are being robbed of their homes, livelihoods
cerned officer to act in a pro environmental fash- and way of living in the name of ‘national
ion. If this does not work a citizen can seek legal interest’.
redressal under relevant statutes of law. The En-
One such dam, the Sardar Sarovar Dam,
vironment Protection Act and the Wildlife Pro-
when completed will drown 37,000 hectares
tection Act are the most frequently used legal
of fertile land and displace 200,000 adivasis
instrument for these purposes. It is possible to
and cause incomprehensible loss to the ecol-
move courts by a Public Interest Litigation, and
ogy.
take this up to the Hon. Apex Court – the Su-
preme Court of India, which in the recent past
has given several highly enlightened pro-con-
servation judgements.

Citizen groups can resort to alternate means of

CASE STUDY
pressure such as ‘rasta rokos’, ‘dharnas’, etc. to
draw attention to important environmental con-
Silent Valley
cerns. They can also elicit public support through
the press and electronic media.
The proposed Hydel project at Silent valley,
a unique pocket of tropical biodiversity in
South India, in the 1970s was stopped and
the area declared a National Park in 1984.
This was achieved by several dedicated indi-
viduals, groups and organisations lobbying
to save the area from being submerged and
protect its rich biodiversity.

Social Issues and The Environment 39

Among the many environmental battles that March 21: World Forestry Day can be used
have been fought in this country some have to initiate a public awareness campaign about
been won while many others have been lost. the extremely rapid disappearance of our for-
These projects have led to serious environmen- ests. The program must be action oriented and
tal degradation in spite of the laws intended to become an ongoing process with activities such
control such damage. as tree plantation.

April 7: World Health Day – The World Health

6.15 PUBLIC AWARENESS Organisation (WHO) came into existence on this
day in 1948. A campaign for personal sanita-
Environmental sensitivity in our country can only tion and hygiene to understanding issues of pub-
grow through a major public awareness cam- lic health, occupational health, etc. can be
paign. This has several tools. The electronic carried out. Topics that deal with environment
media, the press, school and college education, related diseases and their spread can be dis-
adult education, are all essentially complemen- cussed and preventive measures suggested.
tary to each other. Green movements can grow
out of small local initiatives to become major April 18: World Heritage Day can be used to
players in advocating environmental protection arrange a visit to a local fort or museum. Envi-
to the Government. Policy makers will only work ronment also includes our cultural monuments.
towards environmental preservation if there is Students could use this opportunity to create
a sufficiently large bank of voters that insist on awareness among the local people about their
protecting the environment. Orienting the me- very valuable heritage sites.
dia to project pro environmental issues is an
important aspect. Several advertising campaigns April 22: Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970
frequently have messages that are negative to by a group of people in the USA to draw atten-
environmental preservation. tion to increasing environmental problems
caused by humans on earth. This day is now
celebrated all over the world with rallies, festi-
6.15.1 Using an Environmental Calendar of vals, clean-ups, special shows and lectures.
Activities:
June 5: World Environment Day marks the
There are several days of special environmental anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on
significant which can be celebrated in the com- Human Environment in Sweden in 1972, where
munity and can be used for creating environ- nations of the world gathered to share their
mental awareness. concern over human progress at the expense of
the environment. This day can be used to project
February 2: World Wetland Day is celebrated the various environmental activities that the
to create awareness about wetlands and their college has undertaken during the year. New
value to mankind. On February 2nd 1971, the pledges must be made to strengthen an envi-
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International ronmental movement at the college level.
importance was signed at Ramsar in Iran. You
can initiate a campaign for proper use and main- June 11: World Population Day is a day when
tenance of wetlands in the vicinity of the city or the vital link between population and environ-
village. ment could be discussed in seminars held at
college and other NGOs.

40 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

August 6: Hiroshima Day could be used to globally and act locally’ to improve your own
discuss our own Bhopal Gas Tragedy and the environment. ‘You’ can make a difference to
Chernobyl disaster. our world.

September 16: World Ozone Day was pro- Biodiversity Conservation: A great proportion
claimed by the United Nations as the Interna- of the residual wilderness of India is now under
tional Day for the preservation of the ozone great threat. Its unique landscapes are shrink-
layer. This is a good occasion for students to ing as the intensive forms of agriculture and in-
find out more about the threats to this layer dustrial growth spreads through a process called
and initiate discussion on what they can do to ‘development’. Modern science has serious
help mitigate this global threat. The day marks doubts about the possibility of the long-term
the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987 to control survival of the human race if man continues to
production and consumption of ozone deplet- degrade natural habitats, extinguishes millions
ing substances. of years of evolution through an extinction
spasm, and looks only at short-term gains. The
September 28: Green Consumer Day could extinction of species cannot be reversed. Once
be used to create an awareness in consumers a species is lost, it is gone forever. Future gen-
about various products. Students could talk to erations will hold us responsible for this great
shopkeepers and consumers about excess pack- loss.
aging and a campaign to use articles which are
not heavily packaged could be carried out. We frequently forget that we are a part of a
great complex web of life and our existence
October 1-7: Wildlife Week can consist of depends on the integrity of 1.8 million species
seminars on conserving our species and threat- of plants and animals on earth that live in a large
ened ecosystems. The State forest Departments number of ecosystems.
organize various activities in which every stu-
dent should take part. A poster display, a street The following are some of the things you can
play to highlight India’s rich biodiversity can be do to contribute towards our ecological secu-
planned. Wildlife does not only mean animals, rity and biodiversity conservation.
but includes plants as well.

