Environment

  Thermal power plants are the major source of energy in India. Nearly 65% of energy production comes from thermal plants. The energy is generated through coal heating process and then running turbine. But the energy generation is not a eco friendly exercise. Thermal power plant affect the environment in following way: Air Pollution:      Particulate … Read more

E-waste or electronic waste refers to all waste from electronic and electrical appliances which have reached their end- of- life period or are no longer fit for their original intended use and are destined for recovery, recycling or disposal. It includes computer and its accessories monitors, printers; typewriters, mobile phones and chargers, remotes, batteries, LCD/Plasma … Read more

Waste is everybody’s responsibility. A waste reduction strategy can be incorporated by each of us whether at home or at work by following the4 Rs principle. This will not only reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill, but turn waste into a resource & also save our fast depleting natural resources. Reduce:At home … Read more

Agroecology goes beyond a one-dimensional view of agroecosystems – their genetics, agronomy, edaphology, etc., – to embrace an understanding of ecological and social levels of co-evolution, structure and function. Instead of focusing on one particular component of the agroecosystem, agroecology emphasises the interrelatedness of all agroecosystem components and the complex dynamics of ecological processes that … Read more

The biodiversity available at equator is highly unmatchable and it one of the riches area in terms of quanta and different types of flora and fauna. But this potential is difficult to translate into commercial extraction as Lack of pure strands as compared to taiga region. Every inch is filled with different kinds of tree. … Read more

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an intergovernmental treaty developed to address the problem of climate change. The Convention, which sets out an agreed framework for dealing with the issue, was negotiated from February 1991 to May 1992 and opened for signature at the June 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development … Read more

Historically, interaction between the various actors involved in UEM processes has been very weak and ineffective. While laws to effect such involvement existed, it was not exercised both on the part of local governments (adequate information was not provided), as well as other actors and citizens themselves (there was no commitment to participate). Information that … Read more

Dams/reservoirs and wetlands to store water Improvement in agriculture through modifying cropping patterns and introducing drought-resistant varieties of crops Watershed management Water rationing Management of rangeland with improvement of grazing patterns, introduction of feed and protection of shrubs and trees Cattle management Proper selection of crop for drought-affected areas Development of water resource system with … Read more

The Way Forward  Renewable energy, which includes solar and wind, contribute 1% to our energy mix. Both are clean, sustainable and abundant sources of energy. The problem for both not becoming very popular has been the high cost of power. With technological improvements it has now reached levels where it is commercially viable to generate … Read more

Soil Health Card (SHC) is a Government of India’s scheme promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. It is being implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments. A SHC is meant to give each farmer soil nutrient status of … Read more

  Flagship species: A flagship species is a species selected to act as an ambassador, icon or symbol for a defined habitat, issue, campaign or environmental cause. By focusing on, and achieving conservation of that species, the status of many other species which share its habitat – or are vulnerable to the same threats – … Read more

Runoff concentration is managed by structural measures such as contour banks in upland areas, or strip cropping on floodplains. These systems involve a total change in the way a farm is managed.  Runoff systems must be carefully planned. Flow between properties and across roads and railway lines must be coordinated and suit those affected by … Read more

Wildlife Protection Act 1972 was passed on August 21, 1972, but was later implemented on September 9, 1972. This act prohibits the capturing, killing, poisoning or trapping of wild animals It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Objectives Prohibition of hunting Protection and management of wildlife habitats Establishment … Read more

Impacts of global warming Hotter days  2015 was the hottest year on record, the previous record was broken in 2014, and 2016 is expected to set a new record for the third year in a row. In the past few years records have being broken for longest heatwaves and the Bureau of Meteorology has added … Read more

Disaster risk management:steps Prevention Activities and measures to avoid existing and new disaster risks (often less costly than disaster relief and response). For instance, relocating exposed people and assets away from a hazard area. Mitigation The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters. For instance, constructing flood defences, planting trees … Read more

Maiti Movement Maiti is derived from the term ‘mait’ which in Uttarakhand means married woman’s parental home. And this movement does not cost any money, but to plant a sapling by a newlywed girl while she leaves her home on the day of marriage. The groom gives some money to bride’s parents for the care … Read more

In the ecosystem, green plants alone are able to trap in solar energy and convert it into chemical energy. The chemical energy is locked up in the various organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins, present in the green plants. Since virtually all other living organisms depend upon green plants for their energy, the … Read more

