UGC UPDATED NEW SYLABUS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Subject : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 

Code No.: (89)

This syllabus contains ten units:

Unit-I: Fundamentals of Environmental Sciences

Unit-II: Environmental Chemistry

Unit-III: Environmental Biology

Unit-IV: Environmental Geosciences

Unit-V: Energy and Environment

Unit-VI: Environmental Pollution and Control 

Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

Unit-VIII: Environmental Assessment, Management and Legislation

Unit-IX: Statistical Approaches and Modelling in Environmental Sciences

Unit-X: Contemporary Environmental Issues

Unit-I: Fundamentals of Environmental Sciences

Definition, Principles and Scope of Environmental Science.

Structure and composition of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and 

biosphere.

Laws of thermodynamics, heat transfer processes, mass and energy transfer 

across various interfaces, material balance. 

Meteorological parameters - pressure, temperature, precipitation, humidity, 

mixing ratio, saturation mixing ratio, radiation and wind velocity, adiabatic 

lapse rate, environmental lapse rate. Wind roses.

Interaction between Earth, Man and Environment. Biogeographic provinces 

of the world and agro-climatic zones of India. Concept of sustainable 

development. 

Natural resources and their assessment. Remote Sensing and GIS: Principles 

of remote sensing and GIS. Digital image processing and ground truthing. 

Application of remote sensing and GIS in land cover/land use planning and 

management (urban sprawling, vegetation study, forestry, natural resource), 

waste management and climate change.

Environmental education and awareness. Environmental ethics.

Unit-II: Environmental Chemistry

Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry: Classification of elements,

Stoichiometry, Gibbs’ energy, chemical potential, chemical kinetics, 

chemical equilibria, solubility of gases in water, the carbonate system, 

unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons, radioisotopes.

Composition of air. Particles, ions and radicals in the atmosphere. Chemical 

speciation. Chemical processes in the formation of inorganic and organic

particulate matters, thermochemical and photochemical reactions in the 

atmosphere, Oxygen and Ozone chemistry. Photochemical smog.

Hydrological cycle. Water as a universal solvent. Concept of DO, BOD and

COD. Sedimentation, coagulation, flocculation, filtration, pH and Redox 

potential (Eh).

Inorganic and organic components of soils. Biogeochemical cycles –

nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and sulphur.

Toxic chemicals: Pesticides and their classification and effects. Biochemical 

aspects of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr) and metalloids (As, Se). CO, O3, 

PAN, VOC and POP. Carcinogens in the air.

Principles of analytical methods: Titrimetry, Gravimetry, Bomb Calorimetry, 

Chromatography (Paper Chromatography, TLC, GC and HPLC), Flame 

photometry, Spectrophotometry (UV-VIS, AAS, ICP-AES, ICP-MS), 

Electrophoresis, XRF, XRD, NMR, FTIR, GC-MS, SEM, TEM.

Unit-III: Environmental Biology

Ecology as an inter-disciplinary science. Origin of life and speciation.

Human Ecology and Settlement.

Ecosystem Structure and functions: Structures - Biotic and Abiotic

components. Functions - Energy flow in ecosystems, energy flow models, 

food chains and food webs. Biogeochemical cycles, Ecological succession. 

Species diversity, Concept of ecotone, edge effects, ecological habitats and 

niche. Ecosystem stability and factors affecting stability. Ecosystem services.

Basis of Ecosystem classification. Types of Ecosystem: Desert (hot and 

cold), forest, rangeland, wetlands, lotic, lentic, estuarine (mangrove), 

Oceanic. 

Biomes: Concept, classification and distribution. Characteristics of different 

biomes: Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Deciduous forest biome, Highland Icy 

Alpine Biome, Chapparal, Savanna, Tropical Rain forest.

Population ecology: Characteristics of population, concept of carrying 

capacity, population growth and regulations. Population fluctuations, 

dispersion and metapopulation. Concept of ‘r’ and ‘k’ species. Keystone 

species.