Dos:
6.15.2 What can I do?
1. Plant more trees of local or indigenous spe-
Most of us are always complaining about the cies around your home and your workplace.
deteriorating environmental situation in our Encourage your friends to do so. Plants are
country. We also blame the government for in- vital to our survival in many ways.
action. However how many of us actually do
anything about our own environment? 2. If your urban garden is too small for trees,
plant local shrubs and creepers instead.
You can think about the things you can do that These support bird and insect life that form
support the environment in your daily life, in a vital component of the food chains in
your profession and in your community. You nature. Urban biodiversity conservation is
can make others follow your environment feasible and can support a limited but valu-
friendly actions. A famous dictum is to ‘think able diversity of life.

Social Issues and The Environment 41

3. If you live in an apartment, grow a terrace 12. Support Project Tiger, Project Elephant, etc.
or balcony garden using potted plants. Win- and join NGOs that deal with environmen-
dow boxes can be used to grow small flow- tal protection and nature conservation.
ering plants, which also add to the beauty
of your house. 13. Involve yourself and friends in activities car-
ried out during Wildlife Week and other
4. Whenever and wherever possible prevent public functions such as tree plantation
trees from being cut, or if it is not possible drives and protests against destruction of
for you to prevent this, report it immedi- the environment.
ately to the concerned authorities. Old trees
are especially important.
Don’ts
5. Insist on keeping our hills free of settlements
or similar encroachments. Degradation of 1. Do not present flower bouquets instead give
hill slopes leads to severe environmental a potted plant and encourage your friends
problems. to do so.

6. When shopping, choose products in limited 2. Do not collect unnecessary pamphlets and
packaging. It will not only help cut down leaflets just because they are free.
on the amount of waste in landfills, but also
helps reduce our need to cut trees for pa- 3. Do not use paper plates and tissues or pa-
per and packaging. per decorations when you hold a party.

7. Look for ways to reduce the use of paper. Habitat preservation: The rapid destruction of
Use both sides of every sheet of paper. Send forests, and the growth of human habitations
your waste paper for recycling. and activities have reduced the natural habitats
of animals and birds. Loss of habitat is one of
8. Buy recycled paper products for your home. the major pressures on several species and has
For example sheets of paper, envelopes, etc. led to the extinction of several rare and endemic
species. Many others are seriously threatened.
9. Reuse cartons and gift-wrapping paper. We therefore have the responsibility to preserve
Recycle newspaper and waste paper instead remaining habitats and their inhabitants.
of throwing it away as garbage.
The following are some ‘dos and don’ts’ that
10. Donate used books and magazines to can help preserve threatened ecosystems.
schools, hospitals, or libraries. The donations
will not only help these organizations, but
also will reduce the exploitation of natural Dos:
resources used to produce paper.
1. Visit forests responsibly. Remember to bring
11. Participate in the events that highlight the out everything you take in, and clean up
need for creating Sanctuaries and National litter left by others. Stay on marked trails,
Parks, nature trails, open spaces, and sav- and respect the fact that wildlife need peace
ing forests. and quiet. Study the ecosystem; it gives one
a greater sense of responsibility to conserve
it.

42 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

2. Be kind to animals. Stop friends from dis- They have a right to a peaceful existence.
turbing or being cruel to wild creatures such The zoo is in any case not an ideal home for
as birds, frogs, snakes, lizards and insects. them.

3. Learn about birds. Identify birds that are

common in your area. Understand their Don’ts
food requirements and feeding habits. Con-
struct artificial nesting boxes for birds. This 1. Do not disturb, tease, hurt or throw stones
will encourage birds to stay in your neigh- at animals in a Protected Area and stop oth-
borhood, even if their nesting habitat is ers from doing so. If you see an injured ani-
scarce. mal contact the Forest Officials.

You can learn more about birds by making 2. Do not disturb or destroy the natural habi-
a birdbath. Birds need water to drink and tats of birds or animals.
to keep their feathers clean. You can make
a birdbath out of a big ceramic or plastic 3. Do not use articles like leather handbags
saucer. Having birds around your home, and lipsticks, which are made from animal
school or college can even help increase spe- products. No wildlife products should be
cies diversity in the area. used.

4. Attract wildlife such as small mammals, such 4. Do not catch or kill butterflies or other in-
as squirrels, to your garden by providing run- sects. Butterflies, moths, bees, beetles and
ning or dripping water. Make a hole in the ants are important pollinators.
bottom of a bucket and poke a string
through to serve as a wick. Hang a bucket 5. Do not kill small animals and insects like
on a tree branch above your birdbath to dragonflies and spiders as they act as bio-
fill it gradually with water throughout the logical pest control mechanisms.
day.
6. Do not bring home animals or plants col-
5. Protect wildlife, especially birds and insects lected in the wild. You could be seriously
that are insectivorous and live in your neigh- harming wild populations and natural eco-
borhood by eliminating the use of chemi- systems where they were collected.
cals in your garden. Instead, use organic
measures from vermicomposting and by 7. Do not buy products like purses, wallets,
introducing natural pest predators. Do your boots and that are made from reptile skins.
gardening and landscaping using local If you are not certain that a product is made
plants, to control pests in your garden. from a wild species, its better to avoid us-
ing it.
6. If you have pets, feed them well and give
them a proper home and in an emergency 8. Do not buy products made from ivory. El-
proper medical care. ephants are killed for their tusks, which are
used to make a variety of ivory products.
7. When you visit a zoo learn about the ani-
mals that are found there but do not tease 9. Do not use any wild animal or plant prod-
or hurt them through the bars of their cage. ucts that are collected from the wild and

Social Issues and The Environment 43

 have dubious medicinal properties. You may 5. Add organic matter to enrich your garden
be endangering a species and even your soil. For example compost from kitchen
own health. scraps and manure from poultry, cows are
good sources of nutrients. Make sure ma-
Soil conservation: Soil degradation affects us nure is not too fresh and that you do not
all in some way, either directly or indirectly. There use too much. Healthy soil grows healthy
are many ways that each of us can help in solv- plants, and it lessens the need for insecti-
ing environmental problems due to loss of soil. cides and herbicides.

