Role of an individual in prevention of pollution

Environment protection has been burning issue in last half century, In order to tackle the menace
of

pollution, urgentsteps in prevention of pollution is ofglobal

the role of individuals
have to be taken at not only level, but also at local level.
criticalor importance,
country
In fact,
because it is the individualsthat
make acommunity or country. Etfort by cach individual at his or her level can have a significanteffect on
global level. It has been at
home".
aptly said "charity begins

Aware and inspired individuals are strongest tool to tackle pollution. This is because an aware individual
not only lessens the burden on state but also he/she can tackle problem of pollution more effectively a
he/she is more familiar with problems persisting at local level and he himselfherself deals with them in
his/her day to day life. It is better and more viable to prevent pollution by educating individuals than
controlling pollution. Individuals shouldencourage to modify their lifestyle and living habits if that are
not healthy for environment.
Ways in Which a Individual can Help in Prevention of Pollution

Individuals should minimize wastage of resources such as electricity. Every unit of electricity
saved is equivalent unit of electricity produced as it not only saves the fuel that would be used to
produce that electricity, but also help to prevent pollution that is accompanied by burning of that
fuel. Therefore, person should always switch off appliances when not in use.
Individuals should prefer walking or use cycles instead of using motor vehicles, especially when
distances to be travelled are small.
Individuals can make considerable contribution by using mass transport (buses, trains, etc)
instead of using personal vehicles.
When going to workplace, colleagues from nearby localities should pool vehicles instead of going
in índividual personal vehicles.
Taking personal vehicles for periodic pollution checks at centres approved by authorities.
Individuals should reuse items whenever possible.
Products that are made of recycled material should be given preference.
Use gunny bags made of jute instead of plastic bags.
Take part inenvironment conservation drives such as tree planting drives.
Use water resources efficiently.
Use renewable resources by installing equipment such as solar heaters and using solar cookers.
Dispose potentially harmful products such as cells, batteries, pesticide containers, etc properly.

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 source of
CFC,
they are main
wherever possible as
Use of refrigerators should be minimised
which is responsible for Ozone layer depletion. moreresources utilized and
more
morc population means
planning. as
Follow and promote family
resources utilized imply more pollution.
such as listening to loud music.
Avoid making noise producing activities
Use handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues.
locality.
drives to clean streets and clean drains with help of other people of
Organize Individuals should be encouraged
people to prevent pollution.
Spread awareness and inspire other implement them locally.
innovations from world over and
to acquire information and

Pollution Case Studies

Some important cases

landmark judgement in 1980, the Supreme Court explicitly recognised the

" Sanitation in Ratlam: In a facilities to human
deteriorating urban environment on the poor. It linked basic public health
impact of a
the municipality to provide proper sanitation and drainage. However, according to
rights and compelled in Ratlam today.
reports, little has changed
numerous

quarrying: In 1987, the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, on the behalf of
" Doon valley
against limestone quarrying. This case was
residents of the Doon valley, filed a case in the Supremne Court
and ecological integrity against industrial
the first requiring the Supreme Court to balance environmental
to stop quarrying in the Mussoorie hills,
demands on forest resources. The courts directed the authorities
continues unchecked in the interior valleys.
but today, mining

oleum gas leak from the Shriram Food and

"Gas leak in Shriram factory: In the historic case of the
compensation to
Fertiliser factory in Delhi, in 1986, the Supreme Court ordered the management to pay
chemical manufacturer to give
the victims of the gas leak. The "absolute liability" of a hazardous
and it was the first time
compensation to all those affected by an accident was introduced in this case
paid to victims.
compensation was

"Construction in Silent Valley: In 1980, the Kerala High Court threw out a writ filed by the Society for
the Protection of the Silent Valley seeking a ban on constructin of a hydro-electric project in the valley.
However, despite an unfavourable judgement, active lobbying and grassroots action by environmentalists
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 project.
stopped the

Court
Supreme
"Polluting Ganga:
the In 1985, activist-advocate MC Mchta filed a writ petition
in the
banks. In a
historic
to highlight the pollution of the Ganga by industries and municipalities located on its
tanneries ncar Kanpur. . Justice
judgement in 1987, the court ordered the closure of a number of polluting
minimum wages
ES in his judgement, observed: "Just like an industry which cannot pay
Venkataramiah,
to its workers cannot be allowed to exist, a tannery which cannot set up a primary treatment
plant cannot
existence."
be continue to be in
permitted to

polluted the
" Pollution in Bichhri: Effluents from an H-acid factory in Bichhri village in Rajasthan has
case was filed in the Supreme Court
ground water of almost 60 wells, destroying crops and orchards. A
Despite court orders in March 1990 to
by the Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action in October 1989.
Bichhri's drinking water, but no
remove the sludge from the factory, not only does the sludge still pollute
the residents either.
compensation has been paid to

by the Tarun Bharat Sangh

" Mining in Sariska: A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court in 1991
sanctuary, but mining
to stop mining in the Sariska wildlife sanctuary. The court banned mining in the
continues nevertheless.

