Post Graduate Diploma in

Environmental Management

Block –VI

Environmental Management

Unit - 12

Environmental management -

ENVIRONNEMENT QUALITY

MANAGEMENT

• What is Environmental Management ?

• Monitoring of environmental quality.

• Tools for maintaining the environmental quality.

Environmental Management Plan (EMP),

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS),

Environmental Auditing (EA),

Environmental Management System(EMS) and

Environmental standards by ISO.

3.2 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MATTERS

3.3 MEASURING AND MONITORING THE

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: PARAMETERS

AND STANDARDS

Why it is important ?

What are the parameters?

What are the limits (Standards)?

3.3.1 Air

Parameters monitored in Ambient Air-India (NAMP)

Criteria pollutants viz. PM10, SO2, NO2 monitored at all (424) locations

Ammonia, CO, O3, PM2.5 and Lead monitored at few locations;

Following parameters needs to be monitored:

PM 2.5

Benzo(a)pyrene

Carbon monoxide

Ozone

Benzene

Metals

Carbon dioxide:

Carbon monoxide:

Sulphur Oxides:

Nitrogen oxides:

Photochemical Oxidants:

Ozone:

Chlorine:

Particulates:

Lead:

Aeroallergens:

Health Effects (Major Influence):

Premature Mortality (PM, and possiblyfor SOx)

Hospital Admissions (O3, PM)

Angina (CO)

Immune System Dysfunction (NO2)

Neurobehavioral Deficits (Pb)

Increased Blood Pressure (Pb)

New Generation Monitors

Source Emission Monitoring

Indoor Pollution Monitoring

Role of CPCB/SPCBs

Pollution Control Boards at national levels and various

organizations at international levels have set some

standard concentration/quantity of almost all the

parameters which should be maintained in air, water and

soil atmosphere. If the quantity varies significantly from the

set standards, the environmental commodity is said to be

poor or bed in terms of quality. In India, the Central

Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State Pollution

Control Boards (SPCBs) are responsible for maintaining

the environmental quality by periodically monitoring the

concentration/quantity of parameters of different natural

resources under different acts passed by Indian

Parliament.

The water quality monitoring is performed with following

objectives:

For rational planning of pollution control strategies and their

prioritisation;

To assess nature and extent of pollution control needed in

different water bodies or their part;

To evaluate effectiveness of pollution control measures

already is existence;

To evaluate water quality trend over a period of time;

To assess assimilative capacity of a water body thereby

reducing cost on pollution control;

To understand the environmental fate of different pollutants.

To assess the fitness of water for different uses.

3.3.2 Water

What is monitoring ?

(1) to check and sometimes to adjust for quality or fidelity,

(2) to watch, observe or check, especially for a special purpose,

(3) to keep track of, regulate or control (as a process for the operation of a

machine).

Note that both (1) and (3) involve adjustment, regulation, or control, which

fit well with the various types of monitoring information.

A distinction can be made between different monitoring activities:

Survey: short term observation(s) on water quality (in present

context) to fulfill definite objective(s);

Surveillance: a continued programme of surveys systematically

undertaken to provide a series of observations in definite time period;

Monitoring: continuous surveillance undertaken to fulfill set of

objectives.

Water monitoring in India

Central Pollution Control Board started national

water quality monitoring in 1978 under Global

Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS), Water

Programme.

The present network comprises of about 870

stations on rivers, lunatic water bodies and

subsurface waters.

The Central Pollution Control Board in India has

classified water resources of the country according

to their uses for setting water quality objectives for

different water bodies.

3.3.3 Soil

Soil quality indicatorsSoil scientists are working to develop quantitativeindicators of soil quality, similar to those used tomeasure air and water quality. The followingminimum dataset has been proposed by Doran andParkin (1996) for soil quality measurement: texture,depth of soil, infiltration, bulk density, water holdingcapacity, soil organic matter, salt, pH, electricalconductivity, microbial biomass C and N, potentiallymineralizable N, and soil respiration.

Soil quality and agriculture

A soil’s potential for producing crops is largely determined by

the environment that the soil provides for root growth. Soil

attributes, such as the capacity to store water, acidity, depth,

and density determine how well roots may develop. Changes

in these soil attributes directly affect the health of the plant, for

example, bulk density, a measure of the compactness of a

soil. Heavy farm equipments, erosion, and the loss of soil

organic matter can lead to increases in bulk density. These

changes in soil quality affect the health and productivity of the

plant, and can lead to lower yields and/or higher costs of

production.

What is Noise Pollution ?

Noise is generally regarded as an unwanted sound

or sound, which produces unpleasant effects on the

ears. Noise is produced by household gadgets,

vehicles on the road, jet planes, loud speakers etc.

Noise produces severe adverse effects on the

quality of mans surrounding and is, therefore,

considered to be polluting the environment. It is the

loudness and duration of the noise which is

disturbing and causes physical discomfort and

damage to hearing.

3.3.4 Noise

Sources of Noise Pollution

Effects of Noise Pollution

Hearing

The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution is impairment of

hearing. Damage to the eardrum can be caused by impulsive loud

sounds or by prolonged exposure to noise. Long exposure to loud noise

may result in hearing loss which may become permanent.

Effects on general health

Apart from hearing impairment, the first effects are anxiety and stress

reaction and in extreme cases fright. The physiological manifestations

are:

Increase in the rate of heart-beat, increased cholesterol and blood

pressure.

•Constriction of blood vessels

•Digestive spasms and stomach disorders

•Dilation of the pupil of the eye

•It interferes with proper communication, peace of mind and behavior

•It causes headache, irritability and nervousness, feeling of fatigue and

decreases work efficiency.

•Noise also affects the developing embryo in mother’s uterus.

Control of Noise Pollution

•Construction of sound proof rooms for noisy machines in

industries.

Use of horns with jarring sounds to be banned.

•Noise producing industries, aerodromes, and railway

stations to be shifted away from the inhabited areas.

• Proper law should be enforced to check the misuse of

loudspeakers and public announcements systems.

•To enforce silence zones near schools / colleges, hospitals

etc.

•Growing green plants/trees along roadside to reduce noise

pollution as they absorb sound.

•Loud speakers are banned from 10pm to 6am. India

enacted Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

and noise pollution has been declared an offence.

3.3.5 Radiation

Sources of Radiation Pollution

The sources of radiation pollution involve any process that

emanates radiation in the environment. While there are many

causes of radiation pollution (including research and medical

procedures and wastes, nuclear power plants, TVs,

computers, radio waves, cell-phones, etc.), the most common

ones that can pose moderate to serious health risks include:

Nuclear explosions and detonations of nuclear weapons

Defense weapon production

Nuclear waste handling and disposal

Mining of radioactive ores (such as uranium ores)

Nuclear accidents