ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

UNIT – 5
SOCIAL ASPECTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT WATER CONSERVATION
Water being one of the most precious and indispensable resources need, to be
conserved.

Strategies for conservation of water:

1. Decreasing run-off losses:

➢ Reduced by allowing most of the water to infiltrate into soil.
➢ This can be achieved by using
a. Contour cultivation:
➢ On small furrows and ridges across the slopes trap rain water and allow
more time for infiltration.
➢ On gentle slopes trapped run off is spread over a large area for better
infiltration.
b. Conservation bench terracing:
➢ Construction of a series of benchers for catching the run-off water.
c. Water spreading:
➢ Water spreading is done by channeling or lagoon terracing.
d. Chemical welling agents:
➢ Increase the water intake rates from when added to normal irrigated soils.
e. Surface crop residues:
➢ Tillage, mulch, animal residues etc. help in reducing run off by allowing
more time for water to penetrate into the land.
f. Chemical conditioners: Gypsum(CaSO4.2H2O)
➢ When applied to sodic soils improve silk permeability and reduce run off.
g. Water storage structures.
2. Storing water in soil:
➢ Storage of water takes place in the soil root zone in humid regions when the
soil is wetted capacity.
3. Reducing evaporation losses:
➢ Horizontal barriers of asphalt placed below the soil surface increase water
availability.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

4. Reducing irrigation losses:

➢ Irrigation in early morning or late evening to reduce evaporation losses.
➢ Sprinkling, drip irrigation – 30 to 50%.
5. Reuse of water:
➢ Treated waste water can be used for ferti – irrigation.
➢ Grey water from washings, fuels etc. for watering garden, washing cars etc.
6. Increasing block pricing:
➢ The consumer has to pay a proportionate higher bill with higher use of water.

Rain water harvesting:

➢ It is a technique of increasing the recharge of ground water by capturing and

storing rain water.
➢ This is done by constructing special water harvesting structures like dug wells,
percolation pots, lagoons, check dams etc.

Objectives:

➢ To reduce run off loss.

➢ To avoid flooding of roads.
➢ To meet the increasing demands of water.
➢ To raise the water table by recharging ground water.
➢ To reduce ground water contamination.
➢ To supplement ground water supplies during lean season.

Methods:

1. By storing in tanks or reservoirs above or below ground.

2. Constructing pits, dug – wells, lagoons, check dams etc.
3. By recharging the ground water.

Watershed management:

The watershed is defined as the land area from which water drains under gravity
to a common drainage channel.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Objectives:

➢ To rehabilitate the watershed through proper land use adopting conversation

strategies for minimizing soil erosion and moisture retention so as to ensure good
productivity of the land for the farmers.
➢ To manage the watershed for beneficial developmental activities like domestic
water supply, irrigation, hydro power generation etc.
➢ To maintain the risks of floods, droughts and landslides.
➢ To develop rural areas in the region with clear plants for improving the economy
of the region.

Watershed management practices:

1. Water harvesting:
➢ Storage of water to use it in dry season or low rain fall areas.
2. Afforestation agro forestry:
➢ Help to prevent soil erosion and retention of moisture eucalyptus grasses are
grown along with maize in Dehradun.
3. Mechanical measures for reducing soil erosion and runoff losses:
➢ Terracing, contour farming, strip cropping are used to minimize run off.
4. Scientific mining and quarrying:
➢ Planting trees like ipomoea and vitex and of raining of water courses in the
mined area are recommended for minimizing the destruction effects of mining
in watershed areas.
5. Public participation:
➢ People’s involvement including the farmers and tribals is the key to the success
of any watershed management programme for the soil and water conversation.

Environmental Ethics:

The environmental ethics or dharma of ecology teaches us how to treat nature.

➢ It includes cultures and traditions that have influenced human relationship with
nature.
➢ If we think “man is all powerful and the supreme creature on this earth and ma is
the master of nature and can harness it at his will”, it reflects our human – centric
thinking.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

➢ On the other hand, if we think “nature has provided us with all the resource, for
leading a beautiful life and she nourishes us like a mother, we should respect her
nurture her”, this is an earth – centric thinking.

