SOCIAL ISSUES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

 From unsustainable development to sustainable development.

 “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”.

 TRUE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

True sustainable development aims at optimum use of natural resources with high
degree of reusability, minimum wastage, and least generation of toxic by products and
maximum productivity.

 DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable development is multi dimensional concept aiming at benefits derived from

the interactions between society, economy and environment.

 ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 Inter-generational equity: It states that we should hand over a safe, healthy and
resourceful environment to our future generations.
 Intra-generational equity: It states that the technological development of rich
countries should support the economic growth of the poor countries and help in
narrowing the wealth gap and lead to sustainability.

 SIGNIFICANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Developing appropriate technology:

 It is the one, which is locally adaptable, eco-friendly, resource-efficient and culturally

suitable.

Reduce, reuse, recycle (3-R) approach:

 It insists optimum use of natural resources, using it again and again instead of
throwing it on the waste land or water and recycling the material in to further
products.

Providing environmental education and awareness:

 By providing environmental education and awareness, the thinking and attitude of

people towards our earth and the environment can be changed.

Consumption of renewable resources:

 In order to attain sustainability, it is very important to consume the natural resources

in such a way that the consumption should not exceed regeneration capacity.
Conservation of non renewable resources:

 Non-renewable resources should be conserved by recycling and reusing.

URBANISATION

 Urbanization is the movement of human population from rural areas to urban

areas for the want of better education,communication, health, employment,
etc.

CAUSES OF URBANISATION

 Since cities are the main centers of economic growth, trade, transportation,
education, medical facilities and employment, rural people moves to cities.

ENERGY DEMANDING ACTIVITIES

 In developing countries, urban growth is very fast and pollution is uncontrollable

and unplanned growth.
 When compared to rural people, urban people consume a lot of energy and
materials and generates a lot of waste.

Examples:

1. Residential and Commercial lightings.

2. Transportation means including, motor cycle, car and public transport for moving from
residence to work place.

3. Industries using a large proportion of energy.

4. Control and prevention of pollution, need more energy dependent technologies.

SOLUTION FOR URBAN ENERGY PROBLEM

1. Urban people may use public transport instead of using motor cycles and cars.

2. Energy consumption must be minimized in all aspects.

3. Production capacity may be increased.

4. Use of energy efficient technology.

5. Using solar energy and wind energy.

6. Imposing strict laws, penalties and energy audit.

 Water crisis-remedial measures

Water Conservation
Water conservation means saving or storing water for future utilization.

Need for water conservation:

Rapid industrial growth & population explosion have increased demand for
water.
Urban development, raising water- intensive crops or agriculture and
replacement of open dug wells by bore wells lead to exploitation of ground
water. It further leads water scarcity.
Due to deforestation, annual rainfall decreases.

Water conservation techniques:

‫ ٭‬Reduce evaporation losses
‫ ٭‬Reduce irrigation losses.

(i). Sprinkling irrigation

(ii). Grow hybrid crop varieties which require less water.
(iii). Irrigation in early morning or later evening.

‫ ٭‬Reuse of water
‫ ٭‬Preventing wastage of water
(i). Repair leakage
(ii). Close taps not in use

‫ ٭‬Decrease runoff losses. (by contour farming).

‫ ٭‬Avoid discharge of sewage of sewage into natural water resources.
‫ ٭‬Minimum use of all available water.
‫ ٭‬Conjunctive use of water: Using surface water (winter) & underground water
(summer).
‫ ٭‬Keep water bodies free from pollution
‫ ٭‬Chemical wetting agents are added to normal irrigated soils to increase the
water intake rates.
‫ ٭‬Chemical conditioners like gypsum is added to acidic soil to improve the soil
permeability and to reduce run off.
‫ ٭‬Water storage structures like ponds, reservoirs, dams etc., are to be built to
conserve water.
Conservation-bench terracing involves construction of series of benches for
catching the run-off water.
‫ ٭‬Increasing block pricing help the public in the economic use of water.

