Sustainable Development

Lecture series

By
Dr Abanti Pradhan
Assistant Professor
Dept of Chemistry, ITER, Bhubaneswar
SOA [ deemed to be University]
Topics to be covered

 Sustainable Development
 Urban problems related to energy
 Rain Water Harvesting
 Watershed Management
 Sustainable development

"Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs."

The Sustainable Development objectives cover different aspects of

social development, environmental protection and economic growth, and
eventually eradication of poverty and hunger so as to ensure a healthy life.
Sustainable development encourages us to
conserve and enhance our resource base, by
gradually changing the ways in which we develop
and use technologies.

Countries must be allowed to meet their basic

needs of employment, food, energy, water and
sanitation.

Therefore, sustainability is made up of three

pillars: economy, society, and environment.
A renewable resource can be used again and again, so is
more sustainable, eg water, wind, wood, sun and wave energy. A non-
renewable resource will eventually run out, so it is not sustainable in
the long run, eg fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal. There is only a
finite supply of non-renewable resources.
Examples of Sustainable Development

• Wind Energy (Wind turbines are a great solution for power generation
due to their low cost and requirement of a very small land footprint.)

• Solar Energy (A solar farm can reduce 94% of the emissions that a coal
power plant emits)

• Crop Rotation (The successive planting of different crops on the same

land to improve soil fertility and help control insects and diseases)

• Water efficient fixtures ( the usage of water can be drastically reduced by

more than 50% with the use of low-flow taps and shower heads, dual
flush toilets and toilet stops)
• Water treatment plants (These plants intake oily water, bases, and water-
based acids and turn them into clean water)

• Natural water management (Rainwater harvesting, watershade

management)

• Green Spaces (such as parks, wetlands, lakes, forests or other eco

systems)

• Waste to Energy recycling (This facility uses combustion to turn non-

hazardous waste into steam energy and electricity)

• Eco-friendly aesthetics ( Use of eco-friendly materials like reed, jute,

bamboo, or sustainably harvested wood home/office decorations and
furnishing)
The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
[Link] Poverty
[Link] Hunger
[Link] Health and Well Being
[Link] Education
[Link] Equality
[Link] Water and Sanitation
[Link] and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
[Link] Inequality
[Link] Cities and Communities
[Link] Consumption and Production
[Link] Action
[Link] Below Water
[Link] on Land
[Link] and Justice Strong Institutions Symbolical representation of sustainable development goa
[Link] to achieve the Goal
Symbolical representation of sustainable development goals
 Key aspects of Sustainable development:
• Inter-generational equality
Stop overuse
Reduce Impacts
Maintain ecological balance
Handover a safe, healthy and resourceful environment to our future generation
• Intra-generational equality
Minimize gap between and within nations
Support economic growth of poorer countries
Provide technological help
 Measures for Sustainable development

• Using appropriate technology: concept of “Design with nature”

• 3-R approach: Minimization of resource use, use again and process to
get new product from same material
• Promoting environmental awareness and education
• Carrying capacity: Supporting and Assimilative
 Urban problems related to energy

Urban centers use enormous quantities of energy. In the past, urban housing
required relatively smaller amounts of energy than we use at present.
Traditional housing in India required very little temperature adjustments as
the material used, such as wood and bricks, handled temperature changes
better than the current concrete, glass and steel of ultra-modern building.
Cities are the main centers of economic growth, trade, education, innovations
and employment.
Energy use is closely related to development in industry,
transport, communication, commercial, household and
agricultural activities. The energy requirement of urban
population is much higher than that of rural ones. This is
because urban people have a higher standard of life and their
lifestyle demands more energy inputs in every sphere of life.
Energy Demanding Activities

• In developed countries (besides India) the amount

of energy used is much higher compared to
developing countries.
• Industrialized and developed countries use energy
for the following purposes:
1. residential and commercial
2. industrial
3. transportation
• In less-developed countries (for example India)
most of the energy is used by individuals (electrical
gadgets, houses, offices, business and
establishment etc.)
Other than individual consumption industrial plants also consume
a big portion of energy which includes
i) Manufacturing accounts for 85% of industrial use
ii) Processing food and materials like petroleum, iron ore, bauxite,
wood, and other minerals.
iii) Refining oil and gas
iv) Heat treating metal
v) Assembling cars
vi) Manufacturing activities like:
• Construction
• Agriculture
• Mining
• Water and waste water treatment etc.
Vii) Prevention and control of pollution
 Effects of higher usage of energy

• Unequal distribution of energy

• Power cuts and load – shedding
• Demand energy from other states
• Overall society suffers
• Economic development is hampered
 Rainwater harvesting- Alternative water
source
The technology used for collecting and storing rainwater for human
use from rooftops and land surfaces is termed as Rainwater
Harvesting
Decentralised system – Installed in houses, Institutions, community
Where rainwater harvesting is particularly attractive ?
– Rural area with no surface water sources
– Supply from surface and groundwater sources cannot meet the
water demand (Urban area)
– Groundwater contaminated with Arsenic
– Household do not have capacity to pay for centralised water
supply system
 Introduction
• In urban areas, the construction of houses, footpaths and roads has left little
exposed earth for water to soak in.
• In parts of the rural areas of India, rainwater quickly flows to the rivers, which
then dry up soon after the rains stop. If this water can be held back, it can seep
into the ground and recharge the groundwater supply.
• This has become a very popular method of conserving water especially in the
urban areas.
• Rainwater harvesting essentially means collecting rainwater on the roofs of
building and storing it underground for later use. Not only does this recharging
arrest groundwater depletion, it also raises the declining water table and help
augment water supply.
Rainwater harvesting can be undertaken through a variety of ways:
• capturing run-off from roof tops
• capturing run-off from local catchments
• capturing seasonal floodwater from local stream
• conserving water through watershed management
Why do we Harvest Rainwater?
The rainwater harvesting system is one of the best methods practiced and followed to
support the conservation of water. Today, scarcity of good quality water has become a
significant cause of concern. However, Rainwater, which is pure and of good quality, can
be used for irrigation, washing, cleaning, bathing, and cooking and also for other
livestock requirements.
How to Harvest the Rainwater?
Rainwater harvesting systems consists of the following components:
• Catchment- Used to collect and store the captured Rainwater.
• Conveyance system – It is used to transport the harvested water from the
catchment to the recharge zone.
• Flush- It is used to flush out the first spell of rain.
• Filter – Used for filtering the collected Rainwater and remove pollutants.
• Tanks and the recharge structures: Used to store the filtered water which is
ready to use.