Basic principles of environmental ethics:

1. Protection of renewable natural resources.

2. Conservation of N.R. resources.
3. Optimal resource use by nation.
4. Adopt sustainability.
5. Link environment with peace and security.
6. You should be grateful to the plants and animals which nourishes you by giving you
food.
7. Limit your off springs because too many people will burden the earth.
8. You should not steal from future generations over right to live in a clean and safe
planet by impoverishing or polluting it.

Environmental Education:

➢ It is the education through environment, about environment and for the

environment.
➢ The aim of environmental education is that the individual and social groups should
acquire awareness and knowledge, develop skills and ability and participate in
solving real environmental problems.

Objectives:

The intergovernmental conference on environmental education held in Tbilisi,

USSR (1977) listed. The 6 objectives are

1. Awareness
2. Knowledge – To understand people about environment and associated problems.
3. Attitudes – To help people acquire social values, strong feeling of concern for the
environment and motivation to act in protecting and improving it.
4. Skills – to help people acquire the skills for solving such problems.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

5. Evaluation ability – To help people evaluate environmental measures and

education programmes in terms of ecological, political, economical, aesthetic and
educational factories.
6. Participation – To help people develop a sense of responsibility and urgency
regarding environmental problems and solutions.

Stages of environmental education:

1. Formal environmental education:

➢ It includes teaching, training of students of primary, secondary, higher
secondary and university levels as well as teachers and environmental
professionals.
2. Non – Formal environmental education:
➢ It deals with youths and adults from all segments of the society such as family,
factory workers, managers, decisions makers in environmental as well as non-
environmental fields.
➢ By celebrating the world environmental days.
2nd February – World Wetland Day
21st March – World Forest Day
th
7 April – World Health Day
22nd April – Earth Day
th
5 June – World Environment Day
11th June – Population Day
th
6 August – Hiroshima Day
th
16 September – Ozone Day
➢ By organizing eco – development camps for youth to create awareness about
basic ecological problems.
➢ Tribals are being educated about their environment by involving their leaders,
women and youth.
➢ Many NGO’s are actively involved in the programmes like environmental
education, conservation of nature, pollution control and Afforestation.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Climate change:

Climate:

Average weather of an area.

➢ We have relatively stable climate for thousands of years due to which we have
practiced agriculture and increased in population.
➢ Even small changes in climatic conditions may disturb agriculture that would lead
to migration of animals including humans.
➢ IPCC in 1990 & 1992 published best available evidence about past climate change,
the green house effect & recent changes in global temperature.
➢ Anthropogenic activities are upselling the delicate balance that has established
between various components of the environment.
➢ GHGs are increasing is the atmosphere resulting in increase in the average global
temperature.
➢ This may upset the hydrological cycle, result in floods & drought in different region
of the world, cause sea level rise, changes in agriculture productivity, famines &
death of humans as well as live rock.

Global warming:

➢ The process of heating up of globe is called “Global worming”.

➢ This phenomenon is similar to that of green house or glass house in which glass
roof allows solar radiation inside but prevents the escape of the terrestrial
radiation (heat) generated winds the green house.
➢ As a result, inside temperature of the green house will rise & allow tropical plants
to grow temperate soils without any discomfort.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

J. Fourier a French scientist first recognizing it in 1827.

➢ Troposphere, the lowermost layer of the atmosphere, traps heat by a natural

process due to the presence of certain gases. This effect is called Green house
effect.
➢ All the heat trapping gases are called GHGs - 20 gases are capable for global
warming.
➢ The average global temperature - 15⁰C.
Absence of GHGs temp – -21⁰C
CO2 – 61%
N2O – 4%
CH4 – 15%
CFCs – 11%
O3 and W.V – 9%

CO2:

➢ Stays in atmosphere – 500 years prior to industrial revolution CO2 contains 280
ppm.
➢ 1994 – 358 ppm.
21st century – 600 ppm mark

Methane:

➢ Produced when bacteria break down dead organic matter in moist places that lack
O2 such as swamps, natural wetlands, paddy fields, landfills & digestive tracts of
cattle, sheep & termites.
➢ Stays in atmosphere – 7 to 10 years.
➢ 1 methane molecule is 25 times as effective as CO2 molecule in trapping heat.

N2O:

➢ Released from nylon products from burning of biomass & nitrogen rich fuels (coal)
& from the breakdown of nitrogen fertilizers in soil, lime stock wastes &
contaminated ground water.
➢ Stays – 140 to 190 years.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

CFCs:

➢ Released from coolants, cleaning agents, foaming 1 molecule of CFC 12 – 20000

times as effective as CO2 in trapping heat.

