Unit 7 – Human Communities and the Environment

•Human population growth: Impacts on environment, human health, and welfare; Carbon foot-print
•Resettlement and rehabilitation of developmental project affected persons and communities;
relevant case studies
•Environmental movements: Chipko movement, Appiko movement, Silent valley movement,
Bishnois of Rajasthan, Narmada Bachao Andolan, etc
•Environmental justice: National Green Tribunal and its importance
•Environmental philosophy: Environmental ethics; Role of various religions and cultural practices
in environmental conservation
•Environmental communication and public awareness: case studies (e.g., CNG vehicles in Delhi,
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC), National Green
Corps (NGC) “Eco-club” programme, etc)

Nawin Kumar Tiwary, Ph.d.

Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Studies
Indraprastha College for Women
University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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 Human population growth: Impacts on environment, human health, and welfare

The current human population on earth is over 7.6 billion and is ever increasing with projections of over 9 billion by
2040 and 11 billion by 2100. The rapidly growing population is far outpacing the carrying capacity of the planet,
which is the ability of the planet to support the overly sized population of humans as per the available
resources. Overpopulation is the genesis of most of the environmental issues we face today and can be linked
with negative environmental, economic and social impacts.

Surprising fact: 5% of human population lives in both red and blue portions on the map
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 Factors responsible for Human Population Growth

Growth in the human population can be largely attributed to some advancement in the recent past in the field of
agriculture, science, technology and health facilities. The surplus of food and other supplementary resources
has provided ample space for the growing human population. Several factors which led to such unprecedented
growth in the human population are:
• Increase in agricultural productivity: Inclusion of modern techniques in agriculture like use of agrochemicals
(like fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides) and modern machinery has led to multi-fold increase in agricultural
yield. The surplus of food resources has been able to support the growing human population.
• Decrease in death rate and infant mortality rate: With the advancement in medical facilities including improved
medicines and vaccines there has been a considerable worldwide decline in the death rate and infant mortality
rate, which has led to larger population size.
• Advancement in Science and Technology: Advance scientific technology which fueled the industrial revolution
provided a surplus of resources that could support a larger human population.
• Lack of awareness: Illiteracy, poverty and lack of awareness about the harmful impacts of a large population
have also led to the problem of overpopulation. Awareness and use of various family planning methods are also
lacking in most highly populated countries.

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 Impacts of Human Population Growth on environment, human health, and welfare

Following are some of the major environmental and health impacts of growing human population:
• Deforestation: The growing human population will lead to an increased demand for food, space and energy which will
ultimately lead to destruction and clearing of pristine forest areas. In order to increase the agricultural yield to support a
large population, new areas have to be brought under agriculture which will lead to large scale deforestation. Forest will
also be cleared due to urbanization, infrastructure development and industrialization.
• Biodiversity loss: Decline in forest cover and other available habitats will also lead to a decline in floral and faunal
biodiversity. This will lead to ecological imbalance and a decline in the biological resource of the planet.
• Urbanization: Rapidly growing human population has led to rapid urbanization which has adversely affected the
environment and natural resources. Due to the growing population natural resources in the urban areas are depleting at
a faster rate. A large part of the urban population is devoid of proper sanitation facilities and pure drinking water which
has resulted in adverse health impacts.
• Industrialization: The establishment of industries such as fertilizers, cement, steel, chemicals and oil refineries to
support the needs of the growing population, leads to environmental degradation, land-use change and pollution.
Growing levels of toxic pollutants in the atmosphere have a detrimental effect on the respiratory health of the affected
people.
• Land Degradation: Intensive farming, excessive use of agrochemicals, and overexploitation of land and water resources
leads to soil degradation, including soil erosion, salination and desertification.

