Transcript Major causes - NASC Document Management System

Braham Deo Ray
NASC, Jawalakhel
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Concept/terms of environment
Basic understanding of environmental system
(Earth system/ ecosystem)
Phases of Environmental Change and
environmental Pollution
Global Environmental Management issues,
Environmental Management issues in Nepal
(Brown, Blue and green sectors;
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What is Environment?
Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1997, Nepal,
"Environment" means the interaction and interrelationship among the components of natural,
cultural and social systems, economic and human
activities and their components “.
the term ”environment” is an all encompassing
one, which means essentially everything around
us including the conditions under which we live.
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Bio-physical
- Land, water and air,
including all layers of
the atmosphere
- All organic and
inorganic matter and
living organisms, and
- The interacting
natural systems
(ecosystems) that
include the above
mentioned
components
Socio-economic
and cultural
Environment
Built
environment
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SU
N
abiotic
biotic
plants
animals
and
material and
energy
cycling,
lithosphere (soil,
rocks),
atmosphere (air
and other vital
gases) and
hydrosphere
(water)
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The energy flow from one trophic level to the
other is know as a food chain
It involves one organism at each trophic level
◦ Primary Consumers – eat autotrophs (producers)
◦ Secondary Consumers – eat the primary
consumers
◦ Tertiary Consumers – eat the secondary
consumers
◦ Decomposers – bacteria and fungi that break down
dead organisms and recycle the material back into
the environment
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The interactions of human beings
with their environment have
changed during the course of
development of human societies
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"Pollution" means the activities that
significantly degrade, damage the
environment or harm on the beneficial or
useful purpose of the environment, by
changing the environment, directly or
indirectly (EPA, 2053/1997)
Pollution can take the form of chemical
substances or energy, such as noise, heat, or
light.
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Sustainability
Quality of environment
Human well-being (health, livelihood)
Problems created by human activities – solution
also lies with human interventions.
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Interactive system – need integrated approach
Environment
Hydrology
Geology
Disruptions, etc.
Legal Controls
Standards
Regulations
Agencies etc.
Financial
Tax and incentives
Technological Controls
Planning
Best Technology
Research
Pollution Control
Institutional system
Capacity
Governance
etc
Society
Public awareness
Politics
Cultural Patterns
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Standard Setting
Environmental Legislations
Economic Policies
Environmental Assessment
Environmental Education
Appropriate Technology
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Continuous improvement through feed-back
PLAN
DO
FEED BACK
CHECK
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Environment and development are not properly
inter-linked.
Development cannot subsist(sustainably exist)
upon deteriorating environmental resources and
environment, in turn, cannot be protected if
development does not take into account the
environmental problems.
Failure to manage the environment and to
sustain development threatened the very basis of
our existence.
Thus, the issue of environment versus
development has led to the concept of
sustainable development
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Sustainable development is the concept of needs
and limitations imposed by technology and society
on the environment’s ability to meet the present
and future needs.
World Commission on Environment and
Development (WECD) has defined sustainable
development as “a process of change in which the
exploitation of resources, the direction of
investments, the orientation of technological
development and institutional change are all in
harmony and enhance both current and future
potential to meet human needs and aspirations”.
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The concept of sustainable development
leads us to new resource consumption
strategies which are:
- conservation or reduction of excessive
resource use,
- recycling and reuse of materials and
- more use of renewable resources like solar
energy rather than non-renewable
resources such as oil and coal.
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Eliminating poverty and creating human
security;
 Conserving the natural resource
endowments(ability);
 Securing the economic base; and
 Strengthening institutional system
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Water security
 Food security
 Energy security
 Habitat security
 Ozone layer depletion
 Global warming/climate change (Sea level rise)
 Acid rain
 Greenhouse gases
 Loss of biodiversity
 Natural Disasters
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Nepal has an area of 147, 181 sq. km and an average
north-south width of 193 km and east-west length of
850 km, is rich in biological diversity.
Within three main physiographic divisions;
Mountains, Hills and Terai, the country have diverse
environmental resources: water, forests, land, climate
and weather, and biodiversity.
The country has enormous hydropower potential.
Forests still occupy the largest proportion of the land
area.
The diverse climatic condition makes it possible to
grow wide variety of agricultural crops, and as
mentioned earlier the country is rich in biodiversity.
