Environment Pollution – Impact and Remedies
There are two types of environment – related pollution. The first type of pollution arises due to violation of the environmental laws by business houses, hospitals, industries, municipal authorities, various nursing homes and the general public. The second type of environment pollution is the result of the nature of the law and other problems arising from the environmental deterioration. First kind of pollution is easily understood but second type of pollution certainly requires more elaboration to understand. This can be best understood from the tragedy of gas leakage at Bhopal. We all know that although more than a decade has elapsed but no worthwhile measures have been taken so far to remove the grievances of thousands of affected people.
In other parts of the world also, similar environmental pollution hazards have occurred such as in Chernobyl in Russia, mercury poisoning in Japan, Eire Lake in the United States becoming dead and so on. The most recent is the air pollution disaster of unprecedented magnitude in South – East Asia caused by a combination of drought and the deliberate burning of forests in Indonesia. But what needs to be appreciated is that they have until now more serious consequences from the angle of criminal offenses in poor countries like India.
On environmental pollution, there are many areas of conflict in our country. These conflicts are between the tribal population and the local government. These are towards construction of big dams, electricity power plants, acquiring of forest areas, mining and quarring activities, import of toxic wastes and several urban environmental issues. All such issues are required to be solved with due considerations to the culture and tradition of the local population and the local environmental related problems. Otherwise social tensions are bound to increase. We should not forget the great ‘Chipko’ movement which was started by Chandra Prasad Bhatt in 1973 to save the trees and it clearly depicted the strength of the local population.
The increase in the environment pollution has adversely affected the growth in food production during the present decade the world over wherein India is also no exception. Laster R.Brown in his latest report entitled “The Agricultural Link : How Environmental Deterioration Could Disrupt Economic Progress” has brought out one of the most interesting phenomenon. According to this report, food prospects are affected by all global trends of environmental degradation including deforestation, building up of greenhouse gases, soil-erosion, acquitter depletion over – fishing, air pollution and loss of plant and animal species.
Due to massive overpumping, there is an acute shortage of water in major food producing areas including many parts of India like in Punjab which is considered as the Bread Basket of India. Many factors such as industrialization and increasing population are responsible for this poor ecosystem resulting in an era of food scarcity. The wheat prices have gone up more than fifty percent over the last three years. The doubling of the food grain prices would not affect the rich class but what about the majority of the population of India which is considered below the poverty line. It may happen that they would come on streets due to hazards of environment pollution.
There is a need to search for remedies to reduce the impact of effects of such environment pollution. In this regard, many High Courts in India and even the Supereme Court of India have recently came out with many judgements towards reducing the impacts of environment pollution and thereby stop environmental degradation. In one of the judgements, the Supreme Court of India directed that all industries located in particular industrial zones in Delhi and about seven hundred tanneries in the State of Tamil Nadu to set up common effluent treatment plants. Further the Court has also banned all construction activities within a zone of 500 meters of sea beaches to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of our decaying beaches and thereby save the earth from warming up further due to environment related pollution.
Further, the hospitals and various municipal bodies should be asked to install incineration plants for management of toxic wastes in their respective areas, the handling of which mostly affect the poor. The Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Boards should be provided with more powers so that they can enforce the environment laws to reduce pollution effectively. Also the corrupt and inefficient people related to enforcement of environment pollution control and who give clearance for industrial projects without really foreseeing the implications on environment, should be punished and kept away from such duties.
The measures to be taken as a remedy for control of environment pollution are many. But the real thing to be noted is, whether all these remedies are followed to check the pollution. In fact, the existing environmental laws need to be made more stringent. Those committing environmental offenses should not only be heavily fined but also sent to prison in case of serious violation. Non-implementation of any orders in this regard from the authorities or judiciary should be viewed as a contempt of court and more & more harsh actions must be taken. Finally, for increasing general awareness about the hazards of environmental pollution and to involve the general public in this mission, crash programmes must be started and organized at various levels.