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 Impacts of Human Population Growth on environment, human health, and welfare

• Generation of Waste: The large human population generates humungous solid and liquid waste which has
detrimental environmental and health impacts.
• Loss of Fresh Water: Overexploitation of both surface and groundwater leads to a decline in available
freshwater resources. This leads to water scarcity issues and unavailability of safe drinking water. It is projected
that 2/3 of the world's population will be living with water shortages by 2025.
• Climate Change: Overpopulation and excessive use of fossil fuels have increased the level of various gaseous
pollutants in the atmosphere including greenhouse gases.
• Transport Infrastructure: Development of transport infrastructure for the large human population has led to the
release of large quantities of poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. The
development of ports and harbours in the sea has led to oil spills from ships which adversely affect the marine
biodiversity and ecosystems.
• Productivity: Environmental degradation not only harms the environment but also reduces economic
productivity. Polluted air and water causes several diseases in different parts of the world and thus reduces the
productivity of the country. Water pollution has led to a decline in fisheries and water availability for agriculture.
Soil degradation leads to the siltation of reservoirs and canals and transport channels.

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 Steps for Population control

India has the second-largest population (1.3 billion) in the world and it is still growing. Hence, effective population
control measures have become the need of the hour. Following measures can be taken to control the
population growth in India:

• Minimum age of Marriage: In India, the minimum age for marriage is 21 years for men and 18 years for women.
This law should be effectively implemented and people should be made aware regarding the same through
publicity.
• Better Education: Education to different strata of society changes the outlook of people. Educated families
prefer to delay marriage and adopt small family norms.
• More employment opportunities: Developing employment opportunities in both urban and rural areas will
improve people’s income and standard of living and thus their chances of adopting small family norms.
• Family Planning: Increasing awareness about various family planning methods and their easy availability can
ensure their use and thus help in reducing family size.
• Incentives: The government can provide various types of incentives to the people to adopt birth control
measures. This can include monetary incentives, tax benefits and other facilities like leave and promotion which
can be extended to the working class which adopts small family norms.

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 Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases mainly carbon

dioxide released into the atmosphere by any anthropogenic activity.
It can be a broad measurement of the environmental impact of the
actions of an individual, family, organization, industry or even an
entire nation. e.g, To calculate an individual’s carbon footprint we
need to include a rough estimate of our overall carbon dioxide
production from several daily activities including the use of electrical
appliances, the distance we drive, our food consumption and how
much we recycle.
Our carbon footprint can be reduced by using environment-friendly
vehicles (battery operated), using public transportation, using
energy-efficient appliances, insulating our homes to reduce
electricity consumption on room heaters and air conditioning and
consuming local and organic food. Individuals and companies can
also offset some of their carbon dioxide emissions by purchasing
carbon credits, the money from which can go into environment-
friendly initiatives such as planting trees or investing in renewable
and clean energy.

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 Resettlement and rehabilitation of developmental project affected persons and communities

• Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) of families and communities displaced during the establishment of
any large scale developmental project is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and
Environmental Management Plan Reports (EIA and EMP).
• The R&R Plan for project affected families for any proposed or ongoing is prepared based on the National
Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement, 2003 and as per National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy,
2007 (NRRP-2007).
• The plan for resettlement is implemented in association with the concerned State Government,
representatives from the project affected families and other stakeholders in the area. A detailed socio-
economic survey has to be conducted before the formulation of the R&R Plan.
• Large scale infrastructure projects involuntarily displace many people which give rise to severe economic,
social, and environmental problems. People are relocated to new places where their productive skills may be
less applicable, production systems are degraded, employment opportunities and income sources are lost.
The social fabric within the community is broken if the families from one area are displaced to separate
locations.

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 Resettlement and rehabilitation of developmental project affected persons and communities

The resettlement of affected people (oustees) must aim to minimize involuntary resettlement, provide a time-
bound resettlement plan and compensation for land and other assets affected by the project. The
resettlement package offered to project oustees mostly includes:
• Compensation: Monetary compensation includes the cost of house and land or it may include land in lieu of
land.
• Physical Rehabilitation: A family that is resettling to an alternative site also receives well constructed
residential houses, sanitary facilities, cattle shed, agricultural/horticulture land, Transportation/displacement
grant, etc.
• Development of village infrastructure: Infrastructure at the resettlement colony is developed at the cost of
the project. This includes the development of grazing land, roads, providing power and water supply,
construction of schools, panchayat bhawan, sanitation and sewage facilities.
• Economic rehabilitation: Resettled families are supported in agricultural activities, poultry and non-farm
economic activities.

