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Human Population And The Environment

Unit – V
HUMAN POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Population: Population is the number of individual organisms of same species in a
given area.
 For Example, the human population in a country is the number of human
beings present in that country.
 The present population of our country is nearly 100 crores which is next to
China.
 The study of human population is called demography. Some of the topics
studied under demography are the rate and the trends of growths of population
with time, ratio of female to males, percentages of population in each age
group etc.
Number of births
Birth rate =  100%
Original population Number of years

Number of deaths
Death rate = 100 %
Original population Number of years

Number of babies died

Infant mortality = 100 %
Number babies born Number of years

Change of population
Growth rate = 100 %
Original population Number of years

Population Dynamics: Population dynamics deals with the trends of growth of

population with time. Population dynamics comes under the demographic studies.
There are different kinds of population growth curves. As we plot the
population in the Y-axis and the time in the X-axis for the various organisms
including human beings, different kinds of graphs are possible as given below.

Fig: Population Growth Curves

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Human Population And The Environment
Exp - Exponential curve L - logistic curve A - Arithmetical curve
J - J-curve Z - zero population curve Ext - Extinction curve

1. Exponential curves: The population growth by geometric progression in the

order 1-2-4-8-16-32-----etc, is mainly present among the bacteria or viruses.
2. Logistic curves : The curve is having a ‘S’ shaped form showing the initial slow
growth ,followed by a steep growth and finally standardised with less growth. This
pattern is generally seen in many of animals including human beings.
The famous population expert Thomas Malthus (1798) has postulated that the
population explosion stops at some stage due to some natural calamities, disease, war
etc. It is understood that there will be a natural mechanism working against
population explosion.
3. Arithmetic increase curve: The arithmetical increase curve shows a proportional
increase in the population in the form of slope curve (angular). The growth of planned
cities or towns in developed countries is in arithmetical increase.
4. Population explosion curve or J-curve: The J-curve shows an initial slow
growth followed by a steep growth indefinitely. The J-curve pattern is followed by
human beings and many other organisms (e.g. bacteria) also.
5. Population extinction curve: This curve shows a very slow increase in
population rate, followed by a sudden increase and finally a sudden decrease to zero
point. Many of the earlier day animals such as dinosaurs, dodo birds etc. belong to
this category.
6. Zero population Growth (ZPG) curve: The zero population growth shows a
constant population with time. This kind of curve is observed by the human
population in the western developed countries. Elephants also follow this kind of
ZPG curve pattern.
Population Growth: Generally, the rate of increase of population is proportional
to the present population.
For example, 1000 people may add 40 people per year through new births. 3000
people will add 40 x 3 = 120 people per year.
In 1800, the earth was home to about 1 billion people.
The dramatic way in which global human population grew thereafter is shown in fig.

Fig: Global population growth trends in the last four countries

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Human Population And The Environment
 It took about thirty nine thousand years of human history to reach 1
billion, 130 years to reach the second billion, 45 years to reach 4 billions and
the next doubling is likely within a span of a few decades.
 We have already crossed 6 billion and may reach 11 billion by 2045 as per
the World Bank estimates.
 Let us look at the reasons of this trend of human population growth. In the
beginning of human civilization, during the Stone Age, population was quite
stable. Environmental conditions were hostile (i.e. unfriendly) and humans had
not yet developed to face these stresses. Droughts and outbreak of diseases
used to be quite common loading to mass deaths. The 14th century A.D
experienced large scale mortality due to bubonic plague when about 50% of
people in Asia and Europe died due to this disease.
 With Scientific and technological advancement, life expectancy [i.e.,
average age] of humans improved. People started living in definite
settlements leading a more stable life with better sanitation, food and medical
facilities. Victory over famine-related (scarcity of food) deaths and infant
mortality became instrumental for a rapid increase in population size.
 In agriculture based societies children were considered as economic assets
who would help the parents in the fields. That is why in the developing
countries, population growth climbed to unthought-of heights, at the rate of 3-
4% per year, accounting for about 90-95% of total population growth of
the world in the last 50 years.

Population Density:
It is expressed as the number of individuals of the population per unit area.
Doubling time:
The time needed for a population to double its size at a constant annual size at a
constant annual rate is known as doubling time. It can be calculated as follows:

Td = 70/r
Td Doubling time (in years)
R annual growth rate
If a nation has 2% annual growth rate, its population will double in 35 years.
[i.e., Td = 70/2 = 35 yrs]
Total Fertility rate (TFR):
TFR is defined as the average number of children that would be born to a
woman in her life time. The value of TFR varies from 1.9 in developed nations to 4.7
in developing nations.
Population growth rate:
 It is usually expressed as a percent increase per year.
 Currently, the world population growth rate is approximately 1.7% per year, or
17 people per year per 1000 population. For any country, the growth rate of
population is determined by four principle components.
1. Birth rate (or crude birth rate) (r): The number of live births per 1,000
populations in a given year.
2. Death rate or mortality (d): The number of deaths per 1,000 populations in a
given year.
3. Immigration (i): It denotes the arrival of individuals from neighbouring
population.
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Human Population And The Environment
4. Emigration (e): It denotes the dispersal of individuals from the original
population to the new areas.
 Growth rate: The number of persons added to (or subtracted from) a population
in a year due to natural increase and net migration;
 The “Growth rate” can be defined by the
Growth rate = (r - d) + (i – e)
Infant mortality rate:
It is an important parameter affecting future growth of a population. It is the
percentage of infants died out of those born in a year. Although this rate has
declined in the last 50 years, but the pattern differs widely in developed and
developing countries.
Replacement level:
Two parents bearing two children will be replaced by their offspring (children).
But, due to infant mortality this replacement level is usually changed. For developing
nations, where infant mortality is high and life expectancy is low, the replacement
level is approx 2.7, whereas in developed nations it is 2%.

Age Structure
Age structure of population of a nation can be represented by age pyramids,
based upon people belonging to different age classes like pre-reproductive [0-14
years], reproductive [15-44 years], and post reproductive [45 years and above]. We
get three types of age pyramids.

