© Saurabh

E.V.S - UNIT 4&5

Q1. Define pollution and pollutants

Environmental pollution is the effect of undesirable changes taking place in our
surrounding which affect the living organisms. The substance, which causes
pollution, is known as pollutant. Whenever concentration of any substance exceeds
its natural abundance, it becomes a pollutant for the environment.

Q2. Explain in detail about causes, effects and control measures of:
A) AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution may be defined as the presence of one or more contaminants like dust,
mist, smoke and colour in the atmosphere that are injurious human beings, plants
and animals.
Sources of air pollution are of two types.
Natural sources and Artificial sources
Natural sources of pollution are those that are caused due to natural phenomena.
Ex: Volcanic eruptions, Forest fires, Biological decay, Pollen grains, Marshes,
Radioactive materials.
Artificial sources are those which are created by man. Ex: Thermal power plants,
Vehicular emissions, Fossil fuel burning, agricultural activities etc.
Health effects include nose and throat irritation, ling damage, bronchitis, asthama,
reproductive problems and cancer.
Environmental Effects include reduced visibility and acid deposition. Acid deposition
may lead to damaged trees, soils and aquatic life in lakes.
Control Measures:
1. Using unleaded petrol
2. Using fuels with low sulphur and ash content
3. Encouraging people to use public transport, walk or use a cycle as opposed to
private vehicles
4. Ensure that houses, schools, restaurants and playgrounds are not located on
busy streets
5. Plant trees along busy streets as they remove particulates, carbon dioxide and
absorb noise.
B) WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution may be defined as “the alteration in physical, chemical and biological
characteristics of water which may cause harmful effects on humans and aquatic
life.”
Pollutants include:
1. Sewage
2. Industrial effluents and chemicals
3. Oil and other wastes
Chemicals in air dissolve in rain water, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides leached
from land pollute water.
Effects: Large populations of bacteria decomposing these wastes can degrade water
quality by depleting water of dissolved oxygen. This causes fish and other forms of
oxygen-consuming aquatic life to die.
Can cause excessive growth of algae and other aquatic plants, which die, decay,
deplete dissolved oxygen in water thereby killing fish.
Drinking water with excessive levels of nitrates lower the oxygen carrying capacity of
the blood and can kill urban children and infants.
Control measures of water pollution
1. Administration of water pollution control should be in the hands of state or central
government.
2. Scientific techniques should be adopted for environmental control of catchment
areas of rivers, ponds or streams
3. Industrial plants should be based on recycling operations as it helps prevent
disposal of wastes into natural waters but also extraction of products from waste.
4. Plants, trees and forests control pollution as they act as natural air conditioners.
5. Trees are capable of reducing sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide pollutants and
hence more trees should be planted.
6. Public awareness must be initiated regarding adverse effects of water pollution
using the media.
C) SOIL POLLUTION
Soil pollution is defined as, “contamination of soil by human and natural activities
which may cause
harmful effect on living organisms”.
Soil pollution mainly occurs due to the following:
1. Industrial wastes
2. Urban wastes
3. Agricultural practices
4. Radioactive pollutants
5. Biological agents
Effect: These pollutants affect and alter the chemical and biological properties of soil.
As a result, hazardous chemicals can enter into human food chain from the soil or
water, disturb the biochemical process and finally lead to serious effects on living
organisms.
Control measures of soil pollution:
1. Soil erosion can be controlled by a variety of forestry and farm practices.
Ex: Planting trees on barren slopes, contour cultivation and strip cropping
2. Proper dumping of unwanted materials
3. Public awareness
4. Recycling and Reuse of wastes
5. Ban on Toxic chemicals.
C) NOISE POLLUTION
Noise is defined as, “the unwanted, unpleasant or disagreeable sound that causes
discomfort to all living being”. Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB), that is
the tenth part of the longest unit Bel. One dB is the faintest sound that a human ear
can hear.
Effects of Noise pollution
Noise pollution affects both human and animal health. It leads to:
1. contraction of blood vessels
2. making skin pale
3. excessive adrenaline in the bloodstream which is responsible for high blood
pressure.
4. Blaring sounds are known to cause mental distress
5. Heart attacks, neurological problems, birth defects and abortion
6. Impulsive noise may cause psychological and pathological disorders.
Preventive measures:
1. Prescribing noise limits for vehicular traffic
2. Ban on honking (usage of horns) in certain areas
3. Creation of silence zones near schools and hospitals
4. Redesigning buildings to make them noise proof
5. Reduction of traffic density in residential areas
6. Giving preference to mass public transport system.
D) THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution is defined as the addition of excess of undesirable heat to water
thereby making it harmful to man, animal or aquatic life. Thermal pollution may also
cause significant departures from nor activities of aquatic communities.
Sources of Thermal Pollution:
The following sources contribute to thermal pollution.
1. Nuclear power plants
2. Coal fired plants
3. Industrial effluents
4. Domestic sewage
5. Hydro-electric power
Effects of Thermal pollution
1. Reduction in dissolved oxygen
2. Increase in toxicity
3. Interference in biological activity
4. Direct mortality: Thermal pollution is directly responsible for mortality of aquatic
organisms. Increase in temperature of water leads to exhaustion of microorganisms
thereby shortening the lifespan of fish.
5. Food storage for fish
Control measures for thermal pollution
1. Cooling towers
2. Cooling ponds
3. Spray ponds
4. Artificial lakes