The process of rainwater harvesting involves the collection and the storage of
rainwater with the help of artificially designed systems that run off naturally or
man-made catchment areas like- the rooftop, compounds, rock surface, hill slopes,
artificially repaired impervious or semi-pervious land surface.
Harvesting System
Broadly rainwater can be harvested for two purposes-
• Storing rainwater for ready use in containers above or belowground
• Charged into the soil for withdrawal later (groundwater recharging)
Water Harvesting Process
Several factors play a vital role in the amount of water
harvested. Some of these factors are:
 The quantum of runoff
 Features of the catchments
 Impact on the environment
 Availability of the technology
 The capacity of the storage tanks
 Types of the roof, its slope and its materials
 The frequency, quantity and the quality of the rainfall
 The speed and ease with which the Rainwater penetrates
through the subsoil to recharge the groundwater.
  Gutters and
Downspouts
 Gutters are installed
to capture rainwater
running off the eaves
of a building.

Semi-circular gutters of PVC material

 Storage tank, acts to flatten out any fluctuation in
rainfall and usage allowing water use to be, to a
greater or lesser extent, independent of rainfall.
 Types
– Ferrocement tank - cement-rich mortar reinforced with layers
of wire mesh,

– Fiberglass
Sizing of storage tank
 Demand side approach
 A very simple method is to calculate the
largest storage requirement based on the
consumption rates and occupancy of the
building.
– Consumption per capita per day, C – 20 litres
– Number of people per household, n – 6
– Longest average dry period – 25 days
 Storage requirement = C x n x 25 =
3000 litres
Quality of rainwater
 Method to enhance quality
 Cleanliness of roof and storage tank is critical in
maintaining good quality of rainwater.

 The storage tank requires cleaning and

disinfection when the tank is empty or at least
once in a year.
Leaf Eater®/Leaf Beater®/Leaf
Catcha®

Source: [Link] 30
Disinfecting Rainwater
• Rainwater can be used for drinking, if it is clear,
has no or very little taste or smell and is from well
maintained system
• Rainwater may not meet WHO drinking water
quality standards, specifically microbiological
quality standards, hence some disinfection is
recommended.
• Disinfection can be done by:
• boiling the water in before consumption
• adding chlorine compounds/bleaching powder in
required quantity to the water stored in the tank.
• using slow sand filtration
• solar disinfection (SODIS)
Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting
The benefits of rainwater harvesting system are listed below.
Less cost.
Helps in reducing the water bill.
Decreases the demand for water.
Reduces the need for imported water.
Promotes both water and energy conservation.
Improves the quality and quantity of groundwater.
Does not require a filtration system for landscape irrigation.
This technology is relatively simple, easy to install and operate.
It reduces soil erosion, storm water runoff, flooding, and pollution of
surface water with fertilizers, pesticides, metals and other sediments.
It is an excellent source of water for landscape irrigation with no
chemicals and dissolved salts and free from all minerals.
Disadvantages of Rainwater Harvesting
In addition to the great advantages, the rainwater harvesting system has few
disadvantages like
unpredictable rainfall, unavailability of the proper storage system, etc.
Listed below are few more disadvantages of the rainwater harvesting
process.
 Regular Maintenance is required.
 Requires some technical skills for installation.
 Limited and no rainfall can limit the supply of Rainwater.
 If not installed correctly, it may attract mosquitoes and other waterborne
diseases.
 One of the significant drawbacks of the rainwater harvesting system is
storage limits.
Watershed Management
The word “watershed” introduced in 1920 was used for the “water parting boundaries”.
Watershed is that land area which drains or contributes run-off to a common outlet.
Watershed is defined as a geo-hydrological unit draining to a common point by a
system of drains. All lands on earth are part of one watershed or other. Watershed is
thus the land and water area, which contributes runoff to a common point. A
watershed is an area of land and water bounded by a drainage divide within which the
surface runoff collects and flows out of the watershed through a single outlet into a
lager river or lake. Watershed technology is used in Rain fed areas.
Watershed management implies an effective conservation of soil and water
resources for sustainable production with minimum non-point resources (NFS)
pollutant losses. It involves management of land surface and vegetation so as to
conserve the soil and water for immediate and long term benefits to the farmers,
community and society as a whole. Catchment area is the water collecting area. “All the
areas from which water flows out into a river or water pool”.
Types of Watershed Management:

Watershed is classified depending upon the size, drainage, shape

and land use pattern.
a. Macro watershed: 1000 -10,000 ha
b. Micro watershed: 100 -1000 ha
c. Mini watershed: 10 -100 ha
d. Mille watershed: 1 -10 ha
Thank You