ASSIGMENENT -2

NAME: MANSI
ROLL NO: 19001005027
SUBMITTED TO: VANDHNA CHOUDHARY

Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather
than allowing it to run off.

Rainwater can be collected from rivers or roofs, and in many places the water collected is
redirected to a deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), a reservoir with percolation, or collected from
dew or fog with nets or other tools.

Its uses include water for gardens, livestock, irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, and
indoor heating for houses etc.

The harvested water can also be used as drinking water, longer-term storage and for other
purposes such as groundwater recharge
Need of Rainwater harvesting
• To overcome the inadequacy of surface water to meet our demands.

• To arrest decline in ground water levels.

• To enhance availability of ground water at specific place and time and utilize rain water for
sustainable development.

• To increase infiltration of rain water in the subsoil this has decreased drastically in urban areas
due to paving of open area.

• To improve ground water quality by dilution.

• To increase agriculture production.

• To improve ecology of the area by increase in vegetation cover etc.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

1. Easy to Maintain:
 First of all, harvesting rainwater allows us to better utilize an energy resource. It is
important to do so since drinking water is not easily renewable and it helps in reducing
wastage.
  The overall cost of their installation and operation is
much lesser than that of water purifying or pumping
systems.
 Maintenance requires little time and energy. The
result is the collection of water that can be used in
substantial ways even without purification.

2. Reducing Water Bills:

 Water collected in the rainwater harvesting system can be put to use for several non-
drinking functions as well.
 For many families and small businesses, this leads to a large reduction in their utilities
bill.
 On an industrial scale, harvesting rainwater can provide the needed amounts of water for
many operations.

3. Suitable for Irrigation:

 Rainwater is free from many chemicals found in ground water, making it suitable for
irrigation and watering gardens.
 In fact, storing large reservoirs of harvested water is a great idea for areas where forest
fires and bush fires are common during summer months.

4. Reduces Demand on Ground Water:

 With increase in population, the demand for water is also continuously increasing.
 The end result is that many residential colonies and industries are extracting ground water
to fulfill their daily demands.
 This has led to depletion of ground water which has gone to significant low level in some
areas where there is huge water scarcity.

5. Reduces Floods and Soil Erosion:

 During rainy season, rainwater is collected in large storage tanks which also help in
reducing floods in some low lying areas.
 A from this, it also helps in reducing soil erosion and contamination of surface water with
pesticides and fertilizers from rainwater run-off which results in cleaner lakes and ponds.

6. Can be used for Several Non-drinking Purposes:

 Rainwater when collected can be used for several non-drinking functions including
flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering the garden, washing cars etc.
  It is unnecessary to use pure drinking water if all we need to use it for some other purpose
rather than drinking.
• The cost of recharge to sub-surface reservoir is lower than surface reservoirs.
• The aquifer serves as a distribution system also.
• No land is wasted for storage purpose and no population displacement is
involved.
• Ground water is not directly exposed to evaporation and pollution.
• Storing water under ground is environment friendly.
• It increases the productivity of aquifer.
• It reduces flood hazards.
• Effects rise in ground water levels.
• Mitigates effects of drought.
• Reduces soil erosion.
• It also helps in the availability of potable water as rainwater is substantially free
of salinity and other salts.

Disadvantage of Rainwater Harvesting

1. Unpredictable Rainfall:
Rainfall is hard to predict and sometimes little or no rainfall can limit the supply of
rainwater.
It is not advisable to depend on rainwater alone for all your water needs in areas where
there is limited rainfall. Rainwater harvesting is suitable in those areas that receive plenty
of rainfall.
2. Initial High Cost:
Depending on the system’s size and technology level, a rainwater harvesting system may
cost anywhere between 20 to 25 thousand, benefit from it cannot be derived until it is
ready for use.
Like solar panels, the cost can be recovered in 10-15 years which again depends on the
amount of rainfall and sophistication of the system.
3. Regular Maintenance:
Rainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance as they may get prone to
rodents, mosquitoes, algae growth, insects and lizards.
They can become as breeding grounds for many animals if they are not properly
maintained.
4. Certain Roof Types may Seep Chemicals or Animal Droppings:
Certain types of roofs may seep chemicals, insects, dirt or animals droppings that can
harm plants if it is used for watering the plants.
5. Storage Limits:
 The collection and storage facilities may also impose some kind of restrictions as to how
much rainwater you can use.
During the heavy downpour, the collection systems may not be able to hold all rainwater
which ends in going to drains and rivers.