Community ecology: Definition, community concept, types and interaction -

predation, herbivory, parasitism and allelopathy. Biological invasions.

Biodiversity and its conservation: Definition, types, importance of 

biodiversity and threats to biodiversity. Concept and basis of identification 

of ‘Hotspots’; hotspots in India. Measures of biodiversity. Strategies for 

biodiversity conservation: in situ, ex situ and in vitro conservation. National

parks, Sanctuaries, Protected areas and Sacred groves in India. Concepts of 

gene pool, biopiracy and bio-prospecting. Concept of restoration ecology.

Extinct, Rare, Endangered and Threatened flora and fauna of India.

Concept of Industrial Ecology.

Toxicology and Microbiology: Absorption, distribution and excretion of 

toxic agents, acute and chronic toxicity, concept of bioassay, threshold limit 

value, margin of safety, therapeutic index, biotransformation. Major water 

borne diseases and air borne microbes.

Environmental Biotechnology: Bioremediation – definition, types and role 

of plants and microbes for in situ and ex situ remediation. Bioindicators, 

Biofertilizers, Biofuels and Biosensors.

Unit-IV: Environmental Geosciences

Origin of earth. Primary geochemical differentiation and formation of core, 

mantle, crust, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Concept of minerals and rocks. 

Formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Controls on formation of 

landforms - tectonic including plate tectonic and climatic. Concept of steady 

state and equilibrium, Energy budget of the earth. Earth’s thermal 

environment and seasons. Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, frictional 

force, geo-strophic wind field, gradient wind. Climates of India, western 

disturbances, Indian monsoon, droughts, El Nino, La Nina. Concept of 

residence time and rates of natural cycles. Geophysical fields.

Weathering including weathering reactions, erosion, transportation and 

deposition of sediments. Soil forming minerals and process of soil formation, 

Identification and characterization of clay minerals, Soil physical and chemical properties, soil types and climate control on soil formation, Cation 

exchange capacity and mineralogical controls.

Geochemical classification of elements, abundance of elements in bulk earth, 

crust, hydrosphere and biosphere. Partitioning of elements during surficial 

geologic processes, Geochemical recycling of elements. Paleoclimate. 

Distribution of water in earth, hydrology and hydrogeology, major basins 

and groundwater provinces of India, Darcy’s law and its validity, 

groundwater fluctuations, hydraulic conductivity, groundwater tracers, land 

subsidence, effects of excessive use of groundwater, groundwater quality. 

Pollution of groundwater resources, Ghyben-Herzberg relation between 

fresh-saline water. 

Natural resource exploration and exploitation and related environmental 

concerns. Historical perspective and conservation of non-renewable 

resources. 

Natural Hazards: Catastrophic geological hazards - floods, landslides, 

earthquakes, volcanism, avalanche, tsunami and cloud bursts. Prediction of 

hazards and mitigation of their impacts..

Unit-V: Energy and Environment

Sun as source of energy; solar radiation and its spectral characteristics. 

Fossil fuels: classification, composition, physico-chemical characteristics 

and energy content of coal, petroleum and natural gas. Shale oil, Coal bed 

Methane, Gas hydrates. Gross-calorific value and net-calorific value.

Principles of generation of hydro-power, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy 

conversion, wind power, geothermal energy, solar energy (solar collectors, 

photo-voltaic modules, solar ponds).

Nuclear energy - fission and fusion, Nuclear fuels, Nuclear reactor –

principles and types.

Bioenergy: methods to produce energy from biomass.

Environmental implications of energy use; energy use pattern in India and 

the world, emissions of CO2 in developed and developing countries including India, radiative forcing and global warming. Impacts of large scale 

exploitation of solar, wind, hydro and nuclear energy sources.

