This document provides information about ecosystems. It begins by defining an ecosystem as a community of living organisms interacting with their environment. It then describes the main components of ecosystems, including producers, consumers, and decomposers. It classifies ecosystems into two main types - terrestrial and aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems discussed include forests, deserts, grasslands, and mountains. Forest ecosystems are described in more detail. Aquatic ecosystems include marine, freshwater, and wetlands. The document also covers food chains and webs, and ecological pyramids including pyramids of numbers, biomass and energy. Finally, it introduces the topic of environmental pollution, which will be covered in more depth in the next unit.

2. SEE SYLLABUS
Unit -3
Ecosystems
2

3. SEE SYLLABUS
UNIT-3 ECOSYSTEMS
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants and animals) sharing
an environment.
OR
An ecosystem is complex set relationship among living resources, habitats and
residents of an area. It includes animals, plants, trees, fishes, microorganisms,
water, soil and people.
The largest ecosystems are called biomes. A Biome is a major ecosystem
spread over a wide geographic area and characterized by certain types of flora
and fauna.
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4. Main structural features of ecosystem consist of ;
Autotrophic: self-food/ energy producing organism like plants. Basically,
they are producers.
Heterotrophic: they are basically consumers and for energy and food they
depend on others.
Decomposers: These categories mainly includes fungi, bacteria, etc who
plays major role in decomposing producers and consumers.
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5. Types of ecosystem-
There are basically two types of ecosystems
1) Terrestrial Ecosystem: A terrestrial ecosystem is a land-based
community of organisms
2) Aquatic Ecosystem: An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem
located in a body of water
5

6. Terrestrial ecosystems
Terrestrial ecosystems are found everywhere apart from water bodies.
They are broadly classified into:
a) The Forest Ecosystem
b)The Desert Ecosystem
c)The Grassland Ecosystem
d)The Mountain Ecosystem
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7. Forest Ecosystem
• Abundant of flora (plants) is seen and they have a large number of organisms
living in relatively small areas
• The density of life in forest ecosystems is very high
• They occupy nearly 40% of the land.
• In India , the forest occupies roughly 19% of the total land area.
• Any small change in the ecosystem can affect the whole balance and collapse
the ecosystem
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8. TYPES OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM
1. Tropical evergreen forest: Tropical forests which receive an average
rainfall of 80 to 400 inches in a year. These forests are marked by dense
vegetation comprising of tall trees with different levels. Each level gives
shelter to different kinds of animals.
2. Tropical deciduous forest: Dense bushes and shrubs rule here along
with broad levels of trees. This type of forests is found in many parts of the
world and large variety of flora and fauna are found here.
3. Temperate evergreen forest: Temperate evergreen forests are
characterized by their hardy trees. Trees need to withstand sandy, rocky,
and occasional fires, droughts and cold weather. Dominated by pine trees,
but also support many other kinds of vegetation. These found in areas
receiving more than 200 cm of rainfall and 15 °C to 30 °C. They occupy
about seven per cent of the Earth's land surface

9. 4. Temperate deciduous forest: This forest is found in the moist
temperate regions with sufficient rainfall (75-126 cm). Winters and
summers are well defined and dominated by broad – leaved hard wood
trees (oak, hickory) that lose their foliage annually during winter. They are
found in areas where warm moist summers alternate with mild winters.
These are the first biomes to be converted into agriculture use.
5. Taiga: Situated just south of the arctic regions, Taiga is distinguished
by evergreen conifers. While the temperature is subzero for almost six
months, the rest of the year it is buzzing with insects and migratory birds.
Taiga is the world's largest land biome and makes up 29% of the world's
forest cover; the largest areas located in Russia and Canada. The taiga is
the terrestrial biome with the lowest annual average temperatures after
the tundra and permanent ice caps. Extreme winter minimums in the
northern taiga are typically lower than those of the tundra. It is the coldest
forest ecosystem.

