Class : B.A./B.Com.

/BBA/BCA-II Semester : 3
Paper : Environmental and Road Unit : 2
Safety Awareness
Medium : English
Lesson No.
UNIT-B

2.1 : Disaster Management : Floods, Earthquakes, Cyclones and

Landslides
2.2 : Social Issues and the Environment
2.3 : Introduction to Environment Protection Laws in India
2.4 : Road Safety Awareness
2.5 : Environmental Movements and Environmental
Communication, Resettlement and
Rehabilitation of Projected Affected Persons
2.6 : Environmental ethics; Role of Indian and other religions and
cultures in environmental conservation for green pollution free
state
2.7 : Stubble burning – Meaning, Impact on health and environment
2.8 : Management and alternative uses of crop stubble,
environmental legislation and policies for restriction of
agriculture residue burning in Punjab

Department website : www.pbidde.org

B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II Environmental and Road

Safety Awareness

Lesson No. 2.1 Author : Ms. Ravneet Kaur

DISASTER MANAGEMENT : FLOODS,

EARTHQUAKES, CYCLONES AND LANDSLIDES
2.1.0 Objectives
2.1.1 Introduction
2.1.2 Types of Disasters
2.1.3 Earthquakes
2.1.4 Floods
2.1.5 Cyclones
2.1.6 Landslides
2.1.7 Snow Avalanches
2.1.8 Other disasters
2.1.9 Other considerations
2.1.10 Conclusion
2.1.11 Suggested Questions
2.1.12 Suggested Readings
2.1.0 Objectives
The scope of this lesson is to familiarise you with the basics of disaster
management. After studying this lesson, you will be able to understand :

What are disasters?

Various types of disasters

Managing various disasters like earthquakes, floods, cyclones
and landslides, snow avalanches, some other disasters like fires,
draught etc. and some other considerations in disaster
management.

1
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 2 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.1.1 Introduction
It is beyond the control of human beings to stop the occurrence of disasters in
the natural environment but we can somehow manage the after effects of the
disaster in a professional manner. And we can even have some safeguards also
especially in the areas which have been declared as disaster prone areas by
scientists and governments.
2.1.2 What are disasters?
Disasters can be broadly classified in two types, i.e. natural; and man-made.
I. Natural Disasters
Natural disasters are natural occurrences in the nature. They occur suddenly
without any warning usually, but now in some cases they can be predicted also
by some warning signs as established by scientists and public can be warned in
those areas before the occurrence of the disasters. Even nature has made some
system in animals also like cattle can know before hand about a coming
earthquake and then these animals go for reaching places where they feel safe
without warning signals in the atmosphere.
Natural disasters includes floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, cyclones,
tornadoes, volcanic, eruptions etc.
II. Man-made Disasters
Technology has empowered man to initiate disasters. Man-made disasters
include wars, terrorist attacks, bomb explosions etc. The 9/11 in 2001 at World
Trade Centre, New York; 7/7 in 2005 at London Underground Metro; 26/11
recently in Mumbai Taj Hotel etc. are examples of man-made disasters.
Sometimes, some accidents also result in disasters like gas leakage, The Bhopal
Tragedy; collision of two trains; oil spills; air accidents; nuclear explosions etc.
2.1.3 Earthquakes
Earthquake is a sudden movement or shift of the earth's crust below or at the
surface that results in ground vibration. When the ground tremors suddenly,
an earthquake occurs. There is a point where it originates known as epicentre.
Seismic waves are caused by sudden break-up of rocks in the earth or it may
occur after an explosion also. And thus earthquakes occur at the earth's upper
crust.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 3 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Earthquakes are measured on a Richter scale. The earthquakes occurring upto

4.0 may not be much dangerous as casual tremors are felt only but those
occurring on a Richter Scale of more than 5.0 become dangerous. The more the
Richter Scale on which an earthquake occurs, the more drastic is it, i.e. an
earthquake occurring at 8.0 is highly dangerous as compared to 5.5.
There have been many major earthquakes in India, like :
Year Place At Richter Scale
1905 Kangra (H.P.) 8.0
1975 Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti (H.P.) 7.5
1993 Latur (Maharashtra) 6.4
2001 Bhuj (Gujarat) 7.7
2005 Kashmir 7.6
Tsunami of 2004 is still afresh with epicentre in Sumatra (Indonesia) but its
effects were seen in India also. And in 2005 the epicentre was in Pakistan but
much damage occurred in India also with 7.6 Richter Scale. Hence, earthquakes
don't bother about national boundaries and can destroy a large area depending
upon where it originated and on which Richter Scale it occurs.
But in Japan, as it is an island, earthquakes are a normal part of its life as light
tremors do occur casually there and sometimes very high intensity earthquakes
also come along. 1st September in Japan is observed so as to check earthquake
preparedness and mock drills are exercised to check emergency safeguards.
And also in Japan, earthquake resistant technology is used to construct buildings
with which earthquakes may not destroy the buildings.
Earthquakes may be predicted by monitoring seismic activity but exact timing of
their occurrence may not be predicted.
By making earthquake resistant buildings, some damage can be prevented but
this is a costly affair. With Base Isolation Devices and Seismic Dampers
technologies earthquake resistant buildings can be built.
Earthquakes damage buildings, other structures and sometimes some other
problems also present themselves like fire, floods etc.
And loss by deaths cannot be left out as apart from humans. Many other species
dies also and a large number of others wounded. Even water, electricity,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 4 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

communication system, food etc. also got affected and sometimes it can even
lead to accidents also. And any building can get damaged whether houses,
schools, commercial government etc. And even the removal of people who are
alive but in wounded condition or dead bodies is also a problem because it is not
easy to side away debris quickly. Even many anti-social elements also enter the
disaster affected areas and loot the remainings from dead bodies or alive ones
like jewellery.
And shortage of food, clothes, drinking water and shelter are the basic needs of
survivors alongwith emergency medical help. So rescue operations include first-
aid, help of other people whether volunteers or armed forces personnel.
But on the topic of mitigation, many scholars has advised that preparedness is
better than doing relief after the occurrence of the disaster. But this means not
only mass public awareness but also some skills like first-aid and availability of
resources also matters otherwise knowledge may not prove good without tools.
Designation/declaration and finding of earthquake prone areas can be done.
Even standards and by-laws have been made by Indian Government but these
are not strictly implemented in all cases.
In rural areas, constructions are not proper as these are made of wood and mud
without cement and bricks, so these are more dangerous but poverty is the
main problem here.
And media plays an important role by disseminating information and public
awareness and also with news coverage so that rescue operations should be
initiated at the earliest. And hospitals also should have emergency facilities to
handle a large number of casualties.
2.1.4 Floods
Floods are caused by overflow of waters. Heavy rainfall is the major reason for
the occurrence of floods. Like in India, we have many rivers in various states
and in some regions like Orissa, floods occur usually each year.
Floods occurring due to dam failure, run-off of water, breaking of ice are called
Flash Floods.
And floods occurring in rivers due to seasons especially monsoons, are called
River floods.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 5 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Adverse effects of floods, are life threatning to humans and other species as
well. Displacement of people, houses, damage to crops, cattle etc. Even diseases
like malaria and other water borne diseases also present themselves.
Mitigation of the disaster of floods can be done in various ways like flood
forecasting and pre-preparedness to handle floods and managing the after effects
of floods i.e. emergency help and rehabilitation of the affected victims.
Flood forecasting can be done by various methods like Flood Routing Technique,
Inflow-Outflow Correlation, Curves etc. Floods can be predicted on seasonal
patterns usually like in monsoons, flood plain mapping etc. Many factors are to
be considered like how much deep is the water, duration, velocity, season, etc.
Reducing of risk can be flood control with channels, dams, etc. Flood detection
and warning systems can be developed alongwith public awareness. But
immediate rescue operations must be started at the earliest like medical aid,
food, drinking water, shelter etc.
Floods can be managed by some construction activities also like dams, reservoirs,
basins, flood walls, channels, etc.
Depending upon the timing or season, some areas can be designated as flood
prone areas where each year re-occurrence of the floods takes place.
Our government also grants various types of funds to prevent, control and
manage the after effects of floods for the people of various states and some
other plans, policies and programmes with various organizations like NGOs,
NIC (National Informatics Centre), government departments etc.
2.1.5 Cyclones
There are many terms associated with cyclones depending upon their severity.
These are also referred to as coastal floods like storms, tropical cyclones,
typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, katria, Rita etc. as they occur usually
near coastal regions. Cyclones are a major problem even in America as these
disrupt the life and cause major destruction also. In India, we have Indian
Ocean regions, Bay of Bengal etc. as cyclone prone areas.
A tropical cyclone like hurricane is a storm of wind with very high speed like
more than 100 kilometers per hour. These occur due to natural process of air,
heat, sun etc. and beyond the power of humans to stop them. They can affect
a large area depending upon its speed, velocity, direction in which it is coming
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 6 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

etc. It has a central area where the air circulates known as the eye of the storm
and strong winds come along even with heavy rainfall and lighting also in some
cases.
Cyclones can last from some minutes to hours, even days also. There have been
many such occurrences in America alongwith other parts of the world including
India like the Tsunami in 2004.
Tornadoes are the highly severe wind storms as tropical thunder storm. As a
tornado is visible as a vortex, a whirlpool structure of winds rotating around a
hollow cavity in which centrifugal forces produce of partial vacuum.
Cyclones can be forecasted by regular monitoring by our meteorological
departments and hence warnings are issued before hand, but the forecasting of
tsunamis is difficult and very costly also and this technology is not available all
over the world. But efforts are being done by our government also to forecast
such disasters.
With cyclones sometimes heavy rainfall also comes alongwith lightning and these
produce highly adverse effects like destruction of buildings, drowning, loss of
life of people and other species, disruption of electricity, drinking water, stoppage
of communication systems like telephones, internet, and even air accidents also
etc.
Although various warnings are issued by government through media about the
occurrence of cyclones but sometimes some poor people don't take them seriously
like fishermen because their daily earnings depend upon fishing alone.
Many steps can be undertaken to manage cyclones like early warnings, pre-
preparedness to handle disasters, managing the after effects of cyclones etc.
like warnings may include the timing, speed, direction, area likely to be affected
etc.
There are various mitigation issues which have been undertaken by Indian
government through various departments, organizations, NGOs etc. Like the
ACWCs (Area Cyclone Warning Centres) issue such warnings located in different
states and CWCs (Cyclone Warning Centres) in other cities. Many committees in
various states are also working like CDMC (Cyclone Distress Mitigation
Committees) and CRCs (Cyclone Review Committees) are present in many states
of our country.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 7 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Management and mitigation includes various considerations in disasters

occurrence, like forecasting, issuance of warnings, emergency services of medical
aid, food, drinking water, clothes, shelter etc., help of armed forces personnel,
NGOs, volunteers like donating food, money, blankets etc. and even rehabilitation
of affected victims also.
2.1.6 Landslides
Landslides occur due to rapid downward movement under the influence of gravity
of a mass of rock, earth or other things on a slope. Landslides may be classified
in two categories broadly - (a) according to the type of movement; (b) according
to the type of material. The movement can be either slow or fast, but the more
rapidly moving landslides pose greater hazards to life. Fast speeds even leave
little time for warning. And apart from movement, a landslide can also be classified
as a flow or fall or topple. A flow can be a thick mixture of mud, often called
mudslide, or broken rocks also like debris, bedrock etc.
Based on the type of movement, relative rate of movement, and kind of material
involved, landslides can be broadly designated in five kinds - (a) slump with
earth flow; (b) debris slide; (c) debris fall; (d) rock slide; and (e) rock fall.
As landslides are a combination of rock slide and rock fall. They involve movement
of mass (soil, debris or rock). The process of movement of mass may vary from
slow soil creep to abrupt and sudden rockfall.
Landslides, being more widespread in different mountains or hilly regions of
the country, like Himalayas, Badrinath causalities, North-East Hills, Western
Ghats, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh etc. viz. in 2005
the Tibet landslides created an artificial lake on the river Purchu, posing a great
threat to Himachal Pradesh. They cause damage which is more varied and more
widespread. Increased population, quarrying, mining and construction activities
near unstable hill slopes, ill-conceived developmental activities in the vulnerable
hilly areas have resulted in more incidents of landslides. And the adverse effects
of landslides includes loss of life of people and animals, destruction of property,
roads blockage, etc. The disappearance of land and cultivable top soil takes
away the agricultural potential of the affected area thus depriving them of their
already meagre livelihood.
Landslides are also known to result in blocking of streams or over flowing of
lakes thus causing flash floods because large volumes of debris falling in a lake
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 8 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

or reservoir cause its water to overflow or the temporarily blocked stream may
suddenly release the huge quantity of impounded water to cause a devastating
flash flood downstream.
Mitigation issues include forecasting of landslides, issuance of warnings, first-
aid, medical facilities, clearance of roads, streams, other ways, making of
temporary roads, bridges, help of armed forces personnel etc.
2.1.7 Snow Avalanches
Snow avalanches are large mass of snow, ice, earth, rock or other materials in
swift motion down a mountain side. These may be classified as dry snow or wet
snow type with direct and delayed action avalanches. Dry snow avalanches
occur when new snow slides over old stable snow. Wet snow avalanches occur
when rainfall or warm weather occurs immediately after snowfall e.g. spring
than avalanche. In such a case, the snow avalanche consists primarily of melting
snow mixed with water but takes alongwith it any other material enroute. Wet
snow avalanches also occur during spring seasons when heavy accumulations
of snow become loose with the start melting process.
Snow avalanches occur due to many reasons depending upon climate, wind
conditions, topography, velocity of winds etc. These are generated due to the
structural failure of snow heap lying on mountain slopes like large accumulation
of snow from heavy snowfall creating excessive loading; sound waves from any
loud noise; excessive melting of snows; etc. In case of specific kinds of snow
avalanches, the resultant damage is quite characteristic. Due to the nature of
the rocks of the Himalayan mountains, the snow avalanche may also carry large
quantity of debris, stones etc. There are many hilly regions in India where snow
avalanches occur like in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttranchal etc.
DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) monitors snow
avalanches in our country.
There are many issues involved in mitigation like forecasting and issuance of
warnings in snow avalanches with medical emergencies, food, shelter, help of
armed force personnel etc.
2.1.8 Other Disasters
(a) Fires : The large fires anywhere can take place whether man-made like
in bomb explosions by terrorists; or they can be natural also like forest
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 9 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

fires. The services of fire-brigade department are much sought after but
local public can be trained also in some buildings alongwith fire-
extinguishers, sand, water etc.
(b) Draught : Draught can also be categorised as a disaster. It is primarily
a deficiency in rainfall and results in nearly no food crop production in an
area. Large evaporation resulting from poor water retention capacity of
soil adds to the problem and even the availability of water for drinking
purposes also gets affected and it leads to loss of life to people, cattle,
other animals and birds also. Draught is a major problem in different
parts of the world including India like some areas are worst affected by
draughts viz. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh etc. Our
government takes many steps to tackle the draughts by releasing various
funds/grants and giving subsidies etc.
(c) Famines : Famines means non-availability of food to many people. It
can be due to decline in the availability of food or some persons access to
have food, i.e. it affects poor people the most. Earlier, famines were meant
by reduction in food production but now where there is availability of food
but people cannot take it like poor people cannot afford or are able to
purchase food is also included in famines. Apart from extreme poverty,
famines can result from many situations where food production process
is declined like draught, floods, fires, heavy rainfall, etc. Our government
tries to provide relief to famine victims also with its various victims.
2.1.9 Other Considerations
There are many considerations which can help in managing various
disasters like :
(a) Public Awareness and Training : "Catch them Young" is a phrase
used to create awareness among children, i.e. children should be made
aware of the disasters by educating them and they should be invited to
do various rallies, drawing competitions etc. to spread awareness on
disaster issues. And even some summer workshops can be held to impart
some basic awareness and training to help disaster victims like fire
fighting, first-aid etc. Awareness in childhood can have benefits in the
long run when children become adults and would be better prepared to
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 10 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

help our society and country with their interests developed in many
respects related to disasters.
Even public awareness programmes for general public is also encouraged
to handle disasters situations like first-aid, fire-fighting etc.
(b) Policies of Government : Government policies at various levels can be
prepared and implemented. As our government does a lot to help in the
crisis of disasters by issuing warnings, forecasting, releasing funds and
grants, giving medical assistance, helping with the armed forces, and
with various programmes, policies, NGOs also by providing them various
grants, with many laws and regulations etc.
(c) Media : The role of media cannot be left out while tackling various
disasters. As media can offer various roles that it is must for the handling
of disasters. Media plays many roles in disaster management like it can
create public awareness and training also with the help of newspapers
columns or television programmes, or radio etc. It can educate masses at
the same time. It helps to issue warnings in various areas where
forecasting has been predicted for any occurrence of fire disasters. It
reports the disasters in news so that those persons who want to help the
victims can reach the disaster affect areas at the earliest, etc.
(d) Disaster Preparedness Plans : Disaster preparedness plans can be
made to design and minimise the loss done by disasters. These can include
forecasting, issuance of warnings, timely help to victims, rehabilitation of
persons etc. and even public awareness and training can also be included.
These can be short-term and long-term as well.
Short-term plans are based on past occurrences of the disasters and giving
immediate help to disaster victims at the earliest time possible is included by
giving emergency help of medical assistance, saving the lives, giving food, shelter,
water, etc.
Long-term plans include the rehabilitation of the disaster victims by releasing
various funds & grants and even creating public awareness and education are
part of it.
The plans can be at various levels like central, state, district etc. Even the
involvement of various departments and NGOs are also to be considered in
these plans.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 11 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

(e) Food Supplies : During disasters, these can be various modes for
transportation of the food supplies like rail transport, air transport, road transport
etc.
2.1.10 Conclusion :
Although some disasters occur for a very short time but they leave long lasting
effects to the victims who are survived but has lost their near or dear ones or
their earning opportunities. And it is beyond human control to stop or prevent
the occurrence of disasters especially the natural ones. But even terrorists acts
are also beyond our control as they are also occurring simultaneously although
our government are sometimes able to stop and prevent some of the terrorist
acts. But disasters disrupt the normal life of many people so we should be
prepared to manage the disasters and we all should do something to help the
victims. Even in our smallest help we can help many ones like by donating
money, food, clothes or personal help also. And we can even help in creating
public awareness and training too.
2.1.11 Suggested Questions
1. What are disasters?
2. Discuss any three :
(a) earthquakes
(b) floods
(c) cyclones
(d) landslides
(e) snow avalanches
3. Explain the role of media in disaster management.
4. Prepare a disaster management plan for your district in the case
of floods.
2.1.12 Suggested Readings
1. Text book of Environmental Studies - Dr. K. Raghavan Nambiar
2. Environmental Studies - R.R. Dass
3. Environmental Studies - R. Rajagopalam
4. Environmental Education - R.A. Sharma
B.A./B.Com./BCA/BBA Part-II Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.2 Author : Amita Kaistha

Social Issues and the Environment

[Water conservation, Rain water harvesting, watershed management,
Resettlement & rehabilitation of people; climate change, global warming,
Acid rain, ozone layer depletion, nuclear accidents & holocasts, wasteland
reclamation, need for public awareness, consumerism and waste products.]

