MANGALORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING

(A unit of Rajalaxmi Education Trust ®, Mangalore)

Autonomous Institute Affiliated to V.T.U., Belagavi, Approved by AICTE, New Delhi
Accredited by NAAC with A+ Grade & ISO 9001:2015 Certified Institution

Environmental Studies & Sustainability

Course Code: 23AUCC229
(2023 Scheme)

Module – 5
Environmental Pollution Mitigation Tools
Remote Sensing& G.I.S., Environment Impact Assessment, Environmental Management
Systems, ISO14001, Green Credit Program, Waste Audits, Environmental Stewardship - NGOs

Remote Sensing
The identification and study of different objects on the earth’s surface, without physical contact with
them is termed as Remote Sensing. This is done mainly with the help of aerial photographs and
satellite Imagery.
There are two types of remote sensing instruments, Passive and Active. Passive instruments detect
natural energy that is reflected or emitted from the observed scene. Active instruments sense only
radiation emitted by the object being viewed or reflected by the object from a source other than the
instrument.

Remote Sensing Application

 Soil Moisture
 Mapping of agricultural irrigated/un- irrigated areas
 Determination of canal seepage
 National waste land mapping (to identify type and extent of wasteland at village level)
 National drinking water mission (hydro geomorphologic maps, helps in scientific source
finding of drinking water)
 Agricultural district level) drought monitoring (to assess and monitor agricultural drought at
 Forest cover mapping, forest fire
 Urban studies (to study the urban land use / land cover and growth etc of all major cities
 Crop acreage and production estimation (to estimate the crop acreage and forecast
prediction)
 Natural hazard study, flood mapping, landslides, earthquake

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  Snow mapping
 Environmental impact of mining and thermal power complexes (to develop a suitable
methodology for monitoring environmental parameters
 Oceanography – fishing, tsunamis, cyclones, movements of waves, currents, tides
 Coral reef mapping
 Natural resources
 Defense activity.
 Lithology, Landforms Structures & Recharge the rain water into the ground.

G.I.S
G.I.S. or Geographical Information System (GIS) basically deals with information pertaining to
spatial objects or features which can be referred or related to a specific location on the Earth’s
surface.
G.I.S. or Geographical Information System (GIS) define as is a technology (Powerful Tool) for
 Encoding
 Storing
 Manipulating
 Analyzing
 Retrieving
 Transforming
 Displaying
 spatial and non-spatial data in an efficient and systematic manner.

GIS Application
 Crime Analysis
 Tax Collection
 Re-Districting
o Electoral
o Administrative
o Risk / Hazard
 Volcano
 Landslide
 Parking Lot Management
 Telecommunication Towers

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  Electric Utility Network
 Meteorology
 Business
o Locations for new retail outlets
o Where are my customers
 Fastest route / Pick and Drop
 Disaster Preparedness and Management
 Fire fighting
 Town Planning
 Utility Network
 Water Resources
 Crime
 Emergency / Disaster Management
 Marketing / Monitoring
 LBS / Tracking
 Information retrieval
 Networks
 3D Analysis
 Interpolation
 Spatial Analysis

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

EIA is a tool used for decision-making regarding developmental projects and programs and it may be
defined as a formal process used to predict the environmental consequences of any developmental
project.

EIA thus ensures that the potential problems are foreseen and addressed at an early stage in the
project planning and design. EIA is intended to identify the environmental, social and economic
impacts of a proposed development prior to decision-making.

Objectives
 Identify, predict, and evaluate potential environmental, social, economic impacts.
 Best practicable environmental options
 Utilise alternative strategies

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  To analyze adverse effects due to all project activities on the total environment in a systematic
manner
 To modify the project activities or to implement waste management programs to minimize
pollution levels before disposal
 To select best alternatives with minimum adverse effects
 Resource conservation/waste minimization/recovery of by products

Benefits:
 Reduced cost and time of project implementation
 Cost saving modifications in project design
 Increased project acceptance
 Avoiding impacts and violations of laws and regulations
 Avoiding impacts and violations of laws and regulations
 Improved project performance
 Avoiding waste treatment/cleanup expenses
 Deceased resource use
 Maintenance of biodiversity
 Fewer conflicts over natural resource
 Increased community skills.
 Improved human health

The key elements are:

 SCOPING - identifying key issues and concerns of interested parties
 SCREENING – deciding whether an EIA is required based on information collected.
 Identifying and evaluating
 ALTERNATIVES: listing alternative sites and techniques and the impact of each.
 MITIGATION measures – dealing with uncertainty; reviewing proposed action to prevent or
minimize the potential adverse effects of the project.
 Issuing environmental STATEMENTs; reporting the finding of EIA.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

Environmental Management System (“EMS”) is a tool that is continuously growing in importance for
companies. Most companies need to manage their products/services, employee safety, public opinion,
environmental impact and other related opportunities.

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ISO 14001:2015, include comprehensive and systematic planning and commitment of key resources
for developing, implementing and maintaining procedures for the preservation of the environmental
systems of the planet. Basically, an EMS allows an organization to continuously monitor and improve
all of their processes and impacts as it relates to the environmental system that they have created as
part of their ongoing operations.

ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an
organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use
by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that
contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.

ISO 14001:2015 consistent with the organization's environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an
environmental management system include:
 Enhancement of environmental performance;
 Fulfilment of compliance obligations;
 Achievement of environmental objectives.

Environmental Stewardship
Environmental stewardship refers to the responsible use and protection of the natural environment
through active participation in conservation efforts and sustainable practices by individuals, small
groups, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and other collective networks.

Roles of Environmental Stewards

Based on pro-organizational stewardship theory principles, environmental stewards can be

categorized into three roles: doers, donors, and practitioners.

Doers actively engage in environmental aid, such as volunteering for hands-on work like cleaning up
oil spills. Donors support causes financially or through gifts in kind, including fundraising or
personal donations. Practitioners work daily in environmental stewardship, acting as advocates in
collaboration with various environmental agencies and groups. All three roles contribute to
promoting environmental literacy and encouraging participation in conservation efforts.

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Examples of Environmental Stewardship
Many programs, partnerships, and funding initiatives have tried to implement environmental
stewardship into the workings of society. Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), a
partnership program overseen by the US Environmental Protection Agency, provides pesticide-user
consultation to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals and identify the detrimental impact these
chemicals can have on social and environmental health.

In 2006, England placed environmental stewardship at the center of an agricultural incentives

mechanism, encouraging cattle farmers to better manage their land, crops, animals, and material use.
The Environmental Stewardship Award was created as part of this initiative to highlight members
whose actions exemplify alignment with environmental stewardship.

"Non-Governmental Organization" or NGO

The term, "non-governmental organization" or NGO, came into currency in 1945 because of the need
for the UN to differentiate in its Charter between participation rights for intergovernmental
specialized agencies and those for international private organizations. They only have to be
independent from government control, not seeking to challenge governments either as a political
party or by a narrow focus on human rights, non-profit-making and non-criminal.

The structures of NGOs vary considerably. They can be global hierarchies, with either a relatively
strong central authority or a more loose federal arrangement. With the improvement in
communications, more locally-based groups, referred to as grass-roots organizations or community
based organizations, have become active at the national or even the global level.

Operational NGOs have to mobilize resources, in the form of financial donations, materials or
volunteer labor, in order to sustain their projects and programs. This process may require quite
complex organization. Charity shops, staffed by volunteers, in premises provided at nominal rents
and selling donated goods, end up providing finance to the national headquarters.

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