ACTIVITY-1 : Make a survey of your area and document all the environmental problems

found along with photographs.

The Biggest Environmental Problems

1.Air Pollution
Air pollution is becoming an increasingly dangerous problem, particularly in heavily-
populated cities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that 80% of people
living in urban areas are exposed to air quality levels deemed unfit by the organization.
It is also directly linked to other environmental issues, such as acid rain and
eutrophication. Animals and humans are also at risk of developing a number of health
problems due to air pollution.

2.Water Pollution
Fresh water is crucial to life on Earth, yet more sources are being polluted through
human activities each year. On a global scale, 2 million tons of sewage, agricultural and
industrial waste enters the world’s water every day.
Water pollution can have harmful effects outside of contamination of the water we
drink. It also disrupts marine life, sometimes altering reproductive cycles and increasing
mortality rates.

3.Climate Change
The majority of the issues previously listed contribute or are linked to climate change.
Statistics created by NASA state that global temperatures have risen by 1.7 degrees
Fahrenheit since 1880, which is directly linked to a reduction in Arctic ice of 13.3% per
decade.
The effects of climate change are widespread, as it will cause issues with deforestation,
water supplies, oceans and ecosystems. Each of these have widespread implications of
their own, marking climate change as the major environmental issue the planet faces
today.

4.Acid Rain
Acid rain comes as a result of air pollution, mostly through chemicals released into the
environment when fuel is burned. Its effects are most clearly seen in aquatic
ecosystems, where increasing acidity in the water can lead to animal deaths.
It also causes various issues for trees. Though it doesn’t kill trees directly, acid rain
does weaken them by damaging leaves, poisoning the trees and limiting their available
nutrients.

5.Ozone Layer Depletion

Ozone depletion is caused by the release of chemicals, primarily chlorine and bromide,
into the atmosphere. A single atom of either has the potential to destroy thousands of
ozone molecules before leaving the stratosphere.
Ozone depletion results in more UVB radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. UVB has
been linked to skin cancer and eye disease, plus it affects plant life and has been linked
to a reduction of plankton in marine environments.

6.Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidification is the term used to describe the continued lowering of the pH levels
of the Earth’s oceans as a result of carbon dioxide emissions. It is estimated that ocean
acidity will increase by 150% by 2100 if efforts aren’t made to halt it.
This increase in acidification can have dire effect on calcifying species, such as shellfish.
This causes issues throughout the food chain and may lead to reductions in aquatic life
that would otherwise not be affected by acidification.
7.Waste Production
The average person produces 4.3 pounds of waste per day, with the United States alone
accounting for 220 million tons per year. Much of this waste ends up in landfills, which
generate enormous amounts of methane.
Not only does this create explosion hazards, but methane also ranks as one of the worst
of the greenhouse gases because of its high global warming potential.

8.Population Growth
Many of the issues listed here result from the massive population growth that Earth has
experienced in the last century. The planet’s population grows by 1.13% per year, which
works out to 80 million people.
This results in a number of issues, such as a lack of fresh water, habitat loss for wild
animals, overuse of natural resources and even species extinction. The latter is
particularly damaging, as the planet is now losing 30,000 species per year.

9.Lowered Biodiversity
Continued human activities and expansion has led to lowered biodiversity. A lack of
biodiversity means that future generations will have to deal with increasing vulnerability
of plants to pests and fewer sources of fresh water.
Some studies have found that lowered biodiversity has as pronounced an impact as
climate change and pollution on ecosystems, particularly in areas with higher amounts
of species extinction.

10.Natural Resource Use

Recent studies have shown that humanity uses so many natural resources that we
would need almost 1.5 Earths to cover our needs. This is only set to increase as
industrialization continues in nations like China and India.
Increased resource use is linked to a number of other environmental issues, such as air
pollution and population growth. Over time, the depletion of these resources will lead to
an energy crisis, plus the chemicals emitted by many natural resources are strong
contributors to climate change.

11.The Nitrogen Cycle

With most of the focus being placed on the carbon cycle, the effects of human use of
nitrogen often slips under the radar. It is estimated that agriculture may be responsible
for half of the nitrogen fixation on earth, primarily through the use and production
of man-made fertilizers.
Excess levels of nitrogen in water can cause issues in marine ecosystems, primarily
through overstimulation of plant and algae growth. This can result in blocked intakes
and less light getting to deeper waters, damaging the rest of the marine population.

12.Overfishing
It is estimated that 63% of global fish stocks are now considered overfished. This has
led to many fishing fleets heading to new waters, which will only serve to deplete fish
stocks further.
Overfishing leads to a misbalance of ocean life, severely affecting natural ecosystems in
the process. Furthermore, it also has negative effects on coastal communities that rely
on fishing to support their economies.
ACTIVITY-2 : Organize a Rally in a school where you attend Internship on Swatch Bharath and
Importance of Environment ( World Environment Day is 5th June) and Report.

