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Prof. M.Ravichandran
Environmental Challenges of
India
A MACRO LEVEL OUTLOOK
Planet Earth exists since 4.5 Billion Years.
Life on Earth started since last 2 Billion Years.
Human beings (homo sapiens) came in to existence since last 2 Million years.
Civilization began since last 5000 years.
Modern Science has been there since last 750 years.
Basic Environmental Facts
1) Forest cover is just 11 per cent
against the desirable 33 per cent according to the National Forest
Policy.
2) India is one of the mega centres of biodiversity in the world.
3) About 16 rivers in the world
experience severe erosion: of
these Ganges stands 2nd and Bramaputra 3rd
5) 10 per cent of Rural & urban
population does not have access
to regular safe drinking water.
4) Population growth will lead to decline in per capita availability of fresh water-
1947---------5150 cubic meter
2000 --------2200 cubic meter
2017 ------- 1600 cubic meter
6) 1 crore suffer due to excess arsenic in water.
7) 7 crore people in 20 states are at risk due to excess fluoride.
8) Air pollution load from transport
sector was 0.15 million tonnes in
1947, which increased to 10.3 million tonnes in 1997.
10) Pollution load from Industrial
sector was 0.2 million tonnes in
1947, 3 million tonnes in 1997.
9) The organic content of the soil at
present is 0.2 per cent, while it was 3 to
3.5 per cent before green revolution.
11) At present, 1.2 billion people world
wide defecate in the open and India has
the uncomfortable distinction of leading
the list with 665 million (2006).
12) A study conducted by the Centre for
Science and Environment revealed that
the GDP in India has gone up by two and
a half times during 1975-95, while
industrial air pollution has gone up by
four times.
13) World Bank estimates the total cost
of Environmental damage in India amounts to U.S $ 9.7 billion
annually or 4.5 per cent of the GDP.
Environmental Challenges
1.Industrial pollution 2.Acid rain 3.Noise pollution 4.Indoor pollution 5.Agricultural pollution 6.Dioxin toxicity 7.Deep sea mining 8.Grain drain 9.Green energy 10.Lost woods
11.Asia brown cloud
12.Domestically prohibited goods.
13.Solid waste disposal
14.Pesticide residues in soft drinks
15.Contamination of drinking water
16.Global Warming-Climate Change
17.Linking of rivers
18. Damage by detergents
19. Slaughter house problem
20. Loss of Biodiversity
21. GMO
22. Mad cow Disease
23. Eco-Sanitation
24. Loss of Common Property Resources(CPRs)
25. E-waste
26. Bio-Fuel and Food Security
Environmental Issues
1. Poverty and environment
2. Population pressure and environment
3. Access to natural resources
4. Sustainable development
5. Internal and external threats
6. Urban environmental problems
7. Rural environmental problems
8. Global problems
GRAIN DRAIN
Fine cereals like rice and wheat are given priority leading to over production. These crops are water intensive, less nutritious and require more inputs for cultivation.
On the other hand, coarse grains like jowar (sorghum), millets like bajra (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), kutki (little millet), kodo (kodo millet), cheena (proso millet), kangani (foxtail millet), pseudocereals like amaranthus, buckwheat, jave (barley),jau (oats) and maize are nutritionally rich, have their own speciality like pest resistance, drought resistance and early maturity.
Projections show that India is the only country with negative growth in coarse grain production.
Public Distribution is also responsible for
the sorry state of affairs.
Global production of coarse grains and projections show that
India would be the only coarse grain producing country with a
negative rate of growth
2 1.7
3.6
1.9
3.4
2.2
2
2.1
-0.4
2.7
3.2
1.5
2
459.36 290.26
41.17
102.33
24.57
229.56
404.77 127.76
29.45 6.66
93.65
78.32
1314.35
426.38 273.44
31.11
92.53
19.62
20.647
375.12 119.08
29.44 6.12
86.13
73.2
1200.13
401.11 262.66
27.35
85.71
16.46
184.89
347.81 110.59
29.76 5.54
78.57
68.18
933.81
Developed countries
USA
Canada
EEC-10
Rest of Europe
East Europe & Russian lederation
Developing Countries
China
India
Thailand
America (Mexico and south)
East Africa
World
1989-05 2005* 2000 1995
Average growth
rate (%) Production (million tonnes) Countries
.
Coarse grains contribute food for 40% of the country‟s population and two-thirds of the livestock population.
Increase in diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension can be taken as the manifestation of the replacement of traditional food with food based on rice and wheat.
The poor varieties of rice and wheat grown in our country contain mostly starch and very few vitamins and minerals; they are also deficient in vitamin A and iron.
Our government is blindly inducing all people to eat these deficient food items by supplying it through PDS, as a result the problem of deficiency of micronutrients like iron, zinc, iodine and vitamins among the poor is on the increase.