Structure:
2.2.1 Introduction
2.2.2 Objectives
2.2.3 Water Conservation, Rain Water Harvesting, Watershed Management
2.2.3.1 Water Conservation
2.2.3.2 Rain Water Harvesting
2.2.3.3 Watershed Management
2.2.4 Resettlement & Rehabilitation of People; its Problems and Concerns
2.2.4.1 Resettlement & Rehabilitation of People
2.2.4.2 Case Studies
2.2.5 Climate Change, Global Warming, Acid Rain, Ozone Layer Depletion
2.2.5.1 Climate Change
2.2.5.2 Global Warming
2.2.5.3 Acid Rain
2.2.5.4 Ozone Layer Depletion
2.2.5.5 Nuclear Accidents & Holocasts
2.2.6 Wasteland Reclamation
2.2.7 Consumerism and Waste Products
2.2.8 Need for Public Awareness
12
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 13 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.2.9 Summary
2.2.10 Key Concepts
2.2.11 Suggested Readings and Web Sources
2.2.12 Suggested Questions
2.2.13 Self Check Exercise
2.2.1 Introduction
It is true that ecological balance and ecosystem stability are duly maintained by
nature itself but the modern, scientific, technological and industrial developments
have disturbed the ecological balance and ecosystem stability through heavy
industrialization, technological revolution, faster growth of means of
transportation and communication, rapid exploitation of nature resource, large
scale land use, unplanned expansion of urban population and industrial
complexes. Thus, human activities of modern man have disturbed the natural
and harmonious relationship between man and environment. There is a need
to employ the concept of Environmental management to maintain the ecological
balance and stability of ecosystem. Environmental management involves socio-
economic development of the society on the one hand and maintenance of
‘environmental quality’ on the other hand. This objective can be achieved through
check on destructive activities of man, conservation, protection, regulation and
regeneration of nature.
In this chapter we will discuss certain environmental issues as well as social issues
related to the environment so as to make people aware about environmental
management.
2.2.2 Objectives
After going through this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Understand the concept of sustainable development.
2. Discuss urban problems related to energy.
3. Explain water conservation. Rainwater harvesting and watershed
management.
4. Describe problems related with resettlement and rehabilitation of people
because of various natural calamities and human projects.
5. Recognise the need of wasteland reclamation.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 14 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

6. Understand the concept of climate change, global warming, acid rain and
ozone layer depletion.
7. Describe the concept of consumerism and waste products.
2.2.3 Water Conservation, Rain Water Harvesting, Watershed
Management
2.2.3.1 Water Conservation
Water shall be the main bone of contention in the future world conflicts. Irrigation
uses the largest percentage of the available water, followed by industries. Then
come domestic and commercial demands. Pollution of fresh water is the major
threat that puts great constraints on water availability and use.
Irrigation/agriculture: About 70% of the water is used in agriculture and
irrigation. Conservation can be done by providing impervious lining. By doing so
about 25 to 35% of water can be saved. Proper drainage must be provided and
this water must be recycled. This saves the land from water logging and
salinization. For several crops, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and fogging
can be used and a large quantity of water saved. About 60% of water is saved by
drip irrigation. During rainy periods, irrigation water must be cut off. Partly or
fully treated sewage can be used for irrigation. Such practices conserve water
that is in short supply.
Industry: Industries are innately water intensive. As an example 300m3 of
water is required to pro-duce 1 tonne of steel. Our technology needs revision
and revamping so as to reduce water usage. In cement industry dry process
instead of wet process saves quite a large quantity of water.
Domestic and municipal: Leakage accounts for 10% loss in India. Though
we are supposed to use as little as 135 lit/capita/day, several developed countries
use up to 1000 lit/capita/day. Still we are unable to supply fresh water to 100%
of the population. Flushing of toilets is another activity that accounts for large
wastage of water. So by adopting flush tanks of 2. to 5 lit capacities instead of
conventional 10 lit capacity tanks a lot of water can be saved. Waste-not pipes
have to be used. Segregation of sewage and sullage at the origin can facilitate us
to use sullage for gardening and other secondary uses. This also conserves
water. Rain water harvesting has to be promoted. Illegal taping and theft accounts
for 10% of water loss. This has to be curbed by strict vigilance and legislation.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 15 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.2.3.2 Rainwater harvesting

This method has been widely adopted in Gujarat and Rajasthan. However,
Tamil Nadu Government took a bold decision to institute rain water harvesting
as mandatory requirement in building rules. Now Kerala Government also has
made water harvesting a compulsory requirement in each and every building.
This method is now being adopted throughout out country and abroad. Australia,
Caribbean Islands, Lakshadaveep and Hong Kong are other areas where water
harvesting is adopted widely and successfully.
During heavy rainfall the surface water goes as runoff and gets wasted. This occurs
because man has removed the vegetation and grass from the land and replaced
them by hardened pavements, roads and courtyards. As a result the water does
not have an opportunity to percolate into the ground and replenish the ground
water. However, exploitation of ground water goes on uninterrupted. This has
lowered water table by hundreds of meters. More over the quality also has
deteriorated. It is in order to prevent these maladies that rain water harvesting has
been recommended. In Chennai, during the last 4 years ground water level has
risen and the quality also has improved considerably. The rain water harvesting
can be done on a large scale in a water shed. In the case of building, it can be done
so as to obtain sufficiently high quality water.
In the case of multi storeyed building this water is either collected in tanks or
permitted to replenish the ground water table. There is yet another method in which
ditches are cut along the contours of a slopping terrain ditches and filled with coir or
coconut husk and planted with wild plants. The run off during torrential rains are
prevented to flow easily. The water is interrupted by green belt growing on either
side of the ditches. The ditch can be 1 to 2m wide and 1m deep. Soil erosion and
water losses are prevented and ground water is replenished. This was the method
proposed by the author in VLB Janakiammal College of Engineering & Technology,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
2.2.3.3 Watershed Management
Water loss can also be prevented by certain good agricultural practices. They are:
 Growing luxuriant vegetation on slopes and adopting no ploughing
cultivation during the rains.
 Spreading and retaining crop residues on the fields.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 16 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

 Provision of contour ditches shall prevent water loss.

 Contour plantation of wild shrubs, grass and trees.
 Construction of small check dams across rivulets.
 Maintaining of wetlands like marshes and bogs as such.
2.2.4 Resettlement & Rehabilitation of People; its Problems and Concerns
2.2.4.1 Resettlement & Rehabilitation of People
Resettlement and rehabilitation become necessary when human habitats are
destroyed by natural calamities like tsunami, earth quake, mud flows or tidal
waves. People are forced to go out during reservoir filling or other developmental
stages of projects. Large reservoir projects have been the forerunners in
displacing several millions of people. Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada Valley
Project, Tehri dam Project in Garhwal are a few cases where rehabilitation has
become a controversy. About 35,000 people are yet to be rehabilitated in Sardar
Sagar Project. It is said that over a million people will be displaced if all the dams
in this megaproject are completed. Aswan high dam has displaced many
thousands, besides drowning many scenic spots, historical sites, temples and
fertile lands. The Three Gorges Dam in Changsjiana river shall displace a million
people, inundating 150 cities and villages.
As for natural disasters like earth quakes and tsunami there are several examples
in India and several hundreds in the world. The earthquakes of Gujarat and
Latur in Maharashtra and Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and South Asia,
Cyclones in Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu and Orissa are natural calamities which
have left many thousands of peo-ple homeless. There are also problems that
render millions homeless and rehabilitation becomes obligatory.
Immediate rehabilitation of the people on temporary scale is the first step.
Appropriate places should be chosen above maximum flood level and earth quake
free area and quake and storm resistance structures have to be designed and
constructed. Latur is a typical example of good rehabilitation programme. The
uprooted people should be provided with all community infrastructures for a
happy life. Disaster Management Committees exist at all levels: However, they
are dormant, ineffective, inefficient and uncommitted to the cause of their own
brethren. The major malady is monetary constraints and sometimes the lack of
it.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 17 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.2.4.2 Case study

Rehabitation in reservoir projects: Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal
(NWDT) have stipulated among other things. The acquisition of lands that may
be submerged and settings compensation resettlement and rehabilitation of the
evicted people. Accordingly, every displaced family from where more than 25%
of its land holding has been acquired are entitled to irrigable land of its choice
to the extent of land acquired with a rating of 2 ha per family. All persons
affected by the project irrespective of whether they are land owners or landless
and their major sons shall be entitled to a house plot of 502m2 free of cost
besides a grant of Rs.750/-. Individual and community benefits at places of new
resettlements shall be available to others. For all the displaced families Gujarat
Govern-ment shall provide facilities for their settlement. Those of the displaced
persons, who do not wish to settle in Gujarat, shall be accommodated by the
Governments of Maharashtra or Madhya Pradesh.
Rehabitlation ‘of displaced tribals becomes a real problem in several project
areas. Several irrigation and power projects have created such problems. The
case of Narmada Valley Project assumes significance. In the case of Sardar
Sarovar Project it is not only tribals, but people engaged in agriculture and
fishing are affected. Many hundred of families living on the banks of the river
are uprooted and displaced. They lose their employment opportunities and have
to starve. According to the CSS, the objectives of rehabitation should be:
 The people displaced should get an appropriate share in the fruits of
development.
 They should be rehabilitated by creating new settlements within their own
environment.
 Removal of poverty should be an objective of the rehabilitation policy.
 All of them should be employed.
2.22.5 Climate Change, Global Warming, Acid Rain, Ozone Layer Depletion
2.2.5.1 Climate Change
Scientific and industrial revolution during the past over a century have been
responsible to bring more and more comforts for men but this has also been
responsible to cause wide range of environmental changes. The climatic change
can be of two types. The first is natural phenomenon which occurs on a geological
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 18 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

time-scale and is a beyond human control. The second is human induced changes.
It is this type of change which is our present concern. These changes are
brought about through industrial and vehicular emissions into the atmosphere
causing changes in the composition of atmosphere.
2.2.5.2 Global Warming
The solar radiation impinging upon the surface of the earth passes through a
thick blanket of atmosphere. The radiation is a part of the electromagnetic
radiation which consists of wavelength starting from 10-14 cm to 106 cm. The
solar radiation consists of wavelengths from 106 cm to 10-1 cm. The visible range
is limited to 380 nm to 775 nm. The air as well as earth absorbs the incoming
radiation and remit it. The remission always takes place in longer wavelengths
than the radiation absorbed, thus, remitted radiation is heat radiation (infra-
red). The thick atmospheric layer is transparent for short wave radiation but
certain gases absorb long wave radiations increasing the temperature. The
outermost layer of the atmosphere consists of a thin layer of ozone which absorbs
all ultra-violet radiations and hence they do not reach the earth’s surface.
The main atmospheric gases responsible for the absorption of heat and
consequent warming are carbon dioxide; emitted by the burning of fossil fuels
and biomass. Its concentration increases due to non -utilization by the plants
reduced due to reduction of vegetal cover due to deforestation. Carbon dioxide
is even today the most important gas responsible for warming- to the extent of
50 per cent. Methane is the second gas contributing to warming by 18 per cent.
It is obtained as a result of anerobic digestion of organic matter in biogas plants
and waterlogged paddy fields. The next important gas is chlorofluoro-carbons
escaping from refrigeration units and also the halones obtained from fire fighting
equipments, these contribute about 18 per cent warming of the atmosphere.
The next one is nitrous oxides which has about six per cent contribution towards
warming.
Methane traps heat about 25 times more than carbon dioxide and CFCs about
10,000 times more heat trapping capacity than carbon dioxide. These gases act
in the same manner as the glass-houses made in temperate regions. These are
called greenhouses. The heating within these greenhouses are caused due to
the property of glass which is transparent for light but not so for the heat
radiations and hence the remitted radiations get locked up in these greenhouses
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 19 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

and thus get heated up. Similar action depicted by atmospheric gases is been
called’ as greenhouse effect. The gases causing such effect in atmosphere have,
therefore, been called greenhouse gases.
2.2.5.3 Acid Rain
“Acid rain” is a much wider term including rain, snowfall, fog and dew having more
acidic reaction than the normal. The oxides of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen present
in the air react with water vapour in presence of sunlight and produce carbonic
acid, sulphuric acid and nitric and nitrous acids. These acids remain in vaporous
state and gradually condense with falling temperature and produce acid rain. Acid
rain has the potential of being widely distributed. The sulphur and nitrogen
compounds formed by the burning of fossil fuel can be blown through long distances,
even thousands of kilometers. Thus the acid rain may occur in countries far from
their origin. It is thus an international nightmare, it can also be called as an
undeclared chemical war.
2.2.5.4 Ozone Layer Depletion
Ozone is a gas having three atoms of oxygen making a molecule O3. This acts as
a protective shield by not allowing ultra-violet radiations (less than 300 nm) to
enter in the atmosphere. The ozone is formed by photo-chemical conversion of
oxygen. This reaction normally takes place at higher altitudes of the atmosphere.
The thickness of the ozone layer is not uniform throughout the world.
Due to the quality of ozone to absorb the short wave radiations i.e., below 300
nm it is capable of protecting the living organisms from the harmful effects of
these radiations. In human beings these radiations are believed to cause skin
cancer, cataract of eye, damage immune systems and finally cause death. It has
also been shown to cause damage to crops, forests and other natural systems.
The depletion of ozone layer causing “ozone holes” a perceptible reduction in
the thickness of this layer especially in the Antarctic and probably in the Arctic
zone have been observed. It has been observed that ozone layer is depleting
now at much faster rate than earlier and the ozone hole has grown by about
50% since 1979 when they were first observed. Over a major part of Indian
subcontinent the ozone content is already much lower, hence, the ultra-violet
doses are higher.
Modern man has been using deadly chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
and halogens which destroy ozone layer. CFCs are used as propellants in aerosol
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 20 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

sprays, coolants for refrigerators and air-conditioners, manufacture of plastics,

insulating foams for buildings and packaging materials. CFC molecules moving
up in the atmosphere, under the action of solar, radiation are broken up releasing
active chlorine. This active chlorine combines with ozone producing oxygen
molecule and chlorine monoxide. Chlorine monoxide further disintegrates into
chlorine and oxygen. This released free chlorine atom again undergoing the
same reaction to keep the cycle going.
So, it is clear that the degradation of ozone takes place by the free chlorine atom
and chlorine monoxide in its own turn again produces free chlorine atom and
water molecule by combining with free oxygen atom. This cycle goes on at higher
altitudes where free oxygen atom and ultra-violet radiations are available. Besides
disintegrating the ozone this cycle utilizes the free oxygen and thus hampers
the formation of ozone molecule thus can rapidly deplete the ozone layer.
An international cooperation was agreed in Vienna in March 1985 to fight the
threat of ozone layer and a protocol to that effect has been signed by 40 countries
on 16th September 1987 in Montreal. This is commonly known as Montreal
Protocol. The protocol envisages the restriction of global emission of CFCs to
50% of 1986 level. The protocol has asked the developed countries to reduce
the consumption of CFCs by 50% by the year 2000. The consumption of CFCs
in developed countries is 1 kg per capita per year. In India the consumption is
0.005 per capita per year. The protocol envisages that per capita consumption
be brought to 0.3 kg per capita per by the year 2000 and to 0.005 kg. kg per
capita per year by the year 2006.
2.2.5.5 Nuclear Accident
On 26th April, 1986, at 1.23 hours one of the four operating reactor units at
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station’s fuel element suddenly ruptured into minute
very hot pieces causing steam explosion. The energy released by this explosion
was so enormous that it blew 1000 ton cover plate of the reactor, cutting all the
cooling channel. This was followed by another explosion ejecting hot pieces of
reactor from the damaged buildings. The graphite used as moderator in the reactor
started burning. This fire extensively damaged the reactor building, equipments
reactor including its core.
This accident caused damage to domesticate as well as farm animals. Besides loss to
living beings there were irrepairable cultural losses like the icons of Middle Ages,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 21 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

damage of newly built library at Pripyat housing priceless treasures of knowledge.

The trees in an area of 30 km radius from the power plant got seriously contaminated
and its burning would have resulted in the spread of air borne contamination. Whole
forest had to be cut down and burried. Heaviest casualties occurred amongst the fire
fighters or “liquidators” at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Nearly one million
liquidators were conscripted and it is estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 are now dead in
Ukraine alone. In addition to the liquidators about 15.6 million persons exposed to this
disaster suffer from various ailments. Children received 200 rads or more on their
thyroid causing enlargement of lymph nodes besides changes in blood picture. Gastric
and intestinal disorders in a large number of persons have also been reported.
2.2.6 Wasteland Reclamation
Wasteland is a lose term used to designate those land masses which have lost
their productivity due to natural and/or anthropogenic reasons. These can be
categorised as:
1. Natural wastelands. In hills, landslides are of common occurrence and
these expose the soils which are low in their productivity potential. These
can be checked by construction of drainage ditches and walls along hill
slopes. An appropriately selected plantation of soil binding species shall
also be helpful in preventing the soil erosion. The exposed soils after landslide
can be rehabilitated by planting carefully selected plants on it. This will
reclaim the land.
2. Anthropogenic wastelands. In the recent years -deforestation, large
scale abuse of soils, use of chemicals, etc. have been responsible for the
generation of large expenses of waste lands.
(a) Deforestation and abandoning the land after excessive agriculture removes
all the soil binding vegetation. Such soils are washed always along with rain
and running water. These processes are called erosion. Soil erosion can
effectively be prevented through large scale plantation of trees, shrubs and
grasses capable of binding the soil, and utilizing it for agriculture, horticulture,
etc.
(b) Over cultivation deplete the soil of organic matter and nutrient has been
responsible for the loss of fertility.
Water logging be avoided by sealing lateral seepages from water sources
such as canals, tanks, ponds, etc.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 22 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Alkalinity and salinity of soil can be neutralised by the application of

gypsum, phosphogypsum, pyrites, organic manures, etc.
The area may be used to grow salt and alkali resistant plants like cotton,
date, palm, soya, millets, barley, and spinach.
(c) Human activities like large scale irrigation in course of time convert the
area into waterlogged area.
(d) Dumping of solid wastes generated from industrial mining and residential
areas are deposited on land. This causes generation of huge wastelands
adjoining these areas. These areas can be reclaimed by planning plantation
of carefully selected plants suitable for growth on dumped wastes.
2.2.7 Consumerism and Waste Products
Present social order developed under the influence of scientific and industrial
revolution exhibits a variety of consumerisms. The present day affluent society’s
consumer behaviour results in environmental degradation at a large scale.
Though such consumerism tends to improve the standard of living of the society
but it is at the cost of such environmental changes which might make
perpetuation of human beings difficult. The realization of this fact teaches man
that with the power of science he can do anything he wishes is not correct. It
prompts him to modulate his actions in the manner that they do not cause
discomfort to others and are not likely to harm himself irrepairably (Burkley et
al., 1972).
The Western Culture developed under the influence of advanced technological
outputs is a culture of ‘use and through’ consumerism. There is need to learn
from the mistakes of the developed countries and take preventive measures
well before the damage becomes irrepairable.
This scenario of consumerism is characterized by the production of wastes
causing impact on the environment and making it all the more harmful for the
survival and perpetuation of human beings. This in its own turn involves that
any product made, packed, used and / or disposed off in a way that significantly
does not cause the harm it would have otherwise caused to the environment.
Such products have been called as Eco-friendly Product (EFP). These substances
are not supposed to produce hazardous wastes; the wastes generated (are
recyclable and biodegradable. The production of these materials are characterized
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 23 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

by low energy consumption. The concept of eco-friendly products and their use
to harness sustainable development was first introduced in 1978 in Federal
Republic of Germany. Later the concept has been introduced in Canada, Japan,
France, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, USA, Korea, Singapore, and
India.
Hayes (1990-91) has pointed out that environmental concern has direct influence
upon policies of nation, law, education, religion, investments and consumer
behaviour leading to the development of the lifestyle. It has also been pointed
out that once proper awareness is provided to user; it may refuse, to purchase
the goods having deleterious effect on the environment.
The Environmental Report Card is a new and easy to use tool designed to
determine how well a product performs environmentally.
It must be remembered that all the commodities used by the consuming society
place some burden on the environment at some stage during the life-cycle. The
efforts must thus be made to eliminate or to reduce these burdens whenever
possible as an act of real saving of the environment.
The Environmental Report Card provides cradle to grave, accurate, objective,
commonly understandable environmental performance of the products under
following heads:
Resource depletion
Water (Fresh)
Wood
Coal, oil, natural gas, gas (Non-fuel)
Matal ores
Other minerals
Food
Fibre (e.g., cotton, jute, etc.)
Animal products (e.g., leather).
Energy
Coal
Oil
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 24 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Natural gas
Nuclear
Hydro.
Air pollution
Ozone destroying chemicals
Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Sulphur oxides
Nitrogen oxides
Particulate matter
Unclassified pollutants
Hazardous air pollutants.
Water pollution
Total solids
Oxygen depleting chemicals
Unclassified pollutants
Toxic pollutants
Solid wastes generated
Unclassified: Biodegradable
Non-biodegradable
Hazardous wastes.
Their quantities are given either in grams or in kilograms and the burden caused
are shown from low to high by bars.
The card is useful to consumers, businessmen and government in the following
manner:
Benefits to consumers
- empowers to make better informed decision regarding products;
- educates about the root cause of today’s most serious environmental
problems; and
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 25 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

- helps in identifying the best strategies for personal improvement.

