ASSIGNMENT QUESTION AND ANSWERS

ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION AND WATER SECURITY

Q.1 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT
HUMAN HEALTH
ANS= Natural resources are gift to human life. Good conditions of air, water,
soil and biodiversity enhances our health and wellbeing. When these
resources degrade, it ultimately results into ill health, morbidity and
shortening of life span. World Health Organization (WHO) has defined,
"Health as a state of complete, physical, mental and social wellbeing; not
merely absence of disease or infirmity.
Unhealthy environment increases mental stress, anxieties, chances of cancer
and other diseases. It also increases the disabilities of body organs. It
increases strain on physical capabilities and affects reproductive capacities
also. Industrialization and over consumerism are main causes of natural
resources pollution. The destruction of natural habitat by pollution affects
agriculture, animal husbandry, aquatic flora and fauna. Increasing
malnutrition, poverty etc. changes environmental conditions resulting in
outbreak of different diseases. ·

Water and Health- The availability of water resources and quality of water
is being degraded day-by-day in India. It results into harmful effects. 1. More
than 50% of population of the country does not have access to potable water.
2. 80% diseases are water borne. Unclean and poor water conditions kill
more than 13 million people per year. 3. Discharge of untreated sewage and
organic load in water bodies increases chances of cholera, typhoid, and
hepatitis. 4. Different types of untreated toxic effluents, heavy metals are
discharged in water by industries. 5. Leaching and seeping of agrochemicals
such as pesticides, synthetic organic chemicals and persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) get released in surface and ground water affecting human
health.

· Air and Health- Air is mixture of different gases. The composition of air is
altered by primary and secondary pollutants. It changes quality of air and
causes harm to health of organisms and human being. Air is a movable entity,
it affects global health
Particulate matter (sizes 2.5 mm - 10 mm) (soot and dust), toxic gases and
agrochemicals are responsible for degradation of air quality. It results into
unwanted and unexpected situations. 1. Two weeks of office and school work
was stopped in Delhi in 2018 due to air pollution. 2. More than 3 million
deaths occur in India due to air pollution. 3. Inhalation of pariculate matter
causes heart, respiratory and lung disorders, increased risk of cancer. 4.
Global warming by green house gases increases commumicable and skin
disease. 5. Vehicular pollution soot, CO2 , cause irritation of eye, nose and
increased asthmatic condition and bronchitis. 6. Smog results in respiratory
diseases, decreasing visibility and taking lives in accidents. 7. Congested
overcrowded and unhygienic conditions increase microbial growth and air
borne diseases such as T.B., pneumonia, polio, whooping cough etc in
children. The basic necessity of life is pure air. If its quality is degraded, it hits
life of all organisms

Soil and Health Health is deteriorated due to contaminated food which

results due to inappropriate agricultural practices. Non-biodegradable
compounds, chemicals, POPs are entering in food and food chain resulting
their bio magnification. Consumption of such contaminated food disturbs the
various systems of the body causing diseases such as cancer and infertility.
Biomedical wastes added to soil, affect soil flora and fauna. Radioactive
products, heavy metals mixed by e-waste, chemical waste causes various
diseases in plants, animals and humans. ·

Radioactivity and Health Nuclear tests, the warfare in countries and

accidents in radioactive nuclear plants destroy environment in that area.
Uranium - 235, Strontium - 90, Iodine - 131, Cesium - 137 are major
radioactive pollutants released in the environment due to different activities.
Accumulation of radionuclides in human tissues leads to cancer, gene
mutation, which also results in birth of abnormal babies with malformed
organs.

Q2. What are the sources of air pollution in metropolitan cities in

india .explain with examples
Ans- Air pollution is the entry of unwanted particulate matter, biomolecules
or other harmful materials into the Earth's atmosphere. It causes diseases,
death to humans and damage to other living organisms. According to The Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, “Air pollution is the presence
of any solid, liquid, or gaseous substances in the atmosphere in such
concentration as may be or tend to be injurious to human beings or other
living creatures or plants or property or environment.”
Air Pollutants The major air pollutants are as follows:
1) Particulate matter - Soot, smoke, tar or dust and domestic wastes.
2) Toxic Gases - Carbon Monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) Oxides of
Sulphur (SOx), Halogens (chlorine, bromine and iodine) and volatile organic
compounds.
3) Metals - Lead, zinc, iron and chromium.
4) Industrial pollutants - Benzene, ether, acetic acid etc. and cyanide
compounds
. 5) Agricultural pollutants - Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, Chemical
fertilizers
6) Photochemical pollutants - Ozone, Oxides of Nitrogen (Nox), aldehydes,
ethylene, photochemical smog and Peroxy Acetyl Nitrate (PAN) and Oxides of
Sulphur (SOx). 7) Radiation pollutants - Radioactive substances and
radioactive fall-outs of the nuclear test. Sources of air pollution The basic
sources of air pollution are natural and anthropogenic/man-made.
Natural sources of pollution are those that are caused due to natural
phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires, biological decay, pollen
grains, marshes, radioactive materials etc. Anthropogenic/man-made sources
of pollution are those which are created by human activities. These include
indoor air pollutants, vehicular emissions, fossil fuel burning, agricultural
activities, industrial emissions and thermal power plants etc

