SUSTAINABILITY OF ENVIRONMENT (KCH-062)

UNIT-1
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Interaction of man and environment
The relationship between the man and the environment has been established in the early
periods itself. Human beings live in the kingdom of nature and interact with it constantly.
The influence of nature in the form of the air he breathes, the water he drinks, the food
he eats, and the flow of energy and information. Any change in the environment can not
only result in devastating effects, but can also pose a threat to the human race. 5th June
of every year is observed as World Environment Day to emphasize the importance of
green environment in our lives and promote the worldwide awareness of the environment
World environment day is an opportunity for us to get involved in fulfilling our responsibility
of protecting our planet.
1.2 Ecology & Environment
Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and
their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants
and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the
benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the
environment healthy for future generations.
Ecology is divided into two main branches:

1. Autecology- deals with an organism or species, its adaptations and interaction

with its environment
2. Synecology- deals with the study of different species living in a community and
its relation with the surrounding. It is further divided into aquatic and terrestrial
ecology.

Aquatic ecology deals with aquatic ecosystems, e.g. freshwater, marine, etc.
Terrestrial ecology deals with the terrestrial ecosystems, e.g. forest, grassland, desert,
etc.
Environment
The word environment is used broadly to denote everything that surround us. It therefore,
includes all other living organisms as well as nonliving things. The study of environment
is also a part of ecology.
Ecosystem
To study ecology one has to take a smaller unit and this unit is called as an Ecosystem.
Ecosystem is a basic unit of ecology. For example we may have ecosystems like Grass
ecosystem land ecosystem, forest ecosystem, river ecosystem, land lake ecosystem

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Component of ecosystem
Each ecosystem is made up of two components biotic and abiotic.
1 Biotic (living component)
The biotic component of of an ecosystem consists of all living organisms present in the
ecosystem such as man, animals, plants, birds, insects, bacteria, fungi, algae etc.
2 A biotic (nonliving component)
The abiotic component of an ecosystem is everything other than the living organisms. It
includes the three basic elements of nature i.e. land, water and air.
Biosphere
Biosphere is the region of earth where life exists and interacts with the environment. It
has three components- lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. The lithosphere is
the terrestrial part of the biosphere. The hydrosphere is the aquatic portion and supports
life. The atmosphere is the air that living organisms use for respiration. It deflects harmful
radiation from the sun and determines weather patterns.

Component of biosphere
Lithosphere
The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth. The lithosphere includes
the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s

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structure. It is bounded by the atmosphere above and the asthenosphere (another part of
the upper mantle) below.
Hydrosphere
A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. The hydrosphere includes
water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. A planet's
hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice. On Earth, liquid water exists on the surface in
the form of oceans, lakes and rivers.
Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the gaseous covering above the Earth. It contains different gases like
carbon dioxide, oxygen, and other gases to help living organisms like plants, animals,
and humans sustain life. However, the upper region of the atmosphere has a low
composition of oxygen; that is why it is possible to find the flying birds under the region of
200 meters of the Earth. The atmosphere that is part of the biosphere plays a specific
role in protecting living organisms from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation apart from
providing them gases for respiration. The atmosphere is comprised of layers based on
temperature. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. A
further region at about 500 km above the Earth's surface is called the exosphere.

Food Chain
The animals of the biotic component of an ecosystem may feed on the plants or may eat
another animals and may in turn be eaten by yet another animals. The food energy may
thus get transferred from one living organisms to the other. This linkage between the living
organisms (plant and animal) for the transfer of food energy is known as the food chain.
The Food chain may be divided into the following two types.
1 Grazing food chain
The grazing food chain starts with a green plant, which will be eaten by a plant eating
animal (herbivore). The herbivore will in turn, be eaten by a flesh eating animal
(carnivore).
This food chain thus be simply reflected as
Grass ------Insect---Bird
An insect (Grass hopper) feeding on a particular plant (Grass) and a bird or a frog feeding
on that insect or Grass-hopper can be quoted as an example of such simple grazing food-
chain.
2 Detritus food chain
The Detritus food chain begins with the organic matter resulting from the wastes from
dead organisms, etc. This organic matter is decomposed by microorganisms called
detritivores. Thus dead leaves, dead stems, dead plants, dead wood etc. or dead animals

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or their organic wastes will be decomposed by detritivores. The detritivores like fungi will
generate their food by decomposing such organic wastes. Such decomposition of organic
wastes may even release important inorganic nutrients that can be once again used by
other organisms. Thus if there would have been no detritivores, a lot of energy would
have remained locked up in the dead bodies of organisms.
A simple diagram of grazing and detritus food chain is reflected.