Benefits to business
- Gives companies the flexibilities to choose materials and technologies
to optimize product’s eco-profit.
- Capable of registering incremental improvements as they occur.
- Effective universal label that can be used throughout the globe.
Benefits to government
- Provide an objective basis for “environmentally preferable” procurement
programmes.
- Fosters industry improvements beyond compliance through marketplace
incentives.
- The eco-labeling approach that does not inherently create barriers to
trade.
In order to change the present consumerism pattern into consumerism of eco-
friendly products following steps are suggested at consumer, industry and
government levels:
Consumers
1. Total awareness towards use of eco-friendly materials.
Industry
2. Industry must take up the task of produce more and more eco-friendly
materials.
3. Manufacturers must use the processes of production those are eco-friendly
and have less environmental impact.
4. It must be ensured that the product’s degradation products are less
pollution causing.
5. Industry must ensure conservation of resources.
6. Reuse of packaging materials be ensured.
7. The industry must utilize local skills and resources.
8. Industry must provide full details on the Environmental Report Card
attached to the product.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 26 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Government
9. The government must take steps to make it mandatory that all the
products must have an Environmental Report Card.
10. A central coordinating agency be established to coordinate the eco-friendly
activities of various states.
11. Independent state agencies be organised.
12. Incentives provided to the industries producing eco-friendly products..
13. Financial support be provided for generating awareness amongst people
for use of eco-friendly products.
14. Use of information technology to popularise such products.
2.2.8 Need for Public Awareness
There is lack of awareness of the interrelated nature of all human activities and
the environment due to inaccurate or insufficient information. There is need to
increase public sensitivity to environment and development problems and
involvement in their solutions and foster a sense of personal environmental
responsibility and greater motivation and commitment towards sustainable
development. There is need to promote public awareness as an essential part of
global education effort to strengthen attitude, values and actions which are
compatiable with sustainable development.
Public awareness of the environment means the ability to emotionally understand
the surrounding world, including the laws of the natural environment, sensitivity
to all the changes occurring in the environment, understanding of cause-and-
effect relationships between the quality of the environment and human behaviour,
an understanding of how the environment works as a system, and a sense of
responsibility for the common heritage of the Earth, such as natural resources
- with the aim of preserving them for future generations.
To know and understand what is good and what is better, and at the same
time commit a wrongdoing, is socially more injurious than committing a
wrongdoing in ignorance. Therefore, building, in a society, a new system of
values with the aim of creating environmental public awareness, should include
systematic training activities aimed at increasing the basic knowledge of
ecology and environmental protection, and, at the same time, raising the
sensitivity of individuals to nature.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 27 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Environmental public awareness comes from a result of general knowledge,

specialist knowledge of a particular problem and also sensitivity to, and a sense
of, responsibility for the environment.
Environmental public awareness is shaped throughout the whole life of particular
people living in a given local community, performing specific work and having
definite personal characteristics which have a deciding effect on their sense of
responsibility and ability to emotionally perceive the environment as having
value in itself. The knowledge acquired during school education and then
systematically improved in adulthood, is an essential factor in heightening the
enviornmental awareness of an individual and, at the same time, an indispensible
condition for the development of a pro-ecological lifestyle. Public can be made
aware through :
* Schools and academic manuals,
* messages transmitted through mass media,
* children, youth, daily, popular and specialist press,
* television and radio programmes,
* films, including documentary films,
* Internet,
* own experience and observations,
* work for organizations
* Organizing campaigns
It has also brought to the knowledge of common citizens of India that for
sustaining agriculture and maintaining the quality of environment at least one-
third of the country's land should be under forest. This public awareness has
helped government as well as voluntary organizations to take up the issue of
environmental protection. People and activists agitation in connection with Chipko
Movement, Appiko Movement, Silent Valley (Kerala) and Sardar Sarovar Project
on Narmada are some illustrations to show how to clean and make environment
pollution free.
2.2.9 Summary
In this chapter we have discussed that a sustainable state is one in which
utility is non-declining through time and in which resources are managed so as
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 28 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

to maintain production opportunity for the future. For an integrated energy

management system we should have renewable energy as well as non-renewable
energy sources. We also have discussed water conservation, rainwater harvesting
and wasteland management.
Resettlement and rehabilitation become necessary when human habitats are
destroyed by natural calamities like tsunami, earthquake, mud flows or tidal
waves. The history of earth reveals that gradual climate change has continuously
occur due to natural phenomena and human induced changes which leads to
global warming, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion. Wasteland is a term used
to designate those land masses which have lost their productivity due to natural
and anthropogenic reasons. The present day affluent society’s consumer
behaviour results in environmental degradation at a large scale. Through such
consumerism tends to improve the standard of living of the society but it is at
the cost of such environmental changes which might make perpetuation of
human beings difficult.
2.2.10 Key Concepts
1. Sustainable : That may be sustained or kept up
2. Renewable : Which can be renewed after a period of time.
3. Resettlement : means proper arrangement not only for habitation
& Rehabilitation of people but also for their
vacation as well as employment.
4. Ozone : It is a gas having three atoms of oxygen making a
molecule O3.
5. Wasteland : A land which has lost its productivity due to
natural or anthropogenic reasons.
2.2.11 Suggested Readings and Web Sources
1. Text book of Environmental Studies - Dr. K. Raghavan Nambiar
2. Environmental Studies - R.R. Dass
3. Environmental Studies - R. Rajagopalam
4. Environmental Education - R.A. Sharma
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 29 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Web Sources:
1. www.globalissues.org 2. edugreen.teri.res.in
3. en.wikipedia.org
2.2.12 Suggested Questions
1. Give brief note on water harvesting.
2. What are the green house gases and their impact on global temperature?
3. What are the ozone depleting chemicals and their impact on ozone layer?
4. Give a brief account of resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced people.
2.2.13 Self Check Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
1. Global warming causes ........................... in sea level.
2. Acid rain is caused by ................................... .
3. The conference related to the control of chloroflurocarbon is called as.........
4. ................................... gas has the maximum greenhouse effect.
5. Two sources of energy are ................. and .................. .
Answers:
1. Rise, 2. Nitrogen dioxide and Sulpur dioxide, 3. Montreal Protocol
4. Carbon dioxide 5. Renewable and non-renewable.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.3 Author : Ms. Ravneet Kaur

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

LAWS IN INDIA

2.3.0 Objectives
2.3.1 Introduction
2.3.2 Environment Protection Act, 1986
2.3.3 Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
2.3.4 Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
2.3.5 Forest Conservation Act, 1980
2.3.6 Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
2.3.7 Issues involved in enforcement of environmental legislation
2.3.8 Environmental Ethics : Issues and Possible Solutions
2.3.9 Public awareness
2.3.10 Conclusion
2.3.11 Self-Check Exercise
2.3.12 Suggested Reading & Web Sources
2.3.13 Suggested Questions
2.3.0 Objectives
The scope of this lesson is to familiarise you with the basic environmental laws
and some other dimensions concerning environment. After studying this lesson,
you will be able to understand :

Environment Protection Act, 1985

Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Forest Conservation Act, 1980
30
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 31 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Issues involved in enforcement of environmental legislation

Environmental Ethics : Issues and Possible Solutions

Public awareness
2.3.1 Introduction
Just think about a packet of potato-chips. When finished, many times it is
thrown in the open if we are at a public place. But this action is different when
we are inside our homes. This example shows that even with the same thing,
people do behave differently.
Human activities, whether individual/organizational or commercial/ non-
commercial, are indeed polluting the natural environment without any ethical
concern that it is the nature which is furnishing our all needs.
Moreover, rapid industrialization has led to many environmental problems also,
like acid rain, emitting noxious gaseous fumes and toxic effluents, etc. And
much usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are contaminating the soil,
water and air. So to safeguard against environmental pollution, many laws have
been enacted in India to deal with various pollutions and other natural settings.
But the enactment of laws is not an end in itself as there are problems also
regarding their implementation and enforcement. So various issues in the
enforcement of environmental legislation are also discussed in the present
chapter. And in reality, the enforcement of laws depends upon their awareness
in the public, hence public awareness for environmental legislation is also
discussed in this chapter.
2.3.2 The Environment Protection Act, 1986
'The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment' was held at
Stockholm in June 1972. India also participated in this conference. To implement
the decisions of the UN conference and further with the incident of the Bhopal
Gas Leak Tragedy in 1984; pressed the need of environmental legislation. Hence,
in 1986, the Government of India enacted The Environment Protection Act,
1986. It should be kept in mind that many different laws or acts regarding
environment were available before this enactment, but a need was felt for a
comprehensive act to regulate and coordinate various environmental concerns.
It does not mean that other acts are not needed and should be discontinued,
but they are helpful in their own way and many amendments of other acts have
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 32 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

been done afterwards keeping in view, the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
As the formation of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 is to plan and implement
various safeguards to protect the environment. Hence, this act is sometimes
referred to as an 'umbrella' legislation which empowers the Central Government
to coordinate various central and state authorities like the Water Act and the Air
Act.
Main Provisions of this Act
(1) Under Section 3, the Central Government has absolute powers to take
any measure to protect and improve the quality of environment and also
to preventing, controlling and abating environmental pollution. Some such
measures are :
- Coordinating the actions of various state government officers
and other authorities;
- to plan and execute a nation-wide programme;
- to lay down standards for the quality of environment;
- to lay down standards for emission or discharge of environmental
pollutants;
- to restrict areas whose industrial operations and processes
cannot be carried out or carried out with certain safeguards;
- to inspect any premises, plant, machinery, etc.
- to establish environmental laboratories;
- to collect and disseminate information regarding environmental
pollution; etc.
(2) Under Section 5, the Central Government can issue directions for the
closure, prohibition or regulation of any industry, operation or process;
or the stoppage or regulation of the supply of electricity or water or any
other service.
(3) Under Section-7, no person carrying out on any industry, operation or
process shall discharge or emit or permit to emit to be discharged or
emitted any environmental pollutant in excess of such standards may be
prescribed.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 33 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

(4) Penalties for contravention of the provisions of this Act are provided
Under Section-15.
Under Section-15(1) whoever fails to comply with or contravenes any of
the provisions of this Act, or the rules made or orders or directions issued
thereunder, shall, in respect of each such failure or contravention, be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years
or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both, and in
case the failure or contravention continues, with additional fine which
may extend to five thousand rupees for every day during which such
failure or contravention continues after the conviction for the first such
failure or contravention.
U/s. 15(2) if the failure or contravention referred to in sub-section (i)
continues beyond a period of one year after the date of conviction, the
offender shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to seven years.
Note : The Act is silent on minimum imprisonment and fine.
(5) Under Sections 16 and 17, companies and Government Departments are
also liable for offences, even the Head of the Department may be punished
also.
(6) Section-19 : Cognizance of Offences
No court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act except on a complaint
made by :
(a) t h e C e n t ra l G o v e rn me n t o r any au t h o ri ty o r o f f ic e r
authorised in this behalf by that Government; or
(b) any person who has given notice of not less than sixty days, in the
manner prescribed, of the alleged offence and of his intention to
make a complaint, to the Central Government or the authority or
officer authorized as aforesaid.
(7) Section-24(2) is a loophole in this Act as it provides where any act or
omission constitutes an offence punishable under this Act and also under
any other Act, then the offender found guilty of such offence shall be
liable to be punished under the other Act and not under this Act.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 34 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Note : The Environment Protection Act, 1986 also empowers the Central
Government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act and
such rules are to be laid down before the Parliament for its approval.
There are many rules which have been made by the Central Government like :
(1) The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, which contain many aspects
like setting-up of standards and limits of various levels of pollution viz.
standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants. Different
standards have been prescribed for different industries, processes etc.
(2) The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989.
(3) The Chemical Accident (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response)
Rules, 1996.
(4) Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules, 2000 and many more.
2.3.3 The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
Although water is a state subject, this act was enacted under Article 252(i) of
the Constitution. Initially, it was implemented in few states but now all states
have implemented it but the amendment of 1988 has not been adopted by all
the states.
Major Provisions of this Act
(1) Three types of Boards can be established :
(a) Central Board U/s. 3 to be called as Central Pollution Control
Board;
(b) State Boards U/s. 4 to be called as State Pollution Control
Board; and
(c) Joint Boards U/s. 13 by :
(i) by two or more Governments of contiguous states, or
(ii) by the Central Government (in respect of one or more Union
Territories) and one or more Governments of states
contiguous to such union territory or union territories.
(2) Functions of Central Board - Section 16
(a) to promote cleanliness of streams and wells; (b) to advice Central Govt.
regarding water pollution; (c) to coordinate activities of State Boards; (d) providing
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 35 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

technical assistance and guidance to State Boards; (e) giving training to persons;
(f) mass media coverage programmes; (g) collecting and publishing technical &
statistical information and preparing codes, manuals etc. for disposal of sewage
and trade effluents; (h) to establish laboratories; (i) to perform functions of any
State Board as specified; (j) to lay down standards; etc.
(3) Functions of State Board - Section 17
A State Board also performs above functions but advises the respective State
Govt. and collaborates with the Central Board for some matters.
(4) Powers of a State Board
(a) Power to obtain information U/s. 20; (b) Power to take samples U/s.
21; (c) Power of entry and inspection U/s. 23; (d) to prohibit use of stream
or well for disposal of polluting matters U/s. 24; (e) to make restrictions
on new outlets and new discharges U/s. 25; (f) industries etc. have to
inform State Board for certain matters of pollution discharges; etc.
(5) Under Section-33 a Board has power to go to courts for restraining
apprehended pollution of water in streams or wells and a Board can even
recover expenses for removing pollution disposals from the concerned
persons.
(6) A Board U/s. 33-A can give directions for closure, prohibition or regulation
of any industry; operation or process; or to stop electricity, water and
any other service also.
(7) Penalties : There are different penalties for different offences under this
Act like :
(a) U/s. 41(i), imprisonment upto 3 months or fine of Rupees Ten
Thousand or both; for failure to comply with directions within time
given U/s. 20(2) or (3); and additional fine of upto Rupees Five
Thousand per day during which such failure continues after
conviction for the first such failure.
(b) U/s. 41(2), imprisonment for minimum one year and six months
and can be extended to six years and with fine, and if failure
continues, then with additional fine of rupees five thousand per
day during which such failure continues after the conviction for
the first such failure.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 36 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

(c) U/s. 41(3), imprisonment of minimum two years to seven years

and with fine, for failure referred U/s. 41(2) continues beyond a
period of one year after the date of conviction.
(d) U/s. 42(1), imprisonment of upto three months or fine upto rupees
ten thousand or both, for certain acts like - destroying, damaging
etc. any works or property of the Board or under its authority;
failing to provide information; failing to intimate accidents etc.; giving
false information; etc.
(e) U/s. 42(2), imprisonment upto three months or with fine upto rupees
one thousand or both, for knowingly or wilfully altering or interfering
with meter, gauge, other monitoring device so as to prevent from
monitoring or measuring correctly, used for taking grant of consent
U/s. 25 and 26.
(f) U/s. 43, imprisonment of minimum one year and six months but
upto six years and with fine, for contravention of provisions of
Section-24.
(g) U/s. 44, imprisonment of minimum one year and six months but
upto six years with fine, for contraventions of Sections 25 or 26.
(h) U/s. 45, enhanced penalty after previous conviction of minimum
two years but upto seven years and with fine, on second and every
subsequent conviction, for contraventions done earlier and again
found guilty under Sections 24, 25 or 26.
(i) U/s. 45-A, for contravening any provisions of this Act or failure to
comply with orders or directions, for which no penalty has been
elsewhere provided in this Act, imprisonment of upto three months
or fine upto rupees ten thousand, or both. And in case of continuing
failure, additional fine upto rupees five thousand per day during
which such failure or contravention continues for the first such
contravention or failure.
(8) Under Section-46, names of offenders can be published alongwith address,
offence and penalty in newspapers or other manner, if any person convicted
of an offence under this Act commits a like offence afterwards and it shall
be lawful for one court before which the second or subsequent conviction
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 37 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

takes place. And expenses for publication are treated as fine and recovered
from the offender.
(9) Under Sections-47 and 48, companies and Govt. Departments are also
liable for offences made and even the Head of Department can be held
liable personally also.
(10) Under Section-49(i), no court can take cognizance of any offence under
this act except on a complaint made by -
(a) a Board or any officer authorized by it; or
(b) any person who has given notice of not less than sixty days
in prescribed manner to the Board or its authorized officer;
and no court inferior to that of a Metropolitan Magistrate or
a Judicial Magistrate of the first class shall try any offence
under this Act.
(11) Under Section-51, the Central Government can establish a Central Water
Laboratory.
(12) Under Section-52, a State Government can establish a State Water
Laboratory.
(13) Under Section-61, the Central Government has power to supersede the
Central Board and Joint Boards in certain cases.
(14) Under Section-62, a State Government has power to supersede the State
Boards in certain cases.
(15) Under Section-63, the Central Government has power to make rules in
collaboration with the Central Board, if any, and these rules are to be laid
down before Parliament for its approval.
(16) Under Section-64, a State Government has power to make rules in
collaboration with the State Board, if any.
2.3.4 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
This Act is enacted on the lines of decisions taken at the UN conference in 1972
in which India participated.
Major Provisions of this Act
(1) Under Section-3, Central Pollution Control Board as constituted U/s. 3
of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, shall perform all
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 38 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

functions, i.e. only one Central Board performs functions for water and
air pollution.
(2) U/s. 4, similarly, State Pollution Control Board (as constituted under
Water Act) is to perform functions for air pollution also.
(3) U/s. 6, in case of Union Territories, only the Central Board applies.
(4) Functions of Central Board U/s. 16
(a) to advise Central Govt. regarding improving the quality of air and the
prevention, control or abatement of air pollution; (b) to plan & execute nation-
wide programmes; (c) to coordinate various State Boards; (d) to provide technical
assistance & guidance to State Boards; (e) to train persons; (f) to collect and
publish data and prepare codes, guidelines etc.; (g) to lay standards; (h) to
establish laboratories; etc.
(5) Functions of State Boards U/s. 17
To coordinate with Central Board and other similar functions of Central Board.
(6) U/s. 18, the Central and State Boards are bound to comply with directions
issued by Central and State Govt. respectively.
(7) Powers of State Boards and State Govt.
(a) U/s. 19, the State Govt. in consultation with State Board can declare air
pollution control areas; (b) U/s. 20 power to lay down standards for emission of
air pollutants; (c) U/s. 21 power to make restrictions on use of certain industrial
plants, i.e. no industrial plant can operate without previous consent of the
State Board in an air pollution control area; (d) persons carrying on any industry
etc. should not allow emission of air pollutants in excess of standards laid down
by State Board; (e) U/s. 22-a, State Board can go to courts for restraining air
pollution practices; (f) U/s. 24 power to enter and inspect; (g) U/s. 25 power to
obtain information; (h) U/s. 26 power to take samples of air or emission; (i) U/
s. 28 to establish State Air Laboratory; etc.
(8) U/s. 31-A, a Board has power to close, prohibit or regulate any industry,
operation or process; or to stop or regulate supply of electricity, water or any
other service.
(9) Penalties
Offence Penalty
U/s. 37(1)
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 39 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