In other parts of the world also, similar environmental pollution hazards have occurred such as in Chernobyl in Russia, mercury poisoning in Japan, Eire Lake in the United States becoming dead and so on. The most recent is the air pollution disaster of unprecedented magnitude in South – East Asia caused by a combination of drought and the deliberate burning of forests in Indonesia. But what needs to be appreciated is that they have until now more serious consequences from the angle of criminal offenses in poor countries like India.
On environmental pollution, there are many areas of conflict in our country. These conflicts are between the tribal population and the local government. These are towards construction of big dams, electricity power plants, acquiring of forest areas, mining and quarring activities, import of toxic wastes and several urban environmental issues. All such issues are required to be solved with due considerations to the culture and tradition of the local population and the local environmental related problems. Otherwise social tensions are bound to increase. We should not forget the great ‘Chipko’ movement which was started by Chandra Prasad Bhatt in 1973 to save the trees and it clearly depicted the strength of the local population.
The increase in the environment pollution has adversely affected the growth in food production during the present decade the world over wherein India is also no exception. Laster R.Brown in his latest report entitled “The Agricultural Link : How Environmental Deterioration Could Disrupt Economic Progress” has brought out one of the most interesting phenomenon. According to this report, food prospects are affected by all global trends of environmental degradation including deforestation, building up of greenhouse gases, soil-erosion, acquitter depletion over – fishing, air pollution and loss of plant and animal species.
Due to massive overpumping, there is an acute shortage of water in major food producing areas including many parts of India like in Punjab which is considered as the Bread Basket of India. Many factors such as industrialization and increasing population are responsible for this poor ecosystem resulting in an era of food scarcity. The wheat prices have gone up more than fifty percent over the last three years. The doubling of the food grain prices would not affect the rich class but what about the majority of the population of India which is considered below the poverty line. It may happen that they would come on streets due to hazards of environment pollution.
There is a need to search for remedies to reduce the impact of effects of such environment pollution. In this regard, many High Courts in India and even the Supereme Court of India have recently came out with many judgements towards reducing the impacts of environment pollution and thereby stop environmental degradation. In one of the judgements, the Supreme Court of India directed that all industries located in particular industrial zones in Delhi and about seven hundred tanneries in the State of Tamil Nadu to set up common effluent treatment plants. Further the Court has also banned all construction activities within a zone of 500 meters of sea beaches to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of our decaying beaches and thereby save the earth from warming up further due to environment related pollution.
Further, the hospitals and various municipal bodies should be asked to install incineration plants for management of toxic wastes in their respective areas, the handling of which mostly affect the poor. The Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Boards should be provided with more powers so that they can enforce the environment laws to reduce pollution effectively. Also the corrupt and inefficient people related to enforcement of environment pollution control and who give clearance for industrial projects without really foreseeing the implications on environment, should be punished and kept away from such duties.
The measures to be taken as a remedy for control of environment pollution are many. But the real thing to be noted is, whether all these remedies are followed to check the pollution. In fact, the existing environmental laws need to be made more stringent. Those committing environmental offenses should not only be heavily fined but also sent to prison in case of serious violation. Non-implementation of any orders in this regard from the authorities or judiciary should be viewed as a contempt of court and more & more harsh actions must be taken. Finally, for increasing general awareness about the hazards of environmental pollution and to involve the general public in this mission, crash programmes must be started and organized at various levels.
Environment and Population
Population plays a great role in effecting the environment of a city or a country as a whole. There exists a strong linkage between environment and population. The greater the population, the higher will be the impact on the environment. Every environmental problem is caused by the everyday increasing human population and its increasing level of consumption. There are two ways in which humans affect the environment: they consume resources like food, water, energy, wood, oxygen etc., and wastes like garbage, effluent from the production, exhausts from modes of transportation etc., are produced. All these adversely affect the environment from these disastrous effects.
A lot of concern is being expressed about the worsening environment such as massive air pollution, undisposed heaps of garbage, fast increase in lung diseases, shortage in portable water, spreading of slums in many cities, decrease in level of ground water and ailments effecting eyes. But, hardly we find any ecologist who is trying to co-relate the above problems of worsening environment with the massive and rapid increase in population of most of cities of India. The rate at which population of major cities like Delhi is increasing is really alarming. The rate is almost 5 percent per year which means almost doubling of population in fifteen to twenty years. And this is the most important cause of majority of environmental problems in the present days and in coming times.