Actually a lot of inter locking of food chains do take place. Such a food chain is called a
food web.
Although food chains in an ecosystem are generally complex and hence called food webs
yet two food webs involving the same number of steps, are said to be belonging to the
same tropic level. Let us consider the following two food webs.
1 grass--- grass hopper--- frog----snake
2 tree----beetle---lizard-----bird
In both these food webs grasshopper and beetle both occupy the same tropic level and
since both are direct using the plant as food. They are called as the primary consumers.
The plants i.e. the grass and the tree both are the producers. Likewise the first animals
eaten i.e. frog and lizard occupy the same level called as the secondary consumer level.
Both the frog and lizard will be the secondary consumers. Similarly both the snake and
bird are the tertiary consumers. The tropic levels can be stated as
3 Producer------ Primary consumer----Secondary consumer----Tertiary consumer
As for the biotic components, they include plants, animals, and microorganisms. These
biological components are also the builder of the food chain of the ecosystem.

Plants

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Plants are the primary producers. They produce their food through photosynthesis.
Moreover, they are also known as autotrophs. They also take part in recycling waste
material. However, they are the only primary source for every living organism, including
animals and humans.

Animals

These are the consumers. They cannot produce their food from inorganic sources. They
depend upon other sources like plants or other small animals. They are also known
as heterotrophs. The food they intake is used to release energy and store it for future use.
The energy is used for growth and development.

Microorganisms

Microorganisms are a major part of the ecosystem. They include fungi, algae, bacteria,
viruses, etc. Moreover, they serve as decomposers by decomposing the amount of waste
or dead materials. They use this process of decomposing as their food source.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals,
bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be
discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities,
putting the Earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk.

Types of Biodiversity
There are the following three different types of biodiversity:

 Genetic Biodiversity
 Species Biodiversity
 Ecological Biodiversity

Species diversity
Species diversity refers to the variety of different types of species found in a particular
area. It is the biodiversity at the most basic level. It includes all the species ranging from
plants to different microorganisms.
No two individuals of the same species are exactly similar. For example, humans show a
lot of diversity among themselves.

Genetic diversity
It refers to the variations among the genetic resources of the organisms. Every individual
of a particular species differs from each other in their genetic constitution. That is why

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every human looks different from each other. Similarly, there are different varieties in the
same species of rice, wheat, maize, barley, etc.

Ecological diversity
An ecosystem is a collection of living and non-living organisms and their interaction with
each other. Ecological biodiversity refers to the variations in the plant and animal species
living together and connected by food chains and food webs.
It is the diversity observed among the different ecosystems in a region. Diversity in
different ecosystems like desserts, rainforests, mangroves, etc., include ecological
diversity.
Hierarchy of Biodiversity

Importance Of Biodiversity
Biodiversity and its maintenance are very important for sustaining life on earth. A few of
the reasons explaining the importance of biodiversity are:

Ecological Stability
Every species has a specific role in an ecosystem. They capture and store energy and
also produce and decompose organic matter. The ecosystem supports the services
without which humans cannot survive. A diverse ecosystem is more productive and can
withstand environmental stress.

Economic Importance

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Biodiversity is a reservoir of resources for the manufacture of food, cosmetic products
and pharmaceuticals.
Crops livestock, fishery, and forests are a rich source of food.
Wild plants such as Cinchona and Foxglove plant are used for medicinal purposes.
Wood, fibres, perfumes, lubricants, rubber, resins, poison and cork are all derived from
different plant species.
The national parks and sanctuaries are a source of tourism. They are a source of beauty
and joy for many people.
Environmental pollution from chemical process Industries
The primary effect of chemical industry on environment and on the lifestyle as well, is due
to the pollution, arising from the industrial activities, resulting in gas emissions,
wastewater polluting the natural ponds and underground water, solid and slurry
waste, polluting the soil and underground water, if not treated...