(a) Failure to comply with Imprisonment of minimum one

Sections 21, 22, or 31-A year and six months but upto
six years and with fine; and
if failure continues, additional
fi n e of u p t o ru pe e s f i ve
thousand per day after the
conviction for the first failure.
(b) U/s. 37(2), if failure U/s. 37(1) continues beyond one year, minimum
imprisonment of two years but upto seven years and with fine.
(c) U/s. 38, penalties for certain acts like - damaging property etc. under the
Board; giving false information; etc., upto three months imprisonment or
with fine of upto rupees ten thousand or both.
(d) U/s. 39, for other offences not mentioned elsewhere in this Act, upto
three months imprisonment or fine of upto rupees ten thousand or both.
And in case of continuing contravention, additional fine upto rupees five
thousand per day during which such contravention continues after
conviction for the first such contravention.
(10) Companies and Govt. Departments can also be held liable for offences
done under this Act and even Head of Department can be punished also.
(11) U/s. 47, State Govt. has power to supersede State Board.
(12) U/s. 53 Central Govt. has power to make rules and get it approved from
Parliament.
(13) U/s. 54 State Govt. has power to make rules.
2.3.5 The Forest Conservation Act, 1980
This is an Act to provide for the conservation of forests and for matters connected
therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto. It was amended in 1988.
Section-2 imposes certain restrictions on State governments or other authorities
on the preservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purpose. That
is without the approval of the Central Government, the following orders cannot
be passed by State Governments :
(i) that any 'reserved forest' in a state or any portion thereof, shall cease to be
reserved; (ii) that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 40 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

non-forest purpose; (iii) that any forest land may be leased to any private person
or to organization, authority etc. not owned, managed or controlled by
Government; (iv) that any forest land may be cleared of trees which have grown
naturally in that land or portion, for one purpose of using it for re-afforestation.
Note : 'Non-forest purpose' means the breaking up or clearing of any forest land
or portion thereof for : (a) the cultivation of tea, coffee, spices, rubber, palms,
oil-bearing plants, horticultural crops or medicinal plants; (b) any purpose other
than re-afforestation, but does not include any work relating or ancillary to
conservation, development and management of forests and wildlife, namely, the
establishment of check-posts, fire-lines, wireless communications and
construction of fencing, bridges and culverts, dams, water-houses, trench marks,
boundary marks, pipelines or other like purposes.
U/s. 3, the Central Govt. may constitute an Advisory Committee.
U/s. 3-A, whoever contravenes or abets the contravention of any of the provisions
of Section-2, shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which
may extend to fifteen days.
U/s. 3-B, the authorities or Govt. departments can also be held liable for any
offences done.
U/s. 4, the Central Govt. has power to make rules and these to be laid before
Parliament for its approval.
2.3.6 The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
This Act ensures ecological and environmental security to wild animals, birds,
plants and their habitats. Originally this Act was enacted under Article 352 of
the Constitution and few states passed the resolution. But in 1976 'Protection
of Wild Animals and Birds' was transferred to the Concurrent List (from State
List) by 42nd Constitution amendment. Hence, the Wildlife (Protection)
Amendment, 1991 extended it to whole India except Jammu & Kashmir. It was
amended in 2002 also.
Major Provisions of this Act
(1) U/s. 3, the Central Govt. may appoint a Director of Wildlife Preservation
and other officers and authorities also.
(2) U/s. 4, State Govt. can appoint Chief Wild Warden, Wildlife Wardens, etc.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 41 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

(3) Section 5-A requires the Central Govt. to constitute the 'National Board
for Wild Life' as amended in 2002.
(4) U/s. 6 State Govt. also has to constitute a 'State Board for Wild Life' as
amended in 2002.
(5) State Board advises to the State Govt. U/s. 8.
(6) U/s. 38-A, the Central Govt. can make the Central Zoo Authority; and to
establish a zoo, this Authority's prior approval is necessary U/s. 38-H (1-
A).
(7) Hunting of wild animals is prohibited U/s. 9, but can be allowed in certain
cases like when an animal becomes dangerous to human life, or disabled
or diseased beyond recovery, etc.
(8) U/s. 11 killing or wounding any wild animal for defence of oneself or
another person is not an offence.
(9) U/s. 12 the Chief Wild Life Warden may permit hunting of any wild animal
(on payment of fees) in certain cases like - education, scientific research,
to take snake venom for making life-saving drugs, etc.
(10) U/s. 17 no person can damage, destroy, wilfully pluck etc. any specified
plant, and even nobody is allowed to sell, transfer etc. these plants.
However, members of scheduled tribe are allowed for picking, collecting
or possessing these plants for bonafide personal use in the district he
resides. And for education, research, etc. purposes the Chief Wild Life
Warden may permit anyone, with the permission of State Govt., to pick,
collect etc. any plant.
(11) U/s. 18 State Govt. can notify an area as a sanctuary.
(12) U/s. 37 State Govt. can prohibit hunting in an area which is notified as
a closed area.
(13) U/s. 27(1) there is restrict of entry in a sanctuary except public servants
on duty, those who are permitted by Chief Wild Life Warden, etc.
(14) U/s. 35(4) State Govt. can notify an area as National Park.
(15) U/s. 44 no person can deal in trophy and animal articles without licence.
(16) Penalties for Offences U/s. 51
(a) Imprisonment upto three years or fine upto twenty five thousand rupees,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 42 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

or both, for offences done under this Act, except some exceptions provides
in this Act.
(b) Imprisonment of minimum three years but upto seven years and also
with fine of atleast rupees ten thousand, for offences committed in relation
to animals specified in Schedule-I, or Part-II of Schedule-II, or meat,
trophy etc. of any animal, or offence done in a sanctuary or a National
Park. Some penalty for contravening any provision of Chapter V-A of this
Act.
(c) Atleast three years imprisonment or but upto seven years and also with
fine of atleast rupees twenty five thousand for second or subsequent
offences.
(d) Upto six months imprisonment, or fine upto two thousand rupees, or
both, for contravening provisions of Section 38-J of this Act. And for
second and subsequent offences, upto one year imprisonment or fine
upto rupees five thousand.
(e) Also any animal, meat, vehicle and weapons used etc. for offences shall
be forfeited by State Govt. and licence or permit etc. including Arms
Licence shall also be cancelled.
(f) U/s. 52 the attempt or abetment to commit an offence is treated as
contravention of the provisions of this Act.
(17) U/s. 55 no court shall take cognizance of any offence against this Act
except on the complaint of following persons :
(a) Director, Wild Life Preservation; (b) Chief Wild Life Warden; (c) persons
authorized by Govt.; (d) any person who gives atleast sixty days notice in
prescribed manner to appropriate persons or governments.
(18) There is also a provision in this Act that a person shall not be punished
twice for a same offence. Hence, the higher punishment provided under
any other law can be awarded to the offender for an offence under this
Act and simultaneously under any other law, if he is prosecuted under
the other law.
(19) U/s. 63, Central Govt. has power to make rules.
(20) U/s. 64, State Govt. has power to make rules.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 43 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.3.7 Issues involved in Enforcement of Environmental Legislation

There are many issues in the enforcement environmental legislation. Although
legal statues and legal remedies are available but we have to fight for justice in
a democracy to enforce legal legislations. And going to courts in itself is a long
and cumbersome process. Some such issues are discussed below alongwith
legal remedies that can be sought after.
(1) Lack of Public Awareness : Laws may have been made in totality but
we must be aware of these to enforce them. The topic of public awareness
is dealt with in the next section.
(2) Corruption : Although corruption is a major problem but in case of
environmental safety and prevention or control of pollution, there is a
lack of government checks and raids and also in the polluting premises
much technical staff is not available who can handle environmental
problems, emergencies, collect technical data of pollutants, etc.
(3) Urbanisation : Sometimes in the name of urbanization, some alterations
are made in the original development plans.
A famous case on this issue is 'Bangalore Medical Trust V/s. B.S. Muddapa,
1991'. In this case, a land was allotted to build a hospital, but this land was
meant for a public park as per the plan of Bangalore Development Authority.
And our Hon'ble Supreme Court elaborated on the importance of parks and
stopped the construction of the hospital by cancelling the allotment. As
Supreme Court commented, "A private nursing home cannot be a substitute
for a public park."
So a question arises what do we want? Here it is to be seen that its not
that hospitals are not needed but a land reserved for a park should not
be utilized for other purposes keeping in mind the environmental
development of our country.
(4) Unplanned Industrialization : Rapid industrialization has led to setting
up of even hazardous industries in various public localities. But these
industries cause environmental pollution also.
A famous case in this regard is M.C. Mehta V/s. Union of India, 1987
(Uleum Gas Leak Case). As a result of gas leakage in Delhi, many people
got affected. And many issues arose in this case like, (a) if the factory
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 44 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

gets closed then its thousands of employees would become unemployed,

(b) the factory supplies chlorine to Delhi Water Supply, then from where
to get it, etc. But Hon'ble Supreme Court ordered heavy compensation to
the claimants and the company relocated many of its plants on the P.I.L.
filed by M.C. Mehta, an environmental lawyer.
Note : We are indebted to M.C. Mehta for fighting many cases relating to
environment in India like Taj Mahal case, Vehicular Pollution Case, Ganga
Pollution case, etc.
(5) Availability of Legal Remedies :
(a) PIL (Public Interest Litigation) : A PIL can be filed by an individual
or group for a common interest. Although there has been an explosion of
PILs in our courts but as far as the enforcement of environmental
legislation is concerned, PILs have played a boon for environmentalists.
One point to be noted is that a PIL once filed, the petition cannot be
withdrawn, i.e., the petitioner (the person filing the PIL) can withdraw
himself from fighting further, but the PIL stands, and courts allow and
invite public to fight the case if anybody is interested, although it takes
time and fighting PILs requires a lot of patience also depending upon the
case fought. But it is a very valuable legal remedy to fight for larger public
interest.
(b) Filing cases under Tort Law (damages, injunctions, negligence, etc.)
(c) Taking legal aid under various Acts like :
(i) Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
(ii) National Environmental Tribunal Act, 1995
(iii) National Environmental Appellate Authority, 1997
(iv) En vi ron me n t P ro t e c t i on A ct , W a t e r/ A i r A ct s, e t c . as
discussed in this lesson.
2.3.8 Environmental Ethics : Issues and Possible Solutions
Ethics is a subject in philosophy and it is related with moral philosophy i.e.
what is morally right or wrong (unethical). With the deteriorating environmental
conditions, people have started thinking about environmental ethics. Because
in the natural environment, there are other living beings as well as human
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 45 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

persons. Like polluting the river water by human activities of industrial waste
disposal is contaminating the water for animals, birds etc. also and it comes
back to us for our own consumption in some way or other. If people have ethics
while disposing the wastes then so much pollution had not arisen.
There are many ethical questions like, how much is it ethical to dispose chemical
wastes in the flowing natural water bodies? Why some people litter anywhere in
the open at public places but behave differently in their own homes while dis-
regarding the planet home as a whole? Why just to show-off and panic others
people use power horns? And why some drivers blow horns even at red signals?
The list of questions can be infinite about un-ethical behaviour.
Environmental Ethics and Industry : The most damage to environment is
done by industries and commercial organisations. And yet they try to defend
themselves on developmental grounds and ignoring the environmental
responsibility altogether. But overtime, this responsibility is gaining some
grounds, like various countries have adopted environmental ethics in the code
of ethics for their engineers.
Environmental Ethics and Individuals : A person's moral beliefs and
values differ and affects his behaviour. But people can be taught also. But many
times people follow the examples of others, whether ethical or not. Like when
parents throw their wastes in the open at public places, very often children will
follow them. Yet there are many environmental reformers whom we should
follow like Sunder Lal Bahuguna, environmental lawyer M.C. Mehta etc.
Ethical Dilemma in Environmental Problems : It is easy to solve some
problems but some problems pose ethical dilemmas also. Consider chlorination
of water, chlorine is used to disinfect water, but research has evidence that
chlorine forms carcinogens with many organics, so should it be used or should
chlorination of water be stopped altogether?
Do's Don'ts
* use CFL bulbs * smoke (atleast in public places)
* reduce private driving * use horns unnecessarily
* do cycling * listen music at full volume
* plant more trees * litter in the open
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 46 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

* study your lessons * dispose chemicals in flowing water

thoroughly as many trees * use fire crackers
have been cut to print * don't throw food items/wastes in
them on paper plastic/polythene bags as cows eat
these wastes and their excretion
system gets choked/blocked by
polythene bags.
2.3.9 Public Awareness
All the laws can be made available but unless general public is not aware, not
much be done. Public awareness is needed to enforce environmental legislation
and also for other environmental aspects especially relating to pollution.
Public awareness can be made by :
(1) Newspapers : They often contain awareness drives and initiatives by
other people or government. Like many press released appear in
newspapers on specific environmental days e.g. 31st May - No Tobacco
Day.
(2) Television and Radio also give brief insertions on many environmental
aspects viz. celebration of some environmental days; coverage on oceans,
forests etc.
(3) Internet : Various sources of environmental information do exist on the
internet. It can also be used to report online to government for various
problems viz. making complaint where animals are being treated in-
humanly.
(4) Special Laws like smoking has been banned in public places in many
cities of India. Chandigarh is the first city to ban smoking at public places.
(5) Celebrating various Environment Specific Days like :
Earth Day = April 22
Car Free Day = September 22
No Tobacco Day = May 31, etc.
The masses of general public must be aware of various environmental legislations
and other aspects especially relating to pollution because it is only the individual
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 47 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

who can take steps to save environment and an individual can lead by example
and others will join to help to prevent and control the environmental pollution.
2.3.10 Conclusion
Various environmental legislations have been passed in India like the Water
Act, Environment Protection Act, etc. to control and prevent various types of
pollution in the environment. All these laws help in their own way to save our
natural environment. Although there are various issues in the enforcement of
these legislations but many benefits have been availed by many persons to help
to protect the environment. Yet ethical behaviour is a need of the hour so that
pollution should not arise or safety measures be taken to have pollution to the
minimum. And public awareness can change many persons to help to protect
the environment from pollution.
2.3.11 Self-Check Exercise
(1) Explain any 3 Acts :
(a) Environment Protection Act
(b) Water Act
(c) Air Act
(d) Forest Conservation Act
(e) Wildlife Protection Act
(2) Discuss various environmental ethics.
(3) Di scu s s v a rio u s is su e s i n vo lv e d i n t h e e n f o rce me n t of
environmental legislations.
(4) Discuss pu bli c aw arene ss in the light of environmen tal
problems.
2.3.12 Suggested Reading & Web Sources
1. Text book of Environmental Studies : Dr. K. Raghavan Nambiar
2. Enviornmental Studies : R.R. Dass
3. Envrionmental Education : R. A. Sharma
4. Environmental Studies : R. Rajagopalam
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 48 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Web Sources
1. www.globalissues.org
2. edugreen.teri.res.in
3. en.wikipedia.org.
2.3.13 Suggested Questions
1. Explain in detail the Environment Protection Act, 1985.
2. What do you mean by Environmental Ethics.
3. What are the issues involved in enforcement of environmental
legislation?
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.4 Author : Dr. Loveleen Chauhan

ROAD SAFETY AWARENESS

2.4.1 Objectives
2.4.2 Introduction
2.4.3 Concept of Road Safety
2.4.3.1 Meaning and Importance of Road Safety
2.4.4 Traffic Signs
2.4.4.1 Road Signals
2.4.4.2 Hand Signals
2.4.4.3 Hand Marking Signs
2.4.5 Traffic Rules and Regulations
2.4.6 Traffic Offences and Penalties
2.4.7 How to Obtain License
2.4.8 Role of First Aid in Road Safety
2.4.9 Summary
2.4.10 Suggested Reading and Web Source
2.4.11 Suggested Questions
2.4.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this lesson, students will be able to :
1. Understand the concept and importance of Road Safety.
2. Define Road Safety
3. Identify different traffic signs and rules
4. To know the various traffic offence and penalities
5. How to get the license
6. Role of first aid in road safety

