The document discusses various environmental problems in India related to degradation. It defines environmental degradation as the deterioration of resources like air, water and soil through depletion and pollution. It then lists several reasons for environmental degradation in India, including exhaust from factories and vehicles, deforestation, increasing transportation, chemical effluents from industries, unplanned construction, defective agricultural policies, population growth, overfocus on technology, and more. It also discusses specific issues like air pollution, water pollution, solid waste, land degradation, and urban and rural environmental problems. Finally, it defines stock pollutants as those that accumulate over time rather than being absorbed by the environment.

1. Unit 3
Environmental Problems – Global and Indian Scenario

2. Environmental Degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion
of resources such as air, water and soil, the destruction of ecosystems; habitat
destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution.
Simply put, environmental degradation is a decline in the quality of our
environment. This can be a result of pollutants that spoil the air, water or food supply,
the over-extraction of resources so that little remains for future use, or the destruction
of habitats so that the resources they once contained are no longer available. While
natural disasters can cause environmental degradation, more often it is the result of
human activities.

3. Reasons: Environmental Degradation
1. Exhaust gas from factories and auto-emissions
One of the foremost reason that causes pollution is the exhaust gas emitted from
factories. The main air pollutants are sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and lead.
The highest concentration of lead in the environment come from a variety of chemicals including
gasoline, paints, ceramics, batteries etc.
2. Deforestation
With the turn of the century there has been a surge to living in urban areas. This has
resulted in rapid deforestation all over the world. The demand for more space to provide housing
accommodation, to build roads and railways, to harness forest resources, to clear land for pasture
and mechanized farming
3.Transport
There has been a tremendous surge in private vehicles in recent times. The more cars the more the
rate of pollution causing smog. This is a health hazard effecting the eyes and causing
conjunctivitis. Smog is the result of vehicular pollution, and Hydro-Carbons released from
engines are the cause of creation of lower level ozone that is harmful to humans.

4. 4.Chemical Effluents
Toxic effluents pose threat to the environment. Petroleum industries and chemical manufacturing industries create
major waste products which are released directly into nearby streams without treatment, creating river pollution and
causing harm not only to aquatic life but also man and animals who use the water for drinking and bathing.
5.Unplanned Construction
With the influx of population from the rural areas to the urban a new activity called real estate has come up. Their only
intention is to convert any available space to high rises. To maximize their profit, they are carrying out unprecedented
construction activities that are being carried out right now. Wetlands are being filled up disturbing the ecology of the
city and its fringes.
This has created the urban heat island effect, making the urban areas warmer that the outskirts, trapping solar radiation
by concrete and cement, and concentrating pollutants. As most of the vegetative cover is removed to make space for
construction, exchange of heat is not possible. The constricted circulation of air, traps pollutants increasing the rate of
air pollutants.

5. 6.Defective Agricultural Policies
With the rapid growth in population there is a corresponding increase in the demand for food. This has
resulted in increase of growth by adding harmful chemicals to the soil. Land is increasingly getting polluted
when sprayed by pesticides like DDT. The soil is exposed to overgrazing, to shifting agriculture, leaving it
vulnerable to erosion. This leads to silting in major rivers and reservoirs. It ultimately leads to desertification
and degradation of land quality and increased pollution.
7. The Population Explosion
The sudden sharp increase in the relative numbers of a population is referred to as population boom. It has
created a number of environmental issues including food and lodging, but alarmingly increase in the amount
of waste that is generated every day.
8. Techno centrism
Techno centrism is the concentration of all activities on technology including industries. Around 1760 the
world entered into a new era of industrialization. Environmentalists are of the opinion that the rapid pollution
of air, water and land is the result of this rapid industry oriented lifestyle.