(a) Pyramid shaped:

Here the very young population is more, making a broad base and old people
are less. This type indicates growing population. India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia,
Nigeria are example of this type.
Male Female
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
%
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(a) India – Pyramid shaped expanding population

(b) Bell shaped:

It occurs in countries like Frances, USA and Canada where birth rates have in
the past one or two decades declined resulting in people of almost equal number in
age group 0-35 years. So in the next 10 years, the people entering into reproductive
age group is not going to change much and such age – pyramids indicate stable
population.
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Human Population And The Environment

Male Female
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
%
5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5
(a) France – Bell shaped stable population
(c) Urn shaped:
Here number of individuals in very young class is smaller than the middle
reproductive age class. In the next 10 years the number in reproductive age class
will thus become less than before resulting in a decline of population growth.
Germany, Italy, Hungary, Sweden and Japan are examples of this type.
Male Female
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
%
5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5
(a) Germany – Urn shaped declining population
The TFR, Age Structure, infant mortality and replacement level are all important
parameters determining population growth.
Zero population growth (ZPG):
When birth plus immigration in a population are just equal to deaths plus
emigration, it is said to be zero population growth. (Constant population with time).
Birth + Immigration = Death + Emigration
Male – Female ratio:
Due to female infanticides and gender – based abortions, the ratio has been upset
in many countries including India. In china, the ratio of boys to girls becomes
140:100 in many regions which lead to scarcity of brides.
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Human Population And The Environment
Life expectancy:
 It is the average number of years a new born baby is expected to live.
 The average life expectancy, over globe, has risen from 40 to 65.5 years
over the past century.

Life expectancy
Country Year
Male Female
India 1900 22.6 23.3
India 2000 60.3 60.5
Japan & Sweden - 77 – 77.4 82.1 – 84.2

Variation of population among the Nations

1. 92 million people being added to the world each year, 97% of them live in the
less developed region.
2. In the most developed countries like U.S.A, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
the rate of population increases less than 1% per year.
3. Less developed countries like South America, Africa and Asia
greater than 1% per year.
4. The less developed countries have three-fourth of the world’s people.
5. The fastest population growing country in the world today is Kenya.
6. Demographers expect even a higher rate of increase of population in African
countries in the future.
7. Europe and North America accounts for 14% of world’s population.
8. China and India together will account for about one-third of the world
population.
9. The population of Japan will shrink to 100 million by 2050 from present 126
million.

World Population Growth, 1750–2150

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Human Population And The Environment
Ten populous Countries of the world in 2000 and 2050

2050 population
Most populous 2000 population in Most populous
(Estimated) in
countries in 2000 millions countries in 2050
millions
China 1200 India 1600
India 1000 China 1300
United States 275 United States 430
Indonesia 212 Indonesia 312
Brazil 170 Nigeria 304
Pakistan 151 Pakistan 285
Russia 145 Brazil 244
Bangladesh 128 Bangladesh 211
Japan 127 Ethiopia 188
Nigeria 123 Congo 182

Case Study

Ethiopia is a developing nation with a pyramid shaped age structure

indicating expanding population. It TFR is 6.9 presently. Even if it aims to reach the
replacement level by the year 2050, its population that is 57 million now would rise
to 225 million by 2050 when TFR becomes 2.1 and continue growing until it levels
off, 100 years later, at 370 million.

Population Explosion
 The population of an organism tends to increase as long as its environment
allows. Thus, most populations are in a state of dynamic equilibrium which is
influenced by the local environment and by the interaction of the organisms with
other populations in the community. Malthus concluded that human populations
tend to grow until they exhaust their resources and become subject to famine
(food shortage), disease or war.
 If the population of a species increases suddenly it is called “population
explosion”. On the other hand, if the population of an organism decreases
suddenly it is called “population crash”.
 Population explosion can be better understood by considering the doubling
time i.e., the number of years needed for a population to double in size.

Table: Doubling times of population growth

Less developed country Developed Country

Doubling Time Doubling Time
Country Country
(years) (years)
India 28 United state 87
Turkey 28 UK 231
Nigeria 27 Italy 99
Saudi Arabia 25 France 117
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Human Population And The Environment
Pakistan 21 Japan 58
 The human population is not increasing at a uniform rate in all parts of the
world. In many non-industrials, poor developed called less developed countries
in Asia, Africa & South America shows higher growth rate. In contrast the
population of industrialized developed countries, like USA, UK, France, Italy,
Soviet Union the growth rate is low.
 In the 20th century, human population has grown much faster than even before.
 Between 1050 and1990, in just 40 years the population crossed 5 billion marks
with current addition of about 92 million every year, or so to say, adding a
New Mexico every year.
 In the year 2000, the world population was 6.3 billion and it is predicted to
grow four times in the next 100 years.
 The Indian Scenario: India is the second most populous country of the
world with 1 billion people. If the current growth rate continues, it will have 1.63
billion people by 2050 and will become the most populous country surpassing
China.
 The Population clock: Every Second, on average 4-5 children are born and 2
people die, thus resulting in net gain of nearly 2.5 people every second. This
means that every hour we are growing by about 9000 and every day by about
2,14,000.
 Two major countries which are going to face population explosion are India
and China. The populations of these countries in different years and in the near
predicated future are given below:

Country (year) 1950 1992 2025

China (Crores) 55.5 116.6 159.1
India (Crores) 35.8 88.3 138.3

 The quality of life in the poorest nation Vs that in top ten richest ones is as
follows.

Rich
Sl.No Quality of life factors Poor Countries
Countries
1. GNP per capita $ 176 $ 22, 634
2. Life expectancy 49 77
3. Infant mortality (per 1000 births) 122 6.4
4. Child death (per 1000 of age <5 yrs) 208 7.9
5. Calories for healthy life 95 130
6. Grams of protein/day 50 95
7. Safe drinking water 36% 100%
8. Female literacy 20% 99%
9. Birth rate (per 100 population) 45 12.7

Impact of population explosion

1. Population explosion is causing severe resource depletion and environmental
degradation. Our resources like land, water, fossil fuels, minerals etc, are limited
and due to over exploitation these resources are getting exhausted.
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Human Population And The Environment
2. Even many of the renewable resources like forests, grasslands etc, are under
tremendous pressure.
3. Industrial and economic growth are raising our quality of life but adding toxic
pollutants into the air, water and soil.
4. Unemployment problem.
5. Housing problem
6. Educating such a vast population is certainly very big task.

