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ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH IN INDIA

Introduction
Environmental pollution is one of the serious problems
faced by the people inthe country, especially in urban
areas, which not only experiences a rapidgrowth of
population due tohigh fertility, low mortality and
increasing rural-urban migration, but
alsoindustrializationwhich is accompanied by
growing number of vehicles. In India, the
rapidincrease of human numbers combines with
desperate poverty to deplete andpollute local resource
bases on which the livelihood of present and
futuregenerations depends. Though the relationship
is complex, population sizeand growth tend to
expand and accelerate these human impacts on
theenvironment. According to the World Development
Indicators report in 1997,1.5 billion people live
exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, 1
billionlive without clean water and 2 billion live without
sanitation. The increase
of p o p u l a t i o n h a s b e e n t e n d i n g t o w a r d s a l a r m
i n g s i t u a t i o n . T h e wo r l d ' s population
was estimated to be 6.14 billion in mid 2001
and projected 7.82billion and 9.04 billion in the year
2025 and 2050 respectively. Contributionof India alone
to this population was estimated to be 1033 millions
in mid2001 which has been projected 1363 millions and
1628 millions in 2025 and2050
respectively. (2001 World Population Data Sheet).
According to theprovisional results of the Census of
India 2001, the population of India on 1
st
March 2001 is 1027 millions. If the world population
continues to multiply,the impact on environment could
be devastating. Population impacts on theenvironment
primarily through the use of natural resources
andproduction of wastes and is associated with
environmental stresses likebiodiversity, air and
water pollution and increased pressure on arable
land.India is the world's sixth largest and second
fastest growing producer of greenhouse gases.
Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are three of the world's
tenmost populated cities. Two-thirds of city dwellers
lack sewerage, one-thirdlack potable water. India
grows equivalent of another New York City
everyyear in its urban population. By the year 2000,
more than 350 million Indianswill live in cities. In 15
years, more than half of Indians will be
urban dwellers;1/3 will be slum dwellers and squatters
(downloaded from http:// www.usaid.gov/in/
programareas / environm.htm).India is one of the most
degraded environment countries in the world and
itis paying heavy health and economic price for it.
According to a World
Banks p o n s o r e d s t u d y , e s t i m a t e d e n v i r o n m e n t
a l d a m a g e i n t h e y e a r 1 9 9 2 amounted
to about US $ 10 billion or Rs. 34,000 crores,
which is 4.5 % of GDP. Urban air pollution costs India
US $ 1.3 billion a year. Water degradationleads to
health costs amounting to US $ 5.7 million every
year, nearly 60percent of the total environmental cost.
Soil erosion affects 83 to 163 millionhectares of land
every year. Beside, land degradation leads to
productivity
loss equal to US $ 2.4 billion or 4 to 6.3 p
e r c e n t o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l productivity every year
(UNDP 1998). The lack of services such as water
supply, sanitation, drainage of storm water,
treatmentand disposal of waste water, management
of solid and hazardous wastes,supply of safefood,
water and housing are all unable to keep pace with
urban growth. Allthese in turnlead to an increase in
the pollution levels. Also the unplanned location
of industries inurban and sub-urban areas followed by
traffic congestion, poor housing, poordrainageand
garbage accumulation causes serious pollution
problems. However, allthese factorstogether not only
lead to deteriorating environmental conditions
but alsohave adverseeffects on the health of people.
The peoples in environment polluted areasare
infectedby pollution related diseases. Due to air pollution
the incidence of respiratorydiseaseslead to increase and
water pollution triggers the number of patients
sufferingfrom acutewater borne diseases. Hence it
have been the main areas of concern
fordemographers,ecologists, planners and policy
makers over the recent past. The presentpaper is
anattempt to examine population growth, increas
ing urbanization and itsinfluence on theenvironment
and health of the people.
Acknowledgement
The impact of human settlement in the Colu
m b i a R i v e r B a s i n i s r a r e l y incorporated into fish
and wildlife planning. The Fish and Wildlife
Programimplicitly assumes a level base case of human
development as do most
fishand wildlife planning processes, including the
Biological Opinion for theF e d e r a l C o l u m b i a R
iver Power System. Demographic issues a
r e o n l y infrequently addressed in subbasin plan
s through acknowledgement thatpopulation growth
is a factor limiting quality habitat.However, several
dimensions of human development are changing in
waysthat make it an important consideration.
Regional population is increasing,settling the
landscape in new patterns, and converting land to new
economicuses. These trends have
unevenly distributed impacts throughout the
basinwith direct implications for fish
and wildlife conservation, mitigation, andrecovery.