Actually in India, we are not taking the strong linkage between population and environment seriously. Neither any private nor any government agency has come out in this regard. We must do something serious to control our rapid population growth to save our worsening ecology. The realization must dawn upon the people, the ecologist and the government that every city environment cannot be saved from decay if its rapid population growth is not checked. All plans and strategies to check deteriorating ecology will prove to be futile of; not supported by an effective population control programme. And this is true for most of the cities and villages in India.
There are some experts who think that the ultimate factor limiting the growth of development will be water. All of us India except perhaps those living in the North – Eastern States are fully aware of the growing water scarcity for both drinking and irrigation. Over exploitation of ground water is emerging as increasingly serious problem in many places. The number of tubewells in the country has increased from about a thousand in 1947 to more than 3 lakhs in 1969 and to about 60 lakhs in 1997. The availability of renewable fresh water per capita in India fell from around six thousand cubic metres per year in 1947 to around 2300 cubic metres by the year 1997.It is true that better site management will help to some extent, but the impending water famine cannot be averted for long if the rate of increase of population is not controlled. The massive of pollution of water bodies is a major water problem in countries like India. The main cause of this water pollution is increased population.
In general, there are two groups of environmentalists in India. First group follows the Western thoughts that the ecological problems can be solved by technological measures irrespective of the lifestyle of people and level of consumption. The second group thinks on Gandhi an philosophy that, the cause of environmental decay is the consequence of not following the Gandhian model of simple living and cottage industries. However, both these groups fail to link the relation between the population and the environment. The first group does not realize that unlike in the West, the levels of industrialization and consumerisation in India are quite low and hence are not the cause of environmental problems. The average standard of living in India is one of the lowest in the world but irresponsible use of technology or deployment of obsolete or faulty technology in India is partly contributing to our environmental degradation. It is merely a coincidence that the environmental concern has come before that of the over-population.
The low per capital rate of consumption in a country with high population density as in India could be as dangerous for the global ecology as the high per capita rate of consumption in the western countries where the population density is comparatively low. It is important to realize that the impact of population on environment is a function of the number of people multiplied by the effect of the average person. It is a matter of great importance that we in India are doing our best to solve the problems of population increase, whereas, the people in the developed countries are reluctant or even not accepting to lower their level of over-consumption. Surely it is just not the level of affluence of an average person the environment but also the number of people that matters. Hence the population growth is the real cause of our country’s ecological problems and we should bear in mind that environment cannot be saved from decay if rapid population growth is not checked.
A lot of concern is being expressed about the worsening environment such as massive air pollution, undisposed heaps of garbage, fast increase in lung diseases, shortage in portable water, spreading of slums in many cities, decrease in level of ground water and ailments effecting eyes. But, hardly we find any ecologist who is trying to co-relate the above problems of worsening environment with the massive and rapid increase in population of most of cities of India. The rate at which population of major cities like Delhi is increasing is really alarming. The rate is almost 5 percent per year which means almost doubling of population in fifteen to twenty years. And this is the most important cause of majority of environmental problems in the present days and in coming times.
Actually in India, we are not taking the strong linkage between population and environment seriously. Neither any private nor any government agency has come out in this regard. We must do something serious to control our rapid population growth to save our worsening ecology. The realization must dawn upon the people, the ecologist and the government that every city environment cannot be saved from decay if its rapid population growth is not checked. All plans and strategies to check deteriorating ecology will prove to be futile of; not supported by an effective population control programme. And this is true for most of the cities and villages in India.