10. 6. Tundra
is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and
short growing seasons. In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf
shrubs, sedges, grasses, mosses and lichens Scattered trees grow in
some tundra.
Functions of forest ecosystem
Watershed protection
1.Atmospheric regulations
2.Soil erosion control
4. Wind erosion control
5. Noise pollution control

11. Forest Ecosystem
Antarctic
Antarctic
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12. Desert Ecosystem
Definition: Desert ecosystems are found in regions receiving an annual
rainfall of less than 25cm.
• They occupy around 17 percent of all land on the planet.
• Due to very high temperature, intense sunlight and low water availability, flora
and fauna are very poorly developed.
• Vegetation is mainly bushes, shrubs, few grasses and rarely trees.
• Leaves and stems of these plants are modified to conserve water.
• The best-known desert plants are the succulents like spiny leaved cacti.
• Animal life includes insects, reptiles, birds, camels all of whom are adapted to
the xeric (desert) conditions.

13. 1. SAND DESERT
2. ROCK DESERT
3. COLD DESERT
4. STONY DESERT
5. PLATEAU DESERT
6. MOUNTAIN DESERT
Functions of desert ecosystem
1. Solar energy resource
2. Mineral resource
Types of desert ecosystem

14. The Mountain Ecosystem
Definition: The uplifted portion of the land is known as mountain.
Mountain lands provide a scattered but diverse array of habitats in which a large
range of plants and animals are found. At higher altitudes harsh environmental
conditions generally prevail, and only treeless alpine vegetation is found. The
animals living here have thick fur coats for prevention from cold and hibernate in
winter months. Lower slopes commonly are covered by coniferous forests.
Structurally there are two types of mountains possible.
1. Folded Mountain 2. Block Mountain

15. a. Folded Mountain: They are formed due to the bending of earth plates in up or
down or sideways. Ex: Himalayas, ALPS
b. Block Mountain: These mountains are formed when great blocks of earth’s
crust may be vertically raised or lowered during the mountain formation. Ex:
Sierra Nevada, North America
Importance of mountain ecosystem
1. Mountain is the source of 60-80% ground water
2. Mountain is the source of many important river
3. Around 1 billion population occupy the mountain

16. The Grassland Ecosystem
Definition: This area mainly comprises of grasses with very little number of
shrubs and trees.
Grasslands are found in both temperate and tropical regions of the world,
but the ecosystems are slightly varying.
Main vegetation is grasses, legumes and plants belonging to composite
family. Many grazing animals, herbivores and insectivores are found in
grasslands.
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17. Two main types of grasslands ecosystems are:
1. Savanna: These tropical grasslands are seasonally dry with few individual trees. They
support large number of grazers and predators. Animal habitat present in savannas is
giraffe, reptiles, kangaroo, buffalo.
2. Prairies: This is temperate grassland. It is completely treeless with large shrubs and
wild flowering plants. Prairies can be categorized as tall grass, mixed grass and short grass
prairie. Animal habitat present in savannas is wolf, rabbit, bison.
Functions of Grassland Ecosystems
1. These are breading areas
2. These provide food
3. Human habitat
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18. Aquatic Ecosystems
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water.
It comprises aquatic fauna, flora and the properties of water too.
There are three types of aquatic ecosystems
1. Marine
2. Freshwater
3. Wetlands
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19. 1) The Marine aquatic ecosystem
Marine ecosystems are the largest ecosystems with coverage of nearly 71%
of the Earth's surface and containing 97% of the planet's water. The water in
Marine ecosystems has salts and minerals dissolved in them in high amounts.
2) Wetlands aquatic ecosystem
Places where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least some time. These
ecosystems are home to amphibians, reptiles and almost 41% of world’s fish
species. Faster moving turbulent water typically contains greater
concentrations of dissolved oxygen, which supports greater biodiversity than
the slow-moving water of pools. 19

20. 3) The Freshwater Ecosystem
In contrast to the Marine ecosystem, freshwater ecosystems only
cover 0.8% of the Earth's surface and contain 0.009% of its total
water.
There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:
1. Lentic: Still or slow-moving water like pools, ponds, and lakes.
2. Lotic: Fast-moving water like streams and rivers and
3. Wetlands: (areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at
least part of the time). Environmental Studies 20