UNEP’s Blue Carbon Initiative aims to develop a global partnership to advance the sound management of coastal and marine ecosystems in order to ensure that their carbon sequestration and storage functions are maintained, and emissions of greenhouse gases are avoided.  The initiative aims at achieving the following overall targets by 2025: Reversing the current trend … Read more

According to the economic survey, the farm incomes will be dropped by 12% on an average in the coming years with potential losses amounting to 18% of the revenue. The method to prevent the effect are: Fully irrigating Indian agriculture through technologies of drip irrigation, sprinklers, and water management—captured in the “more crop for every … Read more

When Carbon dioxide mixes with ocean water it lowers the pH and causes acidification. The level of atmospheric CO2 is increasing after industrial revolution . This increase in CO2 lowers the pH and hence the acidity.  When CO2 reacts with H2O it forms weak carbonic acid. It furtherreacts with water to release bicarbonate ions and … Read more

Agenda 21 is a non-binding and voluntary implementation plan of United Nations with regard to sustainable development. Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally,nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System,Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which humanimpacts on the environment. Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration … Read more

India is facing the water crisis due to various factors and major reasons are decline in the per capita availability of water. As per the above stats the water crisis is deepening and is going to create huge problem. Recently Chennai faced a severe water crisis. IIT Chennai was forced to shutdown for two months.  … Read more

It is a global development agency with missions that include promoting sex education, literacy, clean water and equality for women. It is responsible for promoting peace, social justice, human rights and international security through International cooperation on educational, science and cultural programs. It has 195 member states and is based in Paris, France.It is known … Read more

The hydrologic cycle is important because it is how water reaches plants, animals and us! Besides providing people, animals and plants with water, it also moves things like nutrients, pathogens and sediment in and out of aquatic ecosystems. One of the ways that water moves through the cycle is through its ability to permeate, or … Read more

The objective of Mission Kakatiya is to enhance the development of agriculture based income for small and marginal farmers, by accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure, strengthening community based irrigation management and adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks. Tanks have been the life line of Telangana owing to the state’s geographical positioning. … Read more

What is natural pest and disease control? Pests and diseases are part of the natural environmental system. In this system there is a balance between predators and pests. This is nature’s way of controlling populations. The creatures that we call pests and the organisms that cause disease only become ‘pest and diseases’ when their activities … Read more

  Disaster Prevention Disaster Prevention is the concept of engaging in activities which intend to prevent or avoid potential adverse impacts through action taken in advance, activities designed to provide protection from the occurance of disasters. Disaster Preparedness Disaster preparedness activities embedded with risk reduction measures can prevent disaster situations and also result in saving … Read more

Wastewater shares the policy and regulatory framework with water; however with some differences such as the role of bodies such as the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) becomes more critical. The CPCB, under the MoEF, is an advisory body to the government for prevention and control of water and air pollution and for improvement in … Read more

  Minimize adverse effects of droughts on the productivity of land, water and human resources Promote overall economic development and improve the socio-economic condition of poor and disadvantaged sections inhabiting the programme areas Capacity building and empowerment of village community, ensuring participation of Panchayati Raj Institutions and NGOs in programme implementation at grassroots level and … Read more

Different types of biofertilizers  Rhizobium Rhizobium is a soil habitat bacterium, which can able to colonize the legume roots and fixes the atmospheric nitrogen symbiotically. The morphology and physiology of Rhizobium will vary from free-living condition to the bacteroid of nodules. They are the most efficient biofertilizer as per the quantity of nitrogen fixed concerned. … Read more

Ex-Situ Conservation Conservation of plants and animals outside their natural homes Offsite Collections – 1500 botanical gardens and 800 zoological gardens – captive breeding program (species with less number of individuals – when number increases they are released in wild) – restock depleted population, reintroduce species in wild and restore degraded habitats Gene Banks – … Read more

Deserts have almost no precipitation, or rainfall. In fact, deserts are specifically defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than 10 inches per year. Deserts usually have really high daytime temperatures, low nighttime temperatures, and very low humidity. Desert soil is often sandy, rocky, or gravely. Plant life is highly specialized to … Read more

Abatement of GHGs, particularly CO2 , implies curtailment of energy consumption. Energy is a vital factor of production, and its replacement and/or reduction will entail a shift away from current production methods. If current systems employ efficient production techniques, a change in factor proportions will increase the cost of production, and have an adverse impact … Read more