RAIN WATER HARVESTING

Objectives:
To meet the increasing demand for water.
To restore supplies from the aquifers depleted due to over exploitation.
To improve supplies from aquifers lacking adequate recharge.
Reduce urban flooding and flooding of roads during rainy season.(Reduce
flood hazard)
Improve the (physical & chemical) quality of ground water.
Store water and use at subsequent times.
Prevent the run off from going into sewer or storm drains, reduce the load on
treatment plants.
Reduce soil erosion.

Components:
Catchments:
The catchments of a water harvesting system are the surface which directly
receives the rainfall and provides water to the system. It can be a paved area like
a terrace or a courtyard of a building or an unpaved area like a lawn or open
ground.
Coarse mesh:
Kept at the roof to prevent the passage of debris (rubbish).
Gutters:
Gutters are channels all around the edge of a sloping roof to collect and
transport rainwater to the storage tank.
Conduits:
Conduits are pipelines or drains that carry rain water from the catchments or
roof top area to the harvesting system. Conduits can be any material like PVC,
galvanized iron or materials that are commonly available.
First flushing:
A first flush device is a valve that ensures the run off from the first spell of rain
is flushed out and does not enter the system. This need to be done since the first
spell of rain carries a relatively large amount of pollutants from the air and
catchments surface.

Filter:
Filter is used to remove suspended pollutants from rain water collected over
roof. Filter unit is a chamber filled with filtering media such as fiber, coarse
sand, gravel layers to remove debris and dirt from water before it enters the
storage tank or recharge structure. Charcoal can be added for additional
filtration.
Advantages:
o Recharge aquifers.
o Rise in ground water level.
o Reduce soil erosion and flood hazard.
o Reduction in the use of current for pumping water.
o Increasing the availability of water from well.

Watershed Management

Watershed can be defined as the entire land area that catches rain and
ultimately drains into a particular watercourse or body of water.(i.e) land
that water flows across or through on its way to a common stream, lake or
pond.

Functions:
Watersheds collect water from rain fall, snow melt and store it. Flood plain
along the banks of river is important storage site. Stored water flows into
stream, lake during dry period.

Main features:
Identifying and prioritizing water quality problems in the watershed.
Developing increased public involvement.
Coordinating activities with other agencies.
Measuring success through increased and more efficient monitoring and
other data gathering.
Objectives or need for watershed management:
Storm water run off easily gets polluted and it affects the quality of water.
Big rain storm leads flood, which affects vegetation and area along stream, lake,
loss of habitat for wild life, recreation activity. If it is not managed properly, it
will threaten by pollution, drought or flood which leads to loss in cost, quality
of life.
(i). To transport water from land surface to water body.
(ii). To protect soil from soil erosion and moisture retention.
(iii). To minimise the risk of flood, drought.
(iv). To develop the rural areas by constructing reservoirs, ponds etc.
(v). To use long term sustainability of resources.
(vi). To raise ground water level.
(vii). To rehabilitate the watershed through proper land use and to ensure good
productivity of land for the farmers.

Impacts on watershed:
Human activities on land and water, building creations, parking lots and
roads, drainage of wetlands, mining, deforestation, agriculture, overgrazing
affect the quality and quantity of water flowing over the land and through soil.

Protection of watershed:
Prevent pollutants in storm run off by reducing or eliminating the use of
chemicals and fertilizers.
Studying and use alternatives to household chemicals.
Protect vegetation along stream bank to control erosion.
Do not divert storm gutters or basement sumps into sewer system.
Reduce the amount of lawn and impervious pavement with plant beds to
minimise run off. Use native plants that have low requirements for water,
fertilizer & pesticides.
Employ practices to manage animal waste on farms to prevent water
contamination.
Get involved in local planning and zone decision and encourage local officials
to adopt erosion and sediment, storm water control.

Watershed Management Techniques:

(i). Trenches (pits) were dug at equal intervals to improve ground water storage.
(ii). All over the catchments area, an earthen dam and stone embankment should
be raised to check the run off water.
(iii).Various structures like contour bunds, check dams and percolation tanks are
also constructed to conserve water in the catchments area.
(iv). To improve water storage capacity of water shed area, a farm pond can be
built.
(v). Underground barriers (dykes) can be built along the streams to raise the
water table in the watershed area.