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 Case Study: Tehri Dam Rehabilitation & Resettlement

• Tehri Dam Project included the construction of a

reservoir spread of 42 sq. km. which submerged the
Old Tehri Town and 24 villages, while another 88
villages were partially affected.
• In addition to these 13 more villages were fully
affected due to land acquisition the project
infrastructure and establishing new colonies.
• The plan of rehabilitation and resettlement was
broadly divided into Urban Rehabilitation and Rural Tehri Dam, Uttarakhand
Rehabilitation.
• Those families whose 50% or more land was being
acquired were treated as fully affected, while those
families whose less than 50% of land was being
acquired were categorized as Partially Affected and
were not relocated.

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 Case Study: Tehri Dam Rehabilitation & Resettlement

R&R Policy & Package

• The resettlement policy for Tehri Dam was evolved by the state government and was implemented
through Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC).
• The basic principle of the rehabilitation policy was to compensate the rural oustees through allotment
of agricultural land or cash in lieu.
• The displaced families were settled in large colonies so that the fabric of their social life remains
intact.
• Representatives of the displaced families were involved in selecting the site for the resettlement
colonies.
• Basic community facilities like schools, hospitals, water supply and sanitation facilities were provided
at the resettlement colony at the cost of the project, even if these did not exist in the original
settlement.
• Apart from the compensation for property, every rural family was also given 2 acres of developed
irrigated land in a rural area.
• The total cost towards R&R (including land acquisition, compensations, development of facilities,
etc.) was Rs. 1,484 cr. which was nearly 18% of the total cost of the Tehri Dam Project.

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Environmental philosophy: Environmental ethics; Role of various religions
and cultural practices in environmental conservation

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 Ancient practices in India

Living in harmony with nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. This has been abundantly
reflected in a variety of traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, arts and crafts, and in the
daily lives of the Indian people from time immemorial. The present day global concerns for sustainable
development and conservation of natural resources spanning the two decades between the Stockholm
Conference of Environment in 1992 and the United Nations Conference on Human Environment and
Development (Earth Summit) at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 are of recent origin in comparison to the long
tradition and cultural ethos of nature conservation in India.

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 Role of various religions and cultural practices in environmental conservation

The worship of Mother Earth is a universal phenomenon in many indigenous cultures. There are
innumerable examples of festivals, rituals, songs, and myths that celebrate the gifts of Mother Earth all
over the world, revealing the intimate sense of togetherness and harmony that exists between man and
nature in tribal societies.

For the people of India, environmental conservation is not a new concept. Historically, the protection of
nature and wildlife was an ardent article of faith, reflected in the daily lives of people, enshrined in
myths, folklore, religion, arts, and culture.

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 Role of various religions and cultural practices in environmental conservation

Sacred Grooves: One of the finest examples of

traditional practices in India based on religious
faith which has made a profound contribution to
nature conservation has been the maintenance
of certain patches of land or forests as "sacred
groves” dedicated to a deity or a village God,
protected, and worshipped. These are found all
over India, and abundantly along the Western
Ghats, the west coast, and in several parts of
Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
Maharashtra. In Kerala there are hundreds of
small jungles dedicated to snakes (Sarpakavu:
Sarpa meaning snake, kavu meaning jungle).

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 Role of various religions and cultural practices in environmental conservation

Sacred Grooves: Sacred groves comprise of patches of forests or natural vegetation from a few trees
to forests of several acres – that are usually dedicated to local folk deities (Example – Ayyanar and
Amman) or tree spirits (Vanadevatas). These spaces are protected by local communities because of
their religious beliefs and traditional rituals that run through several generations.

Sarpakavu in Kerala: Sarpa meaning snake, kavu meaning

jungle).

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 Role of various religions and cultural practices in environmental conservation

Sacred Plants and Animals: Many plants and animals from historical times have been considered
sacred in India by various communities. The most outstanding examples are the Peepal tree (Ficus
religiosa), Banyan tree (Ficus bengelensis) and Khejdi tree (Prosopis cineraria), and these have been
traditionally revered and therefore never cut. There are a number of other trees and plants considered
sacred and grown in temple premises and are protected in other localities.