M.S.Swaminathan says “ Nutritional security is in very bad shape in our country. Every third child is under weight. There are two types of hunger in our country. You can see open hunger, but hidden hunger, which is due to micronutrient deficiency, is not visible from outside. Both are serious in our country.”
The best option is to diversify part of lands under fine grain cultivation to grow coarse grains.
Coarse grains make good environment and social sense, provide cheap alternatives for regional food security and adequate nutrition to the poorest of poor.
Loss of Access to Common Property Resources : (CPRs)
Resources accessible to and collectively owned/held/managed by an identifiable community and on which no individual has exclusive property rights are called Common Property Resources (NSSO, 2000).
Extent and Decline of Area of CPR land in Dry Regions
1971
(No.)
1951
(No.)
286 101 50 412 7 Tamil Nadu (2)
50 13 55 1849 11 Rajasthan (3)
88 40 31 918 13 Maharashtra (3)
47 14 41 1435 14 Madhya pradesh
(3)
117 46 40 1165 12 Karnataka (4)
238 82 44 587 15 Gujarat (3)
134 48 42 827 10 Andhra Pradesh
(3)
Persons per 10 ha of CPR
Decline in the area of CPRs since 1950-52 (%)
Area of CPRs 1982 –84 (ha)
No. of study
Villages
State (and no. of districts)
17. State owned irrigation water supplies
18. Drinking water
19. Ground water
20. Barren and uncultivable land
21. Cultivable waste
22. Land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves
23. Other then current fallow
24. Drainage canals
25. Channel
26. Cart path
27. Foot path
28. Nattham
29. Anathinam
30. Road and road sides
31. Non tax govt. land
32. Rack/Quarry
1. Community forests
2. Common grazing grounds
3. Tanks and tank beds
4. Tank foreshores
5. Threshing grounds
6. River and river beds
7. Rivulets
8. Waste lands (wet & dry)
9. Waste dumping places
10. Waste drainage
11. Village ponds
12. Burial and burning ground
13. Common drinking water well
14. Urani
15. Small pites
16. Railway lines both sides
•Generally Common Property Resources [CPRs] include
Population Pressure (Human & Livestock)
Land reforms
Economic Development
State Intervention,
Commercialization of the Commons
Privatization of the Commons
Globalization of the Commons
Liberalization of the Commons
Technological Change
Poverty
Environmental Stress
Property Rights
Anti – Poverty Programmes and
Illegal encroachments
Causes of CPRs Degradation
DOMESTICALLY PROHIBITED GOODS (DPG)
Dangerous products undesired at home are called Domestically Prohibited Goods (DPG).
In international parlance, DGPs are defined as products that are either banned or severely restricted for sale in the country of origin but are allowed to be exported to other countries.
Products notified as DGPs include:
Chemicals such as highly toxicliquids, benzene, chlorides, PCTs
and asbestos.
Pharmaceuticals for human and animal use.
Fertilizers, pesticides and other plant protection products.
Substances used in food and food-stuffs such as additives.
Cleansing agents.
Cosmetics and perfumery.
Dangerous substances used in toys and car accessories.
Dangerous products like auto-ignition candles, certain toy planes etc.
Gunpowder, explosives and military equipment.
Radioactive substances. Poisonous and deleterious substances.
Developed countries follow double standards; they allow export of DGPs to developing countries but prohibit import of the same from these countries on the ground that they may contain toxic substances
Import of Mercury
India being the largest importer of Mercury, its consumption has increased five-fold over a period of seven years, from 346 tonnes in 1997-98 to 1386 tonnes un 2002-2003.
Methylmercury is neurotoxic.
Exposure to it causes health hazards like irritation, speech and visual impairment, kidney failure and Alazheimer‟s disease.
Many examples can be cited to point out the irrational dumping of DGPs by the industrialized nations into the poor countries. Toxic wastes, hazardous chemicals, obsolete technologies, are being donated, exported or dumped into developing countries, which are desperate to develop at any cost.
The Rich are guided by the Not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) syndrome, while the poor by the Welcome-in-my –backyard (WIMBY) syndrome. However the poor will choose poison over starvation, because of the impact of poison is slow and less cruel.
The Basel convention
The Basel convention on the control of trans- boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in March 1989 and came into force on the 5th May 1999.
BAMBOO
British Rulers of India, saw bamboo as a rich exploitable resource and declared it as a tree for their own benefit, thereby preventing access to the locals.
Carl von Linne, Swedish botanist and
„Father of Taxonomy‟ classifies bamboo as a grass.
• Indian Forest Act, 1927, declared bamboo as a tree.
• Modern taxonomy classifies bamboo as a giant graminoid or grass belonging to the family Poaceae.
• If regarded as tree- major forest resource- denial of access to forest dwellers.
• If regarded as grass- minor forest resource- natives of forest have right to access.