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Ambient noise standard (CPCB)
Area Code Category of Area Limits in Day time dB Night Time
A Industrial 75 70
B Commercial 65 55
C Residential 55 45
D Silence Zone 50 40

STP Effluent Discharge Standards of CPCB

S.NO Parameter Parameter Limits
1 pH 6.5-9.0
2 BOD( mg/l) Not more than 10
3 COD(mg/l) Not more than 50
4 TSS (mg/l) Not more than 20
5 NH4N(mg/l) Not more than 5
6 N –total (mg/l) Not more than 10
7 Fecal Coliform Less than 100
(MPN/100m)

Drinking water standard desirable (CPCB)

S.NO Desirable Parameter (mg/l) Drinking water source with
disinfection (CPCB)
1 Ph 6.0-9
2 DO 6
3 TDS 250
4 Alkalinity (mol/l) 200
5 CO3 Hardness 200
6 Total Hardness 200
-
7 CI 250
8 NO3 - 20
9 Cr .05

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT RULE 1986

Salient features of the Environment Protection Act

The most prominent features of the Act are enumerated as follows:

Under the Act, the Central Government is empowered to

 Take requisite measures to protect and improve the environment.

 Coordinate the actions of State governments, authorities, and officers.

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  Plan as well as execute national programs on the prevention, management, and
abatement of environmental pollution.
 Establish quality standards vis-a-vis environment including standards for
discharge of pollutants.
 Restrict areas where industries or their processes can or cannot be carried out.
 Establish procedures and safeguards to prevent accidents conducive to
environmental pollution.
 Establish safeguards for the management of hazardous substances
 Examine processes, substances, and materials liable to cause environmental
pollution.
 Encourage and sponsor research and innovation that relates to environmental
problems.
 Inspect premises, plants, or machinery and direct officers or authorities to take
requisite measures to prevent, control, and abate environmental pollution.

 It bars the discharge and emission of any environmental pollutant beyond the
standard limits by any person carrying industrial operations.
 Stringent penalties have been prescribed for transgressing any provisions of this
Act.
 Under the Act, the person in charge of a place is obligated to inform the appropriate
authorities of any accidental discharge of pollutants exceeding the specified limits.
Once informed these authorities will take requisite remedial steps to mitigate the
pollution caused and the expenses for the same would be recoverable from the
polluter subject to interest.
 The officers empowered by the Central Government can take samples of air,
water, soil, or any other substance from any factory or premises for analysis.
 This Act provides for the establishment of environmental laboratories that work to
protect the environment and people from contamination.
 The jurisdiction of Civil Courts has been barred under this Act.

Concept of Sustainable development.

Sustainable development is defined as that development, which is free from

environmental degradation, poverty, and depletion of natural resource base.

Environmental sustainability aims to improve the quality of human life without putting
unnecessary strain on the earth's supporting ecosystems. It’s about creating an
equilibrium between consumerist human culture and the living world. We can do this by
living in a way that doesn’t waste or unnecessarily deplete natural resources.

3 pillars of sustainability?

Aside from benefiting the planet and its inhabitants, environmental sustainability can
offer plenty of benefits. The three pillars of sustainability involve economic, social and
environmental development.

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  Economic sustainability is the responsibility of businesses and communities.
Here, they are encouraged to use their resources responsibly and efficiently.
Economic sustainability is designed to support long-term economic growth
without harming environmental, social and cultural aspects of our global
community.
 Social sustainability benefits people. Living sustainably as individuals, families,
communities and countries means healthier air and less money needlessly spent
on healthcare. Using renewable energy sources can reduce droughts as they
require less water and energy to maintain. The eventual goal is that sustainable
development will also reduce hunger, poverty and generally provide a better
global quality of life, promoting fairly distributed education and healthcare.
 Environmental sustainability focuses on the state of the planet we leave it in. It
encourages individuals to live in a way that creates minimal waste and even
regenerates some of the resources we use every day.

What are the benefits of environmental sustainability?

The benefits of environmental sustainability are:

 We can protect ecosystems

 We can continue to enjoy nature as it is
 We can protect endangered species
 Less pollution in the cities will result in better respiratory health for all
 It could halt or reverse the effects of global warming
 We won’t be creating huge landfills all over the world that will take hundreds of
years to break down

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