The completion of the first round of subbasi


n p l a n n i n g , t h e i n c r e a s i n g emphasis on
ecosystem-based management, and the uncertainty
introducedb y c l i m a t e c h a n g e a l l m a k e h u m
a n p o p u l a t i o n g r o w t h a r e l e v a n t considerat
ion to fish and wildlife recovery planning in the
Columbia RiverBasin. The incorporation of
population issues into fish and wildlife planningwill
help the region frame recovery actions in a broader
and more relevantcontext. It will also assist in the
identification of the types, location, and intensity
of potential human impacts on fish and wildlife.For
these reasons, this report addresses the issue of
human population andits impact on fish and wildlife
restoration in the Columbia River Basin.
SectionII presents historical population trends an
d future projections at global,n a t i o n a l , a n d r e g i
onal levels. Section III addresses the mecha
n i s m s o f population impact on the natural
environment. Section IV describes
specificp o p u l a t i o n i m p a c t s i n t h e C o l u m b i a
R i v e r B a s i n o n t h e b i o p h y s i c a l environment,
water, forests, agriculture, mining, electric power,
fisheries
anda q u a t i c r e s o u r c e s , a n d wi l d l i f e . S e c t i o n V
d i s c u s s e s p o p u l a t i o n - d r i v e n outside-basin
influences on fish and wildlife habitat. These influences
includeinternational trade, shipping, aquatic invasive
species, dredging, airbornepollution and transport of
hazardous materials. Section VI provides
examplesof processes and tools for incorporating
human population into fish andw i l d l i f e p l a n n i
ng. Section VII presents key findings on t
h e n a t u r e o f population growth, the impact of
population growth on fish and wildlife, andprotections
for fish and wildlife. Section VII also contains
recommendationsfor planning processes and tools
that account for population effects on fishand wildlife
restoration.
Demographic characteristics of
the population of India
India is the second most populous country in the
world after China. Indiasupports 16.87percent of
the world's population on its meager 2.4 percent
world surfacearea of
135.79m i l l i o n s q u a r e k m s . T h e s e l e c t e d d e m o
g r a p h i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e population of
Indiaare presented in Table 1. At the time of
independence country's populationwas 342million. The
countrys population size had grown from 361 million in
1951 toaround 846million in 1991 and 1027 million
in 2001. The population of India almost trippled
duringthe period of 1951-2001. The phenomenal
increase in the population duringthe last fiftyyears has
led to rapid industrialization and high rate of
urbanization whichhave created

tremendous pressure on natural resources like land,


air and water. The urbanpopulationhas increased three
and half times, from 62.4 million in 1951 to 217.6
millionin 1991 andit again increased to 288 million in
2001. The percentage of urban populationincreasedfrom
17.28 percent in 1951 to 23.33 percent in 1981, 25.71
percent in 1991and whichfurther increased to 28
percent in 2001. The decadal growth rates of
thepopulation areirregular, as it increased from 13.31
percent in 1951 to 24.8 percent in 1971andafterwards it
marginally declined to 24.7 percent in 1981, 23.9
percent in1991 and 21.34percent in 2001. The urban
growth lead to an increase in the pollution levelsand
exposespopulation to serious environmental health
hazards. Environmental pollutionin urbanareas is
associated with excessive morbidity and mortality.
Overcrowding andinadequatehousing contribute to
pollution related diseases such as respiratory
diseases,acute waterborne diseases, tuberculosis,
meningitis and various other diseases. Lack
of opportunitiesfor gainful employment in villages and
the ecological stresses is leading toan
everincreasingmovement of poor families to towns.
Mega cities are emerging and urbanslums are
expanding. There has been three and half times
increase in urbanpopulationover 1951-
1991. During the past two decades of 1971-
91, India's urbanpopulation hasdoubled from 109
million to 218 million and is estimated to reach 300
millionby 2000 AD.Such rapid and unplanned expansion
of cities has resulted in degradation
of urbane n v i r o n m e n t . I t h a s wi d e n e d t h e g a p b
e t we e n d e m a n d a n d s u p p l y o f infrastructureserv
ices such as energy, housing, transport, commu
nication, education, water supply
andsewerage and recreational activities, thus de
pleted the precious scarceenvironmentalresource
base of the cities. The result is the growing trend in
air and waterquality,generation of wastes, and the
proliferation of slums and undesirable land usechanges,
allof which contribute to urban poverty.