Disaster management : floods, earthquakes, cyclones and land slides.

Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, destruction and devastation to life and
property. Generally, disaster are of two types - Natural and Man-made.
Natural disaster: Some of the disasters are listed as follows major natural disasters i.e. flood, Cyclone,
Drought and Earthquake. Minor natural disasters i.e. cold wave, Thunderstorms, Heat waves, Mud slides
Storm.

Man-made disaster: Major man-made disaster are Setting of fires, Epidemic,Deforestation, Pollution
due to prawn cultivation, Chemical pollution, Wars. Minor man-made disaster are Road/train accidents,
riots, Food poisoning, Industrial disaster /crisis, Environmental pollution.
Disaster management: There are no standardized rules defining the different phases of the disaster
management cycle. Different agencies use different cycles depending upon their objectives. The different
phases of the disaster management cycles are as follows Response, Recovery, Mitigation, Risk reduction,
Prevention, preparedness.

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 land. Aflood is caused by excess water in a
1, Floods: A flood is an submerging
expense of water or the rapid melting of
snow, the failure of a
location usually due to rain from astorm orthunderstorm
and other causes.
dam, an earthquake induced tsunami, ahurricane's stormsurge
flood: Physical damage causlities. water supplies, crops and food supplies.
Btects or
Flood manaoement involves the following activities are mapping, land use
rlood nanagement:
control, construction of engineered structures and flood control.
Cyclone: Cyclone is meteorological phenomena in which an area of low pressure characterized by
do
northern hemisphere and clockwise in the
Inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the
southern hemisphere of the earth.
Types of Cyclone : The five main types of cyclones are -
1,000
LPolar cyclone: Polar or Arctic cyclones are vast areas of low pressure usually spinning
northern
2000 kms per hour, in which the air circulates in a counter clockwise fashion in the
hemisphere.
i.Polar low: A polar low is a small scale, short lived atmosphere systemn that is found over the
ocean areas in both the northern and southern hemispheres. They are part of large class of Meso
scale weather systems. Polar low have been referred to by many other terms such as - comma
cloud, mesocyclone, polar meso scale vortex, Arctic hurricane, Arctic low and depression.
i. Extra tropical: An extra tropical cyclone is called asynoptic scale low pressure weather
system that has neither tropical nor polar characteristics The "extra tropical "refers to the fact
that this type of cyclone generally occurs outside of the tropics, in the middle of the latitude of the
planct. These systems may be described as "mid-latitude cyclones" or "post -tropical cyclones ".
iv.Sub-tropical: Asub-tropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of an
extra tropical cyclone.It can be a wide band of latitude, from equator to 50.c.ZIYAD is a very
dangerous cyclone now affecting Mauritius.
. Tropical: A Tropical cyclone is a low pressure cyclone storm system. It is caused by
evaporated water which comes off the Ocean and becomes a storm. Tropical cyclones can
produce extremely strong winds, tornadoes, torrential rain, High waves and storm surges. These
heavy rains and storm surges can produce extensive flooding.

Policies and Strategies for controlling cyclone.

1. Installation of Earth Warming System.
2.Developing communication infrastructure.
3.Developing Shelter belt.
4.Developing community cyclone shelter.
 5.6.CTonstrainingructiandon ofEducatpermanent
ion. houses.
7Land use control and
settlement planning.
chquake: Earthquake is those movement of the crust
ackward and forward. The which make the ground vibrate and Snan
shaking of the carth crust procccds in the form of waves from the
center of
isturbance. Longitudinal waves, transverse waves and surface waves are the three types of waves.
Causes of Earthquake.
i.Techtonic Earthquake: Techtonic Earthquake occurs due to breaking of rocks, raising or sinking of
layers of the earth, folding of the strata or vapour
seeking to escape from the earth.
ii., Volcanic Activity: These kinds of earthquake are
associated with the flow of hot magma interrupting
volcanoes These caused extensive damage.
Effect of Earthquake :
i.Collapse of man-made structure like building, bridges, towers etc.
ii.Extensive landslides.
iii. Roads damage etc
Mitigation Measures
i.Power lines and pipelines can be built.
iiNew building should be constructed with proper earthquake resistant
measures.
iii.Damage to structure can be avoided by prohibiting restrictions on such earthquake prone zones

4.Landslides: Landslides refers to the downward sliding of huge quantities of land

masses. Sliding
occurs along steep slopes of hills or mountain. Landslides occur as a result of changes on a
slope, sudden
or gradual, either in its composition, structure, hydrology or
vegetation. The changes can be due to
geology, climate, weathering, changing land use and earthquake.