6. Air Pollution
Pollution: It is a negative / undesirable change in the environment, usually the addition of something hazardous
The degradation of air quality of natural atmosphere conditions due to pollutants is known as air pollution.
WHO defined air pollution as the presence of materials in the air , which are harmful to the living beings. The foreign
bodies , gases and so on act as air pollution. It is the most extensive and worst form of pollution.
Types of air pollution
There are two types of air pollution, namely primary and secondary
Primary pollutants enter the atmosphere directly from the source. Some important primary pollutants are
1. Oxides of carbon
2. Hydrocarbons
3. Sulphur oxides
4. Chlorofluorocarbons

7. Secondary pollutants:
These pollutants are not directly emitted from sources; they are formed as a result of chemical reaction
between the primary pollutants and certain atmospheric constituents in the presence of sunlight.
Sulphates ,nitrates and organic particles can be transported over large distance, such as hundred and
thousands of kilometres.
Some Important secondary pollutants are
Sulphur trioxide : It is a compound formed when sulphur dioxide reacts with oxygen. It combines with water to
form sulphuric acid
Smog formation : Smog is an odd combination of smoke and fog. The effect of smog is maximum just before the
sun rise as smog particles that are entrapped between cold air are unable to rise.
Acid rain : It is caused by a chemical reaction that begins when compounds like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides are released in the air. These substance can rise very high into the atmosphere, where they mix and react
with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form more acidic pollutants known as acid rain.

8. Water Pollution
British poet W. H. Auden once noted, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without
water.”
we all know water is crucial for life, we trash it anyway
Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined.
Meanwhile, our drinkable water sources are finite: Less than 1 percent of the earth’s freshwater
is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050.

9. What is Water Pollution?
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or
microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other
body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the
environment.
Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal
solvent,” water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on
earth. That’s why water is so easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms,
towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, causing water
pollution.

10. Categories of Water Pollution
Groundwater
When rain falls and seeps deep into the earth, filling the cracks, crevices,
and porous spaces of an aquifer (basically an underground storehouse of water), it
becomes groundwater—one of our least visible but most important natural
resources.
Majority of the people rely on groundwater, pumped to the earth’s surface,
for drinking water.
For some folks in rural areas, it’s their only freshwater source.
Groundwater gets polluted when contaminants—from pesticides and fertilizers to
waste leached from landfills and septic systems—make their way into an aquifer,
rendering it unsafe for human use.
Groundwater can also spread contamination far from the original polluting
source as it seeps into streams, lakes, and oceans.

11. Surface water
Covering about 70 percent of the earth, surface water is what fills our
oceans, lakes, rivers, and all those other blue bits on the world map.
According to the recent studies , nearly half of our rivers and streams and more
than one-third of our lakes are polluted and unfit for swimming, fishing, and
drinking.
Reasons
Farm waste and fertilizer runoff
Municipal and industrial waste discharge
Hospitals and individuals dump directly into waterways.

12. Ocean water
Eighty percent of ocean pollution (also called marine pollution) originates on
land—whether along the coast or far inland.
Contaminants such as chemicals, nutrients, and heavy metals are
carried from farms, factories, and cities by streams and rivers into our bays and
estuaries; from there they travel out to sea.
Meanwhile, marine debris—particularly plastic—is blown in by the wind or
washed in via storm drains and sewers.
Our seas are also sometimes spoiled by oil spills and leaks

13. The most common types of water contamination
Agricultural
Around the world, agriculture is the leading cause of water degradation.
Every time it rains, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from
farms and livestock operations wash nutrients and pathogens—such bacteria
and viruses—into our waterways.
Nutrient pollution, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water
or air, is the number-one threat to water quality worldwide and can cause algal
blooms, a toxic soup of blue-green algae that can be harmful to people and
wildlife.

14. Sewage and wastewater
Used water is wastewater. It comes from our sinks, showers, and
toilets and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities
(think metals, solvents, and toxic sludge).
The term also includes stormwater runoff, which occurs when
rainfall carries road salts, oil, grease, chemicals, and debris from
impermeable surfaces into our waterways
More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the
environment without being treated or reused, according to the
United Nations; in some least-developed countries, the figure tops
95 percent

15. Oil pollution
Big spills may dominate headlines, but consumers account for the
vast majority of oil pollution in our seas, including oil and gasoline that drips
from millions of cars and trucks every day.
Nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into
marine environments each year comes not from tanker spills but from land-
based sources such as factories, farms, and cities.
Oil is also naturally released from under the ocean floor through fractures
known as seeps.