Nāga-nāginī sculpture from Khejdi tree from Rajasthan Banyan worship in India
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 Ancient text on Biodiversity Conservation

Punishments prescribed in
Manusmriti for crime against
Nature

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Ancient scriptures on Biodiversity

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Ancient scriptures on Biodiversity

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 Impact of some cultural practices on Environment

Cultural practices may sometimes also prove to be a threat to the ecosystem health, mostly when they
are not followed with the same ethics and methods with which they initially started.
• A religious tradition of immersing idols and worship materials into rivers and other water bodies
causes degradation of aquatic ecosystems.
• Use of animal products in ceremonial purposes by some cultures has led to decline in the wildlife
and biodiversity.
• Traditional agricultural practices like “Jhum” has been a major cause for deforestation.

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 Environmental justice: National Green Tribunal (NGT) and its importance

 It is a specialised body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and
expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental protection and conservation of forests
and other natural resources.
 With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a
specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing
country to do so.
 NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the
same.
 The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the Principal place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune,
Kolkata and Chennai are the other four.
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 National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Structure:
 The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office
for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment.
 The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI).
 A Selection Committee shall be formed by central government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert
Members.
 There are to be least 10 and maximum 20 full time Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.

Powers: The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment. These include the following:
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977;
• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980;
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;
• The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991;
• The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

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 National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Jurisdiction:

 The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial question relating to
environment (including enforcement of any legal right related to environment).
 Being a statutory adjudicatory body like Courts, apart from original jurisdiction side on filing of an
application, NGT also has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeal as a Court (Tribunal).
 The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, but
shall be guided by principles of 'natural justice'.
 While passing any order/decision/ award, it shall apply the principles of sustainable development,
the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle.
 The Act also provides a procedure for a penalty for non compliance:
•Imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years,
•Fine which may extend to ten crore rupees, and
•Both fine and imprisonment.

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 National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Important Landmark Judgements of NGT

 In 2012, POSCO a steelmaker company signed a MoU with the Odisha government to set up steel project.
NGT suspended order and this was considered a radical step in favour of the local communities and forests.
 In 2012 Almitra H. Patel vs. Union of India case, NGT gave judgment of complete prohibition on open
burning of waste on lands, including landfills – regarded as the single biggest landmark case dealing with
the issue of solid waste management in India.
 In 2013 in Uttarakhand floods case, the Alaknanda Hydro Power Co. Ltd. was ordered to compensate to the
petitioner – here, the NGT directly relied on the principle of ‘polluter pays’.
 In 2015, the NGT ordered that all diesel vehicles over 10 years old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR.
 In 2017, the Art of Living Festival on Yamuna Food Plain was declared violating the environmental norms,
the NGT panel imposed a penalty of Rs. 5 Crore.
 The NGT, in 2017, imposed an interim ban on plastic bags of less than 50-micron thickness in Delhi because
“they were causing animal deaths, clogging sewers and harming the environment”.

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 Environmental movement: Chipko movement

 Chipko movement was a socio-ecological movement that aimed at resisting mass deforestation
using Gandhian ways of Non-violent resistance and satyagraha through the act of hugging the
trees to guard them against being cut down for commercial purposes.
 The illiterate rural women initiated this movement during December of 1972 in Tehri-Garhwal
district of UP (now Uttarakhand) against felling of trees by the contractors. The women of Advani
village physically prevented felling as they tied sacred thread around trees and hugged them.
 The movement extended to wider region after the police firing on rural women in February 1978.

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 Environmental movement: Chipko movement

 Chandi Prasad Bhatt, an environmentalist and Gandhian social activist , founder of the
cooperative organisation Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh, led the first Chipko movement near the
village of Mandal in 1973.
 Sundarlal Bahuguna, a famous Gandhian, who is said to have initiated this movement to guard
the trees on the Himalayan slopes. Bahuguna is also known for coining the Chipko slogan „ecology
is permanent economy‟.
 The landmark event of this silent protest happened in March 1973 where peasant women in
Chamoli district of Uttrakhand reclaimed their forest rights from the State Forest Department and
prevented the trees from being cut down.
 Other important names from the movement were Dhoom Singh Negi, Gaura Devi, Bachni Devi,
Ghansyam Raturi etc. Chipko Andolan stands out as an eco-feminist movement.
 The movement‟s biggest triumph was making people aware of their rights to forests, and
how grassroots activism can influence policy-making regarding ecology and shared natural
resources.