21. Ecosystems Classification
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ECOSYSYEM
Terrestrial
Forest
Desert
Sand
Rock
Cold
Stony
Plateau
Mountain
Grassland
Savanna
Prairies
Mountain
Aquatic
Marine
Freshwater
Lentic
Lotic
Wetlands
Wetlands

22. The Food Chain
Definition: A linear sequence of feeding relationships.
The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in
an ecological community. A food chain begins with a producer (autotrophs),
usually a green plant or alga that creates its own food through photosynthesis.
In the typical predatory food chain, producers are eaten by primary consumers
(herbivores) which are eaten by secondary consumers (carnivores), some of
which may in turn be eaten by tertiary consumers (the top carnivore in the
chain).
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23. Environmental Studies 23
FOOD
CHAINS
Grazing Detritus Parasitic

24. There are three kinds of food chains
1) Grazing food chains
2) Detritus food chains
3) Parasitic food chain
1) Grazing food chains
Grazing food chains is a type of food chain where energy derived from
photosynthesis. This is one of the prominent food chain
24
Examples
Grass→ Rabbit→ Fox→ Wolf→ Tiger
Grass→ Grasshopper→ Frog → Snake → Hawk
Phytoplankton →Zooplankton→ Fish→ Hawk

25. 2) Detritus food chains
A detritus food chain is type of food chain which starts with dead
organic substance. This type of food chain is found in forest
ecosystem
Example
Dead organic matter→ Detrivores → Predators
25

26. 3. Parasitic food chain
In this type of food chain either the producer or the consumer is
parasitized and therefore the food passes to the smaller organism.
The energy transfer through this kind of food chain is not significant.
Producer→ Herbivores→ Parasite→ Hyper parasites
Trees→ Fruit eating birds→ Lice and bugs→ Bacteria and fungi
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27. Significance of Food Chains
1. They help in maintaining the ecological balance.
2. They help in understanding the feeding relations among
organisms
3. Energy flow and nutrient cycling take place through them.
4. It explains the concept of bio magnification.

28. Food Web
The complex system of interrelated food chains in an environment is known
as a food web.
It can be defined as, "a network of food chains which are interconnected at
various trophic levels, so as to form a number of feeding connections
amongst different organisms of a biotic community. A food web consists of
many interconnected food chains.
A network of food chains or feeding relationships by which energy and
nutrients are passed on from one species of living organisms to another.
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29. Environmental Studies 29

30. Significance of food web
1. Food web provides stability to ecosystem
2. It balances flow of energy in ecosystem
Ecological pyramid
An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid or energy pyramid) is a
graphical representation designed to show the biomass or biomass
productivity at each trophic in a given ecosystem.
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31. Environmental Studies 31

32. 1. Pyramid of Numbers
A pyramid of numbers is a graphical representation that shows
the number of organisms at each trophic level
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33. 2. Pyramid of Biomass
representation of total living biomass or organic matter
present at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
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34. 3. Pyramid of Energy
graphical representation of the amount of energy at each trophic
level of a food chain
34

35. Importance of ecological pyramid:
1. They show the feeding of different organisms in different
ecosystems.
2. It shows the efficiency of energy transfer.
3. The condition of the ecosystem can be monitored, and any
further damage can be prevented.
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36. Unit -4
Environmental Pollution
Environmental Studies 36

37. UNIT 5 - ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION:
Definition
Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological
characteristics of any component of the environment (air, water,
soil) which can cause harmful effects on various forms of life or
property.
Types of environmental pollution
1) AIR POLLUTION
2) WATER POLLUTION
3) SOIL POLLUTION
4) MARINE POLLUTION
5) NOISE POLLUTION
6) THERMAL POLLUTION
7) NUCLEAR HAZARDS
8) SOLID WASTE