49
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 50 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.4.2 INTRODUCTION
In Today's scenario if people practice road safety, driving safety and follow the
rules, then they have a better chance of survival. Rules are in place to foster
safety. Bicycle riders and Motorcycle riders that share the road with regular
motorists need to practice extra caution due to the extra risk of exposure. Safty
equipment such as helmets and protective clothing should be used it all times.
Keeping passangers and children safe in your vehicle is the responsibility of the
driver and using caution and common sense can prevent most problems. Use
proper child seats, seat belts and airbag equipped vehicles whenever possible.
Check the safety ratings of the items and vehicles that you buy. Keep dangerous
goods labeled and safety out of the reach of children.
2.4.3 CONCEPT OF ROAD SAFETY
With the increasing population and vehicles on the road. It has become very
difficult to walk on road. It is an issue which has affected so many people
because there are so many deaths occurring due to accidents on roads. According
to the news in Hindustan times India witnessed one road accident every minute
in 2011 which claimed one life every 3.7 minutes, one of the highest in the
world. So there is dire necessity that people should be made aware of the road
safety in order to decrease such collisions in future. Younger generation is
more prone to accidents and there is need to develop habits and skills in children
to keep them as safe as possible. We as parents and elders need to give them
the facts, show them dangers and risks, look at the consequences and build
their understanding and skills to keep them safe always. These skills include
setting good example of yourself like how you drive and treat others on road;
talk with them about the importance of knowing the rules and regulations of
road; show them various signs and signals when going outisde with them like
zebra crossing etc.
2.4.3.1 MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF ROAD SAFETY
The meaning of road safety according to Cambridge dictionary is "teach people
how to behave safely when driving or crossing the road". Road traffic safety
refers to methods and measures for reducing the risk of a person using the road
network being killed or seriously injured. The users of a road include pedestrians,
cyclists, motorists, their passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 51 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

mainly buses and truks. Vehicle speed within the human tolerances for serious
injury and death is a key goal of modern road design because impact speed
affects the severity of injury to both occupants and pedestrians. The old road
safety paradigm of purely crash risk is a far more complex matter. Contributing
factors to highway crashes may be related to the driver (such as driver error,
illness or faitgue), the vehicle (brake, steering, or throttle failures) or the road
itself (lack of sight distance, poor roadside clear zones, etc.). Interventions may
seek to reduce or compensate for these factors, or reduce the severity of crashes.
For road traffic safety purposes it can be helpful to classify roads into three
stages :
1. Built-up urban streets with slower speeds, dense and diverse road users.
2. Non built-up rural roads with higher speeds;
3. Major highways reserved for motor-vehicles and designed to minimize
crashes.
2.4.4 TRAFFIC SIGNS
Traffic signs are broadly classified into three main signs/signals :
2.4.4.1 Road Signals
2.4.4.2 Hand Signals
2.4.4.3 Hand Marking Signs
2.4.4.1 Road Signals are further divided into three types :
1. Mandatory Signs or Regulatory Signs
2. Cautionary or Warning or Precautionary Signs
3. Informatory Road Signs
1. Mandatory Signs or Regulatory Signs are round in shape and are
in red and blue colour.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 52 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Picture Table-1
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 53 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2. Cautionary or Warning or Precautionary Signs are triangular in

shape and yellow in colour are used for precautions or warning.
Picture Table-2
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 54 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 55 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

3. Informatory Road Signs with blue background depicts some

information
Picture Table-3
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 56 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness
Picture Table - 4
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 57 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.4.4.2 (II) Hand signals are of two types :

1. Hand signals by Traffic Police
2. Hand signals by drivers
1. Traffic Police Hand Signals
Picture Table-5
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 58 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 59 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2. Hand Signals by Drivers

Picture Table-6
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 60 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.4.4.3 (III) Hand marking signs

Road marking or pavement signs
Picture Table-7
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 61 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 62 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.4.5 TRAFFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS

* KEEP LEFT to allow the traffic to pass on a two-lane road coming from an
opposite direction on the right side and allow the vehicles on one-lane road
behind you for overtaking from the right.
* WHEN TURNING LEFT, be on the road’s left side from where you leave
as well as from where you enter. When turning towards right, move towards
the road centre when you leave and when you enter, arrive near road’s left
side.
* SLOW DOWN your speed at pedestrian crossings, road corners,
intersections and road junctions and wait there till the passage ahead gets
cleared. If you enter the main road then give way of passage to the vehicles
passing by on the right side as the traffic on the main roads is not regulated.
* HAND SIGNALS becomes necessary to give at times. Extend and pull out
your right hand’s palm down when slowing the vehicles and swing the hand
in the down and up direction. While stopping, your forearm should be raised
outside vertically the vehicle, while changing the road lane or turning right
towards left side, extend and rotate the right arm in a direction of anti-
clockwise. To let the vehicle overtake behind you, swing the right arm forwards
and backward in a motion of semi-circular.
* DIRECTION INDICATORS instead of giving hand signals make use of
direction indications and in case of emergency, use both.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 63 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

* WEARING A HELMET FOR TWO WHEELER DRIVERS is compulsory.

The helmet should bear and conform to ISI mark and ISI standards. It
works like a shield or a cover for the head during any mishap that occurs. It
is so designed that it provides individual safety. It is not for covering any
legal prosecution. Tie the helmet strap properly for the safety otherwise the
strap of the helmet may get slipped from the head during any head injury in
an accident. (Sikhs wearing Turbans are exempted from wearing a helmet).
* DO NOT PARK near or at any road crossing, on a walking footpath or on
the hill top, near pedestrian crossing or traffic light, road having heavy
traffic or on main road, opposite or in the front of another vehicle parked to
cause any obstruction, on white line roads, near hospital entrance, school
or bus stop, next to the traffic signal whereby blocking the path for others,
near any fire hydrant whereby the access gets blocked, at any buildings
entrance, where it is restricted to park.
* THE REGISTRATION MARK on the vehicles should be very legible,
visible and clear all the times. Motor vehicles should not be loaded creating
any obstruction for the marks, or the tail or other lights which are required
for the vehicles safety.
* DO NOT DRIVE on one-lane road except driving in the permitted directions.
Reversing the vehicle in a wrong direction in a one-lane street is prohibited.
* DO NOT CROSS THE YELLOW LINE even while you are overtaking,
that divides the road. On roads having defined lanes, appropriate signal
indicators should be used before changing the lanes.
* DO NOT CROSS THE STOP LINE that is painted when you are stopping
at any road intersection or junction or any pedestrian crossing. Beyond the
marked line, your vehicle shall not bot move in any case.
* TOWING IS PERMITTED for only the vehicles which are disable
mechanically or motor vehicles incompletely assembled, side cars and
registered trailers. Other than this, vehicles can be towed to any nearest
garage for delivery or at petrol pumps when they are untimely damaged.
* USE THE HORN when it is essential only and not in any silence zone area.
Do not use or fit any multi-toned, loud or shrill and harsh sounding alarms
or horns in the vehicles that causes disturbance. It is also prohibited to
have vehicles having altered silencers on road.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 64 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

* DIRECTIONS GIVEN TO DRIVERS which are either through the

regulating traffic police officers or through traffic signals or road signals
should always be followed. It is an offense if such directions are violated.
* MAINTAIN ADEQUATE DISTANCE from any vehicle driving ahead of
your vehicle in order to avoid any collusion taking place in case if the vehicle
stops of slows down suddenly, it might cause accidents. On page number
33, a chart is given for any further information to guide on the required time
for applying minimum brakes at various speeds.
* DO NOT BRAKE SUDDENLY other than any safety reason is there.
* ON MOUNTAINS AND STEEP ROADS, any vehicle that is driving uphill
on a road must be provided the correct way by the vehicles that are coming
downhill. The road in case not wide sufficiently to give way then stop your
vehicle on any road side and let the driver who is going uphill on the road to
first proceed.
* WHEN ROAD REPAOR WORK is in progress, slow down the speed of
the vehicle and drive at a maximum of 25 km/hours speed.
* DRIVERS OF TRACTORS AND GOODS VEHICLES are not allowed to
carry passengers for reward or hire. The driver in tractors should not have
any person and he should not have more other required person permitted to
have in the cabin of the drive in a vehicle of goods.
* DO NOT CARRY GOODS on any vehicle in such a way that it causes any
danger to any person, or even load it in a way that the material or the goods
on the vehicle laterally extends to the front, rear side or beyond any sides of
the motor vehicle. Carrying dangerous, inflammable or explosive substances
are prohibited taking by any vehicle of public service.
* CARRY ONLY ONE PILLON RIDER on a two wheeler. A rider can sit
only on vehicles back seat. A rider should not be allowed to stand or sit (even
a children) in the front seat. It is illegal and dangerous as well as when
applying sudden brakes, the person sitting in front gets thrown out hitting
the front vehicle. It is law’s violation to carry any goods on a two wheeler due
to imbalance caused to the rider that leads to accidents.
* DO NOT DRIVE BACKWARDS much longer than it is necessary and
ensure that no inconvenience or danger is caused to any vehicle or any
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 65 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

person while driving backwards.

* DO NOT DRIVE if you have any sickness or not well or taking any
medications that impairs your abilities of driving including tonics containing
some alcohol content.
* WHILE OVERTAKING, overtake from the right direction of the motor
vehicle being passing by. If there is an indication from the front vehicle
driver indicating his turning towards right then you should pass from the
left side. Remember to not overtake heavy vehicles or cut their way as they
need much space to stop or slow down.
2.4.6 TRAFFIC OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
Everyone should know the traffic rules and regulations to help to keep the road
safe for drivers and pedestrians. Ignoring these laws and rules can result in
expensive traffic fines or, for serious offences, removal of your license. Dangerous
or negligent driving that result in someone being injured or killed can lead to a
criminal conviction and prison.
People using roads in any way can be exposed to serious safety hazards when
they encounter :
* pedestrians incrosswalks or using walk lights at schools, malls
and in residential areas;
* youth who are learning to drive or even;
* experienced drivers who may be distracted, or
* Elderly and siabled people.
There are offences mainly categorized into offences related to :
* Documents
* Towing of vehicles
* Driving
* Pollution
* Parking
1. Offences related to Documents : Driving without license,
insurance, permit fitness; who do not have valid licnese; not carrying
documents and driving without valid registration copy get a penalty
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 66 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

ranging from Rs. 100 up to Rs. 10,000 or imprisonment of three

months to one year depending upon the type and seriousness of
the offence.
2. Offences related to towing of vehicles : Towing of two wheeler,
Car, Jeep, Taxi, Auto Rickshaw, truck and tanker get penalty of
maximum Rs. 600.
3. Offences related to Driving : Driving by minor; unauthorized
person; without helmet; without fastening seat belts; rough/rash/
negligent/hasty driving and driving on wrong side; disobeying traffic
signals are fined up to Rs. 1000 or imprisonment up to six months.
4. Offence related to pollution : Smoking in public transport;
pollution not under control: blowing pressure horn or noise of any
kind can be fined up to Rs. 10,000.
5. Offences related to Parking : Wrong parking causing obstruction
in traffic, parking in "NO" Parking Zone can be fined up to Rs. 500.
2.4.7 HOW TO OBTAIN LICENSE
A Driving License is an official document certifying that the holder is suitably
qualified to drive a motor vehicle or vehicles.
Indian Driving License
In India, two kinds of Driving Licenses are issued : Learner's License and
Permanent License.
1. Learner's License is valid only for six months.
2. Permanent License can be availed only after the expiry of one month
from the date of issuance of the Learner's License.
A Learner's License is essential for obtaining a Permanent Licnese. The eligibility
for obtaining a Lerner's License for a private motor vehicle for a vehicle of 50 CC
engine capacity and without any gear, is 16 year (if the applicant's parents or
guardians give their consent). The minimum age to apply for a permanent license
to drive a private motor vehicle is 18 years.
A person who is at least 20 years old and possesses a Learner's License can
obtain a License for driving a commerical vehicle. Also, one has to conversant
with the traffic rules and regulations in all the cases.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 67 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

For obtaining a Learner's License one need to apply in the prescribed format to
the Local Transport Office of your region, along with
1. Your passport-sized photographs,
2. Proof of your age and residence,
3. Declaration of medical fitness and
4. The required fee.
After verification of your documents, you will have to go through the Learner's
Test. Usually a handbook of traffic rules, signs and regulations is provided with
the application form. On passing the Learner's Test, you will be issued a Learner's
License. If you fail the test, you will be given a chance to take the test again.
For obtaining a Permanent License, you must have a valid Learner's License,
and must apply after 30 days and within 180 days of issue of the Learner's
License. You should be conversant about vehicle systems, driving, traffic rules
regulations. You will be put through a driving test, for which you must bring a
vehicle with you. On passing the test, you will be issued a permanent Driving
License.
2.4.8 ROLE OF FIRST AID IN ROAD SAFETY
Large number of people die in road accidents not only due to lack of proper
roads, rash and negligent driving but due to the fact that they are not given
proper mediciation and first and on time. It is every individual's responsibility
that if we find someone injured due to accident on road then we should
immediately help that person and do not ignore because this situation can be
faced by anyone on the road.
First-Aid is an immediate and temporary medical care of any victim prone to an
accident with the aim of preventing or reducing an acute threat to his life. It is
provided by a person who may not be a physician but a trained first aider. The
basic aims of first aid are :
* To save life
* To protect the casualty from getting more harm
* To reduce pain and Priorities of Casualty Treatment
We should always keep in mind the following thing while giving first aid to the
injured :
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 68 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

1. Check yourself first : If you have been injured in the accident,

first check yourself for any injuries. Try to assess how well you can
move your limbs, and if you experience syptoms such as dizziness
etc. Remember you need to be fit enough to help the others.
2. Check the other person(s) for injuries : If other people are
injured, first assess the extent of his/her injuries. For e.g. is he
bleeding from the head, neck, arms legs, abdomen back etc. Treat
that person first, as they are usually more seriously injured or
cannot breathe. Use a clean cloth as a compress to stop the flow of
blood from a serious wound. In the case of head wounds, however,
experts suggest you use as light a pressure as possible because
he could have a fractured skull. People who can talk or scream, on
the other hand, can breathe therefore can be treated a little later.
Ask for the patient's name, if he responds, it means he is able to
understand the situation and has most likely not suffered a severe
head injury.
3. Look for signs of breathing : Next, check if the person is
breathing and if he has a pulse.
4. Call for help : Immediately call for an ambulance or rush the
person to a hospital. Once you know more about the patient's
condition you will in a better position to tell the doctors about his/
her condition.
5. Check for obstructions in the person's mouth and throat:
If you do not hear any breath sounds, check his/her mouth for any
obstructions. If there is something obstructing the airway, use
your index and middle finger to clear the airway.
6. Perform life saving techniques : If there is no pulse, start
CPR or EAR. Keep the person's neck straight to start EAR (External
Air Resuscitation i.e. to restore consciousness through artificial
respiration) There are 3 types of EAR; Mouth-to-mouth, Mouth-to-
Nose, Mouth-to-Mask or CPR (Cardio pulmonary resucitation). CPR
can only be done if person is trained in that.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 69 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

7. Ways to help him/her in grave situations : If there is bleeding

from the mouth or the patient is vomiting, turn the person to his/
her side. This will avoid any chances of the person choking. Place
the person's arm that is under him straight out and the arm closest
to you across his chest.
8. Deal with open wounds : If there are extensive wounds, try to
control the bleeding using pressure to the area using a cloth. Press
down with your palms rather than your finger tips.
9. Always suspect spinal injuries : If the person's neck is in an
awkward position (not normally placed) or the person is unconscious,
do not move the patient. Get help immediately. This could mean
that the person's neck is broken, and moving him/her in such a
situation can cause more harm than good.
10. Keep the person warm : Usually accident victims feel excessively
cold due to shock. Therefore keeping them warm is essential to
survival and prevent them from shock.
11. Avoid feeding the person : Do not give the person any water,
food or other fluids through the mouth; it could lead to the choking.
2.4.9 SUMMARY
Problems and accidents can be out of your control but you can do your best to
equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to act fast in a situation that requires
quick thinking. Safety preparedness can save a life. Thus while concluding we
can say that one should drive their vehicles with all documents like valid driving
license, registration copy, insurance, pollution certificate to avoid fines and
punishments as per Indian Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and using safety measures
like controlled speed, safety belt,s helmets and taking first and kits and at the
same time follow all traffic rules and regulations for your safety as well as of
your family and public and be a good citizes of India.
2.4.10 Suggested Reading and Web Source
Environmental Studies - By Meenakshi Verma
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 70 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Web Sources :
1. www.nationwideeducation.com 2. www.road.safety.co.za
3. www.safeide.org 3. www.indiandrivingschools.com
5. en.wikipedia.org 6. www.traffisigns.co.in
2.4.11 Suggested Questions
Q.1. Explain the concept of road safety. Why it is important ?
Q.2. Write down the procedure of obtaining license for a beginner.
Q.3. Discuss the role of first aid in road safety.
Q.4. Elaborate the general rules of traffic.
Q.5. Give different categories of road traffic signs and explain them.
Q.6. Explain about the various traffic offences and its penalities.
B.A/ BBA/ B.Com./BCA-II Year Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.5 Writer : Dr. Amita Kaistha

Environmental Movements; Environmental Communication;

Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Project Affected Persons
Structure
2.5.1 Objectives
2.5.2 Introduction
2.5.3 Environmental Movements
2.5.3.1 Silent Valley Movement
2.5.3.2 Bishnois of Rajasthan
2.5.3.3 Chipko Movement
2.5.4 Environmental Communication
2.5.4.1 Environmental Communication- As an interdisciplinary field of study
2.5.5 Resettlement and Rehabilitation
2.5.5.1 Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Project Affected Persons
2.5.6 Summary
2.5.7 Suggested Questions
2.5.8 Suggested Readings and Web Sources