Following are some of the dos and don’ts for 6. In your vegetable garden, rotate crops to
conserving soil. prevent the depletion of nutrients. Legumes
such as peas and beans put nitrogen back
into the soil.
Dos:
7. Set up a compost pit in your college or gar-
1. Cover the soil in your farm or garden with den, so that you can enrich your soil with
a layer of mulch to prevent soil erosion in the organic waste from the kitchen and cut
the rains and to conserve soil moisture. down on the amount of waste it sends to a
Mulch can be made from grass clippings or landfill. Set up buckets in your college or
leaf litter. lunchroom where fruit and left-over food
can be put. Empty the buckets daily into a
2. If you plan to plant on a steep slope in your compost pit, and use the rich compost
farm or garden, prevent soil erosion by first formed in a few weeks to enrich the soil
terracing the area. Terraces help in slowing around the college. Kitchen scraps, leaves
the rain water running downhill so it can and grass clippings are excellent compost.
soak into the soil rather than carry the soil
away. 8. Encourage your local zoo, farms, and other
organizations or people that house a large
3. Help prevent soil erosion in your commu- number of animals to provide your commu-
nity by planting trees and ground-covering nity with bioferilizer made from animal
plants that help hold the soil in place. You manure. This can be composted to make a
might organize a group of citizens to iden- rich fertilizer, and it forms an additional
tify places that need planting, raise funds, source of income for the animal owners.
work with the local government to plant
trees, shrubs and grasses, and maintain 9. Buy organically grown produce to help re-
them over the long term. duce the amount of toxic pesticides used in
farms that harm soil organisms. Look for
4. If your college is surrounded by open space, organically grown produce in your grocery
evaluate how well the soil is being con- shop, or try growing some yourself if you
served. Look for places where soil can run have the space.
off, like on an unplanted steep slope or
stream bank, or where soil is exposed rather 10. Support environmental campaigns in your
than covered with mulch. These areas need State and community. Cutting down on ir-
special care and must be carefully replanted. responsible development can protect soil,
biodiversity, and enhance our quality of life.

44 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

Don’ts: 7. Use a drip irrigation system to water more
efficiently.
1. Do not remove grass, leave it on the lawn.
Cuttings serve as moisture-retention mulch 8. When you need to drink water, take only
and a natural fertilizer. as much as you need to avoid wastage. So
many people in our country don’t even have
2. Do not use toxic pesticides in your garden— access to clean drinking water!
they often kill the beneficial organisms, your
soil needs to stay healthy. 9. Saving precious rainwater is very important.
Harvest rainwater from rooftops and use it
Conserving water: Most of India has good av- sustainably to recharge wells to reduce the
erage annual rainfall, however we still face a burden on rivers and lakes.
water shortage nearly everywhere. This is one
of the major environmental problems in our 10. Monitor and control wastes going into
country. Conservation of this very precious natu- drains for preventing water pollution.
ral resource is very important and it is the need
of the hour. It should start with every individual. 11. Replace chemicals like phenyl, strong de-
It must start with you! Following are some of tergents, shampoo, chemical pesticides and
the things you can do to conserve this precious fertilizers used in your home, with environ-
natural resource. ment friendly alternatives, such as neem and
biofertilisers. Groundwater contamination
by household chemicals is a growing con-
Dos: cern.

1. Reduce the amount of water used for daily 12. For Ganesh Chaturthi, bring home a
activities. For example - turn off the tap ‘Shadu’ idol instead of a Plaster of Paris idol
while brushing your teeth to save water. and donate it instead of immersing it in the
river to reduce river pollution.
2. Reuse the rinsing water for house-plants.
Reuse the water that vegetables are washed
in to water the plants in your garden or your Don’ts:
potted plants.
1. Do not turn your tap on full force, instead
3. Always water the plants early in the morn- maintain a slow flow.
ing to minimize evaporation.
2. Do not use a shower, instead use a bucket
4. Soak the dishes before washing them to of water for bathing. A 10 minute shower
reduce water and detergent usage. wastes many liters of water as compared
to using water from a bucket.
5. Look for leaks in the toilet and bathroom
to save several litres of water a day. 3. Do not over water garden plants, water
them only when necessary.
6. While watering plants, water only as rap-
idly as the soil can absorb the water. 4. Do not pollute sources of water or water
bodies by throwing waste into them. This is
the water you or someone else has to drink!

Social Issues and The Environment 45

5. Do not throw waste into toilets because fi- 9. Turn off the stove immediately after use.
nally it goes into water bodies.
10. Plan and keep things ready before you start
Conserving energy: Coal, petroleum and oil cooking.
are mineral resources and are non-renewable
sources of energy. At the current rate of fossil 11. Keep vessels closed while cooking and al-
fuel consumption, the present oil reserves on ways use small, narrow mouthed vessels to
the earth will last only for the next 30 to 50 conserve energy.
years. Crores of rupees are being spent to ex-
tract, process and distribute coal, petroleum and 12. When the food is almost cooked, switch
electricity. Experiments are being carried out to off the gas stove and keep the vessel closed.
generate energy from wind, and photovoltaic It will get completely cooked with the steam
cells. They are highly successful. At an individual already present inside.
level, every one of us should try to conserve en-
ergy. Following are some of the things you can 13. Soak rice, pulses etc., before cooking to
do to conserve energy. reduce cooking time and save fuel.