Urban Areas:
Roof top rain water/storm runoff harvesting through:

i. Recharge Pit

ii. Recharge Trench

iii. Tube well

iv. Recharge Well

(i) Roof Top Rainwater Harvesting through Recharge Pit:

• Recharge Pits may be of any shape and size and are generally constructed 1 to 2 m wide and 2
to 3 m deep.

• which are back filled with boulders, gravel and coarse sand in graded form— Boulders at the
bottom, gravels in between the coarse sand at the top so that the silt content that will come with
runoff will be deposited.

• The technique is suitable for buildings having a roof area of 100 sq m.

(ii). Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting through Recharge Trench

• Recharge trenches are suitable for buildings having roof area of 200-300 sq m.
• Trench may be 0.5 to 1 m wide, 1 to 1.5 m deep and 10 to 20 m long depending upon
availability of water to be recharged.

(iii) Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting through Existing Tube wells
• In areas where the shallow aquifers have dried up and existing tube wells are tapping deeper
aquifer, roof top rain water harvesting through existing tube well can be adopted to recharge the
deeper aquifers.

• PVC pipes of 10 cm diameter are connected to roof drains to collect rain water.

(iv) Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting through Trench with Recharge Well
• In areas where the surface soil is impervious and large
quantities of roof water or surface runoff is available within a
very short period of heavy rainfall.

• The use of trench/pits is made to store the water in a filter

media and subsequently recharge to ground water through specially constructed recharge wells.

• Recharge well of 100-300 diameter is constructed to a depth of at least 3 to 5 m below the

water level.

• The number of recharge wells in the trench can be decided on the basis of water availability and
local vertical permeability of the rocks.

Rural Areas:
Rain water harvesting through

i. Gully Plug

ii. Contour Bund

iii. Gabion Structure

iv. Check Dam/Cement Plug/Nala Bund

v. Dug well Recharge

(i) Rain Water Harvesting through Gully Plug

• Gully plugs are built using local stones, clay and bushes across small gullies and streams
running down the hill slopes carrying drainage to tiny catchments during rainy season.

• Gully plugs help in conservation of soil and moisture.

• The sites for gully plugs may be chosen whenever there is a local break in slope to permit
accumulation of adequate water behind the bunds.
(ii) Rain Water Harvesting through Contour Bund
• These are suitable in low rain fall areas where monsoon run off can be impounded by
constructing bunds on the sloping ground all along the contour of equal elevation.

• Spacing between two contour bunds depends on the slope of the area and the permeability of
the soil. Lesser the permeability of soil, the close should be spacing of bunds.

• Contour bonding is suitable on lands with moderate slopes without involving terracing.

(iii) Rain Water Harvesting through Gabion Structure

• This is a kind of check dam commonly constructed across small streams to conserve stream
flows with practically no submergence beyond stream course.

• A small bund across the stream is made by putting locally available boulders in a mesh of steel
wires and anchored to the stream banks.

• The height of such structures is around 0.5 m and is normally used in the streams with width of
less than 10 m.

(iv) Rain water harvesting through Check Dams/Cement Plugs/Nala

Bunds
• The site selected should have sufficient thickness of permeable bed or weathered formation to
facilitate recharge of stored water within short span of time.

• The water stored in these structures is mostly confined to stream course and the height is
normally less than 2 m and excess water is allowed to flow over the wall.