2.5.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this lesson students will be -
1. Aware of various environmental movements.
2. Describe and discuss various environmental movements.
3. Understand and explain environmental communication.
4. Understand the problems of project affected persons.
5. Understand and explain various strategies for resettlement and rehabilitation
of project affected persons.
2.5.2 INTRODUCTION
Social movements represent a method of social change. Movement is aimed at
bringing about a change in values, norms, ideologies of the existing system. Role
of movement is to allow people the opportunity to come together, speak their
mind & make them aware of an issue that is close to their heart. Environmental
movements and Environmental communication are the best ways to make people
aware about the issues and problems of environment. From the ecological point
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 72 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

of view a cautious behaviour leading to minimization of ecological disruption

would be necessary requisite for sustainable development. In this chapter we will
discuss environmental movements, environmental communication and
rehabilitation of project affected persons.
2.5.3 ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS
The green politics or green movement or environmental movement can be defined
as a social movement for the conservation of the environment or for the
improvement of the state policy especially inclined towards the environment. In
other words, it is the movement to protect the environment through changes in
public policy. Here, brief history of the Environmental Movements in India have
been given that will enhance the knowledge of the students about how the mass
movement can save the atrocities against the environment.
2.5.3.1 SILENT VALLEY MOVEMENT
A social movement called as Save Silent Valley was started with the aim of
protection of Silent Valley which is a moist evergreen tropical forest in the
Palakkad district of Kerala from being destroyed by a hydroelectric project. It was
started in 1973 to save the Silent Valley Reserve Forest. The valley was declared
as Silent Valley National Park in 1984. Actually the least population of world's
rarest and most threatened lion-tailed macaque is found in Silent Valley.
A hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha River that runs through Silent
Valley was proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The project
gets approval in February 1973 from the Planning Commission. This created
terror in the people and they get feared that the project would submerge 8.3 sq
km of untouched evergreen forest. Then several NGOs came forward and strongly
opposed the project and demanded that the government should abandon it.
After the announcement of construction of hydroelectric dam the valley became
the focal point and simultaneously the movement to Save Silent Valley was
started because of concern about the endangered lion-tailed macaque. 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.
Various social activista played important role in save Silent Valley movement. The
poet as well as activist Sugatha Kumari played an important role in the Silent
Valley protest and her poem "Marathinu Stuthi" ("Ode to a Tree:) became a
symbol for the protest from the intellectual community and was the opening
song/prayer of most of the "save the Silent Valley" campaign meetings. Dr. Salim
Ali, eminent ornithologist of the Bombay Natural History Society, visited the
valley and appealed for cancellation of the hydroelectric project. A petition of writ
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 73 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

was filed before the High Court of Kerala, against the clear cutting of forests in
the hydroelectric project area and the court ordered a stop to the clear cutting.
In 1978 the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, approved the
project and advised the state government regarding enactment of legislation
ensuring the necessary safeguards. IUCN (International Union of conservation of
nature) passed a resolution that year recommending protection of lion-tailed
macaques in Silent Valley. The controversy heated up. In 1979 the Government
of Kerala passed legislation regarding the Silent Valley Protection Area (Protection
of Ecological balance Act of 1979) and issued a notification declaring the
exclusion of the hydroelectric project area from the proposed national park. In
January 1981 the government bow to the public pressure and Indira Gandhi
declared that Silent Valley will be protected. As a result the Silent Valley
Hydroelectric Project was called off in November 1983. The Silent Valley National
Park was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. On 1
September 1986 Silent Valley National Park was designated as the core area of
the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Since then, a long-term conservation effort has
been undertaken to preserve the Silent Valley ecosystem.
The present situation is that on June 6, 2007, the 147.22 km2 Silent Valley
Buffer Zone was formally approved by the Kerala Cabinet and a staff of 35 was
also sanctioned to protect the area and two new forest stations in Bhavani range
at Anavai and Thudukki. Checking the illicit cultivation of ganja, poaching and
illicit brewing in areas adjacent to Silent Valley and help long-term sustainability
of the protected area is the main aim of the project.
Key Role:
The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) an NGO, and the poet-activist
Sughathakumari played an important role in the Silent Valley protests.
2.5.3.2 BISHNOI MOVEMENT
In the heart of the barren western Thar Desert and northern states of India lives
a religious section of Bishnois. It was founded by Guru Maharaj Jambaji in 1485
AD in the Marwar (Jodhpur) desert region of Rajasthan. It is a community of
nature worshippers who with their compassion and faith have created a
sanctuary like destination where beasts, birds, and humans live in awe-inspiring
harmony. The devotion of the Bishnois’ community is matchless when it comes to
preservation of flora and fauna. Bishnois have shown their dedication many
times. They follow the conservative teachings of their progenitor/ forefather,
which are quite simple and contemporarily ecologists. It is a non-violent
community. It has been found that 29 tenets are there which govern the lifestyle
of this religious section of the society. These principles are “all boil down to the
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 74 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

condemnation of the universal sins like lying, lust, anger, greed, and intoxication,
with one noteworthy amendment of compassion towards all living beings,
including animals, and even green trees”. They take care of trees and even
shrubs with their kindred spirit.
The compassion Bishnoi’s is outstanding, considering that despite living in the
rural areas of a state that is predominated by barren desert, they do not consume
meat. In fact, they try to build shelters for male cattle to save them from being
slaughtered by other people. Even in the lack of fuel resources, they do not cut
green trees, even humbly, and survive only on the dried broken branches of dead
trees and dried cow dung cakes. Such generous teachings of the tranquil people
of Bishnoi section of the society has created a harmonious habitat in the middle
of the Thar Desert.
Beginning of Bishnoi Movement
Several incidences witnessed that many Bishnois have sacrificed their lives for
the sake of saving animals and trees. Even, the first ever recorded environmental
revolution related to trees i.e. the Chipko movement of 1973, was inspired by a
similar but less fortunate act of Bishnois conducted back in the early 18th
century.
Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman initiated the movement when Maharaja of
Jodhpur ordered his officials to went to her native village Khejarli, to cut down
the green Khejarli trees for the collection of timber. Then Amrita Devi, along with
84 villagers hugged the trees to their bosom to protect them from hacking and
being cutting down. Unluckily, this protest of villagers was thought as a
bluff/fraud and the officials in their haste cut many villagers who were
embracing the trees. This bloodshed once started, continued till the then King
rushed himself to the village to stop that action and apologized and declared the
region as protected area. This movement took the lives of 363 Bishnois who died
to protect their sacred trees as well as faith. However, that movement brought
Bishnois in the consideration of administration which then passed a royal
announcement that restricted hunting and wood-cutting activities in the areas
populated with Bishnoi community.
Even then illegal minds can’t be stopped by any rule. Since then many incidents
of unlawful hunting and tree felling occurred. Bishnois are on their toes to
prevent such acts from happening and are very cautious. Such prohibited
activities took life of many Bishnois. “Willing to sacrifice” is a short film that
portrays in brief the life of the Bishnoi community. The film was awarded for the
Best Environment Film at the 5th International Festival of Films, TV and Video
Programmes.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 75 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.5.3.3 CHIPKO MOVEMENT

Eco-development needs public support for the conservation of trees. One of the
very good example of public support is the chipko movement of Bishnoi women in
U.P. the movement was started in a very small hilly village of upper reaches of
Himalaya. In 1972 this unique movement commenced in the Chamoli district and
later at Tehri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The movement actually gains
momentum in 1978 when women faced police firings and other tortures. The
movement had broad-based objectives as it questioned the pitiless massacre of
nature to achieve the short term gains which ultimately led to the ecological
degradation and various crises to humanity. The women of Advani village of
Tehri-Garhwal tied the sacred thread around trunks of trees and they hugged the
trees and faced police firingin February 1978 and later courted arrest, hence this
movement was called ‘Chipko Movement’ or ‘hug the tree movement’. Sundarlal
Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt,
Govind Singh Rawat, Dhoom Singh Negi, Shamsher Singh Bisht and Ghanasyam
Raturi were the main leaders of this movement. The main objective of this
movement was to protect the trees on the Himalayan slopes from the axes of
contractors of the forest.
Mr. Bahuguna enlightened the villagers by conveying the importance of trees in
the environment which checks the erosion of soil, cause rains and provides pure
air and protect the earth and environment from landslides and avalanches and
global warming. The Chipko plan was infact a slogan of planting trees with a
purpose of five Fs i.e. food, fodder, fuel, fiber and fertilizer to make the
communities self-sufficient in their basic needs. The then state Chief Minister,
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna set up a committee to look into the matter, which
eventually ruled in favor of the villagers. This became a turning point in the
history of eco-development struggles in the region and around the world.
Mr. S.L. Bahuguna along with a team of dedicated workers later undertook
marches of 300 km from Sringar to Siliguri. People from many countries visited
Mr. Bahuguna to have accounts and experiences of his marchrs in different parts
of the country. To mark the world Environment Day on 5th June in an exhibition
organized by Stockholm following was wrriten about Chipko Movement.:
“A powerful environmental movement has grown up on the slopes of mountains
of Himalayas. Villagers have created an effective non-violent way to stop the
devastation by forest industries. When the axemen comes, the people form ring
(circle) around the trees – they embrace the trees. This has given the name
Chipko Andolan the tree hugging environment”.
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 76 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.5.4 Environmental Communication

Environmental communication can be described as communication about
environmental affairs. This comprised of all the diverse forms of interpersonal,
group, public, organizational, and mediated communication that make up the
social debate about environmental issues and problems, and our relationship to
the rest of nature. It can be a lay activity as well as a field of professional
practice. For example - Anyone who is participating in these discussions is
engaging in the activity of environmental communication. That includes everyone
from the most passionate environmental advocates, to the fiercest opponents of
ecological protections. In this sense, it is both a lay activity that anyone can
undertake, and a field of practice that professional communicators have created.
2.5.4.1 Environmental Communication - As an interdisciplinary field
of study
Environmental communication is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines
the role, techniques, and influence of communication in environmental affairs.
Basically, it studies the activity and in doing so, it draws its theory and methods
primarily from communication, environmental studies, psychology, sociology, and
political science. Who, what, where, when how and why are some of the
interconnected dimensions of the communication.
What are the facets of the environmental issues that are being discussed? What
are the reasons of emphasizing? What will be its implications? Science, costs,
risks, problem definitions, possible responses, values, agency, responsibilities,
future visions, and ideas about nature are the key patterns of discussions and
are known as discourses.
Where and when does the communication should take place? How are people
communicating? How should people be communicating? Central goal of
environmental communication is to discern and promote good practices.
Environmental communication is a practical, and indeed essential, tool for
action. It serves two broad social functions. The first is that we use
communication to do things. For example, we communicate in order to inform,
persuade, educate, and alert others. Similarly, we use communication to
organize, argue, reconcile, and negotiate with each other, among other things. In
this way, environmental communication is a practical, and indeed essential, tool
for action. As such, it deserves careful scrutiny. Communication shapes how we
see and value the world. To some extent it is related to our perception. The
second broad social function of communication is that it helps to create a
meaning. Communication shapes how we see and value the world of things,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 77 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

events, conditions, ideas and so forth. In environmental affairs, communication

guides our understanding of the issues, the problems that underlie them, the
people and organizations involved, the possible approaches that can be taken,
potential futures, and most importantly, the natural world itself. Another area of
concern of EC is how well we communicate with each other about nature and
environmental affairs which ultimately influence how well we address the
ecological crisis.
Better policies, cleaner energy sources, new technologies, carbon taxes and all of
the other innovative approaches to deals with environmental issues will help us
to address our environmental problems. In order to achieve lasting ecological
sustainability, human culture (especially in wasteful Western societies) is going
to have to change as well. There is need to have some significant shifts in our
views and values towards the natural world, ourselves, and towards each other.
So, how well we communicate about nature and environmental affairs will affect
how quickly and thoroughly we can transform our cultures and ultimately how
well we address the ecological crisis.
2.5.5 Resettlement and Rehabilitation
People are forced to move out of their land due to both natural and manmade
disasters. Natural disasters like earthquakes, cyclones, tsunami etc. render
thousands of people homeless and sometime even force them to move and
resettle in other areas. Similarly, developmental projects like construction of
roads, dams, canals and flyovers displace people from their homes. Leakage of
nuclear material in Japan resulted in millions of people being forced to leave the
area for their safety. Thus, resettlement refers to the process of settling again in a
new area. Rehabilitation is a program that helps a person who is recovering from
illness or injury to regain as much function as possible. Thus, it means
restoration to the former state.
2.5.5.1 Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Project Affected Persons
People inhabiting particular localities often get destabilized and are forced to
leave the place to settle at some other place. The process of resettlement and
rehabilitation involve proper arrangement not only for their habitation but also
for their vocation as well as employment. There are several causes for migration
of people. The factors can, however, be classified into two categories i.e. natural
and anthropogenic. Each of the categories has a set of causes as follows:
a. Natural: earthquake, flood and storm
b. Anthropogenic: developmental and destructive
In this chapter we will discuss about the resettlement/rehabilitation for
such project affected persons:
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 78 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Construction of Dams: Dam is single such human activity which is

responsible for displacement of maximum number of persons from their natural
abode and inflicts maximum damage to the area. It causes large scale destruction
of habitat through submergence and annihilation of existing terrestrial
ecosystem. The civilizations occupying the banks of the river being dammed
submerges the total heritage of the existing culture. The worst hit these
operations are the tribal who lived in harmony with the nature and hence they
are the worst hit by these atrocities and have to bear the bitter memories of being
displaced from their hand.
The key issue in the erection of a dam is to estimate the number of persons being
displaced from their homes together with the cost forest loss in terms of the loss
of genetic diversity. It is expected that government shall take adequate measures
to rehabilitate the displaced population. It would not be out of place to examine
the instruments available in the hands of government to meet these experiences.
The government is armed with Land-Acquisition Act, 1894 through which it can
acquire land for the resettlement of displaced persons and also take their land to
submerge after erection of the dam. Government machinery is ill-equipped to
provide ‘just rehabilitation package’ to the displaced people who are on lower
economic ladder.
The objective of ‘just rehabilitation package’ for displaced persons from the dam
site:
- The displaced people should get appropriate share in the fruits of
development.
- Rehabilitate them by creating new settlements within the environment akin
to their own.
- Removal of poverty of the displaced persons and hence each displaced
persons be provided with some land along with the assurance for their
employment.
- Predominantly rural and forest lands are utilized for development of
industries and people of these areas are rendered jobless and hence
migrate from there and constitute the slums of urban and industrial area.
A proper rehabilitation policy would have reduced slums of cities to a
consideration extent.
During the last quarter of century, Government of India had faced strong anti-
dam movement. They raised a worldwide debate on question-Development at
what cost? Governments’ responses towards these movements have been quite
varied. People agitated the matter before Honourable Supreme Court and it had
intervened in a number of instances. The protest of environmentally-conscious
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 79 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

mass associated with rich forest e.g., Silent Valley, Bodhghat and Bedthi, but the
protest has been of no avail in cases the key issue was of proper rehabilitation of
displaced persons. In India about 14-22 million people have been displaced by
erection of dams. Anti-dam struggle has sparked for following:
1. Bargi
2. Bedthi
3. Bhopalpatnam
4. Bilaspur
5. Bodhghat
6. Koelkaro
7. Maheshwar
8. Mansi-Wakal
9. SardarSazrovar Project
10. Subarnarekha
11. Tehari
12. Vishnuprayag
Soon after the independence the new dams erected were considered as the
monuments of progress, but the present protest against the big dams raise two
issues: rehabilitation and environmental friendly project. Enakshi Ganguly
Thukaral of Indian Population Council says. “there was a time when dams were
the panacea for all the ailments of the country. Now they have started
questioning whether it is the solution in the first place.” Ramaswam Iyer of the
Centre for Policy Research while reviewing Sardar Sarovar and Tehari projects
has remarked that “while everyone pays lip service to environmental and social
concern, very few are willing to undertake a radical re-examination of an on-going
project. It is readily assumed that such projects are beneficial and necessary and
without such projects there can be no development.”
Construction work should not be initiated unless an adequate and proper
arrangement for would be displaced persons has been made. Government must
prepare a national level appropriate resettlement policy so that same is free from
any ambiguity.
2.5.7 SUMMARY
In this chapter we have studied about various environmental movements, for
example-Silent Valley Movement, Bishnois of Rajasthan and Chipko Movement.
All these movements were focused on the conservation of environment or for the
improvement of the state policy towards the environment. Knowledge about
environmental Movements in India enhance the awareness of the students about
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 80 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

how the mass movement in which efforts have been made to save the violence
against the environment.
Environmental communication can be described as communication about
environmental affairs. This comprised of all the diverse forms of interpersonal,
group, public, organizational, and mediated communication that make up the
social debate about environmental issues and problems, and our relationship to
the rest of nature. It can be a lay activity as well as a field of professional
practice. Project affected and displaced people should get appropriate share in
the fruits of development. Provisions should be made by the government to
rehabilitate them by creating new settlements within the environment akin to
their own.
2.5.8 SUGGESTED QUESTIONS
Q.1 Explain the term environmental movements. Discuss any one
environmental movements in detail.
Q.2 Define environmental communication? How does it help to protect our
environment?
Q. 3 Write short note on the following-
(a) Resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected persons
(b) Bishnoi movement
2.5.9 SUGGESTED READINGS AND WEB SOURCES
1. Environmental Studies - R.R. Das
2. Environmental Education - R.A Sharma
3. https://www.clearias.com/environmental-movements-in-india/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_communication
B.A/ BBA/ B.Com./BCA-II Year Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.6 Writer : Nipunta Kaur

Environmental Ethics: Role of Indian and Other Religions

and Cultures in Environmental Conservation
Structure
2.6.1 Objectives
2.6.2 Introduction
2.6.3 Environmental Ethics
2.6.4 Role of Indian and Other Religions in Environmental Protection
2.6.4.1 Hinduism
2.6.4.2 Islam
2.6.4.3 Buddhism
2.6.4.4 Christian
2.6.5 Environmental Ethics
2.6.6 Environment and Indian Culture
2.6.7 Conclusion
2.6.8 Glossary
2.6.9 Suggested Questions
2.6.10 Self-Check Exercise
2.6.11 Suggested Readings
2.6.1 Objectives
After going through this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Understand the concept of environmental ethics
2. Analyse the role of various religions in environmental protection
3. Interrelationship between religion and environment
2.6.2 Introduction
The concern for environment protection can be traced back to the period between
321 and 300 BC. The ancient Indian law on environment protection is found in
Kautilya’s Arthashatra. It was the dharma of each individual in the society to
protect the nature. The people worshipped the objects of nature. The trees, water,
land gained important position in the ancient times. The cultural and religious
heritage of Indians shows a deep concern for the protection and preservation of
the environment.
81
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 82 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.6.3 Environmental Ethics

The explosion of scientific knowledge during the past century and its use in the
development of newer technologies being utilized to bring comforts to human
beings, have not been responsible to assist in obtaining a comfortable and
perpetual life for man, on the contrary it has threatened the survival of human
race. The scientific and technological indulgence in nature tends to upset the
balance of nature and destroy the very basis for the perpetuation of human
species. The world today is charged with technological individualism which
ignores the fact that the resources operate as closed system and encourage the
rapid use of environmental resources. Schumacher (1974) points out that the
existing way of life has no permanence or sustainability and forces it towards
environmental and economic destruction.
In the constitution of India,Articles 48A and 51A have been added as 42 nd
amendment and directive principles of state policy and fundamental duties
respectively.
Article 48(A).Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding
of forests and wildlife. "State shall endeavour to protect and improve the
environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country."
Article 51A: Fundamental duties: It shall be the duty of every citizen of India–
 to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the
National Flag and the National Anthem
 to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle
for freedom;
 to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
 to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do
so;
 to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all
the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or
sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of
women;
 to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
 to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes,
rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;
 to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and
reform;
 to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 83 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

 to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective

activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour
and achievement.
 to provide opportunities for education by the parent the guardian, to his
child, or a ward between the age of 6-14 years as the case may be.
Our age old traditions teach us to live in peace and harmony with nature and
to conserve it, as we all are creatures of one creator, and we don’t have any
right to harm, any of the living being in any manner as they are also one of
the creations made by the almighty, this is taught to us since the very
beginning of our civilization but as the civilization progressed we forgot
everything and started thinking that we are the master of nature and
everything in this world is made for us and we can utilize it, at any cost , as
and when require, this is against our ethics and moral values. Environmental
protection includes itself a variety of duties which any human individual has
to perform. It is amatter of moral and cultural ethics.
2.6.4 Role of Indian and Other Religions in Environmental Protection
India is a land of rites and rituals. Almost all major religions of the world are
represented in India. All the sereligions realized the proximity of mankind with
nature. All religions regulated the conduct of mankind in such a manner which
was conducive to nature and not adverse to nature. In many parts of India,
communities have inherited the rich tradition of love and reverence for nature
through ages. Religious preaching, traditions and customs have played a big role
in this regard: Indian religions have generally been the advocates of
environmentalism. They campaigned for such guidelines to the commoners that
ensured an intimate contact and sense of belonging in nature.
2.6.4.1 Hinduism :- In Hinduism, we find that from Vedic period. The
environment was part of ethos of ancient people. In Rig Veda it is mentioned that
the universe consists of five basic elements. They are earth, water, air, fire and
ether (space). These five elements provide basis for life in everything and man is
ordained to conserve them. It is further ordained that nobody will destroy
vegetation and no one shall kill animals. Thus it shows compassion for both
animals and plants. The yajna or sacrifice fire, apparently done to worship one or
the other deity, also help in purifying the air and thus keeping the environment
healthy. In the Manusmriti also it is stated that the yajna or sacrificial fire is the
cause of biological evolution. The sages of the Atharva Veda chanted:-
“What of thee I dig out,
Let that quickly grow over,
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 84 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Let me not hit thy vital, or