14. Get your family to eat together, it will save

Dos: re-heating fuel.

1. Turn off the lights fans and air conditioning 15. Select a light shade of paint for walls and
when not necessary. ceilings, as it will reflect more light and re-
duce electrical consumption.
2. Use low voltage lights.
16. Position your reading tables near the win-
3. Use tube lights and energy saver bulbs as dow and cut down on your electricity bill
they consume less electricity. by reading in natural light.

4. Switch off the radio and television when not 17. Use a bicycle—it occupies less space, re-
required. leases no pollutant and provides healthy
exercise.
5. Use alternative sources of energy like solar
power for heating water and by cooking 18. Try using public transport systems like trains
food in a solar cooker. and buses as far as possible.

6. Cut down on the use of electrical appli- 19. Plan your trips and routes before setting out.
ances.
20. Walk rather than drive wherever possible.
7. In summer, shut windows, curtains and Walking is one of the best exercises for your
doors early in the morning to keep the health.
house cool.
21. Get vehicles serviced regularly to reduce fuel
8. Use a pressure cooker as much as possible consumption and reduce pollution levels.
to save energy.

46 Environmental Studies for F.Y.B.Sc.

Don’ts:

1. Do not use unnecessary outdoor decorative

lights.

2. Do not use a geyser during summer. Instead,

heat water naturally with the help of sun-
light.

3. Do not use halogen lamps as they consume

a lot of electricity.

4. Do not put food in the refrigerator when

they are still hot.

Social Issues and The Environment 47

Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 Human beings live in both natural and social world.
 Our technological development has strong impacts on the natural as well as the social
components
 Development does not mean an increase in GNP(Gross National Product) of a few
different nations
 Until now development has been human oriented that too mainly for few rich nations
 They have touched the greatest heights of scientific and technological development but at
what cost? The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat have all badly
polluted
 Our natural resources are just dwindling due to over exploitation. If this growth continues
in the same way we will be facing a doom’s day as suggested by the world’s famous
report “The limits to growth”
 Development has to be visualized in a holistic manner, where it brings benefits to all, not
only for the present generation but also for future generation
 There is an urgent need to interlink the social aspects with development and environment
 According to G.H.Brundtland (Norwegion Prime minister & Director of WHO)
Sustainable development is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs”

Key aspects for sustainable development:

1) Inter – generational equity:
 We should minimize any adverse impacts on resources and environment for
future generations
 We should handover a safe, healthy, and resourceful environment to our future
generations
 This is possible only if we stop over exploitation of resources, reduce waste
discharge and emissions and maintain ecological balance
2) Intra – generational equity:
 The development process should seek to minimize the wealth gaps within and
between nations
 The technology should address to the problems of developing countries,
producing drought tolerant varieties for uncertain climates, vaccines for infectious
diseases, clean fuel for domestic and industrial use
 This will support the economic growth of poor countries, narrowing the wealth
gap and lead to sustainability
Measures for Sustainable development:
1) Using appropriate technology:
 Appropriate technology is the one which is locally adoptable, eco friendly,
resource efficient, and culturally suitable (involves local resources and labor)
 Using indigenous technologies are more useful, cost effective, and sustainable
 The technology should use less resources and produce minimum waste
2) Adoping 3R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
 3R approach reduces the pressure on resources and reduces waste generation and
pollution

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment


Minimizing the resource use: Reduced demand for any metallic product will
decrease the mining of their metal and cause less production of waste
 Using them again and again: The refillable containers which are discarded after
use can be reused Ex: discarded rubber tubes can be used as rubber bands
 Recycling the material: recycling is the reprocessing of discarded materials into
new useful products, Ex: recycling of paper
3) Promoting environmental education & awareness:
 This will help in changing the thinking and attitude of people towards our earth
and the environment
 Introducing the subject right from school stage will inculcate a feeling of
belongingness to the earth in the small children
 Earth thinking will help to transform our lifestyles to sustainable ones
4) Resources utilization as per Carrying capacity:
 Carrying capacity: Any system can sustain limited number of organisms on
sustainable basis
 If the carrying capacity of a system is crossed, environmental degradation starts.
 Carrying capacity has the two basic components
 Supporting capacity: the capacity to regenerate
 Assimilative capacity: the capacity to tolerate different stresses
 If the resources are utilized based on the above two properties then sustainability
can be achieved

WATER CONSERVATION:
Water being one of the most precious and indispensable resources needs to be conserved
The following strategies can be adopted for conservation for water
1) Decreasing run off losses: This can be achieved by
 Contour cultivation on small furrows and ridges across the slopes trap rainwater and
allow more time for infiltration
 Conservation bench terracing involves construction of a series of benches for catching
the runoff water
 Water spreading is done by channeling or lagoon travelling
 Channeling means a series of diversions with vertical intervals
 Lagoon travelling means small depressions are dug in the area so that there is temporary
storage of water
 Chemical wetting agents or conditioners like Gypsum when applied to sodic soils
improves soil permeability and reduce runoff
 Surface crop residues Tillage, mulch, animal residues
 Water storage structures like farm ponds, dug wells
2) Reducing evaporation losses:
 Horizontal barrier of asphalt placed below the soil surface increases water
availability
 A co-polymer of starch and acrylonitrile called super slurper absorbs water 4000
times its weight
3) Storing water in soil:
 Soil should be wetted to field capacity

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

 Leaving the soil fallow for one season water can be made available for the next
season for crop growth
4) Reducing irrigation losses:
 Use of lined canals to reduce seepage
 Irrigation in early morning or late evening
 Sprinkling irrigation or drip irrigation
5) Reuse of water:
 Treated waste water can be used for ferti-irrigation
 Using grey water from washings, bath tubs for watering gardens washing cars
6) Preventing wastage of water:
 Closing taps when not in use
 Repairing any leakage from pipes
7) Increasing block pricing:
 The consumer has to pay a proportionately higher bill with higher use of water

