NMIMS Global Access

School for Continuing Education (NGA-SCE)

Course: Environment and Disaster Management
Internal Assignment Applicable for December 2022 Examination

Ans1
Introduction

A disaster is the result of a sudden catastrophic incident that substantially impairs a

community's ability to function normally to the point where it needs outside assistance to
survive. A disaster happens when a process or event has a detrimental effect on human
populations, such as an earthquake, flood, conflict, health outbreak, or industrial mishap. A
disaster is any sad incident that results from a catastrophe such as an earthquake, flood,
catastrophic accident, fire, or explosion.

Disasters can affect people's lives, their property, and they're economic, social, and cultural
existence. A disaster is when a large number of people are exposed to a risk, which seriously
impairs society's ability to function and results in human, material, and environmental losses
that are greater than the capacity of the affected community or society to recover. A disaster
is caused by a confluence of risks and weaknesses that outweighs society's ability to mitigate
their potentially harmful effects. A disaster is an adverse, distressing, or ruinous consequence
of a catastrophic event that seriously affects or interferes with (or poses a serious risk of
interfering with) the vital operations of a community, society, or system for an amount of
time sufficient to seriously damage it or bring about its collapse. The local community cannot
resolve it; it is beyond their capacity. To cope with it, the affected community must make
extraordinary efforts, frequently with outside assistance or foreign charity.
Content and Application
Four Phases of Emergency Management
The Department continuously plans and takes action under the four stages of modern disaster
management to maximize the safety of its employees, students, visitors, and patients. There
are four phases:
1. Mitigation
The least expensive way to lessen the effects of hazards is through mitigation. The
identification of risks is a step before mitigation. The process of locating and
assessing dangers is known as physical risk assessment. Targeting hazard-specific
vulnerabilities through mitigation efforts becomes more critical the higher the risk.
The 96-Hour Business Continuity Plan, developed to ensure continuity of operations
in areas such as utilities, communications, food, water, medication, staffing, and
medical supplies when the community is unable to support the hospital due to an
external disaster scenario, is an example of mitigation at University Hospital. This
plan is just one of the many mitigation strategies and plans that have been put in place
to ensure continuity of operations in these and other areas.

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 2. Preparedness
To ensure effective coordination and the improvement of capabilities to prevent,
protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disaster events that
have been identified within the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, preparedness is a
continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating,
and improvement activities (HVA). The disaster management department creates
plans of action to manage and combat hazards during the preparation phase and takes
steps to develop the capabilities required to carry out such plans.

3. Response
The emergency professionals who have been identified, including first responders, are
mobilized in response to an internal or external occurrence that could have an impact
on patient care operations or the campus. In the course of preparation, the university
and hospital have previously decided on their reaction strategies, which are
thoroughly laid out in catastrophe plans. The response to an internal or external
incident on campus or in a medical facility is managed by the incident command
system (ICS). Response tactics can always be modified because various staff
members are always available. AARs, which are carried out after training exercises
and disaster responses, are used to find ways to improve response protocols and plans.
Additionally, the campus and hospital routinely evaluate response actions using drills,
exercises, tracers, and live events

4. Recovery
The Recovery phase's goal is to return the afflicted region to its prior state. It varies
from the Response phase in that it focuses on concerns and decisions that must be
made after urgent needs have been met. Recovery operations are generally focused on
activities including the reconstruction of devastated property, re-employment, the
restoration of other critical infrastructure, and the re-opening of critical healthcare
services.
Conclusion
In conclusion, correct strategic, tactical, and operational considerations are required while
planning a disaster management response to successfully address the effects of the natural
catastrophe as well as to maintain the continuity of life and business while the crisis is being
managed. The response to a natural disaster could be viewed as a social process that needs
the public's assistance to plan, launch, and involve a variety of residents, technical experts,
and responders. Because of the difficulties faced by non-renewable resource consumption,
population increase, climate change, and wealth inequities, disaster management approaches
must be sustainable. At the most fundamental level, organizing a crisis management response
might be characterized as more formalized common sense. In other words, the complexity of
recent disasters is rising, necessitating a significant level of professionalization in the disaster
management industry. The conclusion is supported by the expanding role of information and
communication technologies in disaster response. Planning and coordinating catastrophe
management is done by resource managers, and in the future, these managers will be
expected to handle the sophisticated and complex transfer of human and material resources.
Since the world is becoming more globalized and is experiencing rapid economic, social, and