Why population Explosion?

This is mainly due to:
1. Improved sanitary conditions
2. Better health care
3. Increase in productivity in Agriculture and Industry.
4. Poor family planning awareness.
The advances in above fields have practically improved the life expectancy
and death rates have dropped sharply, resulting in population explosion.

Carrying Capacity of an environment:

 “Carrying Capacity of an environment” is the maximum number of
individuals of any species that can be supported by environment on a long-term
basis.
(Or)
“Carrying capacity” refers to the number of individuals who can be supported
in a given area within natural resource limits, and without degrading the natural
social, cultural and economic environment for present and future generations.
 The carrying capacity for any given area is not fixed. It can be altered by
improved technology, but mostly it is changed for the worse by pressures which
accompany a population increase.
 As the environment is degraded, carrying capacity actually shrinks, leaving
the environment no longer able to support even the number of people who could
formerly have lived in the area on a sustainable basis.
 The population of any species always tries to crossover the carrying
capacity of environment
 When the population exceeds the carrying capacity, the environment itself
tends to offer resistance to reduce the population growth rate of the species. This
resistance is called “Environmental Resistance”.

Family Welfare Programs

 Among the various social institutions, family is the primary basic institution of
mankind.
 It is also the basic unit of development. “Happy family, Happy Nation” is a well
known slogan these days.
 Population explosion is like a time bomb.
 The population must be kept much below the carrying capacity and stabilized
 We are getting warning signals that if not controlled, the increasing population is
going to deplete all the resources beyond their regeneration capacity.
 A catastrophic doomsday model warns us that the earth can not sustain more
than two more doublings i.e., 25 billion.
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Human Population And The Environment

 Family welfare programme was implemented by the Government as a wholly

voluntary programme.
 It is an integral part of overall national policy of growth covering health,
maternity and child care, family welfare, women’s rights and nutrition.
1. Family welfare programme in India was started in 1952.
2. In 1951, the first five year plan was launched and it was recognized that the
growing population was coming in the way raising the standard of living of
the people in a big way.
3. Family welfare plan was recognised in the Third Five year plan at 1966.
4. The family welfare programme was given a high priority in the Fourth and
Fifth Plan.
 Stabilization in developing nations is possible only through various family
welfare programmes.

Family Planning
 Family planning allows couples to decide their family size and also the time
spacing of their offspring (children). Almost every culture in the past used to
practice some traditional fertility control methods through some traditions, taboos
and folk medicine.
 Modern Science has provided several birth control techniques including
mechanical barriers, surgical methods, chemical tablets and physical barriers to
implantation.
 The “United Nations Family planning Agency” provides funds to 135
countries. The birth control programmes have often strong opposition from
religious groups.
 World health Organization (WHO) estimates that today about 50 percent of
the world’s married couples adopt some family planning measures as compared
to just 10% about 30 years back. Still some 300 million couples do not have
access to family planning.
 Family planning has reduced and decreased the risk of death from pregnancy.
The Indian Context
 India started the family planning programme in 1952 while population was
nearly 400 million.
 In 1970’s forced family planning campaign by the Government resulted in
turmoil all over the country.
 In 1978, the government raised the legal minimum age of marriage from 18 to
21 for men and 15 to 18 years for women.
 Even in 1981 census no drop in population growth was observed. Since then
funding for family planning programmes has been increased further.
 The following approaches have been adopted to make the family planning
programme a people’s programme.
1. Providing information and knowledge about the benefits of the small family.
2. Family planning programme provides educational and medical services which
can help couples to choose the family size and maintain proper spacing
between child births.
3. Providing continuous education and training to the workers at all levels in the
health and family welfare system.
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Human Population And The Environment
4. Involvement of people through proper motivation and interpersonal
communication.
5. Sex education, information on all methods of birth control and awareness are
given by NGO
6. Encouraging late marriages and later child bearing.
Environment and Human Health

 Environment is closely related to human health. The human health involves both
physical and mental health.
 According world health organization (WHO) “health” is “a state of complete
physical, mental and social well being”.
 Human health is influenced by factors like nutritional, biological, chemical or
psychological. These factors may cause harmful changes in the body’s
conditions called “disease”.
 Millions of people die every year due to illness caused by environmental
pollution.
 Environmental sanitation is an important factor for human health. Sanitation
means purity or cleanliness.
 As “Environmental Sanitation” protects public health by maintaining hygienic
environment and preventing the spread of disease, it is often called as the “Social
and preventive medicine” or “Community Medicine”:
 There is an English proverb which says “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.
Environmental cleanliness leads to hygienic conditions which prevents us from
diseases.
 Hygienic is practicing cleanliness for maintaining good health and preventing
diseases.

Epidemics
 Epidemics are outbreaks (sudden eruption of disease) of disease that affect a
large people in the same place in the same time.
 The epidemics can be classified into three categories based on the mode of
transmittance.
(a) Diseases spread from person to person directly are mainly sexually
transmitted diseases (STD) such as AIDS, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea etc.,
(b) Diseases spread through food, water and air.
i. Cholera, Typhoid, Jaundice, Diarrhoea – through food or water and
ii. Influenza, Whooping Cough, Small Pox, Chicken Pox, Tuberculosis –
through air as a medium.
(c) Diseases can also be spread through small animals like rats as well as
insects like mosquitoes.
i. Plague – Rats
ii. Malaria, Filaria – Mosquitoes
 From the above we can understand that with personal clean habits combined
with environmental cleanliness leads to a healthy life.
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Human Population And The Environment
 That’s why epidemics are almost absent in the developed countries like
Australia, Europe and North America but still a major problem in poor
countries.
 Life expectancy has progressively increased with improvements in
environmental sanitation.