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 Environmental movement: Apikko movement

 Appiko Movement (a movement similar to the Chipko Movement ) is one of the forest-based
environmental movements in India. The movement took place in Uttara Kannada district of
Karnataka in the Western Ghats.
 The movement created awareness among the villagers throughout the Western Ghats about the
ecological danger posed by the commercial and industrial interests to their forest which was the
main source of sustenance.
 The Appiko Movement was launched in September 1983 by the representatives of a Yuvak
Mandali to save the Western Ghats in Southwest India. This movement was coordinated by
Pandurang Hegde.
 This movement used various techniques to raise awareness: foot marches in the interior forests,
slide shows, folk dances, street plays and so on.

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 Environmental movement: Silent valley movement

 In 1970 Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) proposed a hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha River
that runs through Silent Valley, that will submerge 8.3 sq km of untouched moist evergreen forest. In
February 1973, the Planning Commission approves the project at a cost of about Rs 25 crores.
 Because of concern about the endangered Lion-tailed Macaque, the issue was brought to public attention
by Romulus Whitaker.
 In 1977 the Kerala Forest Research Institute carried out an ecological impact study of the Silent Valley area
and proposed that the area be declared a biosphere reserve.
 In 1978 Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, approved the project, with the condition that the state
government enact legislation ensuring the necessary safeguards.
 Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) effectively aroused public opinion on the requirement to save Silent
Valley. Dr. Parmeshwaran and the poet activist Sugatha Kumari played an important role in the Silent Valley
protest.
 Dr. Salim Ali, eminent ornithologist of the Bombay Natural History Society, visited the valley and appealed
for cancellation of the hydroelectric project.

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 Environmental movement: Silent valley movement

 Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the renowned agricultural scientist, and then secretary to the Department of
Agriculture, called at the Silent Valley region and his suggestion was 389.52 sqkm including the Silent Valley
(89.52 sqkm ) should be made into a national rainforest biosphere reserve.
 In 1982, a multidisciplinary committee with Prof. M. G. K. Menon as chairman and Madhav Gadgil, Dilip K.
Biswas and others as members, was created to decide if the hydroelectric project was feasible without any
significant ecological damage. The committee gave a decision in favour of declaring this area as a National
Park.
 Since then, a long-term conservation effort has been undertaken to preserve the Silent Valley ecosystem.

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 Environmental movement: Bishnois of Rajasthan

 The sect of Bishnois was founded in 1486 AD. In 1452 AD, a boy was born in a Rajput family in village
Pipasar in Nagaur district in Rajasthan. He reflected uncommon actions from the very childhood and thus
drew attention of people. He turned out as a saint and started preaching new principles. He bacame
popular as Guru Jambheshwarji.
 He led people to a new faith which was baptised as VISHNOI or BISHNOI. He had spelt out 29 principles.
Historians analysed that the then illiterate people could not count more than 20 at a time. Thus 20 (‘bees’)
+ 9 (‘no’) = Bishnoi. They were called Bishnois (or Vishnois).
 His followers created meditation huts and water ponds, wherever he went for preaching. Such places are
now temples of Bishnoi sect, the most significant among them being the one at Mukam in Bikaner district,
where Lord Jambheshwarji breathed his last.
 The Bishnoi sect got popular because of the pragmatic approach of the 29 principles. The sect did not
believe in idol worship. In the desert, the philosophy of protection of flora and fauna became popular.
 People started patronising the wildlife as Black Buck (Antelope cervicapra), and Indian Gazelle (Gazella
gazella) roamed all around their villages. They started feeding bajra (millet) to them daily.

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 Environmental movement: Bishnois of Rajasthan

 Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) was, as it is even now, common vegetation of the arid zone, producing the most
nutritive food for people as well as cattle. Hence, its protection became the cardinal principle of Bishnois.
These people objected to such green trees being felled. They would catch those found cutting trees around
their villages. It did generate conflicts. These people would not mind having fights which often led to
‘human sacrifice’ to defend trees.