Carl Von Linne, the father of modern
taxonomy and modern ecology, argued
in favour of bamboo as a giant
graminoid (grass).
Forest Rights Act, 2006, FRA was
passed in the Indian parliament on
13, December 2006.
This act has unfolded the prejudices
against the tribal people.
Government has monopoly to harvest,
use and sell bamboo.
Annual trade of bamboo in India is Rs.
10,000 to Rs. 15,000 crore.
Forms the major raw material for pulp
and paper industry and construction
industry.
Locals use bamboo for subsistence- part
of their livelihood.
Forest departments proclaim cutting and
transporting of bamboo illegal, if done
by locals.
Transit passes and permission to use
bamboo denied to the people who solely
depend on them for existence.
India second richest country in bamboo
resources.
136 species of bamboo in India
9.57 million hectare of bamboo forest
Annual production of 4.7 million tonnes.
Forest communities have nurtured and
protected bamboo for centuries.
Traditionally they use bamboo for
construction of bridges, houses, fences
weapons etc.
It is used as food- tender bamboo shoots
serve as food.
Every day utility items like utensils,
baskets, fans, mats and crafts are
produced for trade.
Government should proclaim bamboo as
a grass and thereby it becomes a minor
forest produce and the locals would have
free access.
Reluctance of State Governments to
forgo the revenue creates delay in
implementation of the amendment in the
Forest Act.
Stakeholders partnership with easy
accessibility would conserve the bamboo
forest and prevent degradation.
Moreover bamboos are the most eco-
friendly material that can combat global
warming
Bamboos sequestrates C02 at a higher rate than any
other tree.
It reduces energy use in construction.
Durable, bio-degradable and non- toxic
High resilience and earth quake proof.
Holistic green energy solution
SUSTAINABLE USAGE – only way to maintain green
growth in the years to come.
Mining Industry and
Environment
India has huge mineral deposits.
Mineral production in 1993-1994 was of
value Rs. 25,000 crore.
In 2005-2006 it has become Rs. 84,000 crore
(more than 70 per cent increase).
India‟s Rank in Global Mining
Industry Commodity Contribution in
percentage Rank in order of quantum production
Mineral Fuels
Coal and lignite 7.65 3
Petroleum 0.93 26
Metallic Minerals
Bauxite 7.04 6
Chromite 17.71 2
Iron Ore 9.92 4
Manganese Ore 7.30 8
Industrial Minerals
Barites 11.47 2
Kyanite, andalusite, silimanite
5.0 4
Magnesite 1.55 9
Apatite and rock phospate 1.02 14
Talc/ steatite/pyrophylite 10.37 3
Mica 1.42 8
State-wise Lease for Major
Minerals State Number of leases Lease area (hectares)
Andhra Pradesh 1482 47,905
Chattisgarh 259 30,353
Goa 396 30,325
Gujarat 1,589 37,457
Haryana 148 16,890
Jharkhand 384 45,185
Karnataka 514 50,902
Madhya Pradesh 1,154 33,465
Maharashtra 220 15,988
Orissa 629 95,532
Rajasthan 1,312 134,832
536 31,667
Impacts of Mining
Forest clearance
Displacement of people
Loss of livelihood
Loss of biodiversity
Water scarcity
Creation of fallow lands
Health hazards
Mineral wealth of our country sold at low cost to outsiders
Landslide, earthquakes, famine
Mining and seismic activity
Mining leaves huge void in earth‟s surface-
this alters the balance of forces on rocks.
Ground collapses in mining areas and
produce seismic waves.
Mining may reactivate the existing faults in
earth and cause quakes.
POSCO
Pohang Iron and Steel Company, (POSCO)
Korea-
US $ 12 billion POSCO project covering 1620
hectare of which 1440 hectare is forest land in
the state of Odisha.
The project envisages a steel plant, power
plant and port. It also requires construction of
300 kms of railway track for transport of ore
from mines to factory through forest area.
Additional 2469 hectares of hilly area in
Khandadhar to be brought under mining.
This major project is for economic
development- according to the Odisha
government.
Locals fight against the project since
conception.
Are they against development?
According to Government the project will
displace only 466 families, about 2,500 people
who will be adequately compensated.
But the forest area is the livelihood for more
than 10,000 to 15,000 people.
The forest of Sundergarh is home to Mundas, Oraons, Paudi- Bhuiyan tribes.
Their livelihood is betel cultivation in the forest land and
other minor forest produce.
Forest Rights Act demands consent from these people before initiation of the project.
The State government says these people are not entitled to this right as they are not traditional forest dwelling community.
Compensation of Rs. 28.75 lakhs per
hectare of acquired land is being offered.
Betel farming provides Rs. 10- 17.5 lakhs
per hectare per year.
The compensation will be equal to 2-3
years of revenue.
POSCO cannot employ locals as they are
not skilled labors.
