The course “Environmental Issues In India” would serve a 05 credit Core Course in B.Sc./BA multidisciplinary course under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and NEP-20 of UGC. The course would be useful as a multidisciplinary subject for all students of the undergraduate streams, e.g. arts, science, commerce and other biomedical sciences. The “Environmental Issues In India " course provides an overview of comprehension and significance of the environment and its importance across all the civilizations in India. The environment as an issue is omnipresent in the world we live in. There has been a consequent explosion of work that reflects on the reasons for and responses to ecological dilemmas. The last decade and a half in particular have seen a quickening of the pace of research and scholarship among both social and natural scientists, as well as among policy makers and activists. Environmental issues gained in importance when two different trends intersected each other. One was the capacity of humans to transform in a relatively short span of time, their natural surroundings, with consequences that could be adverse for them and there was a second critical change: it was precisely their concern about the environment that made such responses possible at all. It has been found that the colonial period was the clear-cut turning point of the forest landscape in terms of environmental changes of the country. Environmental issues are one of the primary causes of disease, health issues and long-term livelihood impact for India. India has made some of the fastest progress in addressing its environmental issues and improving the environmental quality however India has a long way to go to reach the environmental quality as enjoyed by the developed nations. Pollution remains a major challenge and opportunity for India. The course will also provide the detailed insights about the environmental movements from post colonial to post independence across the country The course will also give detailed account on the various environmental issues in India and other environmental concerns in the globalizing world.
| Course Status : | Upcoming |
| Course Type : | Core |
| Language for course content : | English |
| Duration : | 15 weeks |
| Category : |
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| Credit Points : | 5 |
| Level : | Undergraduate |
| Start Date : | 07 Jul 2025 |
| End Date : | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Enrollment Ends : | 31 Aug 2025 |
| Exam Date : | |
| NCrF Level : | 4.0 |
WEEK 1
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT: AN INTRODUCTION
NATURE-HUMAN INTERACTIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INDIAN CONTEXT
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN INDIA
WEEK 2
SOURCE OF STUDY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
HUNTING AND GATHERING AND ENVIRONMENT
NOMADIC PASTORALISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
WEEK 3
CLIMATE AND RISE AND FALL OF THE INDUS CIVILIZATION
GANGETIC PLAINS: ROLE OF IRON TOOLS, FOREST CLEARANCE AND URBANIZATION
RESOURCE USE AND HUMAN SOCIETIES
APPROPRIATION OF ENERGY RESOURCES
WEEK 4
APPROPRIATION OF WATER RESOURCES
APPROPRIATION OF FOREST RESOURCES
APPROPRIATION OF METAL AND MINERAL RESOURCES
LANDSCAPE OF INDIA: PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND SOCIETY
WEEK 5
EARLY AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
AGRICULTURAL DISTRIBUTION: REGIONAL SPREAD AND FEATURES 4000 BC- 600 BC
AGRICULTURAL DISTRIBUTION: REGIONAL SPREAD AND FEATURES 1000 BC- 200 BC
AGRICULTURAL DISTRIBUTION: REGIONAL SPREAD AND FEATURES 600 BC-1ST CENTURY AD
WEEK 6
AGRICULTURAL DISTRIBUTION: REGIONAL SPREAD AND FEATURES 200 BC- 700 AD
FORESTS AND SETTLEMENTS IN ANCIENT INDIA
COLONIALISM AND ENVIRONMENT
FOREST POLICIES: COLONIAL AND INDEPENDENT INDIA
WEEK 7
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES OF CONSERVATION
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS IN INDIA
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION APPROACHES IN ANCIENT INDIA - I
WEEK 8
FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION APPROACHES IN ANCIENT INDIA – II
DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN INDIA
GREEN REVOLUTION: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
GREEN REVOLUTION: SALIENT FEATURES
WEEK 9
BIG DAMS: MERITS AND DEMERITS
BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY
MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENTS IN INDIA
WEEK 10
BISHNOI MOVEMENT
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS
GENDER AND ENVIRONMENT
ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL IN CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
WEEK 11
ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE
URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO ENERGY PROBLEMS IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATIONS IN INDIA
DESERTIFICATION
WEEK 12
POLLUTION CASE STUDIES – I
POLLUTION CASE STUDIES – II
SOLID WASTE POLLUTION
BIODIVERSITY OF INDIA
WEEK 13
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
GLOBAL WARMING
CLIMATE CHANGE
WEEK 14
MARINE POLLUTION
NUCLEAR POLLUTION
RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION: WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL
DESERTIFICATION
WEEK 15
IMPACT OF HEAVY METAL AND BIOCIDE POLLUTION ON AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
PROBLEMS IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATIONS IN INDIA
SOIL POLLUTION
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2. Bridget Allchin, “The Environmental Setting” in F.R.Allchin (ed.), The archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
