Environmental Science Topics - Rain water harvesting - Environmental acts - Ozone Depletion

1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
TOPIC : Social issues and Environment

2. Social issues and Environment
❖ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
➢ Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
❖ ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS:
➢ Environmental ethics is a branch of ethics that studies the relation
of human beings and the environment and how ethics play a role
in this.
➢ Thus, it is essential that every human being respect and honor this
and use morals and ethics when dealing with these creatures.

3. Social issues and Environment
❖ WATERSHED MANAGEMENT:
➢ Watershed management is a term used to describe the process of
implementing land use practices and water management
practices to protect and improve the quality of the water and
other natural resources within a watershed by managing the use
of those land and water resources in a comprehensive manner.
❖ WAYS OF WASTE LAND RECLAMATION:-
➢ Afforestation
➢ Reforestation
➢ Providing surface cover
➢ Mulching
➢ Changing Ground Topography on Downhill’s

4. Social issues and Environment
❖ ACCIDENTS:
➢ An event that has led to significant consequences to the people,
the environment or the facility.
➢ Examples include lethal effects to individuals, large radioactivity
release in to the environment, or reactor core melt.
❖ HOLOCAUST:
➢ The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution
and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime.
➢ Nazis believed that the Germans belonged to a race that was
"superior" to all others and Jews belonged to a race that was
"inferior“. Jews were considered as a threat to the so-called
German racial community.

5. ❖ RAINWATER HARVESTING:
➢ The harvesting of rainwater simply involves the collection of water
from surfaces on which rain falls, and subsequently storing this
water for later use. Normally water is collected from the roofs of
buildings and stored in rainwater tanks.
➢ Water can also be collected in dams from rain falling on the
ground and producing runoff.
❖ RAINWATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES :
➢ The collection of rainwater from the roofs of buildings can easily
take place within our cities and towns.
➢ All that is necessary to capture this water is to direct the flow of
rainwater from roof gutters to a rainwater storage tank.
➢ By doing this, water can be collected and used for various uses.
Social issues and Environment

6. ❖ RAINWATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES:
➢ If you are reliant on collected rainwater and are not connected to a
towns water supply, then the water collected will be especially
important to you.
➢ If you are from the city, then it is possible to replace all or at least a
substantial portion of your fresh water requirements by the
capture and storage of rainwater from your roof.
➢ Being largely self sufficient in water supply is possible for a vast
majority of Australian households and buildings.
❖ BENEFITS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING:
➢ Provides a backup source of water.
➢ Ecological benefit.
➢ Easy to maintain.
➢ Reduces erosion and flooding around buildings.
Social issues and Environment

7. ❖ RAINWATER HARVESTING METHODS:
➢ Rainwater barrels:
■ Barrel installation is the cheapest and easiest way to start
harvesting rainwater in your home. A barrel is simply
installed underneath the downspout of the guttering so that
rain falling on the roof is funneled into the barrel.
➢ Dry system:
■ This is a well-known method of rainwater harvesting.
It’s basically an improvement to the rainwater barrel
technique in terms of size. A larger water storage
container is situated just a few steps from the
property. This container provides a much larger
storage capacity compared to the barrel.
Social issues and Environment

8. ❖ RAINWATER HARVESTING METHODS:
➢ Wet system:
■ The wet system is the exact opposite of the dry system. This is
because the collection pipes are ever full of water since they
are located underground. Here, numerous collection pipes
are connected to multiple downspouts on the building and
channeled to empty into the storage tank underground.
➢ Green roof:
■ Instead of directing rainwater for storage in the tank and
then channel it to the garden; you could install a green roof
on your house to enable plants to use the water instantly. But
you have to lay down a lining for your roof’s protection and
include a drainage system to take care of the runoffs.
Social issues and Environment

9. ❖ OZONE LAYER DEPLETION:
➢ CAUSES:
■ Human activity, specifically, human-made chemicals that
contain chlorine or bromine. These chemicals are widely
known as ODS, an acronym for Ozone-Depleting Substances.
■ In the mid-latitude, for example, over Australia, ozone layer is
thinned. This has led to an increase in the UV radiation
reaching the earth. It is estimated that about 5-9% thickness
of the ozone layer has decreased, increasing the risk of
humans to over-exposure to UV radiation owing to outdoor
lifestyle.
■ In atmospheric regions over Antarctica, ozone layer is
significantly thinned, especially in spring season. This has led
to the formation of what is called ‘ozone hole’. Usually ozone
holes form over the Poles during the onset of spring seasons.
Social issues and Environment

10. ❖ OZONE LAYER DEPLETION:
➢ Natural causes of depletion of ozone layer:
■ Ozone layer has been found to be affected by certain natural
phenomena such as Sun-spots and stratospheric winds. But
this has been found to cause not more than 1-2% depletion of
the ozone layer and the effects are also thought to be only
temporary.
➢ Man-made causes of depletion of ozone layer:
■ The main cause for the depletion of ozone is determined as
excessive release of chlorine and bromine from man-made
compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs
(chlorofluorocarbons), halons, CH3CCl3 (Methyl chloroform),
CCl4 (Carbon tetrachloride), HCFCs (hydrochloro
fluorocarbons) and methyl bromide are found to have direct
impact on the depletion of the ozone layer.
Social issues and Environment

11. ❖ OZONE LAYER DEPLETION:
➢ Effects:
 Damage to human health
 Devastation to environment
 Threat to marine life
 Effect on animals
 Impacts certain materials
➢ Control measures:
 Desist from using pesticides
 Discourage driving of private vehicles
 Utilize environmentally friendly cleaning products
 Prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide
Social issues and Environment

12. ❖ IMPORTANT FEATURES OF AIR ACT:
■ The Air act aims at prevention, control and abatement of air
pollution.
■ The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) implements
legislation to improve quality of air, prevent and control air
pollution in the country. The board advises the central
government on matters concerning quality of air. It also
coordinates activities, provides technical assistance and
guidance to state boards in addition to setting the standards
for quality of air.
■ Pollution beyond certain limits due to various pollutants
discharged through industrial emission is monitored by
pollution control boards set up in every state.
■ The state boards advise the state government on matters
concerning prevention and control of air pollution
Social issues and Environment

13. ❖ IMPORTANT FEATURES OF WATER ACT:
■ This act aims at prevention, control and abatement of water
pollution.
■ The water act is designed to assess pollution levels and
punish polluters.
■ The central government and state governments have set-up
pollution control boards to monitor water pollution.
■ The water act of 1974 along with amendments in 1978 is an
extensive legislation with more than sixty sections for
prevention and control of water pollution.
■ Prevention and control of water pollution is achieved
through a 'permit' or a 'consent administration' procedure.
■ Discharging effluents is permitted by obtaining the consent
of state water boards.
Social issues and Environment

14. ❖ IMPORTANT FEATURES OF ENVIRONMENT ACT:
■ The central government shall have the power to take all such
measure as it deems necessary for the purpose of protecting
and improving the quality of the environment.
■ No person carrying on any industry or processes shall
discharge any environmental pollutants to do so in excess of
such standards as may be prescribed.
■ No person shall handle any hazardous substances except in
accordance with such procedure and after complying with
such safeguards as may be prescribed.
■ The central government shall have power to take, for the
purpose of analysis, sample of air, water, soil or other
substances from any premises, factory etc.
■ Failing to comply with any of the provisions of this Act shall in
respect of each such failure or violation be punishable.
Social issues and Environment
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