Types of Diseases
Diseases may be classified into two types:
1. Non-communicable diseases: E.g. Heart diseases, Stroke, Hypertension, Cancer,
Diabetes, Obesity, Blindness and Accidents.
2. Communicable diseases:
1. Respiratory Infections: Whooping cough, Influenza, Diphtheria, Small
Respiratory Infections and Tuberculosis.
2. Intestinal Infections: Viral hepatitis, Cholera, Acute diarrhoeal diseases,
Typhoid, Food poisoning and Amoebiasis,
3. Arthropod Borne Infections: Dengue fever, Malaria and Filariasis.
4. Zoonoses: Any diseases which can be transmitted to humans from animals.
1. Bacterial: Plague (from rats)
2. Viral: Rabies (from dogs)

[Mental Health is the balanced development of a person’s personality and emotional

attitudes which enables the person to live happily with others.]

Tips on Keeping Healthy:

The following information should be used only as guidelines.
Personal and Environmental Hygiene:
1. Keep your nails cut short and clean them regularly.
2. Always wash your hands before sitting for food or after visiting the toilet.
3. Avoid taking food in all kinds of places.
4. Drink only filtered boiled water or bottled mineral water.
5. Wash the raw vegetables or fruits with clean water and then eat.
6. Always eat food while it is in hot condition.
7. Buy meat (mutton, chicken & beef) only from reputed sellers and cook it well.
8. Regular cleaning of the body (bath) using some bathing soaps.
9. Maintaining the skin, teeth hair, and nail of your body making use of natural
agents.
10. Be cautious in eating coloured food stuffs.
11. Try to avoid Aluminium vessels for cooking purpose.
12. Keep your home surroundings clean. Do not allow stagnation of water.
13. Wash your cloths regularly.
14. Try to have some good physical exercise to have proper blood circulation in
the body.
Teeth Care:
15. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, especially in the morning and before
going to bed
16. Avoid eating sweets, chew your food well.
17. Visit your dentist at least once in 2/3 years.
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Human Population And The Environment

The environment and public health issues shall be conveniently

discussed under the following headings:

1. Hazardous products / chemicals from industries and their health effect.

2. Vector – borne diseases
3. Water – borne diseases
4. Air and Health
5. Noise
6. Radiations
[Vector - an organism (or an insect), that carries a disease from one animal to another]

1. Hazardous Products/Chemicals:
Industries, which produce potentially toxic and hazardous wastes, are pesticides,
dyes and pigments, organic chemicals, fertilizers, etc.,
These hazardous chemicals are causing some changes to human health, such as.
i. Allergy.
ii. Damage to eye, liver, kidney and reproductive organs.
iii. Produces deformities in babies during pregnant period.
iv. Promote cancer – carcinogenic [i.e. can cause cancer].
v. Affect genetic material (DNA) in cells [i.e. mutagenic].
vi. Cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development [i.e.
teratogenic].
vii. Affect nervous system [i.e. neurotoxins].
2. Vector borne disease:
Various insects like mosquitoes and house flies are known to spread infectious
diseases. They carry the disease causing germs in their body and spread them. E.g.
Malaria, Filaria, Dengue & Kala-azar
Control:
i. To provide proper drainage facilities and avoiding stagnant water bodies.
ii. The house holding waste materials like tins, broken bottles, plastics should
be removed.
iii. Suitable mosquito coils and use of mosquito nets.
3. Water borne disease:
Many deadly causing pathogens are being carried through water. Some of the
diseases:
i. Cholera – caused by bacteria
ii. Amoebiasis – caused by amoebas
Impact of human health:
Polluted water causes various diseases. Impure and polluted water often carry the
microbes cause many diseases.
4. Air and health:
The air pollution is caused by the following ways
i. From industries
ii. From vehicles.
Poisonous gases like CO, CO2, SO2 and smoke cause headache, eye defect and
affect respiratory system.
5. Noise:
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Human Population And The Environment
Although human ear is capable of tolerating a range of sound levels, yet if sound
levels beyond the permissible level exist for certain duration, it becomes painful and
some times irreparable damage occurs.
6. Radiations:
Radiations are known to cause short-term and long-term changes in various
organs. Cosmic rays and UV rays cause harmful effects on human health which may
induce cancer.

Human Rights:
 Human rights are the rights that a human being must enjoy on this earth since
he/she is human beings.
 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights [UDHR] adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948 whole heartedly by the
representatives from the majority of governments in the world in order to protect
the basic human rights, not only for the sake of individuals and countries
involved, but to preserve the human race.
 This declaration provided comprehensive protection to all individuals against all
forms of injustices and human right violations.
 It defines the right to life, liberty, and security, fair trail by law, freedom of
thought, expression, conscience, association and freedom of movement.
 It emphasizes right to equal pay for equal work, right to form and join trade
unions, right to health care, education, adequate rest etc.,

The followings are the basics of United Nations Agreements on Human Rights
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2. Covenant on civil and political rights.
3. Optimal protocol to the covenant on civil political Rights.
4. Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
5. Covenant against Torture
6. Covenant against Genocide
7. The Geneva conventions
8. Convention on the right of child
9. Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
10. Charter of the United Nations
In India:
 In India, human right issues have mostly centered around slavery, bonded
labour, women subordination, custodial deaths, violence against women and
minorities, child abuse, dowry deaths, mass killings of dalits, torture, etc.,
 India is a domestic country. The aim of our government is to ensure happiness
to all the citizens with equal comforts, opportunities and rights. Every citizen
enjoys certain rights and has certain duties towards the country.
The following fundamental rights have been guaranteed under the constitution.
1. The right to equality
2. The right to freedom
3. The right to property
4. The right against exploitation
5. The right to freedom of religion
6. Cultural and educational rights
7. The right to constitutional remedies.
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Human Population And The Environment
1. The Right to Equality:
Under this right to equality every citizen has been offered equal rights
including equality before law. Factors like caste, religion, group, race, language and
region should not deny equality. All are offered equal opportunity for employment.
2. Right of Freedom:
1. Freedom to speech and expression.
2. Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms.
3. Freedom to form associations and unions.
4. Freedom to settle and reside in any part of India.
5. Freedom to movement throughout India.
6. Freedom to practice any profession or any occupation or any trade or
any business.
3. Right against Exploitation:
The right against exploitation protects weaker sections of the society including
women and children. Every individual of the nation has the right to fight against
exploitation.
4. Freedom to Religion:
India is a secular country. The constitution provides religious freedom to all
citizens of India. All have the freedom to choose their religion according to wishes.
5. Cultural and Educational Rights:
All citizens have equal rights in the matter of culture and education. The
constitution recognizes the right of all linguistic minority groups and religious
minority educational institution of their own.
6. Right to constitutional Remedies:
If a citizen is denied any of the above mentioned fundamental rights, he or she
can appeal to the High Court or Supreme Court and restore his rights. The High
Court and the Supreme Court have the powers to preserve and protect the
fundamental rights of the citizens.
 Social discriminations, untouchability, Patriarchal (head of the society) society
with male domination etc, still prevail in the society which hinder the honour of
human rights
 Civil liberties and fundamental freedom are also often violated by those who have
money power
 There is a need to respect the human rights of all people in every nation for overall
development and peace.