Unit-VI: Environmental Pollution and Control 

Air Pollution:

Sources and types of Pollutants - Natural and anthropogenic sources, 

primary and secondary pollutants. Criteria air pollutants. Sampling and 

monitoring of air pollutants (gaseous and particulates); period, frequency 

and duration of sampling. Principles and instruments for measurements of (i) 

ambient air pollutants concentration and (ii) stack emissions. Indian National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards. Impact of air pollutants on human health, 

plants and materials. Acid rain. Dispersion of air pollutants. Mixing 

height/depth, lapse rates, Gaussian plume model, line source model and area 

source model. Control devices for particulate matter: Principle and working

of: settling chamber, centrifugal collectors, wet collectors, fabric filters and 

electrostatic precipitator. Control of gaseous pollutants through adsorption, 

absorption, condensation and combustion including catalytic combustion.

Indoor air pollution, Vehicular emissions and Urban air quality. 

Noise Pollution:

Sources, weighting networks, measurement of noise indices (Leq, L10, L90, 

L50, LDN, TNI). Noise dose and Noise Pollution standards. Noise control and 

abatement measures: Active and Passive methods. Vibrations and their 

measurements. Impact of noise and vibrations on human health.

Water Pollution:

Types and sources of water pollution. Impact on humans, plants and 

animals. Measurement of water quality parameters: sampling and analysis 

for pH, EC, turbidity, TDS, hardness, chlorides, salinity, DO, BOD, COD, 

nitrates, phosphates, sulphates, heavy metals and organic contaminants.

Microbiological analysis – MPN. Indian standards for drinking water

(IS:10500, 2012). Drinking water treatment: Coagulation and flocculation, 

Sedimentation and Filtration, Disinfection and Softening. Wastewater 

Treatment: Primary, Secondary and Advanced treatment methods. Common 

effluent treatment plant.

Soil Pollution:

Physico-chemical and biological properties of soil (texture, structure, 

inorganic and organic components). Analysis of soil quality. Soil Pollution 

control. Industrial effluents and their interactions with soil components. Soil 

micro-organisms and their functions - degradation of pesticides and 

synthetic fertilizers.

Thermal, Marine Pollution and Radioactive:

Sources of Thermal Pollution, Heat Islands, causes and consequences. 

Sources and impact of Marine Pollution. Methods of Abatement of Marine 

Pollution. Coastal management. Radioactive pollution – sources, biological 

effects of ionizing radiations, radiation exposure and radiation standards, 

radiation protection.

Unit-VII: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

Solid Waste - types and sources. Solid waste characteristics, generation 

rates, solid waste components, proximate and ultimate analyses of solid 

wastes.

Solid waste collection and transportation: container systems - hauled and 

stationary, layout of collection routes, transfer stations and transportation.

Solid waste processing and recovery – Recycling, recovery of materials for 

recycling and direct manufacture of solid waste products. Electrical energy 

generation from solid waste (Fuel pellets, Refuse derived fuels), composting 

and vermicomposting, biomethanation of solid waste. Disposal of solid 

wastes – sanitary land filling and its management, incineration of solid 

waste. 

Hazardous waste – Types, characteristics and health impacts. Hazardous 

waste management: Treatment Methods – neutralization, oxidation 

reduction, precipitation, solidification, stabilization, incineration and final 

disposal.

e-waste: classification, methods of handling and disposal.

Fly ash: sources, composition and utilisation. 

Plastic waste: sources, consequences and management. 

Unit-VIII: Environmental Assessment, Management and Legislation

Aims and objectives of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Management 

Plan (EMP). EIA Guidelines. Impact Assessment Methodologies. Procedure 

for reviewing EIA of developmental projects. Life-cycle analysis, cost-

benefit analysis. Guidelines for Environmental Audit. Environmental 

Planning as a part of EIA and Environmental Audit. Environmental 

Management System Standards (ISO14000 series). EIA Notification, 2006 

and amendments from time to time. Eco-labeling schemes.

Risk Assessment - Hazard identification, Hazard accounting, Scenarios of 

exposure, Risk characterization and Risk management.