Q.3. Define the term sustainable development and explain the challenges of
sustainable development
Ans- Sustainable development is the development that fulfils the needs of
the present; without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs." The aim of sustainable development is to balance our
economic, environmental and social needs for now and future generations
Need for sustainable development Sustainability is improving quality of
human life; while living within the carrying capacity of supporting
ecosystems. If natural resources on the earth are conserved, maintained and
enhanced, the ecological processes would work smoothly. The raw materials
for the industry, food, water, fuel, fodder come from the environment. The
environment also absorbs the waste created by our developmental activities.
Thus it acts as a source and also a sink for us. Sustainable development will
lead to true economic growth. This will be reflected in equitable distribution
of economic benefits; which in turn will help to bridge the gap between poor
and rich people in the society. If we look at the scenario around us, we can
see an increase in population followed by excessive use of natural resources.
This is because of the increased demands and needs of growing population.
As the economic conditions of the people in urban area started improving,
their purchasing power increased. People started purchasing electronic
goods, metal and plastic articles. This led to consumerism. Advancement in
technologies, globalization, rapid changes in lifestyle, access and desire to
luxury goods and consumerism are the main causes of rapid depletion of
natural resources and deterioration of the environment.
Challenges for sustainable development 1) Population growth - As the world
population is growing there is a peer pressure on the available resources.
Today world’s population is approximately 7.7 billion and India's population is
approximately 1.32 billion. The rate at which these resources are being
exploited by such a large population, they would not last for longer time. 2)
Exploitation of natural resources - Exploitation of natural resources started to
emerge on an industrial scale in 19th century. Timber, coal, metals, oil,
natural gas, subsoil minerals, water and many more resources are being
exploited for industrial and commercial uses. Progress and development of
new technologies and equipment changes in life styles led to use of various
appliances at work place, home, in industry and agriculture. This led to over
use of natural resources. To reduce the exploitation of these natural
resources is a big challenge. 3) Poverty - In underdeveloped and developing
countries, poverty is a big challenge. Sustainable development must also look
for the basic needs of poor and deprived people, as they also aspire for better
life. 4) Unequal distribution of resources - Consumption of resources per
capita in developed countries like U.S is about 50 times greater than the
consumption per capita in developing countries. U.S.A. alone with 4% of
world population, consumes about 25% of the world’s resources. Even within
the country, there is disparity in the use of resources like water. When large
dams are constructed, huge tracts of forests and agricultural lands of affected
people are utilized for the dam. These local people, whose livelihood are
linked to this land are displaced to some other places. 5) Consumerism - In
growing economy, people have more purchasing power. This leads to more
consumption of various goods for luxury. Production of a variety of
electronic, plastic, metal goods are a major source of attraction/desire in the
market.
To follow the path of sustainable development, people to change their life
style and do with less. In practice, people are reluctant to do so. This is one of
the big challenges to sustainable development. 6) Education and
unemployment - Illiteracy is a major challenge for sustainable development.
Poor people can’t afford to educate their children. They are unable to get
employment as they have no quality education. This vicious circle continues.
Population increase in the country is also one of the reasons for the
unemployment. 7) Awareness - Common people are not at all aware about
the fact that resources on this earth are limited and that non-renewable
resources will not even get generated once they are used up. This is the
reason that these resources should be used judiciously. People should realize
what are their actual needs before purchasing. 8) Government Policy - To
achieve the goals of sustainable development, the government has to take
certain hard decisions and implement different schemes. It should restructure
the cost of all goods, considering the environmental cost of their production.
Similarly non-conventional energy sources like solar, wind energy, biogas-
based appliances should be subsidized. Rain water harvesting systems also
should be given subsidies. Government should implement schemes to
achieve sustainable goals.
Q4. Describe the term green audit. Elaborate upon the various component of
green audit
Ans- Rapid urbanization and economic development at local, regional and
global level has led to several environmental and ecological crisis. On this
background, it becomes essential to adopt the system of environmental audit
for institutes, organizations etc. which will lead to sustainable development.
As environmental sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue
for the nation, the role of organizations in relation to environmental
sustainability is more important. Green Auditing is a unique process that
allows to know the uses of available resources i.e. Energy, Water quality,
Built-up Space, Air quality in the organization. Green Audit is a process of
systematic identification, quantification, recording, reporting and analysis of
components of environmental diversity of various establishments. It was
initiated in 1970 with the motive of inspecting the work conducted within the
organizations, which can cause risk to inhabitants and environment. Green
audit can be a useful tool for an organization to determine how and where
they are using the more energy water or other resources; the organization
can then consider how to implement changes for conservation. Main
objective of the audit is to upgrade the environment conditions in and
around the organisation. It also aims to secure the environment thereby
cutting down the threats posed to human health. It is used to analyse
environmental practices within and outside the organisation, which will have
an impact on the eco-friendly ambience.
Green audit includes Waste audit – It can be used to determine the type and
volume of waste. It helps for a recycling project or to improve waste
minimization plan. It guides to reduce the waste generation by segregating,
reusing, recycling and composting. By checking waste collection and disposal
system, it helps to understand what goes waste and how to make a 'zero
waste' campus.
Water audit – It evaluates facilities of raw water intake and determines
facilities for waste water treatment. It measures the total water requirement,
amount of water harvested and recycled. Main objective of water audit is to
balance the demand and supply of water along with harvesting it to use at
the time of scarcity.
Energy audit – It deals with the energy conservation and methods to reduce
its consumption and related pollution. It helps to target energy consuming
practices and suggest the energy conservation techniques
Ecological audit – It focuses on land use of organization to map green areas,
to identify biodiversity and to understand the relationship with environment.
It measures the percentage of green cover of organization, as green area has
an important role in minimising air pollution and supports biodiversity. It also
checks the use of pesticides and organization’s initiative to maintain the
ecology by using environment safer options
Q5. Explain the importance of watershed management in detail
Ans-Watershed management basically refers to efficient management and conservation of
surface and groundwater resources. It involves prevention of run-off, storage and recharge of
groundwater through various methods like percolation tanks, recharge wells, etc. However, in
broader sense, watershed management includes conservation, regeneration and judicious use of
all resources like land, water, plants and animals. Watershed management aims at bringing about
balance between natural resources on one hand and society on the other. The success of
watershed development largely depends upon community participation.