Q3. Explain 3R’s management

Two important steps involved in solid waste management are:
1. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle of Raw Materials
2. Discarding wastes
Three functional elements of solid waste management
Reduce​ - If usage of raw materials is reduced, the generation of waste also gets
reduced
Reuse​ - Refillable containers that are discarded after use can be reused
Rubber rings can be made from discarded cycle tubes and this reduces
waste generation during manufacture of rubber bands.
Recycle​- Recycling is the reprocessing of discarded materials into new useful
products
Ex: Old aluminum cans and glass bottles are melted and recast into new cans and
bottles.
Preparation of cellulose insulation from paper.
Preparation of automobile body and construction material from steel cans
This method (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle), i.e, 3R’s help save money, energy,
raw materials and reduces pollution.

Q4. What do you mean by zero waste system?

Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production,
consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials, without
burning them, and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the
environment or human health. ​A Zero Waste System is cyclical, as in nature, and
does two fundamental things: It redesigns our systems and resource use—from
product design to disposal—to prevent the wasteful and polluting practices that lead
to so much waste. It then captures discards and uses them, instead of natural
resources, to make new products, creating a much cleaner manufacturing process
with far less pollution.

Q5. What are the different methods used for solid waste management?
The following methods are adopted for discarding wastes:
1. Landfill
2. Incineration and
3. Composting
LANDFILL: Solid wastes are placed in a sanitary landfill.
This is the most common and cheapest method of waste disposal and is mostly
employed in Indian cities.
Advantages:
It is simple and economical
Segregation of wastes is not required
Land filled areas can be reclaimed and used for other purposes.
Disadvantages:
Large area is required
Land availability is away from the town, transportation costs are high
Leads to bad odour if landfill is not properly managed.
INCINERATION:
It is a hygienic way of disposing solid waste. It is suitable if waste contains more
hazardous material and organic content.
ADVANTAGES
Requires very little space
Cost of transportation is not high
Safest from hygienic point of view
DISADVANTAGES
Its capital and operating cost is high
Operation needs skilled personnel
Formation of smoke, dust and ashes needs further disposal and that may cause air
pollution.
COMPOSTING
It is another popular method practiced in many cities in our country. In this method,
bulk organic waste is converted into fertilizer by biological action.
ADVANTAGES
Manure added to soil increases water retention and ion-exchange capacity of soil.
This method can be used to treat several industrial solid wastes.
Recycling can be done
DISADVANTAGES
Non-consumables have to be disposed separately
The technology has not caught-up with the farmers and hence does not have an
assured market.