RAIN WATER HARVESTING:

 In present age, concrete houses, well built roads, footpaths and well concreted courtyards
have left few open grounds
 With the decrease in natural forest cover, increase in concrete jungles and decrease in
exposed earth very little open ground is left for water to soak in and thereby increasing the
ground water table
 So, artificial recharging of groundwater is extremely essential
 Rainwater harvesting is a technique of increasing the recharge of ground water by
capturing and storing water
 This is done by constructing special water harvesting structures like dug wells, percolation
pits, lagoons, check dams etc
Objectives
 To reduce runoff loss
 To avoid flooding of roads
 To meet the increasing demands of water
 To raise the water table by recharging ground water
Rain water harvesting techniques:

 Traditional method: Traditionally rainwater is collected from roof tops and stored in open
storage bodies such as lakes, ponds, and tanks.
 It is still practiced in villages. In rural areas the harvested rain water is stored in
underground tanks(called tankas in Rajastan) or embankments(called khadins in Rajastan)
 In foot hills, water flowing from springs are collected by embankment type water storage
 In Himalayan foot hills people use the hallow bamboo as pipeline to transport the water of
natural springs
 Modern method:
There are two main techniques for rain water harvesting
 Storage of water on the surface for future use
 Recharge of ground water

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

Storage of water on the surface for future use is a very old practice. Recharge of ground
water is a recent concept and the structures used for the purpose are
 Pits: For recharging shallow aquifer, recharge pits are constructed. These are 1-2 m wide
and 3m dept. This is backfilled with boulders, gravel, sand to aid filtration before
percolation
 Trenches: About 0.5-1m wide, 1-1.5m deep and up to 20m long trenches are constructed
where a permeable stream is available at shallow dept. The trench is also backfilled with
filter material just as it is done in the case of pits
 Dug wells: Existing dug wells may be utilized as recharge structures. The excess water
should pass through the filter media before percolation.
 Spreading technique: The water is allowed to spread in streams/nullahs, making check
dams, nullah bunds, cement plugs or in a percolation pond

In addition to these, the urban areas roof top and road top collection of rain water is
also used to recharge aquifers
These days, the central ground water board along with the civic authorities is
encouraging artificial recharge of ground water through rain water harvesting.

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT:
1) Water shed is a geographic unit (a piece of land) that collects, stores, and releases water.
2) Collected water comes from rain, snow melt & fog
3) The water is stored in lakes, ponds, sub-surface soil etc
4) The stored water is released through rivers, streams and ground water flow
5) The water shed is defined as the land area from which water drains under gravity to a
common drainage channel like streams, rivers, lake, estuary, and even the ocean.
6) A water shed ranges from few square kilometers to few thousand square kilometers in size
7) The water shed comprises complex interactions of soil, land, vegetation, land use activities
and water
Causes of Watershed degradation:
 Overgrazing
 Deforestation
 Mining
 Construction activities
 Industrialization
 Soil erosion
 Shifting cultivation
Watershed management: Rational utilization of land and water resources for optimum
production causing minimum damage to the natural resources is known as watershed
management
Objectives of watershed management:
 To promote sustainable economic development through optimum use of land, water and
vegetation
 To restore ecological balance through sustainable development of natural resources
 Minimizing soil erosion and moisture retention
 To minimize the risk of floods, droughts, and landslides
 To manage watershed for the beneficial developmental activities like domestic water supply,
irrigation, hydro power generation etc

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

Watershed management Practices:

1) Water harvesting:
 Proper storage of water is done for use in dry seasons in low rain fall areas.
 It also helps in moderation of floods
 This is carried out by construction of percolation tanks, dug wells, check dams etc at the base
of hill/mountain such that the rain water will not run off and thus gets stored.
 Giving enough time for water to percolate in to sub-soil and enhance the ground water table
2) Afforestation and Agro forestry:
 In watershed development, afforestation and crop plantation play very important role
 They help to prevent soil erosion and retention of moisture
 In high rain fall areas woody trees are grown in between crops to reduce run off and loss of
fertile soil
 In Dehradun, trees like Eucalyptus, grasses like Chrysopogan are grown along with maize or
wheat
 Woody trees include Sheesham, Teak etc
3) Mechanical measures to reduce run off loses and soil erosion:
Several mechanical measures are followed to reduce run off loses and soil erosion
 Terracing
 Bunding
 Bench terracing
 No-till farming
 Contour cropping
 Strip cropping
Bunding has proved to be a very useful method in reducing run off , peak discharge and soil loss
in Dehradun.

4) Scientific mining and quarrying:

Due to improper mining, the hills lose stability and get disturbed resulting in landslides, rapid
erosion etc
 Contour trenching at an interval of 1m on overburden dump
 Planting some soil binding plants like Ipomeoea, Vitex
 Draining of water courses in the mined area are recommended for minimizing the
destructive effects of mining
5) Public participation:
 People’s involvement including the farmers and tribals is a key to success any watershed
management programme, particularly the soil and water conservation
 The communities are to be motivated
 for protecting a freshly planted area
 Maintaining water harvesting structures implemented by govt. or NGO’s
 Properly education the people
 Successful watershed management has been done at Haryana state through active
participation of the local people

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION ISSUES:

