Sunday, January 2, 2011

An interesting Article on Environmental Pollution in India - Source : WWW.Gits4u.com

Environmental Pollution





Air pollution - Courtesy Nasa
The environmental problems in India are growing rapidly. The increasing economic development and a rapidly growing population that has taken the country from 300 million people in 1947 to more than one billion people today is putting a strain on the environment, infrastructure, and the country’s natural resources. Industrial pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and land degradation are all worsening problems. Overexploitation of the country's resources be it land or water and the industrialization process has resulted environmental degradation of resources. Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing humanity and other life forms on our planet today.
India's per capita carbon dioxide emissions were roughly 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) in 2007, according to the study. That's small compared to China and the U.S., with 10,500 pounds (4,763 kilograms) and 42,500 pounds (19,278 kilograms) respectively that year. The study said that the European Union and Russia also have more emissions than India.

India is now world's third biggest carbon dioxide emitting nation after China and the US. The new emission data from the United Nations published in early October 2010 is a probable cause of worry for India's climate negotiators at the next round of talks that started in Tianjin in China on October 11, where rich countries are expected to ask India and China to take legally binding emission cuts after 2012, when present global climate treaty expires. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the country could not have high economic growth and a rapid rise in carbon emissions now that the nation was the number three emitter after China and US.

India and US clean energy pact: India and the U.S. on November 8, 2010 inked an agreement to establish a bilateral energy cooperation programme to promote clean and energy-efficient businesses, Indian and U.S. companies inked joint venture deals worth $175 million in the renewable energy sector.
The US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the setting up of Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Centre. The proposed centre is part of the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), which forms the core of the “green partnership”. Funding for the centre is expected from national budgets and the private sector. Each government proposes to commit $25 million over the next five years..
A Comprehensive environmental assessment of industrial clusters, undertaken by IIT Delhi and the CPCB, found that the environmental pollution levels in 10 major industrial hubs had reached a “very alarmingly high” level. The World Bank Group has sanctioned two loans worth around Rs1,185 crore for environment management projects in India on July 22, 2010. Of this, Rs897crore will go for the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project and the remaining for Capacity Building for Industrial Pollution Management project. .
Air Pollution

The World Health Organization estimates that about two million people die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution, while many more suffer from breathing ailments, heart disease, lung infections and even cancer.Fine particles or microscopic dust from coal or wood fires and unfiltered diesel engines are rated as one of the most lethal forms or air pollution caused by industry, transport, household heating, cooking and ageing coal or oil-fired power stations.
There are four reasons of air pollution are - emissions from vehicles, thermal power plants, industries and refineries. The problem of indoor air pollution in rural areas and urban slums has increased.
A latest example industrial pollution is the leak of chlorine gas in Mumbai. On July 14, 2010 nearly 76 people were treated in hospital on after chlorine gas leak from an industrial area in Mumbai. The land owned by the Mumbai Port Trust is an industrial area mainly used for storage and delivery of cargo and containers.


 References
1. Ministry of Environment. & forest
     http://moef.nic.in/index.php
2. United Nations Environment Programme
     http://www.unep-wcmc.org/
3.Asian Brown cloud
   http://web.archive.org/web/20071009231830/http://archives.cnn.com/
2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/12/asia.haze/
4. Pollution and Society
    http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/pollution.htm
5, Carbon dioxide Charts
    http://rainforests.mongabay.com/09-carbon_emissions.htm

Monday, December 6, 2010

The efforts to reduce environmental pollution

Various efforts have been made, both by government and society to cope with environmental pollution, among others, through counseling and environmental regulation. However, the business will not succeed if there is no support and public awareness of the environment.
To demonstrate our concern for the environment, we need to act. Some of the ways that can be done to tackle environmental pollution, including the following:

1. The trash in its place.

River to the trash or drain will cause the water flow is obstructed. As a result, the garbage will pile up and rot. Waste that cause Foul odor in addition to savory also not the place have a different breed types of disease. In addition, can cause flooding in the rainy season.
One way to cope, especially waste household waste is to utilize a Compost. Waste - waste separated between organic and inorganic waste.
Furthermore, the organic waste in ground so that the buried into Compost. The inorganic waste such as used cans and plastic can be recycled at the household and other goods.


2. Of industrial waste

Waste from industry, especially those containing chemicals, must be removed before processed first. This will reduce pollution in the material. Thus the contamination from waste materials that contain materials that can be removed so that the poison is not possible ecosystem.
Placing the factory or industrial area that is far in the crowd of people. This is done to avoid contagion from factory waste and smoke factory for the life of the community.

3. Of air pollution Air pollution due to burning of the remaining vehicles and factory smoke, and by others can be prevented with finance the fuel oil.
Need to be an alternative source of fuel is environmentally friendly, such as electric vehicles have the energy. In addition, the business is done to record and to limit the number of vehicles eligible to operate. Especially controlling and checking out of the smoke and vehicle exhaust.

4. Does held in major cities Plants able to absorb CO2 in the air for photosynthesis. There is a path hiliau akan reduce the CO2 content in the air of smoke coming from the motor vehicle manufacturer or smoke. Thus, green plants can reduce air pollution.
In addition, the green plants release O2 to the atmosphere.