38. I) AIR POLLUTION:
It is an atmospheric condition where certain substances are present in conc. which
can cause undesirable effects on man and his environment.
Sources of air pollution
Gaseous pollutants – Sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides, carbon
monoxide, volatile organic compounds
Particulate pollutants – Particulates are those particle which have size from 2.5
micrometer to 10 micrometer. Some examples are Smoke, dust, soot, fumes,
aerosol, liquid droplets, and pollen grains.
Radioactive pollutants – Radon 222, Iodine 131, Sr 90

40. Indoor Air pollution
Pollution of air within the four walls of house is known as indoor air pollution.
Burning of fuel produce pollutants like CO, SO2, soot, cigarette smoke and many
other like formaldehyde. A person using wood as fuel for cooking inhales toxic
material equivalent to 20 packets of cigarette a day.
Effects of air pollution
1.Human respiratory infection
2. Eye irritation 7. Results in greenhouse effect
3. headaches, fatigue 8. Wheezing and shortness of breath
4. Lung cancer 9. Destroy chlorophyll and affect photosynthesis
5. Asthma 10. Dropping of leaf
6. Causes acid rain

42. S. No.
Pollutant
Sources
Sources Effects on human
1.
Aldehydes Thermal decomposition
of fats and oils
Irritates nasal and
respiratory tracts
2.
Ammonia Chemical processes, dye
making, explosives and
fertilizers
Respiratory passage
4.
Carbon
Monoxide
Motor exhausts, oil and coal
furnaces
damages lungs and heart
10.
Ozone Photochemical
reactions
Eye irritation,
12.
Suspended
solids
Industrial
manufactures
Eye irritation, asthma, air
suffocation, lung cancer

43. Control of air pollution
1. Using nonconventional energy
2. Using bio filters
3. Planting more trees
4. Reducing vehicle exhausts
5. Using less polluting fuels
6. Using mass transport
7. Removal of particulate matter using electrostatic precipitator, cyclone filter etc.

44. ACID RAIN
Rain that contains high concentration of sulfuric acid and nitric acid is known
as acid rain.

45. Causes of acid rain
Two elements, sulfur and nitrogen, are primarily responsible for the acid rain.
Sulfur is found as a trace element in coal and oil. When these are burned in
power plants and industrial boilers, the sulfur combines with oxygen to form
sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which
react with the rain water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.

46. Affect
1. Acidification destroys fertility of the soil.
2. Like Taj Mahal many important historic monuments were damaged due to acid
rain.
3. It also affects fine plant roots and fungi that helps plants to obtain nutrients
from soil
4. Acidification also contaminates fresh water and lakes causing serious health
problem to animal and human.
Control
1. Reducing emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
2. Car pools, public transportation can reduce tons of nitrogen oxide emission

47. GREEN HOUSE EFFECT (GLOBAL WARMING):
Definition: Increase in the average temperature of the earth surface is
known as global warming.
Greenhouse Gases: The gases which are responsible for green house
effects are known as greenhouse gases. They are;
Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Carbon dioxide (CO2), CFC
(chlorofluorocarbon)

48. Mechanism
The solar spectrum of electromagnetic waves includes energy packed heat generating waves
called radiation waves. While radiation are received by earth from sun, some solar radiation
absorbed by earth surface and some of them reflected back to space without causing any harm.
But some of the IR radiation while reflecting back from earth surface are traped by green house
gases present in the upper surface of the atmosphere and re-reflected back to earth causing
increase temperature of the earth surface. This is known as global warming.
NOTE: ABOVE MENTIONED MECHANISM IS QUALITATIVE IN NATURE INTRESTED
STUDENT CAN STUDY DETAILE MECHANISM OF SHORT & LONG IR RADIATION
AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR WITH GREENHOUSE CLOUD.