There are some experts who think that the ultimate factor limiting the growth of development will be water. All of us India except perhaps those living in the North – Eastern States are fully aware of the growing water scarcity for both drinking and irrigation. Over exploitation of ground water is emerging as increasingly serious problem in many places. The number of tubewells in the country has increased from about a thousand in 1947 to more than 3 lakhs in 1969 and to about 60 lakhs in 1997. The availability of renewable fresh water per capita in India fell from around six thousand cubic metres per year in 1947 to around 2300 cubic metres by the year 1997.It is true that better site management will help to some extent, but the impending water famine cannot be averted for long if the rate of increase of population is not controlled. The massive of pollution of water bodies is a major water problem in countries like India. The main cause of this water pollution is increased population.
In general, there are two groups of environmentalists in India. First group follows the Western thoughts that the ecological problems can be solved by technological measures irrespective of the lifestyle of people and level of consumption. The second group thinks on Gandhi an philosophy that, the cause of environmental decay is the consequence of not following the Gandhian model of simple living and cottage industries. However, both these groups fail to link the relation between the population and the environment. The first group does not realize that unlike in the West, the levels of industrialization and consumerisation in India are quite low and hence are not the cause of environmental problems. The average standard of living in India is one of the lowest in the world but irresponsible use of technology or deployment of obsolete or faulty technology in India is partly contributing to our environmental degradation. It is merely a coincidence that the environmental concern has come before that of the over-population.
The low per capital rate of consumption in a country with high population density as in India could be as dangerous for the global ecology as the high per capita rate of consumption in the western countries where the population density is comparatively low. It is important to realize that the impact of population on environment is a function of the number of people multiplied by the effect of the average person. It is a matter of great importance that we in India are doing our best to solve the problems of population increase, whereas, the people in the developed countries are reluctant or even not accepting to lower their level of over-consumption. Surely it is just not the level of affluence of an average person the environment but also the number of people that matters. Hence the population growth is the real cause of our country’s ecological problems and we should bear in mind that environment cannot be saved from decay if rapid population growth is not checked.
The Pollution
Pollution has become the hallmark of the present day discussions. On ever so many platforms we hear ever so many people talking about this ogre of Pollution. So much is being talked about it that, not a single day passes without this being the topic touched by all papers and all magazines. I think in this regard we must first clearly understand what is meant by the word pollution. As per the dictionary meaning of the word, pollution means the destroying of the purity or sanctity of a particular thing. To make a thing foul or filthy is what pollution is all about.
The pollution is the gift of all modernities, in all aspects of life. Most commonly we are found to be discussing the pollution of the air. The cause for this is obviously the manifold growth in our transport system. The faster we move, the more mechanically we move and thus the more chances there are of spread of the dragon of pollution.
The air is polluted by the smoke emanating from thousand of vehicles plying the roads daily, a rich gift of modernization in movement. Now, it is also said that, it is the industries that are responsible for polluting the air. Yes, this is quite correct but, let us remember the industries were not established within the precincts of the townships but it was the towns that kept on spreading their wings to the areas of the industries. Now then, it will not be at all fair to ask the industries to be removed.
Where were our town planners when the township continued to expand without any control? It is the town planners who need to be ticked for this and not the owners of industries, and their thousands of workers.
The air pollution has same how been brought under control by converting petrol/diesel driven vehicles in CNG run vehicles. Besides the air pollution in the cities another hazard is noise pollution. Noises emanating machines of small industries, lathe machines, stamping machines and from the horns of vehicles which give out gases is a double attack on the public.
It seems that the drivers of these vehicles are just adept at creating noise with the horns in their control, they blow horns just because the horns are there. For example it is amazing why people blow their horns, when the light is red. Pray, where do they expect the vehicles in front of them to go when the light is red? Shocking are our attitudes which bely any norms of decency and discipline. The noise created by loud speakers is no less on the roads, in the colonies and elsewhere. These noises in different areas of the town are simply deafening.
Another novel method of spreading pollution at least here in India is by making mountains of rubbish get accumulated at all crossroads, in all colonies and all public places. It would be quite wonder when we Indians would really learn the art of keeping clean. We have learnt to keep ourselves clean and shining but friends who will come to clean our neighbourhood? We obviously seem to feel that we owe no responsibility towards our environment. Each one of us is contributing to the dirtying of, and polluting of our environment.