• To harness the maximum run off in the stream, series of such check dams can be constructed to
have recharge on regional scale.
(v) Rain Water Harvesting through Dug well Recharge
• The recharge water is guided through a pipe from desilting chamber to the bottom of well or
below the water level to avoid scouring of bottom and entrapment of air bubbles in the aquifer.

• Recharge water should be silt free and for removing the silt contents, the runoff water should
pass either through a desilting chamber or filter chamber.

• Periodic chlorination should be done for controlling the bacteriological contaminations.

Conclusion
• ‘Rainwater harvesting’ is usually taken to mean the immediate collection of rainwater running
off surfaces upon which it has fallen directly.

• So collecting rain water is cost effective and a best alternative to the scarcity for water
worldwide.

• Therefore rain water harvesting should be improved to gain sustainability in various aspects in
rural as well as in urban areas.

What is Environmental Ethics?

Environmental ethics is a discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human
beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the Environment and its non human-contents.

Environmental ethics believe that humans are a part of society as well as other living creatures,
which includes plants and animals. These items are a very important part of the world and are
considered to be a functional part of human life.

WHAT IS ETHICS?
Ethics is defined as a set of rules or principles that are followed by a broadly recognized race or
group (lawyer, writers etc.). So when we talk about environmental ethics, we hope to define
certain set rules and principles that should be followed in consideration with the environment.

ISSUES
Environmental ethics is like the questioning post, it chooses to question the human race about
certain key factors that are associated with environmental issues. They hope to make the human
race aware that they are not the only ones who inhabit the planet and that there are other species
as well that need to be looked after and taken into consideration before mindlessly hogging the
entire planet for themselves. These are some of the key issues that have become a part of this
mission:

 Is it important for us to preserve nature for the future generation? If so, are we even
making an effort to do that?
 Is the human race alone important on the face of this earth? If not, then aren't our actions
proving otherwise?
 What would happen if animals, plants, and other species are destroyed or there are more
and more endangered species? Would we be affected or would we care?
 Are our future generations entitled to a clean and green environment?
 Do they even have a right?
 Should we be procreating and adding to the population growth?
 Is it right for us to be responsible for the extinction of certain species only for the sake of
our consumption and greed?
 Is it our moral right to be clearing rain forests for the sake of human consumption?
 In spite of knowing that gasoline run vehicles lead to the destruction of natural resources,
is it right for us to continue manufacturing and using them?
 Are the guidelines which are drawn to protect the environment and nature any effective?
What is causing their failure?
 Is there a need to reform the way in which we deal with protection laws and clauses?
 What is environmental pollution and pollution of the air, soil and water doing to the
world?

Where are the solutions?

When we ask all these questions as the moral police of the environment, we ask them with the
hope that there will be answers. Or do we? Most don't, but those who do will know that this is
almost never possible. Like a debate or an argument that ensues in the hope of finding the
answers to any particular issue in society, and yet never reaches a consensus. Similarly, in the
'Let's save the environment' forum there are pointers introduced and theories formulated, and
possible solutions provided, but when the time comes to implement those suggested solutions
and bring into action those rules and clauses, there is always the easy path that is chosen―that of
ignoring the environment to give in to the baser needs of the human race. Yet, maybe somewhere
there is that small niggling feeling that makes us think sometimes, that confirms that we all know
the theory of course, we've learned it all in our texts and have seen advertisements that talk of the
same.

We also know what our responsibilities hold:

Waste management, non-pollution, growing trees, eradicating poaching/hunting/deforestation,
water conservation, non-dumping of wastes into the sea, recycling, stopping the escape of
harmful chemicals, and gases into the air... the list is endless. And that is exactly what
environmental ethics will deal with. Here's the question though, is environmental ethics just
another fancy term that is to be added into the growing dictionary of environmental words or is it
going to get us some action?

Importance of Environmental Ethics:

• Make us aware of indiscriminate and destructive human activities.

• Inculcate moral values towards nature and learn to respect various life forms through
environmental ethics.

• Concerned with the issues of responsible personal conduct with respect to natural landscape,
resources, species and non-human organisms.

• Conduct with respect to person is, of course, the direct concern of modern philosophy.