IMPORTANT ARTICLES
Some of the important articles of the declaration are:

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Article 2: Every is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration,
without distinction of any kind such as colour, sex, language, religion, national, birth
or other status.
Article 3: Everyone has the right to life liberty and security of person.
Article 4: Deals with prohibition of slavery
Article 5: Prohibition of inhuman tortures and punishment.
Article 6: Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the
law.
Article 7: All are equal before the law.
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Human Population And The Environment
Article 8: Right to remedy for acts violating the fundamental rights given by
constitution.
Article 9: Protection against arbitrary arrest.
Article 10: Determination of human rights and obligations.
Article 13: Right to freedom of movement
Article 15: Everyone has the right to a nationality.
Article 16: Men and women of full age without any limitation due to race nationality
or religion have the right to marry.
Article 17: Right to own property.
Article 18: Right to freedom of thought conscience and religion.
Article 19: Right to freedom of opinion and expression.
Article 20: Right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

VALUE EDUCATION

 Education is one of the most important tools in bringing about socioeconomic

and cultural progress of country.
 Education does not simply mean acquiring a lot of information but also its
righteousness and use within the framework of a spectrum of ethical values.
 The true meaning of education is a harmonious development of head, heart
and hand. That means, education should teach for the growth of the intellectual
component, the moral and ethical component and the practical work component of
human beings.
 The intellectual ability should aim at the growth of the community, country and
the globe and should not be used for any kind if destructive activities against
mankind.
 Value education creates good working atmosphere, pollution free society, good
thinking, good behaviours, good attitudes, good values, moral values, spiritual
values to the society.
 Value education teaches us to preserve whatever is good which we learn from
our culture.
 The Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore has said “Education must aim
at the development of moral, spiritual, and ethical values and we should seek them
in our own heritage as well as in other cultures and civilizations”.
 Swami Vivekananda has rightly said, “We must have life building, man making
and character building education”.

Importance of value education

1. Present education only helps to improve one’s economic standard and help to
lead a luxuries life. In the present scenario, the education just makes one to
satisfy one’s economic needs. People seam to have together to enjoy the various
gifts of nature and everyone goes after money. People are made as money
making machines. People are over ambitious and give importance to material
wealth.
2. The man of today seems unbothered about the surrounding that is continuously
getting polluted. It is our duty to safeguard the Earth.
3. The New Education policy should be designed so as to improve human values,
environment and standard of living of the people.
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Human Population And The Environment
 If the education teaches us the values, self respect, self analysis and self control,
then it is the real value of education.
 The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) of India,
the apex body in school Education has framed its national curriculum framework
for school Education 2000 which lays stress on value education.
 The value education not only involves moral and ethical values but also includes
social values, national values, environment values, personal values etc.,

Value – based Environmental Education:

The environment belongs to each one of us and our actions affect the
environment. When the environment gets degraded it affects our-health, well-being
and our future. So we have a right to know the a, b, c of environment and also have
a right to safe and clean environment. Let us see how environmental education be
made value-based.

1. Personal Value:
Personal values mean the desires of an individual whatever they are in the
social relationship. The individual wants to achieve his targets without interaction of
any other person.
Examples: Excellence, honesty, self-confidence, self-motivation, punctuality,
ambition, courage, creativity, imagination.
The basic human value “man in nature” rather than “nature for man” needs to be
infused through the same.

2. Social Values:
Individual can not live in the world without having interaction with others.
Social values like love, compassion (pity), tolerance, justice, service, hospitality,
forgiveness and coordination are more important for healthy, good environment for
every organism. These kind of aspects need to be included into environmental
education.
Social values create team spirit and coordination in the society. So, that all
forms of life and the biodiversity on this earth are protected.

3. Moral values:
The term “morality” concerns with:
(a) What ought or ought not to be done in a given situation.
(b) What is right or wrong in handling it.
(c) What is good or bad about the person’s policies and principles involved in it.
Moral values imparts respecting others and ourselves, respecting the right of
others, keeping promises, avoiding unnecessary problems with others and avoiding,
cheating and dishonesty etc.

4. Ethical values:
Environmental education should encompass the ethical values of earth-centric
rather than human-centric world-view. Instead of considering human being as
supreme we have to think of the welfare of earth.

5. Spiritual values:
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Human Population And The Environment
Spiritual value arises from the inner depth dimension of man. The spiritual
values are meditation, yoga, self-discipline, control, purity, devotion to god, reduction
of wants, freedom from greed etc. All these values promote conservationism and
transform our consumeristic approach.

6. Behavioural values:
Individual behaviour is very important to lead successful life. Behaviour values
refer to all good manners that are needed to make our life successful and joyful.
Value based environmental education can bring in a total transformation of our
mind-set, our attitudes and our life-styles.
HIV/AIDS
 AIDS, the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, sometimes called as “slim
disease” is caused by a Human Immuno deficiency Virus (HIV) – [retrovirus]
 HIV breaks down the body’s immune system, leaving the victim vulnerable to
number of life threatening opportunistic infections, neurological disorders and
unusual cancers. HIV causes damage to the body’s natural ability to fight off
illness.
 The term AIDS refers only to the last stage of the HIV infection. All persons
with AIDS are infected with HIV but all persons with HIV infection do not have
AIDS.
 AIDS is one among the Sexually Transmitted Diseases [STD] like syphilis,
Gonorrhoea etc.,
 Actually causes immunity deficiency.