Watershed maintenance practices:

(i). Water harvesting:
Proper storage of water can be used in dry seasons particularly in low rainfall
areas.
(ii). Reducing soil erosion and run off losses.
Terracing , bunding, bench terracing, contour cropping and strip cropping are
used particularly on the slopes of the water shed to reduce soil erosion and run
off losses.
(iii). Hydrological monitoring:
Monitoring the weather conditions, water flow quantities, water cloudiness and
water quality through a network of permanent automated stations help us to
predict the summer water supply situation and develop water conservations
measures.
(iv). Afforestation and Agroforestry:
Afforestation and crop plantation help to prevent soil erosion and retention of
moisture.
(v). Road maintenance:
A well maintained gravel roads are essential for planting trees, monitoring water
quality, erosion control, vegetation management etc.
within watershed areas.
(vi). Scientific mining and quarrying:
Contour trenching, planting some soil binding plants and draining of water
courses are recommended for minimizing the destructive effects of mining in
watershed areas.
(vii). Public participation:
People’s co-operation and active participation is necessary for soil and water
conservation. Proper education about the campaign and paying incentives help
to get effective people’s participation.
ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986

Central Government is to take action to protect and improve environment and State
Government to co ordinate actions. Central Government to set up

 Std of quality of air, water or soil

 Maximum permissible limits of concentration of pollutants (including noise pollutant)

 procedures and safe guard for handling hazardous items

 Prohibition of using hazardous items

 Prohibition and restriction of certain industries in certain area

 Procedure and safe guard for prevention of

accidents SPCB is to follow the guidelines provided in
schedule VI. Some are as follows

 Advises industries for treating the waste water and gases – use of technology –

achieve prescribed std.

 Encourage recycling and reusing the wastes

 Encourage recovery of biogas, energy and reusable matter

 Discharge of effluents and emissions into environment is permitted by SPCB after

taking into account capacity of the receiving water body

 To emphasize clean technology to increase fuel efficiency and decrease

environmental pollutants

AIR (PREVENTION & CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT, 1981

Salient features

 Prevention, control and abatement of air pollution

 Air pollution has been defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous
substance (including noise) in the atmosphere in such a concentration that may be or
tend to be harmful to human being or any other living creature or plants or property
or environment.

 Noise pollution – inserted in 1987

 CPCB & SPCB similar to water pollution board

 Section 20 provides for emission std to auto mobile

  Section 19 provides for State Government to declare “air pollution control area” in
consultation with SPCB

 Direction of PCB can be appealed in the appellate authority.

WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT, 1974

Maintaining and restoring the wholesomeness of water by preventing and

controlling its pollution.

The salient features and provisions of Act are summed as follows.

 Maintenance and Restoration of Quality – surface and ground water

 Establishment of central PCB and state PCB

 Confers powers and functions to CPCB and SPCB

 The act provides for funds, budgets, accounts and audits of the CPCB & SPCB

 The act provides penalties for the defaulters and duties and powers

WILDLIFE [PROTECTION] ACT, 1972

Land mark in the history of wildlife legislation. 1976 the powers are transferred
from state to central government. [I B of W L] was created in 1952 in our country which
after WLA, 1972, took up the task of setting National parks and sanctuaries.

Wildlife [protection] Act

 Defines wild life related terminology

 Provide appointments of advisory Board, wildlife warden, their powers & duties etc.

 Prohibition of hunting of endangered species [was first] mentioned.

 List of endangered species is provided.

 Guides central 200 authorities.

 Provides grants for setting up of national parks, wild life sanctuaries etc.

 The Act imposes ban on trade & commence of scheduled animals.

 Provides legal proves to officers to punish the offenders.

 Provide captive breeding programme for endangered species.

 Many conservation projects for endangered species were started under this act.
DRAW BACKS OF WILD LIFE (PROTECTION) ACT

 Fall out of Stockholm conference not localized

 Ownership certificate of animals article – illegal trading

 Trade through J & K. This act not applicable to J&K

 Offender to get just 3 years imprisonment and or Rs.25000/- fine.