Farming, grazing of livestock, mining, and drilling combined account for more than half of all deforestation. Forestry practices, wildfires and, in small part, urbanization account for the rest. In Malaysia and Indonesia, forests are cut down to make way for producing palm oil, which can be found in everything from shampoo to saltines. In the … Read more

The management of these energy sources involves slightly different perspectives than other resources. Coal and petroleum were formed from the degradation of bio-mass millions of years ago and hence these are resources that will be exhausted in the future no matter how carefully we use them. And then we would need to look for alternative … Read more

After four decades, CITES remains one of the cornerstones of international conservation. There are 183 member Parties and trade is regulated in more than 35,000 species. Representatives of CITES nations meet every two to three years at a Conference of the Parties to review progress and adjust the lists of protected species, which is grouped … Read more

The hydraulic filling method is suitable for granular fill. Generally, this method is used when filling is carried out from an offshore source, either from a rehandling pit, as explained earlier, or from a trailer suction hopper dredger. In the case of pumping from a cutter suction hopper dredger, the fill material is dredged from … Read more

There are three interrelated hierarchical levels of biodiversity namely, genetic diversity, species diversity and community or ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity It describes the variation in the number and types of genes as well as chromosomes present in different species. The magnitude of variation in genes of a species increases with increase in size and environmental … Read more

Secondary treatment is a biological treatment process used to stabilize the dissolved solids. Microorganisms (e.g., bacteria) feed on the organic solids (food) in the wastewater and convert the organics into a cellular or biological mass that can later be removed. These biological processes are aerobic processes. Oxygen must be provided for these aerobic organisms to … Read more

Chipko movement, also called Chipko andolan, nonviolent social and ecological movement by rural villagers, particularly women, in India in the 1970s, aimed at protecting trees and forests slated for government-backed logging. The movement originated in the Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh (later Uttarakhand) in 1973 and quickly spread throughout the Indian Himalayas. The Hindi word … Read more

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with its headquarters in Kolkata and 16 regional stations is responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. Possessing a tremendous diversity of climate and physical conditions, India has great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species, which include protista, mollusca, anthropoda, amphibia, mammalia, reptilia, members of protochordata, pisces, aves … Read more

Increasing Forest Area and Restoring Ecological Balance Moisture conservation: trees take water from the lower soil strata and bring it to the upper layers through long tap root system and, also, trees check evaporation of water;  Soil conservation: trees help in checking erosion by wind and water; Natural habitat conservation:Trees provide habitat to many birds … Read more

India is geographically the second-largest country not to have multiple time-zones- the People’s Republic of China being the other. Adopting two time zones for India is something that the Government ought to consider and look to implement. Far too many people in India operate in a time zone that is not an appropriate diurnal cycle … Read more

Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Singlewindow Hub was recently launched by the Prime Minister of India.  It is a Single-Window Integrated Environmental Management System, launched on the occasion of World Biofuel Day.  It has been designed, developed and hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), with technical … Read more

Govt. of India and  UNDP Sea Turtle Project: A significant proportion of world’s Olive Ridley Turtle population migrate every winter to Indian coastal waters for nesting mainly at eastern coast. With the objective of conservation of olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles. Ministry of Environment & Forests initiated the Sea Turtle Conservation Project … Read more

The Kashmir stag also called Hangul is a subspecies of Central Asian Red Deer native to northern India.It is the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir.In Kashmir, it’s found in Dachigam National Park at elevations of 3,035 meters.These deer once numbered from about 5,000 animals in the beginning of the 20th century.Unfortunately, they were threatened, due to … Read more

PARIVESH is a web based, role based workflow application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ Clearances from Central, State and district level authorities. It automates the entire tracking of proposals which includes online submission of a new proposal, … Read more

It is the UN programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.  It reports to the United Nations General Assembly. United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat conference) is held once in bi-decennial … Read more

It is a number used to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecasted to become. As AQI increases, an increasingly large percentage of the population is likely to experience increasingly adverse health effects.  Different countries have their own air quality indexes, corresponding to different national air … Read more

They do not contain harmful chemicals that would cause air pollution.  Components are replaced with others that are less dangerous and less harmful to the atmosphere.  The idea was carried forward by a network of CSIR labs.  The team came up with 3-4 formulations and looked at 30-40% of active materials which reduce particulate matter.  … Read more