Poverty is said to be both cause and effect of


environment degradation. Thepoor people,who rely on
natural resources more than the rich, deplete natural
resourcesfaster as theyhave no real prospects of
gaining access to other types of resources.
Poorerpeople, whocannot meet their subsistence
needs through purchase, are forced to
usecommonproperty resources such as forests for food
and fuel, pastures for fodder, andponds andrivers for
water. Clean drinking water facility through taps is
available to only35 percent
of u r b a n h o u s e h o l d s a n d 1 8 p e r c e n t o f r u r a l h
o u s e h o l d s i n I n d i a . O t h e r residents useunsafe
water sources like wells, ponds and rivers. Population
pressure drivenoverexploitation of the surface and
underground water resources by the poorhas resultedinto
contamination and exhaustion of the water resources.
Urban populationis also usingrivers to dispose of
untreated sewage and industrial effluent. The result
isthat health of those dependents on untreated water
resources is increasing at risk. In theabsence
of capital resources, the poor are directly depen
dent on natural resources.Moreoverdegraded
environment can accelerate the process of
impoverishment, againbecause thepoor
depend directly on natural assets. Although there
has been significantdrop in thepoverty ratio in
the country from 55 percent in 1973 to 36 percent
in 1993-94, theabsolute number of poor have,
however, remained constant at around 320million
overthe years. Acceleration in poverty alleviation is
imperative to break this linkbetweenpoverty and the
environment. The poverty and rapid population
growth arefound
tocoexist and thus seems to reinforcing each oth
er. It also contributes toenvironmentaldegradation
through over exploitation of natural resources like land,
air andwater. Thedeterioration of natural resources
and unsafe living conditions affects
theenvironmentand health of the poor people.
Deforestation

Forests are an important natural resource of Ind


ia. They have moderateinfluenceagainst floods and
thus they protect the soil erosion. Forests also play
animportant
rolei n e n h a n c i n g t h e q u a l i t y o f e n v i r o n m e n t b
y i n f l u e n c i n g t h e e c o l o g i c a l balance and
lifesupport system (checking soil erosion,
maintaining soil fertility,
conservingwater,regulating water cycles and floods,
balancing carbon dioxide and oxygencontent
inatmosphere etc. India has a forest
cover of 76.52 million square kms. of recorded
forestarea, while only 63.34 million square kms.
can be classified as actual forestcover.
Thisaccounts for 23.28 percent of total geographi
c area against 33 percentrecommendedby National
Forest Policy of 1988. Per capita availability of forests in
India ismuchlower than the world average. In the
year 1997, as compared to 1993, thetotal
forestc o v e r h a s d e c r e a s e d b y 6 7 1 0 S q . K m s .
T h e s t a t e s , w h i c h h a v e s h o wn significantdecline
in the forest covers, are Andhra Pradesh and M
adhya Pradesh.Whereas thestates of Gujrat,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal
have shown anincrease inforest cover (Table 2).In 1981-
83, only 11.2 percent of country's total land area,
comprises denseforest with acrown density of more
than 40 percent, thus reflecting a qualitative declineof
forests inthe country. The total forest area diverted for
non-forestry purposes between1950 and1980 was 4.5
million hectares i.e. at an annual rate of 0.15 million
hectare. To
regulateu n a b a t e d d i v e r s i o n o f f o r e s t l a n d f o r
n o n - f o r e s t r y p u r p o s e s , F o r e s t (Conservation)
Act,1980 was enacted. It has resulted in reduction of
diversion of forest area fornonforestrypurposes
considerably and the present rate of diversion is 16,000
hectareannually (Economic Survey of India, 1998
-99). Continuing deforestation,therefore,
hasbrought us face to face with a major ecological and
socio-economic crisis.