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As is the natural resources, the distribution and
density of population is not uniform among the
Mountain, Hill and Terai plain of the country
The mountain and hill regions together account
for nearly 77% of the total physical area, 50% of
the total cultivated area and contain 48% of the
total population.
The terai region accounts for the remaining 23%
of the area and 50% of cultivated area but
inhabited with 52% of the population.
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Since 1950’s, Nepal has experienced an ever-increasing
flow of internal migrants, mainly from mountains and hills
to the Terai
Between 1961 and 1981, the proportion of migrants
increased from 4.5% to 8.6%. The deteriorating
environmental and economic situation in the mountain and
hill regions, coupled with relatively better socioeconomic
conditions and the eradication of malaria in the Terai ,
have been three main causes of internal migration.
1981 onward marks the beginning of rapid growth in
population, both rural and urban. The current population
for the country is estimated nearly of 26.6 million.
This growth has put tremendous pressure, directly and
indirectly, on the available natural resources in the
country. As consequences both rural and urban sector has
been affected.
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Due to the lack of capital and human resources,
commitment on the part of the government, and
awareness among the general mass of the
people, coupled with recent political instability,
the country has not been able to utilize the rich
resources to the extent desired in proper way.
The resources are deteriorating instead.
Landslides, soil erosion, deforestation, forest
fires, etc have caused the land to deteriorate,
water sources to dwindle away, rivers to flood,
biodiversity to deplete, and people to migrate
into urban areas and elsewhere.
As a consequences Urban areas have developed
haphazardly creating problems of solid waste,
water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, and
others.
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 List
the various Environmental
issues of Nepal in terms of
Causes, Impact and State; and
forward measures to addresses
the issues
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Brown sector/ Environmental Pollution
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Major causes of soil degradation are:
Population growth, fragile nature of soil,
rainfall intensity, and expansion of
agricultural on the steep slopes,
encroachment on forest or land use change,
and construction of roads over hills.
Impact: Loss of fine soil, depletion of organic
matter, Landslides and soil erosion.
State: High rate of erosion, low soil fertility,
siltation due to floods in valleys
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Major causes: Rapid and haphazard
urbanization (6.5% per annum), migration to
cities from hill area, change in composition of
waste due to change in life style and
introduction of new materials like plastic, use
of chemical fertilizers, lack of proper solid
waste management facility and practice
Impact: ill health, water, soil and air pollution,
aesthetic value deterioration.
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Major causes: Increase in energy consumption due to
increase in transportation, expansion of industries,
urbanization and population growth in the cities
State: Higher pollutants especially Total Suspended
Particulate matter and Particulate matter (TSP and
PM10) greater than national and WHO standard in
urban city while indoor air pollution in rural areas,
Atmospheric Brown Cloud etc.
Impact: Air pollution related health problem such
acute respiratory infection (ARI), presents top five
diseases, responsible for 30% death in children under
five, reduce visibility (good visibility days down to 25
days/ month in 1992 from 27 days in 1970), eyes
injury due to dust deposition.
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Major causes: Rapid growth of population and
urbanization, increase in industries, development
of agricultural infrastructure and irrigation,
damage cause by land slides and flooding to
water canals etc.
State: Water shortage-Total water demand 18
crore L/d, only 60-70% is fulfill, in the
Kathmandu valley the pressure is even sever, as
almost all of the head water sources were tapped
already,
Impact: Water borne disease is increasing and
top ten diseases
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Major causes: Population growth , increasing
demand for fuel wood, fodder, timber etc, fuel wood
constitutes almost 79 % of total fuel consumption,
increasing number of livestock (10% livestock feed
comes from forest, expansion of agricultural land,
Bhutanese refugee camps in and around the forest,
transboundary smuggling of timber/ log along India
Nepal border
State: Change in forest cover was observed.
Impact: Increase in rate of deforestation, threat to
biodiversity (increase in rare and threaten species
many species of plants, butterflies, fish, insects,
birds, and mammals have been listed as threatened,
vulnerable, or rare (Sheathe and Joshi 1996; Suwal et
al. 1995). Out of 32 rare plant species listed, 8 are
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already extinct (CBS 2003).
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Any Question?
Rejina Maskey,CDES,TU
11/2/2011
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