Various development projects often lead to displacement of native or tribal people who are poor
and very often not educated. Their rehabilitation is a major socio economic issue.
Problems and concerns:
Displacement problems due to dams:
 The big river valley projects have one of the most serious socio economic impacts due to
large scale displacement of local people from their ancestral home and loss of their
traditional profession or occupation.
 In India due to big dam construction, more than 20 million people are estimated to have been
directly or indirectly affected by these dams
 The Hirakund dam has displaced more than 20,000 people residing about 250 villages.
 The Bhakra Nangal dam was constructed durind 1950’s and till now it has not been possible
to rehabilitate even half of the displaced persons.
 Tehri dam and Sardar sarovar dam also have same issues.
Displacement due to mining:
 Mining is another developmental activity which causes displacement of the native people.
 Several thousands of hectares of land area is covered in mining operation and the native
people are displaced.
 Sometimes displacement of local people is due to accidents occurring in mined areas like
subsidence of land that often leads to shifting of people.
 Jharia coal fields, Jharkhand have been posing big problems to the residents due to
underground fires and they are asked to vacate the area.
 According to latest estimation, about Rs.18,000 crores will be spent for shifting the
population while the cost of extinguishing the fire would be around 8,000 crore.
Displacement due to creation of national parks:
 When some forest area is covered under a national park, it is welcome step for conservation
of natural resources.
 However it also has a social aspect associated with it.
 A major portion of the forest is declared as core area where the entry of local people is
restricted.
 So they start destruction activities
The major issues related to displacement and rehabilitation are
 Tribals are usually most affected amongst the displaced who are already poor
 Break up of families and women are the worst affected.
 The tribals are not familiar with market policies and trends
 Kinship systems, marriages, social and cultural functions, their folk songs, dances and
activities vanish with their displacement
 Loss of identity and loss of intimate link between the people

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
There is an urgent need to inculcate sensitivity towards environmental degradation among people
by fostering environmental ethical values. Environmental Ethics attempts to define what is right
and what is wrong regardless of cultural differences. We human beings have a fundamental duty
towards nature to respect and care for the Earth, protect life-support systems, biodiversity and
ensure sustainable development.
The following are the environmental ethical values to be inculcated:
 Environmental consciousness
 Humility and reverence
 Responsibility and commitment
 Respect for all forms of life and landscape
 Global environmental citizenship
 Self-reliance
 Adoption of eco-friendly culture
 Preservation of diversity on the planet
 Sharing a common environment
The spectrum of environmental activities for inculcating environmental ethical values are:
 Using recycled paper for notes and circulars
 Diverting wastes from kitchen to the garden
 Switching off unnecessary lights
 Using bicycles or walking
 Using public transport systems
 Collecting rainwater
 Avoiding usage of freshwater for gardening
 Using cloth towels instead of paper towels
 Avoiding unnecessary outdoor lighting
 Organizing tree-plantation campaigns
 Reducing volume of radio and television to reasonable levels
 Listening to radio programs on environment and its problems
 Organizing eco-clubs
 Placing trash cans and dustbins around the college premises
 Observing Environment day on 5th June and Earth day on 22nd April
 Planting trees in and around the campus
 Encouraging healthy lifestyles through balanced nutrition, exercise and yoga
 Helping enforce environment protection laws
 Staging short plays on environmental crisis to create environmental awareness
 Conserving energy resources by avoiding unnecessary wastage of energy
 Cutting and displaying pictures and newspaper cuttings depicting environmental crisis

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

WILD LIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972

1) It came into existence in 1972
2) Wild life was transferred from state list to concurrent list in 1976,thus giving powers to central
government
3) The Indian Board of Wildlife(IBWL) actively took up the task of setting up of National parks and
wildlife sanctuaries
4) It defines wildlife related terminology
5) Appointment of wild life advisory board, wild life warden, their powers, duties etc
6) Setting up of Wildlife sanctuaries and National parks
7) Comprehensive listing of endangered wild life species
8) Prohibition of hunting of endangered species
9) Protection of wild life species like Blue vanda, ladies slipper Orchid etc
10) Trade and commerce in some wild life species with license for sale, possession, transfer etc
11) Ban on trade and commerce on scheduled animals
12) Legal powers to officers and punishment to offenders
13) Several conservation projects were launched to save endangered species such as lions, tigers,
crocodiles etc
Drawbacks

1) The penalties of offenders are not very harsh i.e just upto 3 years imprisonment or a fine of
Rs.25,000 or both
2) Personal ownership certificates for animal articles

THE WATER (PREVENTION & CONTROL OF POLLUTION)

ACT 1974
1) It was initiated by Smt.Indira Gandhi after the 1974 Stockholm conference
2) It is an act to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution, maintaining and restoring
wholesomeness of water
3) Water pollution is defined as any alteration in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of
water making it unsuitable for designated use in its natural state
4) Provides for maintenance and restoration of water
5) Provides for the establishment of central and State pollution control boards
6) Assigning powers and functions to such boards
7) Procedures and various penalties for defaulters
8) The central boards
 Will advice the govt. on matters concerning water pollution control
 Provide guidance and advice to state boards
 Will organize training and awareness programs
 Will collect, compile and publish relevant technical data
 May establish own laboratories for analysis of pollution
9) The state boards
 Plan programs for pollution control
 Advice the state govt.
 Encourage research
 Monitor effluent treatment plants
 Prescribe or modify standards for release of pollutants
 Maintain or modify sewage treatment and recycling plants

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Chapter 6 Social Issues & Environment

Drawbacks

1) The state boards are suffered with lack of adequate funds and expertise to pursue their objectives
2) The penalties are much less than the cost of treatment/pollution control equipments

THE AIR (PREVENTION & CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 1981