Global warming
Global warming is when the earth heats up and the temperature increases.

More recently, the temperature have been rising, causing more dangers for people, animals,
plants and our environment.

Causes of Global Warming

Electrical pollution is a main cause for Global warming. Mostly, fossil foil fuels are burned to
create electricity and are made of dead plants and animals. Some examples of fossil fuels are oil
and petroleum. Many pollutants are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these
chemicals are called green house effects.

Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation making
electricity and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives off a lot of
pollution, it is used for 38% of the United State’s energy.
When we throw our garbage away, the garbage goes to landfills. They are full of garbage. The
garbage goes to landfills. They are full of garbage is then sometimes burned. This sends an
enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into the air and makes global warming even worse.

Another factor that makes global warming worse is when trees are cut down. Trees and other
plants collect and absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.

Results of Global Warming

Global warming is affecting many parts of the world, including melting glacier, creating the sea
even more, and when that happens, the water covers many low land islands.

Global Warming also destroys many huge forests. The pollution that causes global warming is
linked to acid rain. Acid rain gradually destroys almost everything it touches. Global Warming is
also causing many more fires that wipe out whole forests. This happens because global warning
can make the earth very hot. In forests, some plants and trees leaves can be so dry that can catch
on fire

Acid Rain
Precipitation that has a pH of less than that of natural rainwater (which is about 5.6 due to
dissolved carbon dioxide).

It is formed when sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides, as gases or fine particles in the
atmosphere, combine with water vapour and precipitate as sulphuric acid or nitric acid in rain,
snow, or fog.

Causes of Acid Rain

 Natural Sources
 Emissions from volcanoes and from biological processes that occur on the land, in
wetlands, and in the oceans contribute acid-producing gases to the atmosphere
 Effects of acidic deposits have been detected in glacial ice thousands of years old in
remote parts of the globe.
 The principal cause of acid rain is from human sources
 Industrial factories, power-generating plants and vehicles
 Sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen are released during the fuel burning process (i.e.
combustion)

Formation of Acid Rain

 When water vapour condenses, or as the rain falls, they dissolve in the water to form
sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3).
While the air in cleaned of the pollutants in this way, it also causes precipitation to
become acidic, forming acid rain.

Effects of Acid Rain

Harmful to aquatic life:
 Increased acidity in water bodies
 Stops eggs of certain organisms (e.g. fish) to stop hatching
o Changes population ratios
o Affects the ecosystem

Harmful to vegetation:
 Increased acidity in soil
 Leeches nutrients from soil, slowing plant growth.
 Leeches toxins from soil, poisoning plants
 Creates brown spots in leaves of trees, impeding photosynthesis
 Allows organisms to infect through broken leaves.

Affects human health:

 Respiratory problems, asthma, dry coughs, headaches and throat irritations
 Leeching of toxins from the soil by acid rain can be absorbed by plants and animals.
When consumed, these toxins affect humans severely.
  Brain damage, kidney problems, and Alzheimer's disease have been linked to people
eating "toxic" animals/plants.

Accelerates weathering in metal and stone structures:

 E.g. Parthenon in Athens, Greece; Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Preventive Measures
Reduce amount of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen released into the atmosphere

Use less energy (hence less fuel burnt)

Use cleaner fuels
Remove oxides of sulphur and oxides of nitrogen before releasing
Flue gas desulphurization
Catalytic Converters

Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD)

 Removes sulphur dioxide from flue gas (waste gases)
 Consists of a wet scrubber and a reaction tower equipped with a fan that extracts hot
smoky stack gases from a power plant into the tower
 Lime or limestone (calcium carbonate) in slurry form is injected into the tower to mix
with the stack gases and reacts with the sulphur dioxide present.
 Produces pH-neutral calcium sulphate that is physically removed from the scrubber.
 Sulphates can be used for industrial purposes.

Reducing the effects of Acid Rain

 Liming
 Powdered limestone/limewater added to water and soil to neutralize acid.
 Used extensively in Norway and Sweden.
 Expensive, short-term remedy.