Thy heart”(Ramjilal,56).
This means that one can take from the earth and atmosphere only so much as
one puts back to them. In the present days, this is considered one of the most
important principles of sustainable development. Atharva Veda speaks about the
protection of wild life and domestic cattle. The cattle were meant to adorn the
ceremony but not for sacrifice. The killing of animals in the name of yajna has
been condemned as mad and in disciplined acts in Mahabharata. Manusmriti
also mentions about the optimum use of the resources of the nature. This is yet
another way to maintain the ecosystem. Certain trees are considered to be scared
and they are worshiped. They are not to be cut. In padmapurana and karma
purana, it is mentioned that the trees like, peepal, bel, ber, neemetc, are the
abode of god and they are not to be cut. This is nothing but a way of conserving
the vegetation. Planting of trees and plants like tulsi in every house are
considered to be religious acts. Hinduism considers the nature as “the body of
god”. Thus different aspects of nature, i.e. plants (tulsi), trees (peeple), birds
(garuda) and animals (lion) are worshiped. Thus the nature has been directly
interconnected with religion and religion had a direct effect on the conservation
and protection of environment.
2.6.4.2 Islam :- In Islam the Holy Qur’an and the divinely inspired words
ofProphet Mohammed form the foundation of and rules for the conservation of
nature. The Holy Qur’an declares that everything is created from water. Allah is
considered to be the owner of land and mankind is the trustee or guardian
whereas other living creatures are considered to be the beneficiaries. In Islam,
the environment is a broad concept. It includes climate and its components,
plants, animals, sand, human being, and all things found on the ground or in the
atmosphere. All these creatures were created to service the people. Therefore, the
people are responsible for maintaining and conserving the environment. Islam
forbids wasting of resources and destroying the environment. The Prophet (peace
be upon him) ordered the Muslims not to cut trees during the war. He
emphasised the conservation of the environment and the prevention of its
destruction. Therefore, conserving the environment is a religions duty of every
Muslim.
According to the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation
(ISESCO), water appears in the Holy Quran in over 50 ‘verses’ and 40 ‘Suras’. In
sura Nahl, Verse 65, Allah said, ‘And God sends down rain from the skies, and
gives therewith to the earth after its death’. Islam considers water as a basic
element of life. According to Allah, ‘Eat and drink, but waste not be excess’ (Al-
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 85 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

araf: 31). Reducing waste can benefit the environment in different ways. For
instance, waste reduction reflects the efficient use of natural resources. It also
saves the environment from problems caused by waste pollution. Moreover, Islam
urges people to clean their bodies, areas, and their surrounding environment.
Islam forbids all types of excesses, whether in drinking, eating, and other
activities.
2.6.4.3 Buddhism:- The basic tents of Buddhism are simplicity and ahimsa or
non-violence. Both these principles of Buddhism are of great importance in the
conservation and protection of natural environment. The principle of simplicity
teaches us that man should not overexploit the natural resources. Man should
not become greedy to earn more and more in the shortest possible time by
exploiting the natural wealth and leaving nothing for the future generation. There
is sufficiency of everything in the nature of man’s need but not for man’s greed.
Thus the first principle of Buddhism i.e. Simplicity is based on sustainability
which is also the crying need of the present times. The other basic principle of
Buddhism i.e. ahimsa or non-violence teaches us that we should not kill animals.
It shows the love for fauna and flora. In Buddhism we also find emphasis on tree
plantation and their preservation. King Ashoka wanted the non-violence to be the
cultural heritage of the people. Therefore punishment was prescribed for killing
animals.
2.6.4.4 Jainism: - The basic trust of Jainism is on the minimum destruction of
living and non-living resources for the benefit of man. People following Jainism
also believe in the principle of simplicity i.e. to meet their minimum needs
without overexploiting the nature and natural wealth. Thus Jainism is also based
on the principle which is in close harmony with nature and help in protecting
and preserving the nature.
2.6.4.5 Sikhism: - Sikh religion is comparatively of recent origin. The concern
for environment is evident from the fact that it considers every creature to be the
incarnation of God and hence conservation and preservation are essential
principles. Guru Nanak Ji said
“Air is vital force,
Water the Progenitor,
The vast earth the Mother of all,
Day and night
Are nurses fondling all Creation in their lap” (Dani, 34).
Guru Granth Sahib Ji also emphasis that the human beings are composed of five
basic elements of nature that is earth, air, water, fire, and sky. Thus, close
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 86 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

relationship between nature and mankind has been recognized. In Guru Granth
Sahib, where air has been designated as the Guru, water the father, the
expansive earth has been accepted as the mother in whose lap the whole of the
world is entertained by day and night:
"pavanu guru pani pita matadharatimah
ati, divasurati dui daidaia
khelaisagaljagatu."
The earth, in the Guru Granth Sahib is the symbol of the bearing of the
sufferings. She for the sake of her children absorbs all sorts of heats in it. The
earth never loses its equanimity whether some body digs it or paints it with
sandal.
2.6.4.6 Christians:- Christians are baptized in water, as a sign of purification.
In fact in almost all religions, a common thread is the secret quality of water.
Pope Paul VI, in his message to the united nations conference on the human
environment held at Stockholm in June 1972 stated that the environment and
resources are for everyone, they are inalienable property of everyone that there
does not exist over this universal property discretionary sovereignty exempting
from responsibility towards the humanity of today and tomorrow. This message of
Pope Paul makes it amply clear that there is a close link between Christianity and
environment and the thrust is for sustainable development. The man of today
should not exploit the natural resources in such a way so that nothing is left for
the coming generations.
2.6.5 Environmental Ethics :
Vedas : Vedic literature (about 1500 BC) clearly speaks that there is an integral
balance in Man, Nature and The God. Natural forces were considered to be
expressions of the Lord Himself and are venerable entitites. Vedas envisage a
beautiful natural environment on earth and command the man not to pollute.
Veda commands the knowledgeable to keep the environment free from all
impurities and that can be done by way of Yagnas or sacrificial fire. Yagnas have
said to be the medium of relation between human and the Devatas. These
Devatas are the natural forces who have to be kept propitiated. The Yagnas are
done to worship the deity and to purify the air and keep the environment healthy.
The 'vid' has been commanded to devote his life for the purpose of yagnas and
thus balancing the interests of man and nature.
Buddhism : Buddha also set down rules forbidding the pollution of rivers,
ponds and wells in Sutta-Nipata. Know ye the grasses and the trees… Then know
ye the worms, and the different sorts of ants…Know ye also the four-footed
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 87 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

animals small and great… the serpents…the fish which range in the water… The
birds that are borne along on wings and move through the air.
The Dalai Lama expressed this clearly in the following way "As a Buddhist I
believe in the interdependence of all things, the interrelationships among the
whole spectrum of plant and animal life including elements of nature which
express themselves as mountains, valleys, rivers, sky and sunshine.
Jainism : This can be done by adhering to three precepts : the right belief, the
right knowledge and the right conduct. Everyone should be benevolent towards
all living organisms, compassionate for the weak, tolerant of the insolent and
joyful at the virtuous.
Christianity : The Christianity also says that harmonic triadic relationship
exists between the divine and humanity, among human beings and nature and
failure to maintain the harmony may alienate humanity from its creator and also
from Nature.
Briefly discuss the role of Islam in environment protection.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What is the importance of Indian religions in protection of environment?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2.6.6 Environment and Indian Culture :
The cultural heritage of India shows a deep concern for the safeguard and
conservation of the environment. Indian tradition considered the earth as
'Mother'. Rivers are described Lokmata. India is a land of rites and rituals.
Indians have articulated the need to sustain and promote the ecological balances
of nature through sacred incarnations and systematized 52 rituals for the
sustenance of life on the earth. Since all most all the major world religions are
represented in the Indian soil and their religions in turn realized the proximity of
mankind and nature, they regulated conduct of mankind in such a way
conducive to nature. Indian culture shows an ecological evolution to peace. Peace
to all elements of nature and mankind and harmony between them. Thus
'environmentalism' is a part and parcel of the Indian culture.
Briefly describe the impact of culture on environment.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 88 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

2.6.7 Conclusion:- Thus we can say that though we have rich tradition and
culture of living in peace and harmony with nature but with industrialization we
have become in different towards nature. Previously there were no laws for
conservation of environment in our country other than some indirect laws, as the
people of our country loved and respected their fellow organisms. But in the
changed scenario as development and pollution went hand in hand, man started
using the natural resources so lavishly ,therefore it became very necessary to
preserve these resources otherwise there would be no resources left for the future
generations to come. Traditional knowledge had always contributed to modern
medicine and health care. We have to preserve this aspect of culture and
amalgamate it with modern methods to work toward environmental conservation.
2.6.8 Glossary
 Ethics: moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the
conducting of an activity.
 Conservation: preservation or efficient use of resources
2.6.9 Suggested Questions
1. Briefly describe the concept of environmental ethics.
2. Explain the role of Sikhism in environmental protection.
3. What is the role Hinduism in protection of environment?
2.6.10 Self-Check Exercise
1. According to Rig Veda, the five basic elements of universe are
___________________.
2. Hinduism considers the nature as body of _____.
3. According to the Holy Quran, everything is created from________.
4. Muslims should not cut_____ during the war.
5. The basic tents of Buddhism are___________ and ___________.
Answers : (1) Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether (2) God (3) Water (4) Trees
(5) Simplicity, ahinsa or non-violence
2.6.11 Suggested readings
Author Book
Baary Commoner Science and the Survival
MiladAbdelnabiSalem, Some Islamic Views onEnvironmental
NorlenaHasnan and Nor Hasni Responsibility
Osman
SubhyaPandey Environment: Ethics, Laws and its
Conservation
BhartiChibbar Indian Cultural Heritage and Environmental
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 89 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

Conservation through TraditionalKnowledge

Dr.Jodh Singh Environmental Concerns & Guru Granth
Sahib
CBSE Indian Traditional Knowledgeon
Environmental Conservation
R. R. Das Environmental Studies
Web Sources
 https://pcdnetwork.org/blogs/indian-environmental-concerns-protection-of-
indian-religious-and-cultural-heritage/
 https://paperap.com/paper-on-role-of-religion-in-environmental-
conservation/
 https://www.srcc.edu/sites/default/files/Role%20of%20religion%20in%20En
vironment-Unit%20VII-AECC-EVS-Harvinder%20Singh.pdf
 https://niu.edu.in/sla/online-classes/Environmental-Protection.pdf
B.A/ BBA/ B.Com./BCA-II Year/ Environmental and Road
Semester-III Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.7 Writer : Dr. Amita Kaistha

Stubble Burning – Meaning, impact of stubble burning on

health and environment
Structure
2.7.1 Objectives
2.7.2 Introduction
2.7.3 Meaning of Stubble Burning
2.7.4 Stubble burning in India
2.7.5 Objectives of PEDA for Stubble Burning
2.7.6 Existing Policies to Control Air Pollution
2.7.7 Side effects of Stubble burning on health and environment
2.7.8 Various alternatives of Stubble Burning
2.7.9 Summary
2.7.10 Suggested Questions
2.7.11 Suggested Readings
2.7.1 Objectives
After going through this lesson students will be able to-
1. Understand and define the concept of stubble burning.
2. Explain the process of stubble burning in North India.
3. Discuss the reasons of stubble burning in North India.
4. Analyze the side effects of Stubble burning on health and environment.
2.7.2 Introduction
We all know that India is an agricultural driven economy. India is one among the
leading countries in the production of wheat, sugarcane and rice etc. Increase in
agricultural production simultaneously increased the agricultural waste, which is
a major environmental problem of India in recent years. This agricultural waste is
known as stubble and is a major issue of concern for the farmers of north India
especially Punjab and Haryana. Farmers found burning of this stubble as the
easiest way to get rid of the problem of stubble dumping. In this chapter we will
discuss about the concept of stubble burning the ill effects of stubble burning on
the environment.
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2.7.3 Meaning of Stubble burning

Stubble burning can be described as deliberately setting on fire the straw stubble
(Parali) that remains after harvesting of wheat and other grains. In north India
farmers in Punjab burn the rice residues after harvest so as to quickly prepare
the land for wheat plantation. The practice was widespread until the 1990s,.
After that governments increasingly restricted its use. Ploughing the stubble back
into the ground is a good practice and is ecofriendly. But on the contrary the
burning of stubble has a number of consequences and adverse effects on the
environment. Smoke from agricultural burning contains numerous substances
that can harm human health, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and
particulate matter.
Effect of Stubble burning:
1. It quickly clears the field and is a cheap process.
2. It kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
3. It kills slugs and other pests also.
4. It can reduce nitrogen tie-up.
On the other hand, harmful effects of stubble burning on the environment are :
1. Because of fire there is loss of nutrients of soil.
2. There is pollution on large scale because of smoke.
3. It damages electrical and electronic equipment due to floating threads of
conducting waste.
4. There is always a risk of spreading of fires to the larger area.
5. Stubble burning contributes to increase in atmospheric CO2
2.7.4 STUBBLE BURNING IN INDIA
India has a major agribusiness sector and is achieving remarkable successes over
the last three or four decades. In India more than 50% population is engaged in
cultivation of agricultural products. This production just doesn’t feed the country
but generates enough agriculture products to export to the outside world. In the
production of crops such as wheat, rice and sugarcane India is among leading
countries. With million tons of agriculture crops producing every year, side by
side it is also producing tons of agricultural waste/residue which is made up of
organic compounds from organic sources such as rice straw, sugar cane bagasse,
coconut shell and others. With high amount of agricultural waste, it becomes
difficult for the farmers to dump that waste. With reaping of paddy fields, large
quantities of husk are generated that needs dumping. Farmers generally gather
husk and put them to fire because for them it is the easiest ways to get rid of
husk. But burning husk has several demerits and ill effects on environment and
health of human beings (Anant Srivastav).
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 92 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

In north India the Punjab state has two growing seasons: one from May to
September and another from November to April. In the month of November wheat
and vegetables are sown by the farmers. To clear the field for crop plantation
farmers often set fire to their fields before planting. This practice is known as
stubble burning. There are two reasons of crop residue burning. First is that at
the end of the Kharif season farmers get very less time period between harvesting
of paddy and cultivation of wheat. Rice, is a water-intensive crop. Central and
various state governments restricted the cultivation of paddy in the summer
months because of high usage of water in its cultivation. In order to prevent
diversion of scarce water resources in the summer, paddy cultivation can legally
begin only around mid-June, when the monsoons typically arrive over North
India. This further delays the cut short to the root with a knife, the large units of
harvesters leave 6-10 cm of paddy stalk on the field. The rise in incomes and the
subsequent availability of mechanical implements in Punjab and Haryana lead to
increased mechanization of agriculture over the past 10-15 years. Traditionally,
farm labour in these states was in the form of seasonal, migrant workers from the
states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Since 2005, the demand for these workers saw
a reduction, and accordingly, the availability of assured income from farm labour
has declined. The launch of an assured rural income scheme in the form of the
NREGA further led to income opportunities in their home states, which resulted
in scarcity of agricultural labour in various parts of Punjab (Polash Mukerjee,
2016)
The removal of the paddy stalk that remains on the field is a labour-
intensive process. With labour being unavailable and the time window for
preparing the field for wheat cultivation being limited, the options that the farmer
has are either investing in expensive and rarely used agricultural implements, or
burning the residue right on the field. Of the two, the latter is both cheaper and
requires less effort. As per estimates, Punjab produces approximately 19-20
million tonnes of paddy straw and about 20 million tonnes of wheat
straw. Usually 85-90 percent of the paddy is burnt in the field and similarly
wheat straw is also being burnt during the Rabi harvesting season. In Haryana
the similar problem persist, although the intensity is smaller than Punjab. The
estimate paddy straw production is 2 million tonnes. (Polash Mukerjee, 2016)
In north India stubble burning in Punjab has been found as a major cause of air
pollution in Delhi. Usually from late September through October of each year,
farmers mainly from Punjab and Haryana burn million tons of crop waste from
their wheat fields after harvesting. This is a low-cost straw-disposal practice to
reduce the turnaround time between harvesting and sowing for the second crop.
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Stubble burning produces a cloud of particulates along with smoke and also
produce "toxic cloud" which sometimes results in declarations of an air-pollution
emergency in north India. Even if harvesters are available such as the Indian-
manufactured "Happy Seeder" that shred the crop residues into small pieces and
uniformly spread them across the field, as an alternative to burning the crops,
but farmers complain that the cost of these machines is unaffordable for them
and they prefer to burning the fields.
2.7.5 Objectives of PEDA for Stubble Burning :
The objectives of PEDA in for stubble burning are as follows :
 Promotion, development and implementation of non-conventional energy
technologies programs and projects.
 Promotion and development of Biomass/Agro residue based power
projects.
 Implementation of a comprehensive energy conservation program in the
industrial, agricultural, commercial as well as household sector.
 Promotion and implementation of new technologies for energy saving.
 Collection of energy data base to provide policy and planning input to the
state government.
 Measures for improving the combustion efficiency of rice husk fires boilers.
 Analyze the availability and utility of biomass as energy source.
 Installing community/institutional biogas plants.
 Implementation of Integrated Rural Energy Program (IREP)
Punjab Biodiversity Board
Some of the functions of the board in meeting its objective are :
 To promote biodiversity conservation activities in both agriculture and wild
areas.
 To implement the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 in Punjab.
 To assist setting up of Biological Diversity committee at village and town
level and expert committee at the state and district level.
2.7.6 Existing Policies to Control Air Pollution :
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Punjab State Council for Science and
Technology (PSCST), Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA)
(http://www.peda.gov.in/) are the institutions that have been vested with the
task of controlling pollution in Punjab.
 Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)
 Agriculture Councils
 Punjab State Council for Science and Technology
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 Department of Agriculture
 Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA)
 Department of Animal Husbandry
 Punjab Agricultural University
 Punjab State Farmers Commission
 Department of Rural Development and Panchayats
 Agriculture Diversification
 Promotion of Zero Tillage
2.7.7 SIDE EFFECTS OF STUBBLE BURNING ON HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT
 Stubble (Crop residue) burning is one among the many sources of air
pollution. Open burning of husk produces harmful smoke that causes
pollution. Open burning of husk is of incomplete combustion in nature.
Because of this large amount of toxic pollutants are emitted in the
atmosphere. Pollutants contain harmful gases like Methane, Carbon
Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC) and carcinogenic
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
 Burning of farm waste causes severe pollution of land and water on
local as well as regional scale.
 This also adversely affects the nutrient budget in the soil. Straw
carbon, nitrogen and sulphur are completely burnt and lost to the
atmosphere in the process of burning.
 It results in the emission of smoke which if added to the gases present
in the air like methane, nitrogen oxide and ammonia, can cause severe
atmospheric pollution. These gaseous emissions can result in health
risk, aggravating asthma, chronic bronchitis and decrease lung
function.
 Burning of crop residue also contributes indirectly to the increased
ozone pollution.
 It has adverse consequences on the quality of soil. When the crop
residue is burnt the existing minerals present in the soil get destroyed
which adversely hampers the cultivation of the next crop.
 The on field impact of burning includes removal of a large portion of the
organic material. The off field impacts are related to human health due
to general air quality degradation resulting in aggravation of respiratory
(like cough, asthma, bronchitis), eye and skin diseases.
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 The black soot generated during burning also results in poor visibility
which could lead to increased road side incidences of accident. Clouds of
ash and smoke can travel more than thousand kilometers and create an
obstinate and non-clearing clouds. Smog formed of the smoke can increase
the levels of pollutants by manifolds in the air, making it difficult to
breathe. After release in the atmosphere, these pollutants disperse in the
surroundings, may undergo physical and chemical transformation and
eventually adversely affect the human health. Frequent husk burning may
contribute to the formation of the brown clouds that affects the local air
quality, atmospheric visibility and earth climate.
 Some think burning is a quick, easy and cheap method as all unwanted
husk, plants and shrubs gets destroyed. Some believe that fire may return
nutrients to the land. But burning husk on ground destroys the nutrients
in the soil, making it less fertile. Heat generated by stubble burning
penetrates into the soil, leading to the loss of the moisture and useful
microbes. Thus adversely affecting the soil. It kills natural nutrients and
bacteria that helps rejuvenate soil.
 The burning of paddy or stubble leads to the loss of precious nutrients as
nearly 25% nitrogen and phosphorus, 50% Sulphur and 75% potassium
uptake from the soil are retained soil residues. It is estimated that burning
of 1 Ton of stubble or paddy straw accounts for loss of 5.5 kg nitrogen, 2.3
kg phosphorus, 25 kg Potassium and 1.2 kg Sulphur, besides organic
carbon.
 Husk has high prolific value. Rice husk is unusually high in ash, which is
92-95% silica, highly porous and lightweight, with a very high surface
area. Its absorbent and insulating properties are useful in many industrial
applications, such as acting as strengthening agent in building materials.
Husk is also produced as fuel for processing paddy, production through
direct combustion or gassification. It is also used as cattle feed. Burning
stubble would be a waste of such utility.
 On November 9, 2013, the Times of India reported that smoke was heavy
enough in Chandigarh to ground a handful of flights. In addition,
engineers from the Indian Institute of Technology recently published a
report noting that air pollution posed a threat to the Harmandir Sahib
(Golden Temple), an historically-significant religious site in Amritsar.
 The pollutuion created by stubble burning also cause lung cancer
 It also leads to various Heart diseases among human beings.
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Punjab Government, its various Departments and other institutions like Punjab
Agricultural University, Punjab Farmers Commission are all making efforts to
devise some alternate economic uses of rice stubble. These include the stubble
treated with urea as a fodder for animals, its use in biothermal energy
production, paper manufacturing, mushroom cultivation, bedding for animals,
etc.
Punjab government is also providing subsidy to the farmers to promote the use
of equipments which help in checking the burning of crop residues, like
rotavators, happy seeders, zero–till-drills and straw reapers.
There is an urgent need to revitalize the research in agriculture and related
activities to tackle the problem of soil degradation and water depletion, a
dedicated programme for promoting resource conservation technologies, such as
zero tillage, deep ploughing, raised bed planting, laser land leveling etc., should
be promoted. An eco friendly technology will be beneficial to the farmer
community and the state by providing them a tool for improving soil health and
environment for sustainable agriculture (Parmod Kumar and Laksmi Joshi, 2013,
research gate).
2.7.8 VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES OF STUBBLE BURNING:
1) To collect stubble stubble collecting machines should be provided to farmers.
2) Stubble collecting machines should be given at rent to the farmers.
3) Providing reasonable labor to reap the paddy to avoid stubble generation.
This will provide temporary employment to people in need.
4) Cattles should be allowed to graze or feed upon to clear away husk and
stubble.
5) One of the important alternative is decomposition of stubble in the farm field
and turning it into the useful manure.
6) Collected stubble could be used for making fodder for livestock.
7) Setting up Bio-mass fuel plants to generate fuel using paddy husk.
8) Government should make provisions for the involvement of benefiting
industries like cement industry to collaborate in husk/hull or stubble
collection to use it proficiently.
9) Provisions should be made to invite packaging industries to collect stubble to
make packaging boxes which are more environment friendly than other non-
disposable materials like thermocole and plastic.
2.7.9 Summary
India is one of the leading countries in the production of rice and wheat etc. On
the one hand where increased agricultural production is playing an important
role in boosting the economy of India, simultaneously on the other hand it is
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 97 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