FOREST (CONSERVATION) ACT, 1980

It deals with conservation of forest and includes reserve forest, protected forest and
any forest land irrespective of ownership.

Salient features

 State government can use forest only forestry purpose.

 Provision for conservation of all types of forests. Advisory committee appointed for
funding conservation

 Illegal non-forest activity within a forest area can be immediately stopped under this
act. Non forest activity means clearing land for cash-crop agriculture, mining etc.

However construction in forest for wild life or forest management is exempted from non
forestry activity.

DRAW BACKS OF THE FOREST (CONSERVATION) ACT, 1980

 Inheritance of exploitative and consumerist elements of the British period

 Tribal people (i.e.) inhabitants of forest are left by the act

 Instead of attracting public support (tribal) it has intrigued in the human rights.

 Protection of trees, birds and animals have marginalized poor people.

SCHEME OF LABELING OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

(ECOMARK)

Eco-Mark is an eco-labelling scheme which was constituted by the Government of India in

1991 for easy identification of environment-friendly products.

Objectives of the Scheme:

The specific objectives of the scheme are as follow:

1. To provide an incentive for manufacturers and importers to reduce

adverse environmental impact of products.
 2. To reward genuine initiatives by companies to reduce adverse environmental impact
of their products.

3. To assist consumers to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives by

providing information to take account of environmental factors in their
purchase decisions.

4. To encourage citizens to purchase products which have less harmful environmental

impacts

5. Ultimately to improve the quality of the environment and to encourage the

sustainable management of resources.

Eco-Mark Logo:

The Eco-Mark logo is that of an earthen pot as indicated in the figure below.

Eco-Mark Scheme of India

Logo
 Scope of Eco-Mark:

The Eco-Mark scheme initially covered about 16 product categories covering a

wide range of products. i.e. the Criteria for evaluating products under these
categories were initially analyzed and identified. At a later point, a 17 th category was
included.

The product criteria were developed using a cradle-to-grave approach keeping

in mind full life-cycle considerations of the environmental impact of the product i.e. all
stages from raw materials to manufacturing, usage and disposal were analyzed and
evaluated to determine the criteria.

Unique feature of the Eco-Mark vis-a-vis other Eco-Labels

Eco-Mark is unique when compared to other eco-labels in one aspect; it also

necessitated meeting the quality requirements of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards)

Three Committees set-up for the Eco-Mark Scheme

1. A Steering Committee in the Ministry of Environments and Forests

2. A Technical Committee in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

3. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for assessment and certification purposes

What are the objectives and the factors affecting consumerism and waste
products?
CONSUMERISM: Consumerism refers to the consumption of resources by the people. It is an
organized movement of citizens & government. Consumerism is related to both increase in our
demand due to change in life-style
.
Traditionally favorable rights of sellers:
Right to introduce any product. Right to charge any prize. Right to spend any amount to promote
the product. Right to use incentives.

Traditional buyer rights:

Right to buy or not to buy. Right to expect a product to be safe. Right to expect the product to
perform as claimed.

Important informations to be known by buyers:

Ingredients of a product. Manufacturing date & expiry date. If the product has been manufactured
against the law of nature.

OBJECTIVES OF CONSUMERISM:
It improves the rights & powers of the buyers. It involves making the manufacturer liable for the
entire life cycle of product. It forces the manufacturer to reuse & recycle the product after usage.
The reusable packing materials like bottles can be taken back to the manufacturer. Active
consumerism improves human health & happiness and also it saves resources.

SOURCES OF WASTES:
Sources are agriculture, mining, industrial & municipal wastes.

Examples for waste products:

It includes glass, papers, plastics, soft drink canes, metals, automobile wastes, dead animals, etc.,
E-waste: Electronic equipments like computers, printers, mobile phones, Xerox machines,
calculators, etc.,

EFFECTS OF WASTES:
The waste from chemical industries & from explosives are dangerous to human life. The wastes
degrade soil & make unfit for irrigation. E-waste contains 1000 chemicals which cause pollution.
These also cause cancer & other respiratory problems. Plastics are difficult to recycle or
incinerate safely.