Suggestion
The following are some more specific suggestion on what we, as an individual can do:

In the home
 Run the dishwasher only with full load.
 Run the washing machine with full load.
 Buy energy-efficient appliances.
  Avoid the use of air conditioner altogether.
 Turn out the lights in empty rooms & when away from home.
 Consider installing compact fluorescent bulbs instead of high-wattage incandescent bubs.
 Turn off the hot water tank when going away for extended period of time.
 Install additional insulation on hot water tank & pipes.

While shopping
Look for product bearing the Ecology. They minimize the use of environmentally hazardous
substance & maximize energy efficiency & the use of recycled materials.

Transportation
 Have your vehicle engine tuned at least once every six months
 Use alternative fuels, such as propane or natural gas
 Avoid unnecessary idling
 Drive at moderate speeds
 Take the train or bus on long trips
 Go CFC-free

Ozone Layer
 The ozone layer refers to a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's
UV radiation.
 It contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) relative to
other parts of the atmosphere.
 The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion
 of the stratosphere.
 The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French
physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson.
 Ozone absorbs a band of ultraviolet radiation called UVB.

OZONE DEPLETION
Ozone layer depletion, is simply the wearing out (reduction) of the amount of ozone in the
stratosphere. Unlike pollution, which has many types and causes, Ozone depletion has been
pinned down to one major human activity.

Industries that manufacture things like insulating foams, solvents, soaps, cooling things like Air
Conditioners, Refrigerators and ‘Take-Away’ containers use something called
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Depletion begins when CFC’s get into the stratosphere. Ultra violet radiation from the sun breaks
up these CFCs.
IMPACTS OF OZONE DEPLETION
1) HARM TO HUMAN HEALTH:
a. More skin cancers, sunburns and premature aging of the skin.
b. More cataracts, blindness and other eye diseases.

2) ADVERSE IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE:

a. Plant growth, especially in seedlings, is harmed by more intense UV radiation.
b. Major crop species are particularly vulnerable to increased UV, resulting in
reduced growth, photosynthesis and flowering.

3) EFFECTS ON PLANTS:
a) Physiological and developmental processes of plants are affected by UVB radiation, even
by the amount of UVB in present-day sunlight.

4) EFFECT ON ANIMALS:
a. In domestic animals, UV overexposure may cause eye and skin cancers.
b. Species of marine animals in their developmental stage (e.g. young fish, shrimp
larvae and crab larvae have been threatened in recent years by the increased UV
radiation under the Antarctic ozone hole.

5) EFFECT ON MATERIALS:
(a) Wood, plastic, rubber, fabrics and many construction materials are degraded by
UV radiation.

The economic impact of replacing and/or protecting materials could be significant.

IMPORTANCE OF OZONE LAYER

Ozone is concentrated in the lower stratosphere between 15 and 30 km above the earth’s surface
– the so-called ‘ozone layer’. Ozone can be produced by numerous chemical reactions, but the
main mechanism in the atmosphere for its production and removal is absorption of ultra-violet
(UV) radiant energy from the sun.

The maintenance of enough stratospheric ozone to absorb harmful UV sunlight is therefore

vitally important to all life forms on earth.

CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that the problem of ozone depletion exists and deserves extensive research and
attention. With the release of each and every CFC, our ozone layer takes one small step towards
its destruction. The decision to ban completely CFCs sooner than later cannot be decided by the
United States or even the United Nations. The entire world must unite in order to expel this
problem forever.

Landslide
Landslide, also known as a landslip, is a geological phenomenon that includes a wide range
of ground movements, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows.

Landslides can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of
gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing
factors affecting the original slope stability.