AIDS GLOBAL SCENARIO

 HIV/AIDS disease is a great challenge to human race. AIDS has infected millions
of women, men and children in developed and developing countries.
 Although AIDS was first noticed in USA in 1981, earlier cases were found by
retrospective analysis in 1978 in USA and 1970 in Africa.
 AIDS infections were first noticed in India in some of the prostitutes through
blood test in the year 1986.
 According to a recent estimate about 40 million people are living with
HIV/AIDS worldwide and 70% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
 HIV/AIDS has been identified as the fourth largest cause of mortality.
 Approximately 5 million new infections and 3.1 million AIDS death occurred
worldwide.
 In these countries including Cambodia, India, Myanmar and Thailand, AIDS has
imposed new demands on health care systems.
 AIDS and HIV Infection in South-East Asia Region. [As on 1.1.2000]

HIV rate per

Country
1, 00, 000 populations
Bhutan <16
Bangladesh 16
India* 419
Indonesia 13
Myanmar* 786
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Human Population And The Environment
Sri Lanka 33
*
Thailand 1348
* - countries have more number of HIV infected people in world
 AIDS is rapidly spreading in Eastern Europe and Asia. It is expected that in the
coming decades there will be sharp increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Russia,
China and India.
 Most evidences have suggested that AIDS has spread from Africa. It is believed
that the virus has been transferred to humans from primates like African
monkey [White sooty mangabeys] or Chimpanzees.
 According to another theory HIV has spread through vaccine programmes in
various parts of the world in the following manner.

1. HIV has spread in Africa through HIV contaminated polio vaccine

prepared by using monkey’s kidney
2. It had spread through hepatitis B viral vaccine in New York, Los
Angels and San Francisco.
3. It has spread through small pox vaccine programme of Africa.

AIDS SCENARIO IN INDIA

 India occupies second place next to South Africa in number of AIDS cases
reported
 The first case of HIV infections in India was diagnosed among commercial sex
workers in 1986.
 According to UN estimates, there were 2.7 million AIDS death in India between
1980 and 2000.
 In India, the highly infected states are Tamilnadu, Andhra, Karnataka,
Manipur, Nagaland and Maharastra. These six states alone harbour 45% of this
disease. These states have been declared as high prevalence states in the country.
 Maharastra shows that over the years, HIV infection has increased sharply among
commercial sex workers.

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)

 HIV was first identified by the

French Scientists and called as LAV
[Lymphadenopathy Associated
Virus].

 Later on US scientists identified the

virus and called it as Human T-cell
L-virus III [HTLV III].

 Finally in May 1986, the

international committee called this
virus as HIV.

Lipid Envelope Reverse RNA

Transcriptase
Fig: HIV virus
 20
Human Population And The Environment
 The virus is 1/10,000 mm in diameter. It has a lipid envelope cell wall with a
nuclear protein capsule containing two short strands of RNA and enzymes.

 The virus is readily killed by heat and inactivated by ether, acetone, 20% ethanol,
but it is relatively resistant to ionizing radiation and UV-rays.
 Source of infection: The virus is found in blood and semen in greatest
concentration. Lower concentrations have been found in tears, saliva, breast milk,
urine and vaginal secretions.

Epidemiological Features

1. Age: Most cases have occurred among sexually active persons aged 20 to 49
years.
2. Sex: Some sexual practices like multiple sexual partners, homosexual increase the
risk of infection. In North America, Europe and Australia about 70% of cases are
homosexual or bisexual men.
3. High Risk Group (HRG): Male homosexuals and bisexuals, heterosexual
partners, intravenous drug abuses, transfusion recipients of blood and blood
products and prostitutes.
4. Immunity: One type of WBC which is involved in the formation of antibodies is
called T-Helper cells or T-4 cells. The HIV invades into these T-helper cells and
integrates with the main parts of chromosomes permanently. When the virus
reproduces, the infected T-helper cells are destroyed, thereby causing reduced
cellular immunity.
5. Incubation period: It is a few months to 10 years or more for a person with HIV
to develop symptoms of illness related with HIV may feel quite healthy and can
live fulfilling life.
6. Clinical Features: The clinical manifestations of HIV infection may be classified
into 4 categories (or) various stages of HIV infection.

i. Initial infection with the virus and development of antibodies

ii. A symptomatic carrier state
iii. AIDS – Related Complex (ARC)
iv. AIDS.

Methods of Transmission

The basic modes of transmission of AIDS are,

1. Sexual Transmission: AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease. Any vaginal, anal
or oral sex with infected person can spread AIDS. Biologically the male to female
transmission of HIV is 2 to 4 times more efficient than female to male
transmission because a larger surface is exposed. Anal intercourse carries a higher
risk of transmission than vaginal intercourse.
2. Blood Contact: AIDS can also be transmitted through contaminated blood
transfusion. Needle sharing of drug uses is also a major cause of AIDS.
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Human Population And The Environment
3. Maternal – foetal transmission: HIV may pass from an infected mother to her
foetus through the plasma or to her infant during delivery or breast feeding.
Experts are of the opinion that about 1 out of 3 babies born to infected mother
likely to be infected with HIV.
4. By Surgical Equipments: AIDS is transmitted of surgical equipments with
contaminated HIV are used. Sharing a common razor at the barber’s shop carries
some risk of spreading HIV.
AIDS is not spread by
1. HIV does not spread through casual everyday physical contact such as
touching, handshaking, working together, sitting nearby, by sharing
equipments like telephones, books, toilets, etc.
2. It does not spread through air by means of sneezing or coughing.
3. Saliva, tears etc.

Symptoms of AIDS
Most people who are infected by HIV look and feel perfectly healthy. After a
few years, however many will develop AIDS related complex (ARC), which includes,

The major sign of AIDS are:

1. Fever for more than one month.
2. Weight loss more than 10% of body weight.
3. Diarrhoea for more than one month.
4. Night sweats.