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 Environmental movement: Narmada Bachao Andolan

 The foundation stone of the Narmada Valley Development Project was laid out by Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru on April 5, 1961. The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme to increase
irrigation and produce hydroelectricity.
 One of the 30 dams planned on river Narmada, Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) was the largest structure to be
built.
 Narmada Bachao Andolan is the most powerful mass movement, started in 1985, against the construction
of this huge dam on the Narmada river.
 The proposed Sardar Sarovar Dam and Narmada Sagar would have displaced more than 2,50,000 people.
The big fight was over the resettlement or the rehabilitation of these people.
 In 1987, construction began on the Sardar Sarovar dam, and the injustices of the government’s relocation
program were exposed: there was not enough land available for redistribution, amenities were low quality,
and the settlers had difficulty adjusting to new environments.
 In 1985, after hearing about the Sardar Sarovar dam, Medha Patkar and her colleagues visited the project
site to assess the impact on the local community.

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 Environmental movement: Narmada Bachao Andolan

 The people who were going to be affected by the construction of the dam were given no information but the
offer for rehabilitation. Villagers weren’t consulted and weren’t asked for a feedback on the assessment that
had taken place.
 In May of 1990, NBA organized a 2,000-person, five-day sit-in at Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s residence in New
Delhi, which convinced the Prime Minister to ‘reconsider’ the project.
 In December of the same year, five to six thousand men and women began the Narmada Jan Vikas Sangharsh
Yatra (Narmada People’s Progress Struggle March), marching over 100 kilometers.
 Finally on January 7, 1991, the seven-member team began an indefinite hunger strike. Two days earlier Baba
Amte had himself committed to a sit-in unto death.
 The Sardar Sarovar Dam’s construction began again in 1999 after the construction was allowed and was
declared finished in 2006. It was inaugurated in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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 Environmental communication and public awareness

The enhanced pace of developmental activities and rapid urbanization have resulted in stress on
natural resources and quality of life. The trend of increasing pollution in various environmental media is
evident from the deteriorating air and water quality, higher noise levels, increasing vehicular emission
etc. Thus it becomes crucial that people become aware about these critical issues.

The main objectives of environmental education should be

(i) improving the quality of environment
(ii) creating an awareness among people on environmental problems and conservation
(iii) creating such an atmosphere so that people find themselves fit enough to participate in decision
making so that developmental programme are presented after evaluation.

People should be made aware of health, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and water and food
contamination issues. It is, therefore, suggested that while imparting environmental education special
attention must be paid to school going children and women because they alone constitute about 50%
of the population.

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 Environmental communication and public awareness

There are many different types of media that can be deployed to ensure environmental communication and
awareness:

1. Newsletters - Environment articles are likely to reach a target audience helping to raise awareness about
particular issues and encourage feedback.
2. Videos - people remember more of what they see and hear than what they read. “YouTube” videos can
illustrate particular issues and processes and promote good practice, and can be watched at any time.
3. Posters and pamphlets - canteens, meeting rooms and reception areas are good display areas for
Environmental Policies and performance targets.
4. Training and guidance notes - discussions, workshops and guidance notes are useful tools, including
bespoke sector guides from trade journals.
5. Environmental reports - Environmental reports and statements are mandatory for EMAS registration and
recommended in ISO 14001. These reports present the big picture in terms of energy and water consumption,
waste and pollution, etc and can be adapted to appeal to both internal and external audiences.
6. National/regional media - attracting the media, especially local media, can help to establish an organisation in
the community and works particularly well where environmental performance is linked to jobs and the economy.
Other methods of information dissemination can also be used like Street Plays, Social media etc.

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 Case Study: CNG vehicles in Delhi

 During the 70‟s and 80‟s Delhi, the national capital, saw an unprecedented growth in population, vehicles and small
scale industries, which caused serious ecological imbalance and environmental degradation.
 Delhi, in terms of air pollution, was ranked fourth among the 41 most polluted cities in the world, in the 90‟s.
 Delhi has experienced an exponential growth in the number of personalized vehicles over the last two decades. The
rising trend in air pollution load from vehicular exhaust can also be noticed from the rise in the consumption of both
major auto fuels i.e. petrol and diesel.
 Rapid population growth along with the high rate of urbanization and industrialization and an increase in motorized
transport has resulted in an increase in the levels of various air pollutants, namely (1) Oxides of Sulphur, (2) Oxides
of Nitrogen, (3) Suspended Particulate Matter, (4) Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter, (5) Carbon Monoxide,
(6) Lead, (7) Ozone, (8) Benzene, (9) and Hydrocarbons.
 A part of mitigation measures started in 1996, with the introduction of reduced concentration of lead in petrol from
0.56 g/l to 0.15 g/l, reduction of benzene to 5 % and reduction of sulphur from 1.0% to 0.5%.
 As a measure to counter the increasing air pollution load in Delhi, the Hon‟ble Supreme Court passed the orders to
move all the public transport on CNG by March 31, 2001.