CAUSES OF LANDSLIDES

A) Natural Factors:
 Gravity: Gravity works more effectively on
steeper slopes.
 Geological factors: Geology setting that places
permeable sands and gravels above impermeable
layers of silt and clay or bedrock.
 Heavy and prolonged rainfall: slides occur often
with intense rain by creating zone of weakness,
also water tables rise with heavy rain makes some slopes unstable.
 Earthquakes: Ground vibrations created during Earthquakes.
 Waves: Wave action can erode the beach or the toe of a bluff, cutting into the slope, and
setting the stage for future slides.
 Volcanoes: volcanic ash deposits (sometimes called as lahars deposits) are prone to
erosion and subjected to mud flows due to intense rainfall.
 Fluctuation of water levels due to the tidal action.
 Deposition of loose sediments in delta areas.

How to minimize Landslide Hazards?

 Choose a safe location to build your home, away from steep slopes and places where
landslides have occurred in the past.
 Prevent deforestation and vegetation removal.
 Avoid weakening the slope
 Plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls.
  In mudflow areas, build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around
buildings.
 Awareness generation: Educate the public about signs that a landslide is imminent so
that personal safety measures may be taken.
 Financial Mechanisms: Support the establishment of landslide insurance.
 Legal and Policy: legislation to direct a governmental or private program to reduce
landslide losses should be strengthened.

Floods
It is a natural event or occurrence where a piece of land (or area ) that is usually dry land
suddenly gets submerged under water. Some floods can occur suddenly and reduce quickly.
Others take days or even months to build and discharge.

When floods happens in an area that people live, the water carries along objects like houses,
bridges, cars, furniture and even people. It can wipe away farms, trees and many heavy items.

Flood Precautions
In any flooding or potential flooding event, the following
actions should be taken:

Protecting your home

 Elevate the furnace, water heater, and electric panel
if susceptible to flooding
 Install check valves in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from backing up into your
home.
 Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage.
 Keep an adequate supply of food, candles and drinking water in case you are trapped
inside your home.

When a flood is imminent

 Listen to designated radio/TV emergency alert systems for emergency instructions.
 Secure/bring in outdoor furniture or other items that might float away and become a
potential hazard.
 Move valuable items and papers/documents to upper floors.

During a flood
 Seek higher ground. Do not wait for instructions.
 Be aware of flash flood areas such as canals, streams, drainage channels.
  Be ready to evacuate.
 If instructed, turn off utilities at main switches and unplug appliances - do not touch
electrical equipment if wet.
 If you must leave your home, do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving
water can knock you off your feet. Use a stick to test depth.
 Do not try to drive over a flooded road. If your car stalls, abandon it immediately and
seek an alternate route.

After a flood
 Stay away from flood water - do not attempt to swim, walk or drive through the area
 Be aware of areas where water has receded. Roadways may have weakened and could
collapse.
 Avoid downed power lines and muddy waters where power lines may have fallen.
 Do not drink tap water until advised by the Health Unit that the water is safe to drink.
 Once flood waters have receded you must not live in your home until the water supply
has been declared safe for use, all flood-contaminated rooms have been thoroughly
cleaned and disinfected, adequate toilet facilities are available, all electrical appliances
and heating/cooling systems have been inspected, food, utensils and dishes have been
examined, cleaned or disposed of, and floor drains and sumps have been cleaned and
disinfected.

Drought
A drought is a damage of a ground usually caused by dry weather.

Causes of Drought
 Droughts occur when there is no rainfall from a long period of time.
 It usually happens in summer, because in summer weather gets hot and ground evaporate
water. So, ground need more water but it can’t get water so drought occurs.

Prevention:
 First of all, we cannot prevent drought but we should try to prevent droughts as it causes
huge damage.
 To prevent droughts we should preserve as much water as we can, we should use water in
limit.
 We should save rain water in proper ways, and protect underground water.
 We should plant as much trees as we can.
 We shouldn’t cut down trees for economic purpose or for any other purpose.
Conclusion:
 Dry weather causes drought. It usually occurs in summer season due to hot and dry
weather. It mainly causes due to less rainfall.
 Drought effects economic, environment and social resource.
 It can be mitigated by irrigation & crop rotation.
 We can prevent from droughts by using water in proper ways, growing plants as much as
we can and avoid deforestation.