Environmental problems – An overview - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 24

Figure 1.16 Spatial scale of environmental risks and their management (ERM) by risk assessment (ERA)
and risk reduction measures.
with those whose emission is less risky or at the “end of pipe'', which is to integrate
a waste treatment technology into the production technology to reduce emission into
atmosphere, water, or soil. The management of an environment already contaminated
is increasingly difficult with the size of the contaminated area.
A local contamination can be handled by on-site or off-site containment or remedi-
ation by application of environmental remedial technologies such as water treatment,
wastewater treatment, leachate collection and treatment, groundwater treatment, soil
remediation, or land rehabilitation by the combinations of all the water, air, waste, and
soil cleanup measures. The technologies applied today for environmental remediation
have a rather wide range—physical, chemical, biological, and more complex ecologi-
cal technologies as well as their combinations are available. Monitoring, control, and
remediation of local pollution are relatively easy to handle. Gathering information and
finding the responsible stakeholders (owner, operator, residents, etc.) are also feasible
in the event of a local problem.
Regional contamination is the result of transport and dispersion characteristi-
cally through the atmosphere or surface waters. As a consequence, catchment or
transboundary areas or even continents may become contaminated. The main tool
of regional environmental management is prevention and restrictions. Restriction can
be put on the production and use of chemicals and products, while prevention can
be employed by changing the technologies of production and uses, or applying pre-
ventive technologies to reduce emission in the source. When source management is