Factors affecting consumerism and generation of wastes:

1. People over-population:
It occurs when there are more people than the available supply of food & water. Over population
causes degradation of resources, poverty & premature death in less developed countries (LDCs).

2. Consumption Over-Population:
It occurs when there are less people than the available resources. If the consumption is more, the
generation of waste is also more.

THE BIOMEDICAL WASTE (MANAGEMENT AND HANDLING) RULES;

1998 AND AMENDMENTS

Government of India have notified the Biomedical Waste [Management

and Handling] Rules, 1998 as amended in 2000 under Environment [Protection] Act, 1986.
The Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board enforces this rule. The Tamilnadu Pollution
Control Board has inventorised 317 Government Hospitals and 1835 private hospitals.
There are about 92,000 hospital beds all over the State.

There are 10 categories of Biomedical waste as per schedule-I of Biomedical Waste

(Management and Handling) Rules, 1998. Health care facilities are required to treat
the Biomedical wastes as per the methods prescribed in Schedule-I in compliance
with the standards prescribed in Schedule-V. In this regard health care facilities are
required to provide requisite treatment and disposal facilities either individually or
collectively within the time frame prescribed in the Schedule-VI.

I. The common bio medical waste treatment and disposal facility consists of
[as prescribed in the Biomedical wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998 & 2000].
the following :-

An autoclave with temperature & pressure maintained at 135 0C, 31 psi & 30
minutes cycle. In the initial 15 minutes, the temperature & pressure to be maximum to
create a vacuum for full autoclaving with residence time of not less than 30 minutes to
ensure full destruction of pathogens. Medical waste shall be subjected to a minimum of one
pre vacuum pulse to purge the autoclave of all air. The autoclave should completely and
consistently kill the approved biological indicator at the maximum design capacity of each
autoclave unit.
 Incinerator for destruction of body parts/anatomical waste and pathological
waste. Incinerator shall have two-chamber facility to attain a temperature of 1100 0C
in the secondary chamber with proper scrubber facility and automatic stack monitoring
facilities. The temperature of primary chamber shall be 800 + 50 0C. The secondary
chamber gas residence time shall be atleast 1 second at 1050 + 50 0C.

Compactor for compaction of the autoclaved waste to ensure atleast 50%

volume reduction. Sanitary landfill for safe disposal of autoclaved and compacted
waste with compatible liners and leachate collection facility. Shredder to shred the
autoclaved materials. The facility also consists of vans with compartments for keeping the
segregated waste and transporting it in a safe manner.

Effluent Treatment Plant

A fully equipped laboratory

II. Since biomedical waste incinerators cause emission and there are frequent public
complaints from similar installations, the siting of biomedical waste facility becomes
crucial. Individual treatment facilities within hospitals in corporations and towns are not
advisable as the health care facilities are often located in densely populated areas and the
population in the vicinity is at the risk of exposure to emissions and complaints.
keeping environmental concerns in view, such facilities should be located atleast 500 m
away from any habitations and water bodies.

So far 11 common facilities have been identified for the private sector health care
units in the State at

1. Thenmelpakkam - Kancheepuram District

2. Chennakuppam - Kancheepuram District

3. Orattukuppai – 1 - Coimbatore District

4. Sengipatti - Thanjavur District

5. Kandipedu - Vellore District

6. Thangavur - Salem District

7. Coonoor - Nilgiris District

8. Muthuvayal - Ramanathapuram District

9. Orattukuppai - 2 - Coimbatore District

10. Ettankulam - Tirunelveli District

11. Undurumikkidakulam - Virudhunagar District

The above eight facilities are under operation. The last three are nearing completion

GREEN CHEMISTRY

Sustainable and green chemistry in very simple terms is just a different way of thinking about
how chemistry and chemical engineering can be done. Over the years different principles
have been proposed that can be used when thinking about the design, development and
implementation of chemical products and processes. These principles enable scientists and
engineers to protect and benefit the economy, people and the planet by finding creative and
innovative ways to reduce waste, conserve energy, and discover replacements for hazardous
substances.