The minor signs of AIDS are:

1. Cough for more than one month.
2. General skin disease.
3. Viral infection.
4. Fungus infection in mouth and throat.
5. Enlargement of lymph glands.

Diagnosis of AIDS
Screening Tests
A person whose blood contains HIV antibodies is said to be HIV positive or
seropositive meaning that he or she is infected with HIV. There is now a wide range
of screening tests based on detection of HIV antibodies. At first a sensitive test is used
to detect the HIV antibodies while a second test is confirmatory test.
The first test is ELISA. The confirmatory test is Western Blot.

1. Elisa Test(Enzyme Linked Immuno – Sorbent Assay)

It is a sensitive blood test which is used to detect the HIV antibodies. It
currently costs Rs. 50 to 100.

2. Western Blot
This is the confirmatory test and is used to find out any false positive results.
It is highly specific test. It is based on detecting specific antibody to viral core protein
and envelops glycoprotein. Testing should be done only by trained doctors.
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Human Population And The Environment

Treatments

Following are the best drugs known,

1. AZT ( Aziodothymidine or Zidovudine or Retrovir )
2. DDT ( Dideoxyinosine )
The treatment yielded only limited success.

Some events in AIDS

 November 1983, the first meeting of the ‘global

AIDS situation’ was conducted.
 March 1987, the US FDA approved AZT as the first
drug to be used as a treatment against AIDS.
 1991, the red ribbon become an international
symbol of AIDS awareness.
 July 2000, 13th ‘international conference’ on AIDS
was held in Durban, South Africa for the first time.

Control and preventive measures

Once a person is infected with HIV the person remain infected for life. There
is neither a cure nor a vaccine but can be prevented.

1. Education: There is no vaccine available at present for the prevention of AIDS.

Therefore the only means at present available is “Health Education” to enable
people avoiding indiscriminate sex, use of condom will give full protection. One
should also avoid the use of shared razors and toothbrushes, needles and syringes.
Sex education is to enable proper sexual responsibility and behaviour. Educating
senior school students about AIDS will make them aware of activities. All mass
media should be involved in the education of the people on AIDS. 1st December
is declared as “World AIDS Day” in an effort to create public awareness.
2. Prevention of HIV Transmission: HIV is transmitted by blood transfusion. All
blood should be screened for HIV before transfusion and strict sterilization
practices should be followed in hospitals.
3. Safe sex: As, HIV is transmitted by sexual activities. Use of good condoms by
men will protect both the partners from AIDS. AIDS is mainly an imported
disease in India. HRI i.e., High Risk Individuals such as truck drivers, who have
several partners each year, develop STDs very easily and hence should be
subjected to special treatments frequently. The best method to avoid AIDS is to
avoid casual sex with unknown persons and HRIs.
4. Primary Health Care: AIDS awareness programmes should be encouraged.
Voluntary health agencies should participate in large. Training Programmes to
doctors and paramedical workers should be conducted.
5. Counselling Services: Counselling services on telephone or in person are
provided by trained counsellors.
6. HIV / AIDS programme: The objectives of AIDS awareness programmes are to
create awareness of the problems, to give accurate and reliable information about
HIV / AIDS to clear the existing doubts and misconceptions.
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Human Population And The Environment
The state AIDS cell started functioning in Tamil Nadu from 1990. Its prime
functions are:
1. To ensure blood safety.
2. Enhance STD treatments.
3. Reduces the high risk behaviour of men and women of all ages in Tamil Nadu.
4. It also encourages the voluntary health agencies, AIDS awareness
programme and importance of condom usage.
5. The training programmes are conducted by the cell to the doctors,
paramedical workers, voluntary agencies and teachers.
6. Educating illiterates as well as the educated public about AIDS prevention
measures using different Medias such as radio, TV, news papers etc.

Women and Child welfares

Women and children are usually the soft targets, who suffer in a number of
ways mainly because they are weaker, helpless and economically dependent.

Women welfare

 Women usually suffer gender discrimination and devaluation at home, at

workplace, in matrimony, in inheritance, in public life and power, particularly in
developing countries. The gender violence, victimization and harassment take
many forms across nation. Women are often the worst victims of communal
enmities.
 The human rights of women are violated too often in a male dominated
patriarchal society.
 Women play an important role in environment. Opportunities should be given to
women in employment, education and economic independence for improving their
status in the society.
 The following factors are very important for women.
1. Providing education
2. Importing vocational training.
3. Creating awareness about the environment.
4. Problems of population.
5. Self-dependent.
6. Improving employment opportunities.
 There is a full-fledged ministry for women and child development whose sole
aim is to work for the welfare and upliftment of women encompassing family
planning, healthcare, education and awareness.
 Besides the government initiatives there are now a number of non-governmental
organisations (NGO’s) mostly as “Mahila mandals” to create awareness
amongst women of remote villages even to empower them, train them, educate
them and help them to become economically self-dependent.
 On an international level, the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-85)
witnessed inclusion of several women welfare related issues on international
Agenda.
 The CEDAW [International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of
Discriminations against Women, 1979] has been a landmark outcome of the
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Human Population And The Environment
decade to be accepted as an international standard for the protection and
promotion of women’s human rights and Socio-economic upliftment.

Child welfare

 In childhood period, there is need for good food but many do not have. Most of
the diseases that affect children are either by environmental problem or
scarcity of nutrients. Due to environmental hazards, children face more health
problems than the adults.
 The type of diseases commonly that affect the children are
Malnutrition
Pneumonia
Diarrhoea
Measles and
Malaria
 Children are considered to be the assets of society. Around 20 million children
in our country are estimated to be working as child labours. Poverty is the main
reason to drive these children into long hours of work of miserable, unhealthy
conditions.
 In order to solve the above problem, a scheme of “Integrated child Development
Services” was started in 1975-76 on an experimental basis in 33 rural and tribal
banks and urban slum areas. The scheme protect the children by provides the
following services.
1. Supplementary nutrition.
2. Immunisation.
3. Health-checkups
4. Nutrition and health education
5. Non-formal education.
 In 1959 United Nations have declaration of the rights of the child. This states that
all children have the right to
1. Love and understanding.
2. Food.
3. Housing
4. Medical care
5. Education
6. Play facilities.
 A national plan of action for children has been formulated by the Ministry of
Human Resource Development (MHRD), in the following area,
1. Health education.
2. Nutrition.
3. Clean and safe drinking water.
4. Sanitation.