3. Bridget and Raymond Allchin, The Birth of Indian Civilization, India and Pakistan before 500 B.C., 1968.
4. Bridget and Raymond Allchin, The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan, Great Britain, 1982.
5. Bridget and Raymond Allchin, The Rise of Civilzation in India and Pakistan, Great Britain, 1982.
6. Burton Stein, “Integration of The Agrarian System of South India”, in Robert Eric Frykenberg (ed.), Land Control and Social Structure in Indian History, Madison,1969.
7. Cynthia Talbot, Precolonial India in Practice: Society, Region and Identity in Delhi, 1997.
8. Dilip K. Chakrabarti, India: An Archaeological History, OUP, New Delhi, 1999.
9. Irfan Habib, Prehistory in People’s History of India, 1, New Delhi, 2001.
10. M.K. Dhavalikar, Indian Protohistory, New Delhi, 1997.
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12. Madhav Gadgil and Ramchandra Guha, This Fissured Land: An Ecological
13. Mahesh Rangaragan, Environmental Issues in India A reader Pearson publication 2007 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd.ISBN 9788131708101
a. Medieval Andhra, New Delhi, 2001.
14. O.P. Dwivedi & B.N. Tiwari, Environmental Crisis and Hindu Religion, New Delhi, 1987.
15. Peter Rigby, Persistent Pastoralists, Nomadic Societies in Transition, London, 1985.
16. R. Mash, The Rights of Nature, Madison, 1989.
17. R.A.E. Conningham, “Dark Age or Continuum? An Archaeological Analysis of the Second Emergence of Urbanism in South Asia ”in F.R.Allchin (ed.), The archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and
18. R.K. Mohanty and V.Selvakumar, “The Archaeology of Megaliths in India: 1947- 1997”, in Indian Archaeology in Retrospect, vol. 1, ICHR, 2002.
19. R.N. Nandi, State Formation, Agrarian Growth and Social Change in Feudal South India, c. AD 600-1200.
20. Romila Thapar, A Penguin History of India, From the Origins to AD 1300, Penguin Books, 2002.
21. Vibha Tripathi, “The Iron Age in India: A Reappraisal,” in S.Settar and Ravi Korisettar, (ed.) Indian Archaeology in Retrospect, vol. 1, ICHR, 2002.
22. Wernes Wolfgang (ed.) Aspects of Ecological Problems and Environmental Awareness in South Asia, New Delhi, 1993. gbfdMauryan period”, Studies in History, 14, n.s., 1998.
Dr. Javid A. Parray is a distinguished environmental scientist with expertise in ecological and agricultural microbiology, climate change, microbial biotechnology, and environmental microbiomes. He holds an MPhil and PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Kashmir, where he also completed his post-doctoral research. He qualified the prestigious JKSLET examination and was awarded the Fast Track Young Scientist Project by SERB-DST, Government of India.
Currently serving as a faculty member at GDC Eidgah, Cluster University Srinagar, Dr. Parray has represented India at numerous scientific courses and conferences across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Uzbekistan. He has published over 100 high-impact research papers and book chapters, and authored 34 books with globally recognized publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, and Callisto Reference USA.
Dr. Parray is actively involved in editorial and peer-review roles and has guest-edited special issues for reputed journals like BioMed Research International, Hindawi, and Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. A committed educator, he also coordinates three national SWAYAM MOOCs in Environmental Science.
He is affiliated with several scientific organizations including the Asian PGPR Society, IJMS Mumbai, and the Academy of Eco Science (IAES Haridwar). His accolades include the “Emerging Scientist Year Gold Medal” (2018) by the Indian Academy of Environmental Science and the prestigious PIFI Visiting Fellowship for 2024 from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Internal Assessment - Weekly assessments released in the course shall be considered for Internal Marks and will carry 30 percent for the Overall Result. Out of all weekly assignments, the best/top five scores will be considered for the final Internal Assessment marks.
End-term Assessment - The final exam shall be conducted by NTA, and will carry 70 percent for the overall Result.
All students who obtain 40% marks in the internal assessment and 40% marks in the end-term proctored exam separately will be eligible for the SWAYAM Credit Certificate.
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