16. Effects of Water Pollution
In fact, it caused 1.8 million deaths in 2015, according to a study published in The Lancet
Contaminated water can also make you ill. Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1
billion people. And low-income communities are disproportionately at risk because their homes
are often closest to the most polluting industries.
Waterborne pathogens, in the form of disease-causing bacteria and viruses from human
and animal waste, are a major cause of illness from contaminated drinking water.
Diseases spread by unsafe water include
• cholera,
• giardia,(beaver fever )
• Typhoid
Even swimming can pose a risk.
• skin rashes,
• pinkeye,
• respiratory infections, and hepatitis

17. Easy Ways to Reduce Water Pollution
Use Less Plastic
Reuse Items
Recyclable Options
Avoid Pesticides
Do not Throw Away Medicines
Limit the Use of Detergents and Bleaches
Do Regular Car Maintenance
Join Water Conservation Organization

18. Solid Waste
 Solid waste refers to any garbage, refuse, or debris generated by human activities that is
not liquid or gas.
 This can include household waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, construction and
demolition waste, and hazardous waste.
 Solid waste come out of a variety of materials, including paper, plastics, metals, glass,
and organic matter.
 Solid waste management is the process of collecting, transporting, processing, and
disposing of solid waste in a manner that minimizes its impact on human health and the
environment.
 This can involve practices such as recycling, composting, and landfilling. Effective
solid waste management is important to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources,
and promote public health and safety.

19. Land Degradation
 Land degradation refers to the degradation or reduction in the quality of land due to human
activities, such as deforestation, overgrazing, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and mining.
It is a serious environmental problem that affects the productivity and sustainability of land,
and has negative impacts on the economy, society, and the environment.
 Land degradation can result in soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, desertification, and a decline
in biodiversity. It can also lead to increased frequency and severity of natural disasters such
as floods and landslides, as well as a reduction in the availability of clean water resources.
 Effective land management practices, such as sustainable land use, conservation agriculture,
and reforestation can help prevent and mitigate land degradation.
 It is important to promote sustainable land use practices to ensure that the land is used in a
way that is environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable, and economically viable for
present and future generations.

20. Urban Environmental Problems
• Air pollution: Due to high traffic and industrial activities, urban areas often experience poor
air quality, which can have negative effects on public health.
• Water pollution: Urban areas produce a lot of wastewater and sewage that can pollute rivers,
lakes, and oceans, posing a risk to aquatic life and human health.
• Noise pollution: The noise from traffic, construction, and other urban activities can cause
hearing damage, stress, and sleep disturbances.
• Heat island effect: Urban areas tend to have higher temperatures than surrounding rural
areas due to a lack of vegetation and increased heat absorption by buildings and roads.
• Waste disposal: Urban areas generate large amounts of waste, and if not managed properly,
it can lead to unsanitary conditions and health risks.

21. Rural Environmental Problems
• Water pollution: Agricultural runoff, livestock waste, and septic systems can contaminate
streams, rivers, and groundwater sources, making them unsafe for human consumption.
• Soil degradation: Overuse of land for agriculture and improper land management practices
can lead to soil erosion, soil compaction, and nutrient depletion.
• Deforestation: Rural areas are often home to vast forests that are threatened by logging,
mining, and agricultural expansion, leading to a loss of biodiversity and carbon
sequestration capacity.
• Water scarcity: Rural areas can experience water scarcity due to droughts, overuse, and
climate change, leading to economic and social challenges.
• Wildlife habitat loss: Rural development can lead to the destruction of natural habitats and
the displacement of wildlife, leading to ecological imbalances and biodiversity loss.

22. Stock Pollutants
• Pollutants for which the environment has little or no absorptive capacity are called stock
pollutants.
• Stock pollutants accumulate over time as emissions enter the environment.
• Examples of stock pollutants include non-biodegradeable bottles tossed by the roadside,
heavy metals, that accumulate in the soils near the emissions sources