Role of Information Technology in Environment and

Human Health

 Information technology plays a vital role in the field of environmental education

and health.
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Human Population And The Environment
 Development of internet facilities, World Wide Web (www), Geographical
Information System (GIS) and information through satellites has generated a
wealth of up-to-date information on various aspects of environment and health.
 A number of software’s have been developed to study about the environment
and health.

DATABASE

 Database is the collection of inter-related data on various subjects. It is usually

in computerized form and can be retrieved whenever required.
 The ministry of environment and forests, government of India has taken up a
task of compiling a database on various biotic communities.
 The comprehensive database includes wildlife database, conservation database,
forest cover database, etc.,
 Database is also available for diseases like HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Fluorosis, etc.

National Management Information System [NMIS]

NMIS of the Department of Science and Technology [DST] has compiled a
database on Research and Development projects along with information about
research scientists and personnel involved.

Environmental Information System [ENVIS]

 The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has created an
Information system called Environmental Information System [ENVIS].
 With its headquarters in Delhi, it functions in 25 different centres all over the
country.
 The ENVIS centre work for generating a network of database in the following
areas.
1. Pollution control 2. Clean technologies
3. Remote sensing 4. Coastal ecology,
5. Biodiversity 6. Western ghates and eastern ghates
7. Environmental management 8. Media related to environment,
9. Renewable energy 10. Desertification
11. Mangrove forest 12. Wildlife
13. Himalayan ecology 14. Mining etc,
The website is www.envis.tn.nic.in

GEOMATICS
 One of the important fields of IT for environmental studies in Geomatics.
 Geomatics is a science and technology for collecting, analysing, interpreting,
distributing and using geographic information.
 Geomatics involves the following disciplines.
(i) Surveying and mapping
(ii) Remote sensing
(iii) Geographic Information System [GIS]
(iv) Global Positioning Systems [GPS]
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Human Population And The Environment
REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM

 “Remote Sensing is the science of making inferences about objects from

measurements made at a distance, without coming into physical contact with the
objects under study”
 A remote sensing system consists of a sensor to collect radiations and other
important parts includes
1. A platform
2. An Aircraft
3. A balloon
4. rocket and
5. Satellite.
 The information received by the sensors is suitably manipulated and transported back
to earth.
 The data are reformed and processed on the ground to produce photographs,
computer compatible magnetic tapes [CCT] or other digital storage medium(CD).

Some of the remote sensing satellite sensors are

1. U.S Land state Multispectral Scanner [MMS],
2. French SPOT,
3. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite [IRS].

Remote Sensing for Resource Management

Remote sensing plays a vital role in environmental research and planning.

Remote sensing information is very useful to predict cyclones, floods well in
advance.
Remote sensing plays a key role in resource mapping, environmental
conservation, management, planning and environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Remote sensing data [image] have been used to derive thematic information on
various natural resources and environment.

Applications

1. In Agriculture: Remote sensing can provide valuable information for land and
water management. The remote sensing technology using satellite also play a
major role in the environmental studies of water bodies such as lakes, rivers etc.,
2. In Forestry: Remote sensing provides information about the type, density and
extent of forest cover, wood volume and biomass, forest fire, pest and disease
induced losses, encroachment etc.,.
3. In land cover: It provides information about topography of the earth.
4. Water resources: Remote sensing data has been used in many applications related to
water resources such a surface water body mapping, ground water targeting, flood
monitoring, water quality monitoring, oceans, ice, snow, irrigation water management
etc.,

Application of RS in forestry
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Human Population And The Environment

Mapping/statistics modelling

Type Biodiversity Density Timber Fire risk Habitat

volume zone suitability
Change detection

Jhum cultivation Fire damage Afforestation

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM [GIS]

GIS has proved to be a very effective tool in environmental management.

GIS is a technique of superimposing various thematic maps, using digital date on a large
number of inter-related or independent aspects.
Several useful soft-wares have been developed for working in the field of GIS.
Different thematic maps containing digital information on a number of aspects like water
resources, industrial growth, human settlement, road network, soil type, forest land, crop land
or grassland etc., are superimposed in a layered form in computer using soft wares. Such
inform is very useful for fortune land-use planning.
Even interpretations of polluted zones, degraded lands or decreased cropland etc can be made
based on GIS.
Planning for locating suitable areas for industrial growth is now being done using GIS by
preparing Zoning Atlas.
Thus remote sensing and GIS play a key role in resource mapping, environmental
conservation, management, and planning and environmental impact assessment.
It also helps in identifying several disease infected areas, which are prone to some vector-
borne diseases like malaria, etc based upon mapping of such areas.

Plotter

Digitiser
Display
Host computer

PC, work station

Mainframe etc.,

Data input module DBMS module

Spatial database

GIS package
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Human Population And The Environment
Attribute database
Output and Analysis
query module Module

User interface

GIS provide information about smog, ozone layer depletion, new reserves of oil,
minerals etc.,

ROLE OF IT IN HEALTH

The role of IT in health care becomes invaluable. Computers are revolutionizing

the medical field. Computers are used in the medical field for performing a wide
variety of tasks.
1. The advancements in digital and imaging technology have helped in better
diagnosis as the images and output produced by the latest equipments.
2. Tiny computers [Computers so tiny, that could be swallowed by patients] are
providing to be valuable diagnostic tools. They can take and transmit
photographs of internal problems such as blood clots and tumours.
3. Pacemakers are computers that operate within of human body to help it function
better.
4. Tele – medicine is an important application of information technology. By this it
is possible to contact an experienced doctor who may live even abroad, for the
diagnosis of a patient and for the prescription of the medicine for him. Even for
performing a major operation to a patient the suggestion and guidance of an expert
surgeon could be obtained by tale-medicine even from a for away place.
5. Through IT, it is possible to broadcast the preventive measures to be taken
against communicable diseases.

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