It’s important to note that the scope of these of green chemistry and engineering principles go
beyond concerns over hazards from chemical toxicity and include energy conservation, waste
reduction, and life cycle considerations such as the use of more sustainable or renewable
feedstocks and designing for end of life or the final disposition of the product.

Green chemistry can also be defined through the use of metrics. While a unified set of
metrics has not been established, many ways to quantify greener processes and products have
been proposed. These metrics include ones for mass, energy, hazardous substance reduction
or elimination, and life cycle environmental impacts.

History

Green chemistry emerged from a variety of existing ideas and research efforts (such as atom
economy and catalysis) in the period leading up to the 1990s, in the context of increasing
attention to problems of chemical pollution and resource depletion. The development of
green chemistry in Europe and the United States was linked to a shift in environmental
problem-solving strategies: a movement from command and control regulation and mandated
reduction of industrial emissions at the "end of the pipe," toward the active prevention of
pollution through the innovative design of production technologies themselves. The set of
concepts now recognized as green chemistry coalesced in the mid- to late-1990s, along with
broader adoption of the term (which prevailed over competing terms such as "clean" and
"sustainable" chemistry).

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency played a significant early role in
fostering green chemistry through its pollution prevention programs, funding, and
professional coordination. At the same time in the United Kingdom, researchers at
the University of York contributed to the establishment of the Green Chemistry Network
within the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the launch of the journal Green Chemistry

Principles

In 1998, Paul Anastas (who then directed the Green Chemistry Program at the US EPA)
and John C. Warner (then of Polaroid Corporation) published a set of principles to guide the
practice of green chemistry.[12] The twelve principles address a range of ways to reduce the
environmental and health impacts of chemical production, and also indicate research
priorities for the development of green chemistry technologies.

The principles cover such concepts as:

 the design of processes to maximize the amount of raw material that ends up in the
product;
 the use of renewable material feedstocks and energy sources;
 the use of safe, environmentally benign substances, including solvents, whenever
possible;
 the design of energy efficient processes;
 avoiding the production of waste, which is viewed as the ideal form of waste management.

Green chemistry, also called sustainable chemistry, is a philosophy of

chemical research and engineering that encourages the design of products and processes
that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. Whereas environmental
chemistry is the chemistry of the natural environment, and of pollutant chemicals in nature,
green chemistry seeks to reduce the negative impact of chemistry on the environment by
preventing pollution at its source and using fewer natural resources.

As a chemical philosophy, green chemistry applies to organic chemistry, inorganic

chemistry, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry and even
chemical engineering. While green chemistry seems to focus on industrial applications, it
does apply to any chemistry choice. Click chemistry is often cited as a style of chemical
synthesis that is consistent with the goals of green chemistry. The focus is on minimizing
the hazard and maximizing the efficiency of any chemical choice.

The 12 principles are:

1. It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.

2. Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the incorporation of all

materials used in the process into the final product.

3. Wherever practicable, synthetic methodologies should be designed to use and

generate substances that possess little or no toxicity to human health and the
environment.

4. Chemical products should be designed to preserve efficacy of function while

reducing toxicity.

5. The use of auxiliary substances (e.g. solvents, separation agents, etc.) should be
made unnecessary wherever possible and innocuous when used.

6. Energy requirements should be recognized for their environmental and

economic impacts and should be minimized. Synthetic methods should be
conducted at ambient temperature and pressure.

7. A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting wherever

technically and economically practicable.

8. Reduce derivatives – Unnecessary derivatization (blocking group,

protection/deprotection, temporary modification) should be avoided
whenever possible.

9. Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to stoichiometric reagents.

10. Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they do
not persist in the environment and break down into innocuous degradation products.

11. Analytical methodologies need to be further developed to allow for real-time,

in- process monitoring and control prior to the formation of hazardous substances.

12. Substances and the form of a substance used in a chemical process should be chosen
to minimize potential for chemical accidents, including releases, explosions, and
fires.