POSCO may be development but will be
development that takes the livelihood of the
people for whom the project is meant for.
It is a tussle between land based economic
growth as against industrial growth.
POSCO is about GROWTH versus GROWTH.
Loss of Biodiversity
The concept of biodiversity is quite wider in terms of its constituents as it covers all the living components of the extensive ecosystem from the ancient flora and fauna to the recent crops and livestock.
In simple terms the realm of biodiversity comprises plants, animals and micro – organisms.
Basically these are resources both
biological and genetic in forms found
mostly in the tropical forests.
‘Insitu’ and ‘Exsitu’ that is in terms of bio
and genetic forms in the wild, before
being manipulated and developed and
kept in laboratories for further genetic
manipulation.
In situ resources
17%
83%
North South
Natural Division
Forest
Savannah
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
amphibians
Fish
Plants
The developing countries are rich in natural resources
Cultural wisdom
Indigenous
Farmers
Livestock
Crop
Native knowledge lies in mainly in the Southern countries
In situ technology
16%
84%
North South
You sow and we reap
Plant references
Seed Banks
Gardens
Microbial
Biomass
Plant specimens
Seed accessions
Seed Bank species
Zoo/aqua species
Microbial collect
Fungi collect
Resources are of the South but profits and with the North
Ex situ resources
71%
29%
North South
No fair share
Ecologist
Agronomists
Plant tissue culture
Agricultural R&D
biotech
Micro pat
South is way behind in modern technology
Ex situ technology
83%
17%
North South
Essentially the debate boils down to the question of Economics. Only the economic benefits over the use of biodiversity cause much concern for the North and South.
Another facet of Biodiversity Convention is Sociology, quite significant from the point of actual forest dwellers who co-exist with biodiversity.
The North calls these resources as global heritage, seems very magnanimous as for as bio and genetic resources are concerned.
Until 1992, the Northern developed nations had gained accessibility almost freely to the biological resources across the world.
When Biodiversity Conventions was placed in the Earth Summit, for signature, almost 156 member countries had signed barring a few. Most conspicuous exception is the United States of America.
Genetically Modified (GM) Genetically – engineered crops are those which contain a foreign gene. Geneticists today can cut out a gene from anywhere, not necessarily plant and put it into any crop.
These way traits that are not present in the particular crop can be brought in from anywhere: another plant, an animal or even a bacterium.
Genetically Modified Food Are genetically modified organisms (GMO) a panacea for solving the world’s hunger problem or a potential threat to environment in general and human health in particular? This is a tough but a formidable question for discussion.
This needs to be addressed in the backdrop of globalization process, which is an inevitable mechanism in vogue. The socio-politico-economic implications of releasing such crops into the environment need to be assessed critically.
Genetic Engineering
Species
A B C
Cell Cell
Nucleus Nucleus
Chromosome DNA DNA
(Deoxyribonucleic acid) Gene(s) Gene
Germplasm Germplasm New species
BIOTECHNOLOGY
GMOs- Disbenefits Gene escape into the environment causing growth of super weeds.
Destruction of useful insects along with the pests harmful to the crops.
Transgenic crops, which have better growth, might compete with desirable crops leading to their loss.
Unexpected and undesirable change in the ecology of that region.
Experimental errors – cloning wrong genes into the organism.
Insertion of a desired gene sequence may (cause) take place at an undesirable site in the host genome.
– Andhra Pradesh, the state where more than 500 farmers committed suicide after a failed crop in
1998.
– A packet of One kg of Bt cotton is sold at Rs.3000 per kg. This amount is excessively high when
compared to the price of the conventional seed which is sold at Rs.500 per kg.
– According to GEAC rules, a refuge belt- comprising
one-fifth of every field - has to be se up where planting of non- Bt varieties will be mandatory.
References
1. Down To Earth, Science and
Environment Fortnightly, March 31,
2007, p 63.
2. The Hindu, April 9, 2007, Daphne
Wysham and Smith Kothari, „Climate
change will devastate India‟ p11.
3. Leela Raina, TERRAGREEN, Teri, volume
1, Issue 8, November 2008.
4. Citizen's Report, State of India's
Environment, 1991 to 2005, CSE, Delh.
5. Nidhi Janwal, „e-waste Developing countries
are dumpyards for new millennium trash‟, Down to
Earth, Science and Environment Fornightly, Vol 12, No
12, November 15, 2003, p 50-51.
6. Deepa Kozhisseri, „E- waste in real space‟, Down to
Earth, Science and Environment Fornightly, Vol 13,No
21, March 31, 2005,p 42-43.
THANK YOU
Dr.M.Ravichandran
Professor & Head
Department of Environmental Management
Bharathidasan University
Tiruchirappalli-620 024
Mobile: 98425 25728
e.mail: muruguravi@yahoo.co.in
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