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physical change, managing disasters will be difficult and depend on having good vision and
planning as well as the capacity to link many aspects of disaster response into coherent plans.
Ans2
Introduction
According to the definition of air pollution, it occurs when any kind of physical, chemical, or
biological change contaminates the air. Various things might contaminate the air, including
dangerous or harmful gases, smoke, fog, smog, dust, etc. The effects of air pollution extend
to both plants and animals. Any material that is hazardous to living things can contaminate
the air, water, or soil. It's comparable to introducing or releasing a poison that can destroy the
environment's natural resources. Both natural (such as volcanic eruptions) and man-made
factors can produce pollution. However, man-made factors currently account for more
pollution than natural ones. Every factor, from the rise in automobile use to the rise in
industrial water and air waste, has some effect on air pollution.
Content and Application
Types of Air Pollutants
Primary and secondary pollutants are the two categories of air pollutants. The compounds
that produce air pollution are known as pollutants.
1. Primary Pollutants
The contaminants that directly contribute to air pollution are those that cause it most
frequently. These include dangerous factory emissions like sulfur dioxide. The
pollutants that are created as a direct result of the process are known as primary
pollutants. Factory-produced sulfur dioxide is a well-known illustration of the main
pollutant.

2. Secondary Pollutants
The process of mixing or blending primary pollutants results in the formation of
secondary pollutants. A secondary pollutant is a smog, which is a combination of
smoke and fog.
Causes of Air Pollution

You must first comprehend the causes of air pollution if you want to take action to reduce it.
The primary factors are:-
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels
Hazardous gases like carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide are released into the
atmosphere by fossil fuels. Sulfur dioxide, which is released through the burning of fossil
fuels like coal, petroleum for energy in power plants, and other industrial combustibles, is
one of the main causes of air pollution.
2. Agricultural Activities
During agricultural activities, some processes occur, including the release of ammonia
and excessive use of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. Ammonia is one of the
most hazardous chemicals in the environment and a common agricultural waste.
Pesticides, fertilizers, and insecticides have all proliferated in agricultural techniques.

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 They can contaminate water and discharge dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere.
To prepare the land for a new cycle of sowing, farmers also set fire to the fields and
abandoned crops. According to studies, when fields are burned to clean them up,
harmful contaminants are released into the air.

3. Factories and Industries

Increased industrial activity and the discharge of toxic gases and chemicals are the
main causes of air pollution. The enormous amounts of carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals that manufacturing companies
release into the atmosphere harm air quality. Manufacturing has an impact on every
region of the world and is present everywhere. Petroleum refineries release
hydrocarbons in addition to other pollutants that are harmful to the air and the
environment.

4. Mining Activities
As a result of mining, dangerous chemical emissions are rising. Minerals from the
crust of the earth are extracted using large machinery in mining. During the process,
chemicals and dust are released into the atmosphere, severely contaminating it. One of
the causes of the local population's and workforce's bad health is this.

5. Domestic Resources
Effects from residential sources, such as excessive air conditioning use and the use of
chemical paints. Environmental pollution is caused by the discharge of dangerous
chemicals into the air from household cleaning goods and painting supplies. Have you
ever noticed that painting your home's walls causes it to release a foul odor that is
nearly impossible to breathe? SPM, or suspended particulate matter, is another type of
pollution. SPM stands for suspended particulate matter and is often brought on by
combustion, dust, and other reasons.
DISEASES CAUSED BY AIR POLLUTION

In humans, air pollution can contribute to an increase in diseases like lung cancer and throat
infections. Millions of people visit hospitals and lose their lives to air pollution-related
illnesses each year. According to estimates from the World Health Organization, air
pollution-related illnesses account for one in every eight mortality globally. According to
recent studies, both interior and outdoor air pollution are significantly correlated with the
emergence of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. The most common ailments brought
on by air pollution include ischemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), and acute lower respiratory infections in children.

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Conclusion
Although controlling air pollution is difficult, it can be done with a few straightforward
methods, such as:
1. Avoid Using Vehicles
Use public transportation wherever possible to limit CO emissions into the
atmosphere. The availability of carpools can contribute to a decrease in the number of
vehicles, which lowers pollution. preferring to bike or walk to neighboring
destinations, among other things.