Some watershed management techniques •

Contour trenches These are trenches dug along a hillside in away that they follow a contour line
and run perpendicular to flow of water. It helps to capture and hold rainfall.

Loose boulder structure https://www.ncertbooks.guru/ Loose boulder structure is a small barrier

constructed of rock, gravels, sand bags placed across stream or any water channel. This reduces
velocity of flowing water and allows sediments to settle down. It helps in reducing soil erosion

• Gabion structure It is a box like structure filled with rocks / sand and soil covered with chain link
mesh. It helps in percolation of water alongwith reduction in soil erosion.

• Check dams It is small dam constructed across a waterway to reduce velocity of water flow and
helps in increase in water percolation in the ground. It can be built from stone, sandbags or
branches of trees etc.

• Farm ponds These are small tanks dug in farms for storing water. Water is later used for the
crops, support aquaculture and provide water for livestock in summer

Water conservation programs in India The Central and State Governments have initiated many
watershed development and management programmes in the country. Some of these are being
implemented by non- governmental organisation. Haryali is a organisations sponsored by the
Central Government which aims at enabling the rural population to conserve water for drinking,
irrigation, fisheries and afforestation. The Project is being executed by Gram Panchayats with
people’s participation.

Neeru-Meeru (Water and You) programme in Andhra Pradesh and Arvary Pani Sansad in Alwar,
Rajasthan have taken up constructions of various water-harvesting structures such as percolation
tanks, dug out ponds (Johad), check dams, etc. through people’s participation. Watershed
development projects in some areas have been successful in rejuvenating environment and
economy. There is a need to generate awareness regarding benefits of watershed development
and management among people in the country. Through this integrated water resource
management approach, water availability can be ensured on sustainable basis