SCIENCE PROJECT

INTRODCTION OF THE CHAPTER

Sustainable living has always been an integral part of India’s tradition and
culture Ingrained within us is the philosophy that ‘entire natural world be in
harmony’ which is reflected in the famous phrase in Sanskrit ‘Vasudhaiv
kutumbakam’ that means “the entire earth is one family”. We should also
think about how we ought to be using our resources so as to sustain them
and conserve our environment. These are often global-level problems and
we feel helpless to bring any change. There are international laws and
regulations, and then there are our own national laws and acts for
environmental protection. Awareness about the problems caused by unthinkingly exploiting our
resources has been a fairly recent phenomenon in our society. And once this
awareness rises, some action is usually taken.

The management of human and natural landscape interactions is referred to

as “natural resource management” (NRM). It combines land use planning,
biodiversity preservation, water management, and the long-term viability of
many enterprises, including mining, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and
fisheries. It also acknowledges that people and their means of subsistence
depend on the productivity and health of our landscapes and that sustaining
these qualities requires intensive land management.

Natural resouces are substances obtained from the planet that is used to sustain life and provide for
human needs. A natural resource is something that comes from
nature that humans use. Natural resources include things like stone,
sand, metals, oil, coal, and natural gas. Air, sunlight, soil, and water
are other natural [Link] well-being of people depends on
natural resources. We cannot survive without the freshwater we
drink, the plants we consume, or the pure air we breathe. To build
roofs over our heads and heat our homes, we require natural
resources.

GANGA ACTION PLAN AND ITS GRAPH

 The river Ganga is used as a sewage dump for more than 100
cities stretching across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Dumping of untreated sewage, excreta and chemicals from
industries increase the toxicity of the water. This makes it
inhabitable for flora and fauna in the river system.
 In 1985 the GAP (Ganga Action Plan) project was initialised to
curb the poor quality of the water of the river [Link] Ganga
Action Plan was launched in India on 14 January 1986 by the then
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Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, with the main objective of pollution abatement and
improving the water quality of the Ganga River.
 The Ganga Action Plan is a centrally sponsored scheme under which the Union government
bears the total project cost.
 Under the Ganga Action Plan, Ganga was declared the national river of India, and a new body
named the National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA) under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister was constituted.
 The Ministry of Environment and Forest implemented the Ganga Action Plan project in the
initial phase.
 The Ganga Action Plan project was implemented in two phases.
 Phase 1 of the Ganga Action Plan started in 1985 and ended in 2000.

 Phase 1 of the project covered 3 states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
 Phase 2 of the Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1993, covering 7 States, namely
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh. Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, and Haryana.
 In 1993 under the Ganga Action Plan, the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) also
[Link] central Ganga authority was formed with the Prime Minister as its head under the
Environment Protection Act 1986.

the CURRENT STATUS OF GANGA RIVER

 The Namami Gange Project (NGP) has improved the water quality of
the Ganga River throughout its course.
 Data released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti shows a marginal
improvement in the water quality based on the parameters such as
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and Fecal
Coliform.
 The cleaning of the Ganga is being done at a very slow pace, and at
this place, it will take decades to clean the whole river and make the water fit for human
consumption.
 The Ministry Of Jal Shakti has approved 310 projects costing rupees 28790 crores for cleaning
Ganga.
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 The current savage treatment capacity of the Namami Gange Project is 1794 MLD, but the 97
towns on the mainstream of the Ganga River generate 2953 MLD sewage.
 Improvement in the water quality is witnessed In the Hills of Uttarakhand, and in Bihar and
West Bengal, a 30% improvement is witnesse.

the 5 R’s policy

WHAT EXACTLY IS 5 R’s POLICY?
Applying the 5 R's to your business' waste management and recycling strategies can positively impact
the outcome of your program by significantly reducing the amount of waste your business generates.
In the 5 R's hierarchy, remember to treat recycling as a last resort after attempting to refuse, reduce,
reuse, or repurpose. Before disposing of your waste, walk through each of these steps in the following
order

THE STEPS ARE :-

STEP:1:-REFUSE
The first element of the 5 R's hierarchy. Learning to refuse waste can take some practice, but
incorporating this step into your business' strategy is the most effective way to minimize waste. Talk
to your procurement team about refusing to buy wasteful or non-recyclable products. When working
with vendors, refuse unnecessary product packaging and request reusable or returnable containers.
Making smarter purchasing decisions and setting standards and expectations early in the process
makes it easier for organizations to “refuse” waste in the first place.

STEP:2:-REDUSE
Reduce the use of harmful, wasteful, and non-recyclable products. Reducing dependency on these
kinds of products results in less waste materials ending up in landfill and the associated negative
environmental impacts. We recommend always using the minimum amount required to avoid
unnecessary waste. For example, when printing a document, print double-sided to cut your waste
output in half. Other commonly used items businesses can focus on reducing include single-use
plastics, plastic packaging, organic waste, and Styrofoam cups.

STEP:3:-REUSE
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Single-use plastics have created a "throw-away" culture by normalizing consumer behavior of using
materials once and then throwing them away. The rate at which we consume plastics has become
unimaginable, and the plastic crisis has become one of the world's greatest environmental challenges.
In an effort to reduce waste, reuse items throughout the workplace instead of buying new ones. Begin
by focusing on one area of your business at a time, like the break room. Replace all of the single-use
eating utensils, Styrofoam cups, water bottles, and paper plates with compostable or reusable
alternatives. Once you master one area, prioritize reuse for other products in your facility like
packaging peanuts, printer cartridges, cardboard boxes, food container and rechargeable-batteries.