Montreal protocol:

➢ The production and consumption of these chemicals has to be phased out totally
by the end of 2010.

Tropospheric Ozone:

➢ Produced through photochemical reactions involving hydrocarbons and NO x that

coming from automobile exhaust gases.
➢ 2000 times as effective as CO2.

Earth Summit:

The U.N. conference on environment and sustainable development (UNCED) the

earth summit, held at Rio de Jannerio, Brazil in 1992, established the principles for
reducing green house gas emission.

Kyoto protocol:

International conference held in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, has specified the
commitments of different countries to mitigate climate change.

➢ All the countries should reduce their overall green house emission to a level at
least 5% below the 1990 level by the commitment period 2008 – 2012.

Ozone Depletion:

➢ Ozone hole refers to the thinning of stratosphere ozone layer during the spring
time.
➢ It was first discovered in 1985.
➢ During spring time, in the year 1956 – 1970 the thickness of O3 layer above
Antarctica varies from 280 – 325 Dobson Units.
1 Dobson units – 1 ppb
➢ It reduced sharply to 225 DU in 1979, 136 DU in 1985, 94 DU in 1994.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

This decline was termed as Ozone hole.

➢ During this period 1997 – 2001, the global average total ozone column was about
3% below the pre 1980 average value.
➢ The discoverers related to ozone destruction were made by Sherwood Rowland,
Mario and Paul Crutezen.

Acid Rains:

Hazard and Disasters

Hazard:

A dangerous condition or events that threats or have the potential for causing
injury to life or damage to property or the environment. The two types of hazards are

1. Natural hazards – meteorological, geological or even biological origin

2. Un natural hazards – human caused or technological origin

Disaster:

A serious destruction of the functioning of the society, causing widespread human,

material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope
using its own resources.

Components of disaster:

1. Vulnerability:
➢ The extent to which a community, structure, service or geographic area is likely
to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of particular hazard, on account of
their nature, construction and proximity to hazardous terrain or a disaster
prone area.

Types of disaster:

1. Natural disaster
a. Earthquakes e. Volcanic eruption
b. Tsunamis f. Drought
c. Floods g. Landslides etc.
d. Cyclones

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

2. Un natural disaster
a. War
b. Technological accident, chemical disasters Bhopal gas, forest fires, building
collapsing, accidents

Disaster management cycle:

Disaster management can be defined as the body of policy and administrative

decisions and operational activities which pertain to the various steps of a disaster at all
levels.

Steps of disaster management:

1. Before a disaster strikes (Pre - disaster):

➢ Activities taken to reduce human property losses caused by the hazard and
ensure that there are losses are also minimized when the disaster strikes.
➢ Risk reduction activities are taken under this stage and they are termed as
mitigation and preparedness activities.
2. During a disaster (disaster occurrence):
➢ Activities taken to ensure that the needs and provisions of victims are met and
suffering is minimized.
➢ Activities taken under this steps are called are emergency response activities.
3. After a disaster (post disaster):
➢ Activities taken to achieve early recovery and does not expose the earlier
vulnerable condition.
➢ Activities taken under these steps are called response and recovery activities.

Earthquake:

It is a series of underground shock waves and movements on the earth’s surface

caused by natural processes writhing the earth’s crust.

Example: on 26th Jan 2001, devastating earthquake occurred in the kutch district of the
state of Gujarat. The earthquake measured a magnitude of M 6.9 on Richter scale.

➢ According to official estimates of the total loss of life war 13805 and 1205198
houses were damaged. The record of earthquake – seismograph.
➢ A study of earthquake is seismology.
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

➢ Recording instrument is seismograph.

➢ The energy released by an earthquake is measured by the Richter scale devised by
F.Richter in 1935.
➢ The severity of an earthquake is measured by its magnitude.
Richter scale severity of Earthquake
<4 Insignificant
4 – 4.9 Minor
5 – 5.9 Damaging
6 – 6.9 Destructive
7 – 7.9 Major
>8 Great

Causes:

Movement of the tectonic plates slowly along their boundaries, which leads to fractures
resulting in an earthquake.