So much for physical pollution, but it is rather astonishing that, we have never on any platform discussed about the pollution of our thinking and mental attitudes. We are becoming just filthy in our attitudes, behaviour and thinking that, we surely need a cleansing spree for this also. This again is the gift of modernization and Westernisation. In the garb of the so called progress, India is losing her high ideals of thought and behaviour, and as we stand to-day, we find ourselves at the threshold of absolute pollution of our thinking processes, and behaviourial norms.
This country which was once the abode of great thinkers, philosophers and rulers is now a filthy conglomeration of criminals and adulterists. Is this not the pollution of the mind? I do wonder why, no well meaning speakers, writers and thinkers of to-day have not yet spelt out anything on this aspect of pollution.
It is now high time that we consider mending our ways for, if we are allowed to get further polluted, a complete annihilation of the original and true Indian is not far to seek. The Indian is fast getting merged with the filth around him, all this in the name of progress. I really do wonder if there can be no progress, no modernization without this pollution of the thinking processes. Let us ponder about it and try to maintain both progress and a clean ethical and moral mind. I am sure great as the country and its people are, we CAN DO IT.
The pollution is the gift of all modernities, in all aspects of life. Most commonly we are found to be discussing the pollution of the air. The cause for this is obviously the manifold growth in our transport system. The faster we move, the more mechanically we move and thus the more chances there are of spread of the dragon of pollution.
The air is polluted by the smoke emanating from thousand of vehicles plying the roads daily, a rich gift of modernization in movement. Now, it is also said that, it is the industries that are responsible for polluting the air. Yes, this is quite correct but, let us remember the industries were not established within the precincts of the townships but it was the towns that kept on spreading their wings to the areas of the industries. Now then, it will not be at all fair to ask the industries to be removed.
Where were our town planners when the township continued to expand without any control? It is the town planners who need to be ticked for this and not the owners of industries, and their thousands of workers.
The air pollution has same how been brought under control by converting petrol/diesel driven vehicles in CNG run vehicles. Besides the air pollution in the cities another hazard is noise pollution. Noises emanating machines of small industries, lathe machines, stamping machines and from the horns of vehicles which give out gases is a double attack on the public.
It seems that the drivers of these vehicles are just adept at creating noise with the horns in their control, they blow horns just because the horns are there. For example it is amazing why people blow their horns, when the light is red. Pray, where do they expect the vehicles in front of them to go when the light is red? Shocking are our attitudes which bely any norms of decency and discipline. The noise created by loud speakers is no less on the roads, in the colonies and elsewhere. These noises in different areas of the town are simply deafening.
Another novel method of spreading pollution at least here in India is by making mountains of rubbish get accumulated at all crossroads, in all colonies and all public places. It would be quite wonder when we Indians would really learn the art of keeping clean. We have learnt to keep ourselves clean and shining but friends who will come to clean our neighbourhood? We obviously seem to feel that we owe no responsibility towards our environment. Each one of us is contributing to the dirtying of, and polluting of our environment.
So much for physical pollution, but it is rather astonishing that, we have never on any platform discussed about the pollution of our thinking and mental attitudes. We are becoming just filthy in our attitudes, behaviour and thinking that, we surely need a cleansing spree for this also. This again is the gift of modernization and Westernisation. In the garb of the so called progress, India is losing her high ideals of thought and behaviour, and as we stand to-day, we find ourselves at the threshold of absolute pollution of our thinking processes, and behaviourial norms.
This country which was once the abode of great thinkers, philosophers and rulers is now a filthy conglomeration of criminals and adulterists. Is this not the pollution of the mind? I do wonder why, no well meaning speakers, writers and thinkers of to-day have not yet spelt out anything on this aspect of pollution.
It is now high time that we consider mending our ways for, if we are allowed to get further polluted, a complete annihilation of the original and true Indian is not far to seek. The Indian is fast getting merged with the filth around him, all this in the name of progress. I really do wonder if there can be no progress, no modernization without this pollution of the thinking processes. Let us ponder about it and try to maintain both progress and a clean ethical and moral mind. I am sure great as the country and its people are, we CAN DO IT.
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