2. Energy Conservation
Utilize electrical equipment that is energy-efficient both at work and at home. If not in
use, you can leave your lights off. To avoid affecting conservation, electrical
appliances should be examined regularly.

3. Use of Clean Energy Resources

It will help to bring down the amount of pollution. Instead of using fossil fuels to
create energy, one might use natural resources like solar energy, wind energy, etc. by
the usage of fire and fire-related products being reduced and eventually eliminated.
One of the main causes of air pollution is industrial emissions, thus it is feasible to
reduce the pollutants by preventing or treating them at the source. For instance,
substitute less dangerous raw materials can be used if a particular raw material reacts
to produce a pollutant.
Ans3(A)
Introduction

A guiding principle in sustainable development is maintaining the capacity of natural systems

to continue providing the natural ecosystem services and resources that are essential to the
economy and society. By consuming less meat, supporting local businesses, seeking out
seasonal foods, drinking tap water rather than bottled water, organizing our shopping trips to
save money, and choosing organic and fair products, we can manage environmental
sustainability in our way of life.

Content and Application

In two methods, a housing society can become a green hub:
1. Use the zero-waste approach
A housing authority in Navi Mumbai recently achieved nearly waste-free operations, with
barely 10% of its overall garbage being dumped. Sorting garbage is the key to success.
Install separate trash cans in every home and inform people that dry and wet waste must
be disposed of in different ways. It is possible to recycle and reuse dry garbage, which
includes metals, plastics, and e-waste. The moist trash can be composted, utilized as plant
fertilizer in your community, or even sold on the open market.

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 2. Get a sewage treatment facility on-site
Installing a wastewater treatment facility in your community will increase the
effectiveness of your rainwater harvesting. Recycling wastewater allows it to be utilized
for non-drinking activities like cleaning, washing automobiles, and gardening. The
arrangement for a 400-person housing complex costs about Rs 60,000 per month, thus
money is not much of an issue either. An expenditure that immediately pays for itself
because of the water bill reductions.
Conclusion
Honesty, creativity, risk-taking, and critical self-analysis are all essential for the continual
process of sustainability. To put it in another way, before beginning the path toward
sustainability, a corporation should be prepared to take risks and be creative. This entails
being honest, self-aware, and critical of all of its operations and the effects they produce.
Sustainability includes all aspects of a company's operations, including all of its activities,
processes, and functions. One or two improvements won't be enough for a company to
declare that sustainability has been accomplished. Sustainability is a shift in the way the
entire organization thinks, feels, and behaves in terms of how business is conducted.
Ans3(B)
Introduction

Green sustainability raises our standard of living and safeguards the environment. It is crucial
and applicable to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. Organizations can implement
several green initiatives to lessen their adverse environmental impact as social awareness of
the necessity for green solutions rises. These include utilizing eco-friendly items, cutting back
on paper use, using organic cleaning supplies, and using energy-efficient machinery. The
basic objective of environmental initiatives is to sustainably deliver economic potential
through natural resources.

Content and Application

In two methods, a housing society can become a Responsible hub:
1. Collecting rainwater
Our cities face a severe water deficit, and water restrictions are implemented every
summer. Implementing rainwater collection systems in your community will allow you to
take care of the issue without blaming the federal government or paying exorbitant prices
for water from private wells. Installing them costs around Rs 3 lakhs and higher, but the
return on your investment assures that your complex has access to water all year round.
2. Go solar to use clean energy
In Pune, over 400 housing societies have switched to solar energy to use cleaner energy.
Going solar allows you to reduce your carbon footprint and save money on your
electricity bills. The good news is that solar panels function effectively even during the
monsoons, but you must have at least half a million square feet of area on your rooftop to
install them. Just be careful to purchase from reputable solar power producers.

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Conclusion
In a conclusion, it can be claimed that sustainable development promotes consistency in the
demands placed on the environment. Future generations can use the resources because of it.
A fantastic strategy for conserving the resources that nature provides is sustainable
development. This can be done by utilizing environmentally friendly materials and
techniques that won't have a significant negative influence on the environment. We must use
the materials that are at our disposal sustainably to prevent their extinction for use by future
generations.