49. Affects
1. Rising sea levels due to thermal expansion and melting of glaciers and ice sheets,
and warming of the ocean surface.
2. One of the most immediate and obvious effects of global warming is the increase in
temperatures around the world
3. Global warming may also lead to extreme weather other than cold or heat extremes

50. Ozone (O3) Depletion
Definition: reduction in the concentration of ozone in the
stratosphere layer
Ozone (O3) absorbs harmful UV radiation at stratosphere hence
UV rays can not reach earth. In one way ozne as sunscreen to earth.
saves is formed at stratosphere

51. What are ozone depleting substances?
•chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
•hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
•hydrobromoflurocarbons (HBFCs)
•halons
•methyl bromide
•carbon tetrachloride
•methyl chloroform.
They have been used as:
•refrigerants in commercial, home and vehicle air conditioners and refrigerators
•foam blowing agents
•components in electrical equipment
•industrial solvents
•solvents for cleaning (including dry cleaning)
•aerosol spray propellants
•fumigants.

52. OZONE DEPLETION MECHANISM
Effects
An increase in UV rays means a higher risk of skin cancer, eye cataracts, and
blindness
UV rays also may damage aquatic ecosystem
Increase in UV rays can mean smaller leaf size, decreased plant growth, and lower
quality crops

53. Temperature balance: a healthy ozone layer effectively absorbs solar
UV radiation which controls earth temperature. If ozone is depleted UV
radiation may reach earth increasing temperature
.
Materials: Because of ozone depletion, UV radiation which reaches
earth will cause many materials to degrade faster. These materials
include PVC (used in window and door frames, pipes and gutters, etc.),
nylon and polyester.
Effects on Biogeochemical Cycles : Because of ozone depletion
increases in solar UV radiation could affect terrestrial and aquatic
biogeochemical cycles, thereby altering both sources and sinks of
greenhouse and chemically-important trace gases e.g., carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide , and possibly other gases

54. Use air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment that do not use HCFCs
as refrigerant.
Controls
Use aerosol products that do not use HCFCs or CFCs as propellants
Conduct regular inspection and maintenance of air-conditioning and
refrigeration appliances to prevent and minimize refrigerant leakage

55. WATER POLLUTION:
Presence of foreign impurities (organic, inorganic, and biological) in such quantities so as to constitute a health
hazard by lowering the water quality and making it unfit for use.
Causes
1. Point source Ex: flow of water pollutants from sewage system, industrial effluent etc.
2. Non-point source Ex: agricultural land (pesticides, fertilizers, mining, construction sites)
Sources of water pollutants
1. Suspended matter
2. Thermal discharge
3. Pathogens (bacteria, fungi, protozoa fungi)
4. Detergent
5. Synthetic organic pollutants
6. Inorganic chemicals
7. Radioactive waste, oil, sediments

56. Effects of water pollution
1. Objectionable color and odor is unacceptable and unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.
2. Acid and alkaline water cause serious health problem
3. Water borne infectious enteric disease like typhoid, cholera, dysentery, are the predominant health hazard arising from
drinking contaminated water
4. Radioactive pollution enter human body through food and get accumulated in thyroid gland, liver, bones and muscles
5. Non-biodegradable waste and pesticides travel the food chain and ultimately reach human where they accumulate in fatty
tissues
6. Phosphate, nitrate, promote the growth of algae and encourage eutrophication - which increases algae growth decreases
oxygen level
7. Blue baby syndrome – cause by drinking water containing excess amount of nitrate

57. 8. Industrial effluents result in addition of poisonous chemicals such as arsenic,
mercury, lead may reach human body through contaminated food.
9. Fluoride contaminated water result in skeletal fluorosis
10. Arsenic contaminated drinking water causes a disease called arsenicosis, for
which there is no effective treatment

58. Control measures of water pollution:
1. Lay down standard for a drinking water
2.Monitoring disposal of waste water into water
course/sewer/land
3. Water treatment before discharge
4. Recycle water for garden water
5. Strict law enforcement

59. Water quality check:
COD: it is the amount of oxygen required for the complete oxidation of organic
and inorganic matter present in one litre of the waste water using strong oxidizing
agents like acidified K2Cr2O7
BOD: it is the amount of oxygen required for the complete oxidation of only
organic matter present in one litre of the wastewater using microorganisms for a
period 5 days.
COD greater than BOD because in COD oxidation of both organic and inorganic
matter takes place but in BOD its only organic matter. Unit of COD: mg/ lt of O2
or ppm of O2