STEP:4:-REPURPOSE
For every item that can't be refused, reduced, or reused, try repurposing it. Many people in the green
community refer to this method as upcycling. You may be surprised to learn how many common office
products serve more than one purpose. Sometimes it requires using some creativity, but the
possibilities are endless. Try using wasted printer paper for scrap paper, cardboard boxes for storing
supplies, binder clips to hold power cords and chargers in place, and even mason jars, coffee mugs,
and tin cans for holding pens and pencils. Designate an area of your office as an Upcycle Station for
collecting and storing supplies. Encourage your colleagues to add items to the station they no longer
need and to check there before purchasing new supplies. We'd love to hear what products your
business repurposes!

STEP:5:-RECYCLE
Last but definitely not least: recycle. Once you've gone through all of the other R's, recycling is the
most environmentally friendly waste disposal method. If your business doesn't already, start collecting
cardboard, mixed paper products, commingled materials (plastics, aluminum, glass) and organics.
Most companies we speak with are surprised by the amount of waste they reduce by establishing an
effective recycling program. Click here for a round-up of the best resources we've created for
launching a successful recycling program.

CONCLUSION:-
Which of the 5 R's could your business focus on improving? Think about your current waste and
recycling strategies and then come back here and let us know what you think! Or ask your coworkers
which of the R's they want to focus on improving individually.

MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES
KARNATAKA:
According to the Government of India, about 65 percent of the MGNREGA funds are to be used for
works (181 out of 260) related to Natural Resources Management (NRM). In Karnataka State,
activities, such as farm ponds (rain water harvesting), horticulture, increasing the green cover,
improving soil moisture levels, reducing soil erosion and other conservation measures were taken-up
to improve the crop and land productivity, across all the districts. Further, (during 2019-20), based on
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the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) 2017 report, the
Government of India, identified 78 Mission Water
Conservation (MWC) taluks (out of 176 taluks) in the State.

The technical services and expertise of ACIWRM were

sought by the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj
Department (RDPR) to strengthen the NRM measures and
its components as part of MGNREGA works. A series of
meetings were held between Rural Development
Commissioner, RD & PR and ACIWRM to evaluate
groundwater recharge due to the MGNREGA works
implemented hitherto. Later, ACIWRM submitted a
technical and financial proposal for the same.
Subsequently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
was signed between the ACIWRM and MGNREGS to study
and assess the impact of NRM measures adopted for
augmenting groundwater recharge in the following four
Gram Panchayaths of the four Mission Water
Conservation taluks under MGNREGS.

A discussion with farmers revealed that the

implementation of the above measures led to increase in
water levels in existing borewells and getting water in
dried up borewells which resulted in supporting crop
production and increased crop yields. In addition to the
ongoing work, the team believes that there is still scope
to take up further on-farm and off farm measures in the
same area and building of robust impact monitoring
mechanisms. In days to follow the team will also visit the
other Gram Panchayats and roll out the assessment
works.

Working together with the Rural Development &

Panchayat Raj Department (RD&PR) can strengthen the
integrated water resources management concepts to
improve water-related sectoral and inter-sectoral
decision-making at local region

LADAKH:
While the tourist boom has undeniably created employment opportunities in the region of India, it
has led to severe after-effects on the environment. With more tourists coming in, there is a growing
problem of improper disposal of garbage and plastic waste in the area. Infrastructure for waste
disposal and management is still lacking, resulting in an impact on the fragile ecosystem in Ladakh.

Also, even though tourism has brought clear economic benefits to the region, the benefits may not be
reaching everyone in the region. The local operators highlight that very little of the economic benefit
of tourism reaches the majority of the population in Ladakh that lives outside the popular area of Leh.
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PM Modi envisioned a Carbon Neutral Ladakh, for which the Central government is mapping out
strategies that could harness renewable energy in the region.“With its immense solar
energy potential, Ladakh should work towards generating systems to provide power to remote areas,”
the Governor suggested in his address. Therefore, in order to reduce grid dependency, the
government is focussing to provide decentralized renewable solar power across Ladakh.

Another major focus area of the region is its “Geothermal energy.” Unlike other renewable energy
sources, which are intermittent in nature, it is available throughout the day and the year and could
be suitably [Link] Hydrogen is another option in Ladakh, as the region has plenty of solar
energy and water. The Hydrogen harnessed from this could be used to substitute petrol and diesel
and the oxygen could be used in hospitals and by tourists.

Ladakh constitutes the easternmost trans-Himalayan part of India, bordering Pakistan and China. Truly
described as cold arid desert, is one of the coldest and most elevated inhabited regions of the world.
Because of diverse environment and lower population density there is greater need for social
networking, which is clearly evident from the local institutions, the role they play in sustainably
managing the meager and unpredictable resources available with the people of Ladakh, in designing
strategies to deal with the inhospitable and tough environmental conditions. There exist proper rules
regarding who, when, and how to access the resource, with provision of sanctions (different degree)
on defaulters.