Effects:

1. Damage to human structure such as buildings, roads, factories, dams, bridges and
cause heavy loss of human property.
2. At higher magnitude water supply, electric supply and telecommunication systems
completely disturbed.
3. Deformation of ground surface and causes damages to dams resulting in severe
floods.
4. On hilly and mountain areas may cause landslides which damage the settlement
and transport systems on the lower slope segments.

Mitigation:

1. Construction earthquake resistant buildings.

2. Wooden houses in seismic zones.

During tremors:

1. People come out of their houses and stay in the open till the tremors subside.
2. Should stay away from buildings, electric poles, trees and tall objects.
3. While driving – park the vehicles.
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

4. After subside of tremors inform to the police control room, fire control office, Red
Cross office (NGOs) about the disaster.
5. People inside the buildings should be evacuated and those injured should be first
aid immediately later to hospital.
6. Relief camps should be set up the government and NGOs for the people who have
lost their houses and properties.
Indian Earthquakes
1. 16th June, 1819 – Kutch – 8.0 – thousands of death
2. 12th June, 1897 – Shillong – 8.7 – 1600 deaths
3. 11th April, 1905 – Kangra – 8.0 – 20000 deaths
4. 15th January, 1934 – Bihar – 8.3 – 20000 deaths
5. 15th August, 1950 – N.E. Assam – 8.6 – 1500 deaths
6. 11th December, Kenya – 6.5 – 200 deaths

Focus:

The place of origin of the earthquake in the interior of the earth is known as
“Focus/origin/Centre/hypocenter.

Epicenter:

The place on the earth’s surface which lies exactly above the Centre of the
earthquake.

Seismic vertical:

The imaginary line which join the Centre and the epicenter.

➢ This represents the distance traveled by the waves from the focus to reach the
surface of the earth.

Seismic waves:

The enormous energy released from the focus at the time of earthquake is transmitted in
all directions in the form of waves.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Classification and causes of Earthquake:

1. Tectonic process due to interval causes - Plate tectonics, mountain building

activity, Formation of landscape.
2. Non-Tectonic process:
a. Due to huge waterfall
b. Due to meteorites.
c. Lands slides
d. Volcanic eruptions
e. Tsunamis
f. Manmade explosions (minus)
g. Dams & reservoirs

Tsunamis:

➢ The seismic waves caused by earthquake travelling through seawater, generates

high sea waves called tsunamis.
➢ These giant sea swells can move at a speed up to 1000 km/hr or even faster.
➢ While approaching the sea shore they may after reach 15m or sometimes 65m in
height and cause marine devastation in coastal areas.

Example: in China, tsunami waves killed 830000 people in 1556. In 1976, 50000 people
killed, on 26th December, 2004 1 lakh people were killed in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and
India.

Landslides:

➢ Landslide occurs when coherent rock of soil masses move downslope due to
gravitational pull.
➢ Slow landslips don’t cause much worry but sudden rock slides and mud slides are
dangerous.
➢ Occurs entire sub Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
Example: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, mountains of Uttar Pradesh

Causes of landslides:

1. Effect of slope
2. Effect of water
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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

3. Effect of lithology
4. Effects of associated structures
5. Effects of human factors

Effects:

1. Transportation/blocking of communication/roads damage.

2. Obstruction to the river flow in valleys, leading to their overflow and floods.
3. Damage to sewer and other pipelines.
4. Burial or destruction of buildings and other constructions.

Preventive measures:

1. Systematic planning of urbanization the slope.

2. Not undertaking any construction at hill slope.
3. A proper drainage system is the suitable measure.
4. Growing vegetation, soil binding, Afforestation.
5. Avoiding settlements heavy traffic and blasting operation near the vulnerable
places.

Environmental disasters:

Environmental disasters may be defined as “extreme events either natural or man

induced which exceed the tolerable magnitude within or beyond certain limits, make
adjustment difficult and results in catastrophic losses of property and income.

Tropical cyclones:

➢ These are most powerful, destructive, dangerous and deadly atmospheric stormed
on the earth.
➢ The cyclone move like a spinning top at the speed of 120 to 400 km/hr.
➢ These can last for a week or so and have a diameter varying between 100 - 1500
kms.
➢ These are disastrous because of their high speed, high tidal surges, high integrity
of rainfall, very low atmospheric pressures causing unusual rise in sea level and
their persistence for several days.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Destructions:

Loss of human lives and property in terms of destruction of buildings, transport and
communication systems, agricultural crops, domestic and wild animals etc.