60. Sr. No parameter technique used Indian standard
1 Temperature thermometer Acceptable limit
2. Color Visual/color kit 5 Hazen unit
3 Odor Physiological sense Acceptable
4 electrical conductivity Conductivity meter 2500µs/cm
5 pH pH meter 6.5-9.5
6 Total Hardness Titration 200-600 ppm
7 Alkalinity Titration 200 ppm
8 Acidity Titration 200 ppm
9 Fluoride Titration 1.5 mg/ltr
10 Ammonia UV-Visible spectrophotometer 0.5 ppm
11 COD Titration 250 ppm
12 BOD Incubation followed by titration 30 ppm
13 Chloride Titration 250 ppm
14 Magnesium Titration 30 ppm
15 Nitrate UV-Visible spectrophotometer 45 ppm
16 Sodium Flame photometer 180 ppm
17 Sulphate Titration 200 ppm

61. 3) SOIL POLLUTION:
Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high enough concentrations
to pose a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem
Sources:
Over usage of Pesticides
Unscientific application of chemical fertilizers
Industrial waste
Urban waste
Agricultural practices
Radioactive pollutants
Biological agent
Affects:
1. Affect human health
2. Affect soil fertility
3. Reduce soil productivity
4. Cause abnormalities

62. Control measures:
1. Use of pesticides and fertilizers should be minimized.
2. Cropping techniques should be improved to prevent growth of
weeds.
3. Special pits should be selected for dumping wastes.
4. Controlled grazing and forest management.
5. Wind breaks and wind shield in areas exposed to wind erosion
6. Afforestation and reforestation.

63. MARINE POLLUTION:
The discharge of waste substances into the sea resulting in harm to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to
fishery and impairment of quality for use of sea water.
Causes
. Rivers. Catchment area
. Oil drilling and ships.
. Waste disposal
. Oil spill
. Thermal pollution (plants located nearby coastal areas)
. Ship breaking activities
. Aquaculture practices
. Nuclear test conducted in seas and oceans

64. Affects:
. Disturb entire aquatic or marine ecosystem
. Oil has suffocation effect on most aquatic animals. Smaller animals can be caught in oil envelope and die
. Thermal Pollution may increase the temp of water and Dissolved Oxygen may be depleted which causes danger.
. There may be chances for bioaccumulation and bio magnification in the food chain due to the disposal of non-degradable
wastes
. Oil promotes anaerobic conditions by preventing diffusion of oxygen from air
. Disposal of radioactive wastes cause chronic, acute and genetic damage
. Affects the recreational activity along the beaches
. Affect sensitive flora and fauna
. Loss of buoyancy
. Affect phytoplankton, zooplankton, algal species, coral reefs, fish, birds and mammals.
Control measures:-
. Ban to dump the toxic, hazards waste and sewage sludge.
. Minimize coastal developmental activities
. Oil ballast should not be dumped into sea.

65. 5) NOISE POLLUTION:
Sound is mechanical energy from a vibrating source Unpleasant and unwanted sound is called noise.
Following are the permissible noise level in decibel (dB). Loud noise banned from 10PM to 6 PM.
Day 75
Night 70
Industrial 65
Commercial 55
Residential 55
Sources of noise pollution:
1. Industrial units
2. Transportation modes
3. Construction activities
4. Celebrations
5. Electric home appliances

66. Effects of noise pollution:
. Interferes communication
. Hearing damage (90 dB)
. Physiological and Psychological disorders
Control of noise pollution:
. Reduction in source of noise
. Noise making machines should be kept in containers with sound absorbing
media
. Proper oiling will reduce noise from machinery

67. 6) THERMAL POLLUTION
Addition of excess undesirable heat to water
Causes:
. Nuclear power plant
. Domestic sewage
. Hydroelectric power
Effects:
. Reduction in
Control measures:
The following methods should be adopted to control thermal pollution
. Cooling towers
. Cooling ponds
. Spray ponds