1) The act provides for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution
2) In the act air pollution has been defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance
(including noise) in the atmosphere which may be harmful to human beings or any other living
creatures or plants or property
3) Noise pollution has been inserted as pollution in the act in 1987
4) Pollution control boards at the central or state level have the regulatory authority
5) Provision for defining constitution, Powers, function, funds, audit, penalties and procedures
6) Boards have to check whether the industries are following standards or not(Under section 17)
7) Provision for ensuring emission standards from automobiles(Under section 20)
8) In consultation with state pollution control board, the state govt. may declare an area as ‘air
pollution control area” and can prohibit use of any fuel other than approved fuel in the area causing
air pollution(Under section 19)
9) A provision for appeals has been made i.e an Appellate authority(Under section31)
Drawbacks
1) The state boards are suffered with lack of adequate funds and expertise to pursue their objectives
2) The penalties are much less than the cost of treatment/pollution control equipments

FOREST CONSERVATION ACT, 1980

1) The act deals with the conservation of forests and related aspects
2) The state govt. has the powers to use forests only for forestry purposes.
3) If it wants to use it in any other way, it has to take prior approval from central govt.
4) Non forest activities include mining, replacing some naturally growing trees with economically
important trees, clearing forest for cultivation etc
5) Some construction work in the forest for wild life or forest management are exempted from non
forest activity(fencing, making water holes, pipelines etc)
6) Provision for conservation of all types of forests
7) Any illegal non forest activity within a forest area can be immediately stopped
8) In 1992, some amendments was made in the act which allows some non forest activities in forests
like limited cutting of trees, seismic surveys etc
9) Wild life sanctuaries and national parks are totally prohibited for any non forest activity
10) Cultivation of tea, coffee, spices, oil yielding plants are non forest activities
11) Tusser cultivation (a type of silk yielding insect) in forest areas by tribals as a means of their
livelihood is considered as forestry activity
12) Any proposal sent to central govt. for non forest activity must have cost benefit analysis and EIA
Drawbacks
1) The power has been centralized at the top
2) The local communities are completely kept out from decision making regarding nature of use of
forest area
3) The tribal are stopped from taking any resources and start criminal activities

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FYBSc (Environmental Studies) MJC, Jalgaon

K.C.E. Society’s
MOOLJI JAITHA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), JALGAON
Question Bank/ Questions for Practice
For FYBSc (Environmental Studies)
Chapter 6: Social Issues and Environment

Correct
Sr. No. Question with possible options
Ans.
Who had said in the Stockholm Conference in 1972 that ‘poverty was the
greatest polluter’ ?
1. B
A) Rajeev Gandhi B) Indira Gandhi
C) Sonia Gandhi D) Rahul Gandhi
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs is called as
2. ______________. C
A) Rapid Development B) Advance development
C) Sustainable Development D) Un-sustainable Development
The energy consumed in the process of extraction, refinement, fabrication and
delivery of materials is called as _________________.
3. A
A) Embodied energy B) Physical energy
C) Chemical energy D) Kinetic energy
Urban residential and commercial facilities are responsible for approximately
_____ of USA’s greenhouse gas emissions.
4. D
A) 05 % B) 15%
C) 25 % D) 35%
Urban transport depends on energy mainly obtained from________.
5. A) Solar energy B) Wind energy C
C) fossil fuels D) Electricity
Who have initiated a movement known as Pani Panchayat, to conserve water
in Mahur village in Pune District of Maharashtra ?
6. B
A) Vilasrao Deshmukh B) Vilasrao Salunkhe
C) Sharadchandra Pawar D) Amir Khan
The following method can save the water in agriculture.
7. A) Drip irrigation B) Flood Irrigation A
C) Surface Irrigation D) Perennial Irrigation
Canals and pipes carrying water from dams to the consumer lead to nearly
_____ loss during transfer.
8. A
A) 50% B) 40 %
C) 30 % D) 20 %
9. The _______ region of Rajasthan has a rich legacy of traditional water B

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FYBSc (Environmental Studies) MJC, Jalgaon
harvesting systems to share the available water for cultivation.
A) Vagad B) Mewar
C) Marwar D) Mewat
The Tehri Project is located in ________________.
10. A) Uttrar Pradesh B) Madhya Pradesh C
C) Uttarakhand D) Maharashtra
___________ deals with issues that are related to how we utilize and distribute
resources.
11. D
A) Geological ethics B) Biological ethics
C) Social ethics D) Environmental ethics
In 1985, ______ published the first report on the Status of India’s Environment.
12. A) Anil Agarwal B) Norma Alvares A
C) Sunita Narain D) Vandana Shiva
Who believed that ‘humans were ‘trustees of the lower animal kingdom’ and
not masters of the other forms of life’ ?
13. B
A) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru B) Mahatma Gandhi
C) Lalbahadur Shastri D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
A Bishnoi woman, Amrita Devi, clung to the trees to prevent the felling of the
Khejri trees which is further known by ___________ .
14. A
A) Chipko movement B) Narmada Movement
C) Navdanya Movement D) The Silent valley Movement
Creating a love for nature brings about strong ________action.
15. A) contra environmental B)environment phobic C
C) pro environmental D) Both A and C
__________ founded Shantiniketan and taught an environment-based
philosophy.
16. B
A) Mahatma Gandhi B) Rabindranath Tagore
C) R. K. Narayan D) Khushwant Singh
Bringing back an ethic for nature conservation requires___________.
17. A) environment education B) conservation awareness D
C) advanced urban development D) Both A & B
As a part of the conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India,
various plants that have been given a religious significance; one of which
includes Peepal which is said to be the tree under which ________attained
18. A
enlightenment.
A) Buddha B) Vardhman Mahaveer
C) Shriram D) Laxmi and Vishnu
Climatologists of the _____________ have reviewed the results of several
experiments in order to estimate changes in climate in the course of 20th
19. century. C
A) Indian Panel of Climate Change B) International Panel on Climate
(IPCC) Change (IPCC)