producing tons of agricultural residue also and making it very difficult for the
farmers to tackle the problem of dumping this waste. To deal with this problem
farmers generally collect the husk and burn it. They found it as the easiest way to
tackle the problem. This burning of agricultural residue is known as stubble
burning.
2.7.10 Suggested Questions
Q. 1 What do you mean by stubble burning? Discuss the impact it is posing on
the environment ?
Q. 2. Discuss in brief the effect of stubble burning on the health of human
beings in north India.
2.7.11 Suggested Readings and used web sources
1. Stubble Burning: Side effects and Possible alternatives -
https://ballotboxindia.com/dp/Stubble-burning-side-effects-and-its-
alternatives/5182318549/
2. Stubble Burning in Northern India -
https://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/82409/stubble-burning-
in-northern-india
3. https://www.jagranjosh.com/
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278697280_Pollution_Caused_
by_Agricultural_Waste_Burning_and_Possible_Alternate_Uses_of_Crop_Stu
bble_A_Case_Study_of_Punjab
B.A/ BBA/ B.Com./BCA-II Year Environmental and Road
Safety Awareness
Lesson No. 2.8 Writer : Nipunta Kaur
Stubble burning: Management and alternative uses of crop
stubble, environmental legislation and policies for
restriction of agriculture residue burning in Punjab
Structure
2.8.1 Introduction
2.8.2 Objectives
2.8.3 Management and Alternative uses of crop stubble
2.8.3.1 Use of Rice Residue as Fodder for Animals
2.8.3.2 Use of Crop Residue in Bio Thermal Power Plants
2.8.3.3 Use of Rice Residue as Bedding Material for Cattle
2.8.3.4 Use of Crop Residue for Mushroom Cultivation
2.8.3.5 Use of Rice Residue in Paper Production
2.8.3.6 Use of Rice Residue for Making Bio Gas
2.8.3.7 In Situ
2.8.3.8 Incorporation of Paddy Straw in Soil
2.8.3.9 Production of Bio-oil from Straw and Other Agricultural
Wastes
2.8.4 Environmental Legislations and policies for restriction of agriculture
residue burning in Punjab
2.8.4.1 Ministry of Environment and Forest
2.8.4.2 Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)
2.8.4.3 Punjab State Council for Science and Technology
2.8.4.4 Environment Division
2.8.4.5 Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA)
2.8.4.6 Punjab Biodiversity Board
2.8.5 Summary
2.8.6 Glossary
2.8.7 Suggested Questions
2.8.8 Self-Check Exercise
2.8.9 References

98
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2.8.1 Introduction
Stubble burning is a serious issue of now days especially in Punjab. It adversely
affects the health of human beings, animals also as well as environment. There
are some other ways to manage the crop residue naturally as well as
scientifically. Government of India made several policies and laws related to crop
residue management. It is the state of Punjab also who continuously make efforts
and give directions to farmers and agriculture institutions to use agriculture
residue in other areas instead of burning it. In this chapter we will discuss the
ways to manage crop residue and policies made by Punjab government to stop
stubble burning.
2.8.2 Objectives:
After going through this lesson students will be able to:
i. Understand the need to stop stubble burning
ii. Explain the ways to manage crop residue
iii.Understand the laws relating to stubble burning
2.8.3 Management and alternative uses of stubble burning
Paddy straw is a major field-based residue that is produced in large amounts
inAsia. However, an increasing proportion of this paddy straw undergoes field
burning. Punjab produces around 23 million tonnes of paddy straw and 17
million tonnes of wheat straw annually. More than 80 % of paddy straw (18.4
million tonnes) and almost 50 % wheat straw (8.5 million tonnes) produced in
state is being burnt in fields. As per latest data provided by Central Ground
Water Board,(Government of India 2011) and Department of Irrigation Punjab,
out of 137blocks of the state, 103 blocks are overexploited, 5 blocks are critical, 4
blocks are semi critical and only 25 blocks are in safe category. All the blocks of
various districts like Amritsar (16 blocks), Jalandhar (10 blocks), Moga (5 blocks),
Kapurthala (5 blocks), Sangrur (12 blocks), Fatehgarh Sahib (5 blocks), Patiala
(8out of 9 blocks) and Ludhiana (9 out of 10 blocks) have been found to be over
exploited, leading to sharp depletion of the water table in these districts.
Agricultural waste includes paddy and wheat straw, cotton sticks and animal
waste. Keeping in view the increasing problems associated with crop stubble
burning several initiatives for its proper management have been taken up.
Various departments and institutions are promoting alternative uses of straw
instead of burning. These include:
2.8.3.1 Use of Rice Residue as Fodder for Animals
The rice residue as fodder for animals is not a very popular practice among
farmers in Punjab. This is mainly because of the high silica content in the rice
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 100 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

residue. It is believed that almost 40 % of the wheat straw produced in the state
is used as dry fodder for animals. However to encourage the use of rice residue as
fodder for animals, a pilot project was taken up by PSCST at PAU under which
trials on natural fermentation of paddy straw for use as protein enriched
livestock feed were conducted. The technology was demonstrated in district
Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda. The department of Animal
Husbandry, Punjab has propagated the technology in the state
2.8.3.2 Use of Crop Residue in Bio Thermal Power Plants
Another use of rice residue that is being encouraged by various institutions and
departments is the use of rice residue for generation of electricity. A 10 MW
biomass based power plant at village Jalkheri, Fatehgarh Sahib with paddy straw
as fuel was set up in the year 1992.
2.8.3.3 Use of Rice Residue as Bedding Material for Cattle
The farmers of the state have been advised to use paddy straw as bedding
material for cross bred cows during winters as per results of a study conducted
by the Department of Livestock Production and Management, College of
Veterinary Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University. It has been found that the
use of paddy straw bedding during winter helped in improving the quality and
quantity of milk as it contributed to animals’ comfort, udder health and leg
health. Paddy straw bedding helped the animals keep themselves warm and
maintain reasonable rates of heat loss from the body. It also provides clean,
hygienic, dry, comfortable and non-slippery environment, which prevents the
chances of injury and lameness. Healthy legs and hooves ensure enhancement of
milk production and reproductive efficiency of animals. The paddy straw used for
bedding could be subsequently used in biogas plants. The use of paddy straw
was also found to result in increased net profit of Rs. 188–971 per animal per
month from the sale of additional amount of milk produced by cows provided
with bedding.
2.8.3.4 Use of Crop Residue for Mushroom Cultivation
Paddy straw can be used for the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus, Volvariella
Volvacea and Pleurotus spp. One kg of paddy straw yields 300, 120–150 and 600
g of these mushrooms, respectively. At present, about 20,000 metric tonnes of
straw is being used for cultivation of mushrooms in the state. Paddy straw
mushroom accounts for 16 % of total production of cultivated mushroom in the
world.
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2.8.3.5 Use of Rice Residue in Paper Production

The paddy straw is also being used in conjunction with wheat straw in 40:60
ratios for paper production. The sludge can be subjected to bio-methanization for
energy production. The technology is already operational in some paper mills,
which are meeting 60 % of their energy requirement through this method. Paddy
straw is also used as an ideal raw material for paper and pulp board
manufacturing. As perin formation provided by PAU, more than 50 % pulp board
mills are using paddy straw as their raw material.
2.8.3.6 Use of Rice Residue for Making Bio Gas
The PSFC has been coordinating a project for processing of farm residue into
biogas based on the technology developed by Sardar Patel Renewable Energy
Research Institute (SPRERI). A power plant of 1 MW is proposed to be set up at
Ladhowal on pilot basis on land provided by PAU. The new technology will
generate300 m3 of biogas from 1 t of paddy straw.
2.8.3.7 In Situ
The technical measures are ‘straw incorporation’ and ‘straw mulching’. In both
these measures, the residue is incorporated in the field itself and is thus used to
increase the nutrient value or fertility of the soil. In the first measure, the residue
is allowed to decompose in the field itself through a chemically developed
process(available at PAU), and in the second measure, incorporation is done with
the help of a properly designed machine along with seeding (know-how developed
at PAU). The second measure is more useful as there is no weeding in this
process and it is less expensive.
2.8.3.8 Incorporation of Paddy Straw in Soil
The incorporation of the straw in the soil has a favorable effect on the soil’s
physical, chemical and biological properties such as pH, Organic carbon, water
holding capacity and bulk density of the soil. On a long-term basis it has been
seen to increase the availability of zinc, copper, iron and manganese content in
the soil and it also prevents the leaching of nitrates. By increasing organic carbon
it increases bacteria and fungi in the soil.
2.8.3.9 Production of Bio-oil from Straw and Other Agricultural Wastes
Bio-oil is a high density liquid obtained from biomass through rapid pyrolysis
technology. It has a heating value of approximately 55 % as compared to diesel. It
can be stored, pumped and transported like petroleum based product and can be
combusted directly in boilers, gas turbines and slow and medium speed diesels
for heat and power applications, including transportation.
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2.8.4 Environmental Legislations and policies for restriction of

agriculture residue burning in Punjab
2.8.4.1 Ministry of Environment and Forest
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) is a nodal agency in the
administrative setup of the Union Government. The Ministry is entrusted with
the task of planning, coordinating, overseeing and implementing various forestry
and environment programmes. The Ministry undertakes various activities like
prevention and control of pollution, conservation and survey of flora and fauna,
forests and wildlife, protection of environment etc., in the framework of
legislations.
The MoEF has constituted a number of pollution control acts for the prevention,
control and abatement of different types of pollution in India. These acts are:
• The National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995 (27 of 1995).
• The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 (22 of 1997).
• The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974 (6 of 1974).
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 (36 of 1977).
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981).
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986).
• The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 (6 of 1991).
2.8.4.2 Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) was constituted in the year 1975,
under Section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The
PPCB is the main governing body in Punjab for ensuring that the national
ambient air quality standards are met. The PPCB has three zonal offices and
twelve regional offices. The PPCB has constituted the following cells for the
effective implementation of the policies and decisions taken by the Board:
• Consent Management Cell
• Administrative Cell
• Finance and Accounts Cell
• Legal Cell
• Scientific Cell
• Hazardous Wastes Management Cell
• General Planning and Computer Cell
• Construction Cell
• Computer Section.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board abides by the following Acts for the control of
environment pollution in the state of Punjab:
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 The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended till
date.
 The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977.
 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 as amended till
date.
In addition to the above Acts, the Ministry of Forests and Environment has also
laid down the following rules for the management of hazardous wastes, Bio-
medical waste, solid waste management, recycled plastic, used batteries, noise
pollution control and protection of the ozone layer under the environment. The
objectives of the Punjab Pollution Control Board in pursuing its objective of
abating and preventing pollution in Punjab are as follows:
 To control pollution at source with due regard to techno-economic
feasibility for liquid effluents as well as gaseous emissions.
 To ensure that natural waters are not polluted by the discharge of
untreated city sewage.
 To maximize the reuse of sewage and trade effluents and to use the treated
effluent for irrigation and for industrial purposes.
 To minimize pollution control requirements through judicious location of
new industries and relocation of industries wherever necessary.
 To control and minimize the pollution of air and water and to maintain the
quality of air and water for designated use and purposes.
2.8.4.3 Punjab State Council for Science and Technology
The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology was established on 21
July1983, with the objective of infusing scientific knowledge in the minds of
people. The institute has been trying to achieve this through various means of
display and publications, about the nature of life while signifying the useable
aspects of available technologies. Some of the main objectives of the institute
include the following:
• Conservation of environment
• Pollution Control in the state of Punjab
• Providing consultation to various industrial units for undertaking
development.
The institute tries to achieve these objectives by working towards the
development of new technologies, providing technical support to the state
government on development through development of science and technology etc.
The institute focuses in providing both formal and informal assistance to the
industrial and agricultural sector in carrying out their activities, in such a
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 104 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

manner to ensure judicious utilization of natural resources with the least stress
on the environment.
2.8.4.4 Environment Division
The division of environment assists the State Department of Environment,
Government of Punjab in technical matters pertaining to environment,
identification of major areas of ecological concern, defining the state government
policies and plans on various environmental issues, coordinating and monitoring
schemes related to environment, creating environmental awareness and
promoting environmental education, training and research. It is also
implementing projects and programmes related to environment for international
bodies like, UNESCO, UNDP, etc., as well as, programmes of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests at the national level.
2.8.4.5 Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA)
The Punjab Energy Development Agency was established in the year 1991, for the
promotion and development of non-conventional and renewable energy programs
or projects in the state of Punjab.
The projects undertaken by PEDA to meet its above objectives include the
following:
 Mini hydel power generation.
 Solar energy based power generation projects.
 Biomass, Agro based power generation projects.
 Power generation from urban, industrial waste.
 Promotion and development of co-generation.
 Integrated rural energy program (IREP).
 Community institutional/Night soil biogas plants.
 National project on biogas development program.
• Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) water pumping systems.
• Solar cooker implementation program.
• Biomass gasification program.
• National program on improved chulah.
• Energy conservation study/feasibility study/Energy audit in the
industry andother user sectors.
• Solar passive architecture–PEDA office complex.
• Power generation potential from non-conventional energy sources.
2.8.4.6 Punjab Biodiversity Board
The Punjab Biodiversity Board was notified in the state in December 2004 under
section 22 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to protect Punjab’s natural
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 105 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

ecosystems and its flora and fauna. The Board has been set up in the
Department of Environment to ensure that biodiversity in both wild and
cultivated areas are properly protected. Under the Act, no corporate body or
association can commercially utilize the state’s biodiversity without approval of
State Biodiversity Board.
Further, no foreigner without the approval of the National Biodiversity Authority
(NBA) can obtain any biological sample or knowledge associated for research or
for commercial utilisation or for bio-survey and bio-utilisation. These include wild
relatives of crop species also.
2.8.5 Summary
Residue burning is a serious issue. Government has started various projects to
stop it. It is the duty of the individual also to manage the crop residue and use
the techniques recommended by the government to manage the crop residue so,
that quality of the soil can be improved.
2.8.6 Glossary
 Straw: - Agriculture by product consisting of dry straw of cereal plants
after the grain and chaff have been removed.
 Stubble Burning: - Use of controlled fire to clear the crop residue.
2.8.7 Suggested Questions
1. What are the measures taken by Punjab Government to prevent stubble
burning?
2. What are the alternatives to manage crop residue.
3. Briefly describe the policies made by government to prevent residue
burning.
2.8.8 Self-Check Exercise
1. The Punjab Pollution Control Board was set up in the year__________.
2. The ____________agency was established in the year 1991.
3. Punjab Biodiversity Board was formed to protect________________.
4. A _____ MW biomass power plant at Fatehgarh Sahib with paddy straw as
fuel was set up in year 1991.
5. Use of paddy straw budding helps in improving ________ and _________ of
milk.
6. The incorporation of paddy straw in soil has effect of soil’s _________,
_________ and _________ properties.
Answers : (1) 1975 (2) Punjab Energy Development (3) Punjab's natural
ecosystem (4) 10 (5) quality; quantity (6) physical, chemical, biological
B.A./B.Com./BBA/BCA Part-II 106 Environmental and Road Safety Awareness

References
 Pramod Kumar and Surender Kumar: Alternative Uses of Crop Stubble
 Pramod Kumar, Surender Kumar and Laxmi Joshi: Socioeconomic and
Environmental Implications of Agricultural Residue Burning A Case Study of
Punjab, India
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