Overview of Environmental Laws in India: Constitutional provisions in 

India (Article 48A and 51A). Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 amendments

1991, Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Indian Forest Act, Revised 1982, 

Biological Diversity Act, 2002, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) 

Act, 1974 amended 1988 and Rules 1975, Air (Prevention and Control of 

Pollution) Act, 1981 amended 1987 and Rules 1982, Environmental 

(Protection) Act, 1986 and Rules 1986, Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, The 

Hazardous and Other Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement)

Rules, 2016, The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, The Bio-Medical 

Waste Management Rules, 2016, The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, 

The e-waste (Management) Rules 2016, The Construction and Demolition 

Waste Management Rules, 2016, The Manufacture, Storage and Import of 

Hazardous Chemical (Amendment) Rules, 2000, The Batteries 

(Management and Handling) Rules, 2010 with Amendments, The Public 

Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and Rules 1991, Noise Pollution (Regulationand Control) Rules, 2000, Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) 1991 amended

from time to time.

National Forest Policy, 1988, National Water Policy, 2002, National 

Environmental Policy, 2006.

Environmental Conventions and Agreements: Stockholm Conference on 

Human Environment 1972, Montreal Protocol, 1987, Conference of Parties 

(COPs), Basel Convention (1989, 1992), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 

(1971), Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, 1992, Agenda-21, Global 

Environmental Facility (GEF), Convention on Biodiversity (1992), 

UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, 1997, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM),

Earth Summit at Johannesburg, 2002, RIO+20, UN Summit on Millennium 

Development Goals, 2000, Copenhagen Summit, 2009. IPCC, UNEP, IGBP. 

Unit-IX: Statistical Approaches and Modelling in Environmental 

Sciences

Attributes and Variables: types of variables, scales of measurement, 

measurement of Central tendency and Dispersion, Standard error, Moments 

– measure of Skewness and Kurtosis, Basic concept of probability theory, 

Sampling theory, Distributions - Normal, log-normal, Binomial, Poisson, t, 

2 and F-distribution. Correlation, Regression, tests of hypothesis (t-test, 

2

-

test ANOVA: one-way and two-way); significance and confidence limits.

Approaches to development of environmental models; linear, simple and 

multiple regression models, validation and forecasting. Models of population 

growth and interactions: Lotka-Voltera model, Leslie’s matrix model.

Unit-X: Contemporary Environmental Issues

Global Environmental Issues – Biodiversity loss, Climate change, Ozone 

layer depletion. Sea level rise. International efforts for environmental 

protection.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (Eight National missions –

National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, 

National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Water Mission, National 

Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, National Mission for a ‘Green India’, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, National 

Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change).

Current Environmental Issues in India: Environmental issues related to 

water resource projects - Narmada dam, Tehri dam, Almatti dam, Cauvery 

and Mahanadi, Hydro-power projects in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal and 

North-Eastern States.

Water conservation-development of watersheds, Rain water harvesting and 

ground water recharge. 

National river conservation plan – Namami Gange and Yamuna Action Plan.

Eutrophication and restoration of lakes. Conservation of wetlands, Ramsar 

sites in India.

Soil erosion, reclamation of degraded land, desertification and its control.

Climate change - adaptability, energy security, food security and 

sustainability. 

Forest Conservation – Chipko movement, Appiko movement, Silent Valley 

movement and Gandhamardhan movement. People Biodiversity register. 

Wild life conservation projects: Project tiger, Project Elephant, Crocodile 

Conservation, GOI-UNDP Sea Turtle project, Indo-Rhino vision.

Carbon sequestration and carbon credits. 

Waste Management – Swachha Bharat Abhiyan.

Sustainable Habitat: Green Building, GRIHA Rating Norms.

Vehicular emission norms in India.

Epidemiological Issues: Fluorosis, Arsenocosis, Goitre, Dengue.

Environmental Disasters: Minnamata Disaster, Love Canal Disaster, Bhopal 

Gas Disaster, 1984, Chernobyl Disaster, 1986, Fukusima Daiichi nuclear 

disaster, 2011.