5. The use of fertilizer and pest repellent plants drugs in accordance The provision of fertilizer to the plants can improve agriculture. On the other hand, can cause pollution if the fertilizer into the water.
Eutrofikai is one of the negative impact caused by artificial fertilizers into the water.

So also with the use of anti-drug crop pests. If the usage exceeds a specified dose will cause pollution. Besides can contaminate the environment can also resulted in the loss certain organisms such as bacteria that are required or The insects help pollination of plants.
Of biological pest eradication is one of the alternatives that can reduce pollution and damage to agricultural ecosystem.

6. Reduction of CFC use To measure CFCs in afrnosfer takes about one hundred years one way penanggulangannya is to reduce the use of CFCs is not necessary by the use of human Reduce the use of CFCs can prevent damage to the ozone layer in the atmosphere so that it can reduce global warming.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is a chemical, physical (e.g. particulate matter), or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic natural gaseous system that is essential to support life on planet Earth. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health as well as to the Earth's ecosystems.

Worldwide air pollution is responsible for large numbers of deaths and cases of respiratory disease. Enforced air quality standards, like the Clean Air Act in the United States, have reduced the presence of some pollutants. While major stationary sources are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions is actually made up by mobile sources, mainly the automobiles. Gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, have recently gained recognition as pollutants by some scientists. Others recognize the gas as being essential to life, and therefore incapable of being classed as a pollutant.

There are many substances in the air which may impair the health of plants and animals (including humans), or reduce visibility. These arise both from natural processes and human activity. Substances not naturally found in the air or at greater concentrations or in different locations from usual are referred to as 'pollutants'.

Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are substances directly produced by a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption or the carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust.

Secondary pollutants are not emitted. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is ground level ozone - one of the many secondary pollutants that make up photochemical smog.

Note that some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: that is, they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.

Effects on human health and pollution

Adverse air quality can kill many organisms including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries. Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes. Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress and sleep disturbance.

Pollution and its effect effect on ecosystems

Sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduces the pH value of soil.
Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food web.
Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis.
Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness.

Environmental Science

Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment; with a focus on pollution and degradation of the environment related to human activities; and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability from local and global development. It is inherently an interdisciplinary field that draws upon not only its core scientific areas, but also applies knowledge from other non-scientific studies such as economics, law and social sciences. Physics is used to understand the flux of material and energy interaction and construct mathematical models of environmental phenomena. Chemistry is applied to understand the molecular interactions among natural systems. Biology is fundamental to describing the effects within the plant and animal kingdoms.

While the concept of environmental science has existed for centuries, it came alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven by (a) the need for a large multi-disciplined team to analyze complex environmental problems, (b) the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols of investigation and (c) the growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems.

Environmental science encompasses issues such as climate change, conservation, biodiversity, groundwater and soil contamination, use of natural resources, waste management, sustainable development, air pollution and noise pollution. Due to the inherent interdisciplinary nature of environmental science, teams of professionals commonly work together to conduct environmental research or to produce Environmental Impact Statements, as required by the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or under state laws. There are professional organizations that engender work in environmental science and aid in communication among the diverse sciences.

Atmospheric sciences examines the new phenomenology of the Earth's gaseous outer layer with emphasis upon interrelation to other systems. Atmospheric sciences comprises meteorological studies, greenhouse gas phenomena, atmospheric dispersion modeling of airborne contaminants,[1][2] sound propagation phenomena related to noise pollution, and even light pollution

Taking the example of the global warming phenomena, physicists create computer models of atmospheric circulation and infra-red radiation transmission, chemists examine the inventory of atmospheric chemicals and their reactions, biologists analyze the plant and animal contributions to carbon dioxide fluxes, and specialists such as meteorologists and oceanographers add additional breadth in understanding the atmospheric dynamics.

Ecology studies typically analyze the dynamics among an interrelated set of populations, or a population and some aspect of its environment. These studies could address endangered species, predator/prey interactions, habitat integrity, effects upon populations by environmental contaminants, or impact analysis of proposed land development upon species viability.

An interdisciplinary analysis of an ecological system which is being impacted by one or more stressors might include several related environmental science fields. For example one might examine an estuarine setting where a proposed industrial development could impact certain species by water pollution and air pollution. For this study biologists would describe the flora and fauna, chemists would analyze the transport of water pollutants to the marsh, physicists would calculate air pollution emissions and geologists would assist in understanding the marsh soils and bay muds.

Environmental chemistry is the study of chemical alterations in the environment. Principal areas of study include soil contamination and water pollution. The topics of analysis involve chemical degradation in the environment, multi-phase transport of chemicals (for example, evaporation of a solvent containing lake to yield solvent as an air pollutant), and chemical effects upon biota.

an example study, consider the case of a leaking solvent tank which has entered the soil upgradient of a habitat of an endangered species of amphibian. Physicists would develop a computer model to understand the extent of soil contamination and subsurface transport of solvent, chemists would analyze the molecular bonding of the solvent to the specific soil type and biologists would study the impacts upon soil