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FYBSc (Environmental Studies) MJC, Jalgaon
C) Intergovernmental Panel on D) Indo-Israel Panel on Climate Change
Climate Change (IPCC) (IPCC)
As a result of climate change, global mean sea level is projected IPCC to rise by
9 to ___________by the year 2100.
20. B
A) 77 cm B) 88 cm
C) 99 cm D) 109 cm
About 75% of the solar energy reaching the Earth is ________ on the earth’s
surface which increases its temperature.
21. A
A) absorbed B) emitted
C) refracted D) reflected
Which gas in the atmosphere has increased by 31% since pre-industrial times,
causing more heat to be trapped in the lower atmosphere?
22. C
A) Carbon monoxide B) Methane
C) Carbon dioxide D) CFC
When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are burned, chemicals like
sulfur dioxide and ________ are produced and cause acid rain.
23. D
A) carbon dioxides B) chlorofluorocarbon
C) nitrogen sulfate D) nitrogen oxides
How to stop the formation of acid rain?
A) by using less energy from fossil B) by using more coal
24. A
fuels
C) by emitting more SO2 D) by emitting more NO2
________ is formed by the action of sunlight on oxygen.
25. A) Vitamin D B) Ozone B
C) sulfur dioxide D) All of the above
Ozone layer in the atmosphere protects life on earth from the dangerous
_________from the sun.
26. D
A) Alpha radiation B) Beta radiation
C) Gamma radiation D) UV radiation
_______ chemical posed a threat to the ozone layer.
27. A) Chlorofluorocarbon B) Sulphuric acid A
C) Nitric acid D) H2S
The destruction of the ozone layer is seen to cause increased cases of ______
cancer.
28. A
A) skin B) blood
C) brain D) stomach
The nuclear disasters and leakages lead to the development of __________.
29. A) cancer B) thyroid tumours D
C) cataracts D) All of the above
Loss of vegetation cover leads to loss of soil through erosion, which ultimately
30. creates___________. C
A) desserts B) fertile land

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FYBSc (Environmental Studies) MJC, Jalgaon
C) wastelands D) wetlands
What is the output of wasteland development?
31. A) a source of income for rural B) ensure constant supply of fuel D
C) agro forestry D) All of the above
___________was the first State in India to regulate the manufacture and use
of plastics.
32. B
A) Uttar Pradesh B) Himachal Pradesh
C) Maharashtra D) Tamilnadu
_______ is related to the constant purchasing of new goods, with little
attention to their true need, durability, product origin, or the environmental
33. consequences of their manufacture and disposal. A
A) Consumerism B) Abnegation
C) Both A & B D) None of the above
Reduce, Reuse and ______, or the 3Rs principle, is the new concept in waste
management.
34. C
A) Resale B) Reproduce
C) Recycle D) Repeat
When Government of India have created The Environment (Protection) Act ?
35. A) 1972 B) 1986 B
C) 1975 D) 1996
Public concern and support is crucial for implementing the Environment
Protection Act; this must be supported by________________.
36. A) enlightened media B) highly aware policy makers D
C) informed judiciary and trained D) All of the above
technocrats
The Government passed Air (Prevention And Control of Pollution) Act in
________ to clean up our air by controlling pollution.
37. C
A) 1961 B) 1971
C) 1981 D) 1991
To measure pollution levels in the atmosphere and at certain sources by
testing
38. the air, government have established _____________. A
A) Pollution Control Boards B) Pollution Clearing Boards
C) Pollution Measurement Board D) Pollution Board
The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act do not prevent pollution of
water by___________.
39. D
A) industrial waste water B) household waste water
C) agricultural waste water D) natural waste water resource
What of the following can individuals do to prevent water pollution?
A) dump wastes into a household or B) use toilets for flushing down waste
40. C
industrial drain items
C) Use compost instead of chemical D) use variety of pesticides

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FYBSc (Environmental Studies) MJC, Jalgaon
fertilizers
The Amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act in 2002 is more stringent and
prevents the _________ use of resources by local people.
41. A
A) commercial B) non-commercial
C) domestic D) medicinal
The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was enacted to control__________.
42. A) forest pollution B) deforestation B
C) wastelands D) water pollution in forest
Earth day is celebrated on ___________.
43. A) 22 April B) 22 May A
C) 22 June D) 22 July
March 21 is declared as ____________.
44. A) World Forestry Day B) World Health Day A
C) World Heritage Day D) Earth Day
Which of the following day is known as World Ozone Day ?
45. A) September 16 B) September 16
C) August 6 D) June 11
Among the many tribes across the globe, the ________of the Andamans in the
Indian Ocean are dwindling.
46. A
A) Jarawa B) Negrito
C) Onge D) Sentinelese
____________ a land management program that looks at a region from the
perspective of all its water related issues.
47. B
A) Wastelands management B) Watershed management
C) Waste water management D) Wet land management
An example of rain water harvesting system is _______ , which is an open dug
well which has several owners known in Mewar of Rajasthan.
48. A
A) Saza kuwa B) Chak
C) Hembar D) Bandha
If new projects of a large size are to be passed Government has made it
compulsory to publish the summary report of the __________ and conduct a
‘Public
49. C
Hearing’.
A) Pollution Impact Assessment B) Climate change report
C) Environmental Impact Assessment D) PCB
__________ are essential for maintaining renewable resources, reducing
carbon dioxide levels and maintaining oxygen levels in the earth’s atmosphere.
50. B
A) Rivers B) Forests
C) Urban development D) Modern technology

------------End of Question Bank------------

Question Bank for Chapter 6: Social Issues and Environment Page 5