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 Case Study: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 02 October, 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi with an
aim to make India clean.

Objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:

• To eradicate the system of open defecation in India.
• To convert the insanitary toilets into pour flush toilets.
• To remove the system of manual scavenging.
• To make people aware of healthy sanitation practices by bringing behavioural changes in people.
Suggestions to make this movement more effective and successful:

 Sustained involvement of multiple stakeholders: While it was heartening to see celebrities and Government officials sweeping the
streets on 2nd October, it is important to ensure that the interest of all stakeholders (politicians, bureaucrats, NGOs, private
enterprises, funders and communities) is sustained and they work towards this goal in a concerted fashion.

 Focus on changing behaviours: Changing behaviours of people towards a clean surroundings is crucial and this is where the
engagement of community-based organisations and community leaders will be critical. While involvement of celebrities can help (Mr
Amitabh Bachchan has successfully been the Goodwill Ambassador for polio eradication), it will be imperative to understand local
cultures, motivations and belief systems.
More importantly, hygiene education needs to be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum, as opposed to leaving it to the
discretion of State Education Boards to decide whether or not they want to include it.

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 Case Study: National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC)

 National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC) is an important campaign of the Ministry of

Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India.
 This campaign was initially organised in 1986, with the objective of creating environmental
awareness at the national level and, since then, it has become an annual activity.
 This is one of the major programmes of the MoEF that involves public participation in conservation
and management of the environment.
 The main objective of the programme is to create awareness amongst the public and make
environmental protection a peoples‟ movement, where all unite and are involved in environmental
protection measures.
 In this campaign, nominal financial assistance is provided from all over the country for conducting
awareness raising and action oriented activities.

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 Case Study: National Green Corps (NGC)

 MoEFCC embarked upon a major initiative for creating environmental awareness among children by
formulating National Green Corps (NGC) in 2001-02.
 Children are triggers for a chain reaction, making a difference at the local and community level which in due
course lead to awareness at village, city, state, country and global level.
 NGC Programme aims at building cadres of young children working towards environmental conservation and
sustainable development.
 Operated through Eco-clubs set up in schools registered as members of NGC, this programme exposes school
children to in-depth field experiences, and provides opportunities to convert their ideas into creative action.
 This programme seeks to redirect the consciousness of students towards environment friendly attitudes and
actions and goes beyond schools, promoting school-society interactions to sensitize the society.
 The number of schools supported under NGC per district is 250 with annual grant for each Eco-club being
Rs.20,000/-. An additional amount of Rs. 25,000/- per district is given for monitoring at the district level.

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 Case Study: “Eco-club” programme
 Eco Clubs play an important role in creating environmental awareness amongst the future generation.
 2000 Eco-Clubs have been established in Government, Aided, Private, Public Schools and Colleges of NCT of
Delhi.
 Department of Environment provides increased token grant @Rs. 20,000-/ to each Eco Club School/College for
undertaking various Eco-friendly activities.
 The activities under the scheme include:
 Motivate the students to keep their surroundings green and clean by undertaking plantation of trees.
 Promote ethos of conservation of water by minimizing the use of water.
 Motivate students to imbibe habits and life style for minimum waste generation, source separation of waste
and disposing the waste to the nearest storage point.
 Sensitize the students to minimize the use of plastic bags, not to throw them in public places as they choke
drains and sewers, cause water logging and provide breeding ground for mosquitoes.
 Organize tree plantation programmes, awareness programmes such as Quiz, essay, painting
competitions, rallys, nukkad natak etc.
 Organize Nature Trail in Wild Life Sanctuaries/Parks/Forest areas to know about the Bio-diversity.

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