Environmental Studies Syllabus (Osmania University)

UNIT I
Environmental studies: Definition, scope and importance, need for public awareness. Natural
resources: Water resources; use and over utilization of surface and ground water, floods,
drought, conflicts over water, dams - benefits and problems. Effects of modem agriculture,
fertilizer-pesticide problems, water logging salinity. Energy resources, growing energy needs,
renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Land Resources, land as a resource, land
degradation, soil erosion and desertification.

UNIT II
Ecosystems: Concepts of an ecosystem, structure and functions of an ecosystem, producers,
consumers and decomposers, energy flow in ecosystem, food chains, ecological pyramids,
aquatic ecosystem (ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, oceans, estuaries).

UNITIII
Biodiversity: Genetic species and ecosystem diversity, bio-geographical classification of India.
Value of biodiversity, threats to biodiversity, endangered and endemic species of India,
conservation of biodiversity.

UNIT IV
Environmental Pollution: Causes, effects and control measures of air pollution, water
pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, thermal pollution and solid waste management.
Environment Protection Act: Air, water, forest and wild life acts, issues involved in
enforcement of environmental legislation.

UNIT V
Social Aspects and the Environment: Water conservation, watershed management, and
environmental ethics. Climate change, global warming, acid, rain, ozone layer depletion.
Environmental protection act, population explosion.
Disaster management: Types of disasters, impact of disasters on environment, infrastructure,
and development. Basic principles of disaster mitigation, disaster management, and
methodology, disaster management cycle, and disaster management in India.


Suggested Reading
1. A. K. De, Environmental Chemistry, New Age Publications, 2002.
2. E.P. Odom, Fundamentals of Ecology, W.B. Sunders Co., USA.
3. GL. Karia and R.A. Christian, West Water Treatment, Concepts and Design Approach, Prentice Hall of India, 2005.
4. Benny Joseph, Environmental Studies, Tata McGrawHill, 2005
5. V.K. Sharma, Disaster Management, National Centre for Disaster Management, IIPE, Delhi, 1999.