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June every year, and is

the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for
the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign
for raising awareness on emerging from environmental issues to marine pollution,
human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife
crime. World Environment Day has grown to become a global platform for public
outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, WED has a
new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and all
celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes.

History
World Environment Day [WED] was established by the UN General Assembly in
1972[1] on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment,
resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the
environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme "Only One
Earth". Even though WED celebration have been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the
idea for rotating the center of these activities through selecting different host countries
began.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

“A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150
birth anniversary in 2019,” said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat
Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was
launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. The
campaign aims to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the most significant cleanliness campaign by the
Government of India. Shri Narendra Modi led a cleanliness pledge at India Gate, which
about thirty lakh government employees across the country joined. He also flagged off a
walkathon at Rajpath and surprised people by joining in not just for a token few steps,
but marching with the participants for a long way.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has become a ‘Jan Andolan’ receiving tremendous

support from the people. Citizens too have turned out in large numbers and pledged for
a neat and cleaner India. Taking the broom to sweep the streets, cleaning up the
garbage, focussing on sanitation and maintaining a hygienic environment have become
a practice after the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. People have started to take
part and are helping spread the message of ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness.’

A Report on Cleanliness Drive in my School:

Cleanliness Drive in My School under Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat Abhiyaan

A Report

Our school organized Cleanliness Drive under Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat
Abhiyaan Programme on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The main purpose of this programme
was to create awareness among the students regarding Cleanliness and its benefits. Under this
programme, all the students from 9th to 12th had to participate. Even teachers were the
essential part of this drive. As a part of this Cleanliness Drive, we had to clean the whole school.
The sweepers of the school had to be the observers.

Our Principal started the programme by cleaning the corners of the play ground.
Then the teachers and students followed suit. Some of us picked brooms and started our job.
Some of the students did the dusting of the rooms. And others went to the play ground and
started picking wrappers lying scattered there. After collecting them they threw them in to the
dustbins. After doing this job for two to three hours, we all assembled in the school hall. There
we were given refreshment in the form of bananas and apples.

Thereafter our Principal delivered the speech telling us the importance of

sanitation. He also honored the sweepers of the school for their noble job. In the end we all
took oath of keeping our home, locality and city clean. It was a unique experience for all of us.
We were curious to be the part of this great drive that could have transformed the face of our
country for ever.

Impact of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on Environment

The need for maintaining right cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene in

any community cannot be gainsaid. It is perhaps the most basic step
towards keeping diseases at bay. Poor hygiene and cleanliness is one
of the worst enemies of young children. The fact that diarrhoea and
malnutrition are two leading causes of under-5 deaths in India
substantiates this. It is therefore imperative to have sanitation and
hygiene intact, both at personal and community level, to improve
health of masses. 

However, even several decades after independence, India has failed to

achieve the requisite cleanliness levels. We often see open garbage
dumps, overflowing drains, and open defecation taking place at
numerous places. NGOs like Save the Children already have various
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects running in different
parts of India through which it is working to improve the hygiene and
sanitation status of lakhs of children and their communities. These
NGOs run on donations from individuals supporting the cause. 

Objectives of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

 

 Construction of community, cluster and individual toilets.

 To eliminate or lessen open defecation in rural areas. Open
defecation among one of the prime reasons of behind the deaths
of under 5 children every year.
 Apart from the construction of latrines, the Swachh Bharat
campaign also looks to establish an accountable and well-
planned mechanism of monitoring their use.
 Public awareness programmes to be provided to people in order
to tell them about the drawbacks of defecating in open and to
promote the use of latrines.
 Recruitment of a staunch ground staff to bring about a big
behavioural change in people and promote the use of latrines at a
micro-level.
 Proper management of liquid and solid waste in villages in order
to keep them clean and disease-free.
 To setup a network of water pipelines in rural areas, ensuring a
regular water supply to people by the year 2019.
 To construct toilets separately for girls and boys in all Indian
schools.
 To provide the toilet facility to all Aanganwadis
 Construction of community, cluster and individual toilets.
 To eliminate or lessen open defecation in rural areas. Open
defecation among one of the prime reasons of behind the deaths
of under 5 children every year.
 Apart from the construction of latrines, the Swachh Bharat
campaign also looks to establish an accountable and well-
planned mechanism of monitoring their use.
 Public awareness programmes to be provided to people in order
to tell them about the drawbacks of defecating in open and to
promote the use of latrines.
 Recruitment of a staunch ground staff to bring about a big
behavioural change in people and promote the use of latrines at a
micro-level.
 Proper management of liquid and solid waste in villages in order
to keep them clean and disease-free.
 To setup a network of water pipelines in rural areas, ensuring a
regular water supply to people by the year 2019.
 To construct toilets separately for girls and boys in all Indian
schools.
 To provide the toilet facility to all Aanganwadis