68. 7) NUCLEAR HAZARDS OR RADIO ACTIVE POLLUTION
The physical pollution of air, water and soil by radio materials.
Causes
. Solar rays
. Radio nuclides in earth’s crust
. Environmental radiation
. Medical X-rays
. Radio isotopes
. Nuclear test
. Nuclear installations
. Nuclear reactor

69. Effects
. Causes skin burns, loss of teeth, vomiting anemia
. Blood cancer
. Brain damage
Control measures
. Radiation exposure protection
. Radiation contamination protection
. Controlled area
. Disposal of radioactive waste

70. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Definition: Solid waste management collectively known as collection, transportation, treatment
and disposal of solid waste without causing any socio- economic problems.
Any material that is thrown away or discarded as unwanted is considered as solid waste.
Sources of solid wastes:
1. Municipal solid wastes
2. Industrial Solid Wastes
3. Mining solid wastes
4. Fertilizers
5. Pesticides and Biocides
6. Excretory products of humans and livestock
7. Electronic wastes

71. Two types of Waste
BIODEGRADABLE
• Vegetable waste
• Food waste
• Tea leaves
• Egg shells
• Dry leaves
NON-BIODEGRADABLE
• Polythene bags
• Glass bottles
• Scrap metal
• Tins, cans etc
• Electronic waste

72. Affects:
1. Municipal solid wastes heap up on the roads due to improper disposal system. This type of dumping allows
biodegradable materials to decompose under uncontrolled and unhygienic conditions. This produces foul
smell and breeds various types of insects and infectious organisms besides spoiling the aesthetics of the site.
2. Industrial solid wastes are sources of toxic metals and hazardous wastes, which may spread on land and can
cause changes in physicochemical and biological characteristics thereby affecting productivity of soils.
3. Toxic substance present in solid waste may leach or percolate to contaminate the ground water.
4. Burning of some of the materials like cans, pesticides, cleaning solvents, batteries (zinc, lead or mercury),
radioactive materials, plastics and e-waste produces dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls, which have the
potential to cause various types of ailments including cancer.

73. Control measures:
1. Landfill: is a carefully designed structure built into or on top of the ground in
which trash is isolated from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain).
This isolation is accomplished with a bottom liner and daily covering of soil. A
sanitary landfill uses a clay liner to isolate the trash from the environment.
2. Incineration: The term incinerates means to slow burning of something until
nothing is left but ashes. Incineration is often used for the disposal of combustible
waste. An incinerator is a unit or facility used to burn trash and other types of waste
until it is reduced to ash. An incinerator is constructed of heavy, well-insulated
materials, so that it does not give off extreme amounts of external heat.

74. 3. Composting: The biodegradable waste (kept separate from the municipal
waste) is allowed to degrade or decompose in a medium. A good quality nutrient
rich and environmental friendly manure is formed which improves the soil
conditions and fertility.
4. Recycling and Reuse: Depending on suitability some solid waste like plastic
bags, containers, tins, and glasses can be either reused or recycled.
5. Bio gas generation: When organic waste such bio-waste, food leftovers,
vegetable peel or manure is decomposed by microbiological populations in the
absence of free oxygen (anaerobic digestion), high-caloric methane and an
organic fertilizer is produced.

75. ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN PREVENTION OF POLLUTION
 Use stairs instead of elevators
 Use public transportation walk or ride a bicycle
 Plant trees around building
 Turn off lights, television sets and computer when not in use.
 Pay immediate attention to leaks in pipes.
 Install waste saving equipment’s.
 Recycle glass, metal and paper.
 Compost garden waste
 Segregate waste and recyclable waste
 Buy locally made long losing material
 Buy environmentally degradable products.

76.  Think globally act locally
 Use eco-friendly products
 Use rechargeable batteries
 No to excess pesticides, chemicals, paints, solvents
 Use less or only required quantity of resource
 PLANT MORE TREES(local species)
 3 R’S- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
 Take some bag from home to market to purchase.
 Laws have been made and are followed
 Awareness in schools and colleges, offices