Mitigation:

➢ Tree plantation on coastal belts.

➢ Construction of dams, dykes, embankments and wind breaks.
➢ Installation of belts working systems
➢ Construction of proper drainage and wide roads for quick evacuation of affected
people.

Management in cyclone hit areas:

1. Identification of safe buildings in the area for providing safe shelters to the affected
people.
2. Listening to the weather bulletins broadcasted/ telecasted over radio/ television.
3. In coastal areas, warning should be sent to the fisherman not to venture into the
sea during the course of storm.
4. Emergency phone numbers and addresses should be kept ready and remain in
touch with responsible members of the community.
5. Keep away from the fallen electric poles, damaged bridges and flood water areas.
6. Transportation and movement should be stopped during the course of storm.
7. People who have evacuated from their places must wait for the official declaration
to come back to their homes.
8. Relief and rehabilitation should be immediately provided to the effected people.

Disaster management:

1. Relief measures:
➢ Relief measures should be provided immediately to the disaster victims.
➢ High density of the affected areas locality must be given priority in the remedial
and relief measures.
➢ Special recue tools, communication equipment, heavy machines to remove
debris, water pumps, cement and technicians are more important than drugs

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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

and doctors because the health dangers after a disaster are predominantly
environmental in character and not medical.
➢ Relief measures should be provided by foreign countries only after they are
requested by the affected country because unsolicited and unwanted supplies
of men and material create confusion and complicate the problem.
2. Disaster prediction:
➢ The prediction of natural hazards may be made on the basis of past history of
the area prone to a particular hazard.
➢ There should be regular monitoring of the environmental changes caused by
human activities to assess the genesis of natural disasters.
3. Disaster research:
➢ Identification of risk areas on the basis of remote sensing, engineering and
electronic techniques.
4. Education:
➢ Disaster education plays a significant role in disaster reduction.
➢ If arouse awareness about the hazards of disasters, help the people to improve
the standard of constructions to escape the disaster.
5. GIS and aerospace surveys:
➢ These help in natural disaster reduction and management programmes by
providing maps of the problem areas, historic information from local people, a
planning frame work for local politicians and past experiences of the disasters.

Population Explosion:

Population clock:

Every second, on average 4 – 5 children are born and 2 people die, thus resulting
in net gain of nearly 2.5 people every second. This means that every hour we are growing
by about 9000 and everyday by about 214000 people.

Population:

A group of individuals of a species occupying a definite geographic area at a given

time.

➢ Initially the human population was small, hence human interference with nature
was minimal.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Year Human population reached

1700 A.D 0.6 Billion

Beginning of 20th century 1.6 Billion
Ending of 20th century 6.1 Billion
1850 1 Billion
1930 2 Billion
1987 5 Billion
2000 6.1 Billion
2011 7 Billion
2050 > 9 Billion

➢ This rapid growth of population is the result of the spread of public health
programme.
➢ Increase in food production after 2nd World War, as a result of Green Revolution.
➢ Reduction in infant mortality rate.
1 – 2 Billion 123 years
2 – 3 Billion 33 years
3 – 4 Billion 14 years
4 – 5 Billion 13 years
5 – 6 Billion 11 years

Pyramid shaped:

➢ Very young population is more making a broad base and old people are less.
➢ Indicates growing population
Example: India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria.
➢ Large number of individuals in very young age will soon enter into reproduction
age. Thus causing an increase in population.
➢ Whereas less number of people in old age indicate less loss of population due to
death.

Bell shaped:

➢ Birth rates have in the past one or two decades declined resulting in people of
almost equal number in age group 2 – 35 years.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

➢ So, in the next 10 years the people entering into reproductive age group is not
going to change much and such age pyramids indicate stable.

Urn shaped:

➢ Here number of individuals in very young class is smaller than the middle
reproductive age class.
➢ Next 10 years, the number in reproductive age class will thus become less than
before resulting in a decline of population growth.

Reason:

1. Increase in food grains.

2. Public health measures, eradication of small pox, cholera with the mass
immunization programs like vaccination.
3. Increase in average life span of the individuals from 41 - 64 years.
4. Inheritance of high fertility rates from our ancestors.
5. Increase in per capita income due to industrial revolution.

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P.BHARATH KUMAR, MECS