air by the activity of mankind into concentrations


sufficient to cause harmfuleffects tohealth, property,
crop yield or to interfere with the enjoyment of
property".Some of
themost important air pollutants are suspended p
articulate matter (SPM),nitrogen oxides(NO
X
), carbon monoxide (CO), lead, sulphur dioxide (SO
2
) etc. (Table 4). Theurban airpollution has grown
across India in the last decade is alarming. The
mainfactorsaccounts to urban air quality deterioration
are growing industrialization andincreasingvehicular
pollution, industrial emissions, automobile exhaust and
the burningof fossilfuels kills thousands and lives
many more to suffer mainly from
respiratorydamage,heart and lung diseases. Accor
ding to a pollution related studies in thecommunit
y andpatients at the K.E.M. Hospital,
Mumbai over the last twenty years haveevaluated
thefull extent of the
correlation and damage to human health (Kamat
andMahasur, 1997).According to a study, 84.000
deaths were directly attributable to outdoor airpollution
inIndian cities (WHO, 1996). At the same time,
indoor air pollution accountedfor 496,000deaths in
villages and 93,000 deaths in cities (WHO, 1997). It
is found thatthe areaaround RSP village, Jharia ranks
fifth and FCI (Fertilizer Corporation of
India)Hospital,Sindri ranks eighth among the top ten
locations with highest annual meanconcentrations of
Nitrogen Oxides (NO
X
), having 54 and 46 micro grams percubicmeters
respectively. Apart from this, the suspended particulate
matter (SPM)level
inR S P C o l l e g e , J h a r i a i s t h e f o u r t h h i g h e s t i n
I n d i a ( A n o n 1 9 9 5 ) . A s t u d y conducted byCenter
for Science and Environment from 1987 to 1998, to
understand thetrend of airpollution in Delhi based on
three major pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogenoxide
andSPM. It shows an increasing trend, though
fluctuations are noticed in terms of annualmaximum
levels. According to the studies conducted by
Center for ScienceandEnvironment, total SPM
levels are not only always above the standard
butthere are

days when they have reached nearly seventeen times


the standard. A WorldBankstudy conducted in 1995
revealed that if the air pollution is controlled
inCalcuttaaccording to the guidelines of World
Health Organization (WHO), lives of 5726
personsmay be saved from premature death and of
30 lakhs people may also to besaved to beadmitted to
hospital.
Vehicular pollution
Transport activities have a wide variety of effects
on the environment suchas
airp o l l u t i o n , n o i s e f r o m r o a d t r a f f i c . T r a n s p o r t
i n f r a s t r u c t u r e i n I n d i a h a s expandedconsiderably
in terms of network and services. Thus road transport
accountsfor a majorshare of air pollution load in
mega cities. In most urban areas of India,
airpollution
haswo r s e n e d d u e t o t r a f f i c c o n g e s t i o n , p o o r h
o u s i n g , p o o r s a n i t a t i o n a n d drainage
andg a r b a g e a c c u m u l a t i o n . T h e e n v i r o n m e n t a l
e f f e c t s o f f u e l s l i k e o i l a n d petroleumproducts
are of growing concern owing to increasing consumption
levels. Thecombustion of these fuels in vehicles has
been a major source of pollution.With theincreasing
vehicles in country, the vehicular pollution has also
increased anditaccounts for a considerable share of
vehicular pollution in India. The differentfactorsare the
types of engines used, the age of the vehicles,
poor road conditionsandcongested traffic. They add to
air pollution in cities, which is a major cause
of respiratory diseases. The principal vehicular
pollutants are Carbon Monoxide,Oxides of Nitrogen,
Hydrocarbons, suspended particulate matters, a varying
amount of SulphurDioxide depending on the Sulphur
content of the fuel and lead compounds.. Table
5presents the registered motor vehicles in India
during 1950-51 to 1995-96. The totalnumber of
registered vehicles in India has increased from 3 million
in 1950-51 to morethan 33 million in 1995-96, of
which about 28 percent are concentrated inthe 23
metropolitan cities of India (Motor Transport
Statistics of India, 1997). Thenumber of registered
two wheelers rose from just 0.27 million in 1950-51 to
more than231 millionin 1991. The number of cars, jeeps
and taxis also registered an increase from1.59million in
1950-51 to 41.89 million in 1991. The number of
registered trucksand busesalso registered an increase
from 0.82 million in 1950-51 to 17.85 million in1991
and0.34 million in 1950-51 to more than 4.49 million in
1991 respectively. Themajor shareis contributed by
metropolitan cities in all registered vehicles in the
country.An increasein vehicular pollution is associated
with a number of environmental problemslike airpollution
and global warming. Technical pollution parameters
suggest thattwo wheelersare more polluting as
compared to other motor vehicles. Carbon
Monoxide,Oxides
of N i t r o g e n , H y d r o c a r b o n s , s u s p e n d e d a n d p a
r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r s , a v a r y i n g amount
of Sulphur Dioxide depending on the
Sulphur content of the fuel and leadcompounds
arethe major vehicular pollutants.As a result of
urbanization in India, pressure on urban transport is
likely toincreasesubstantially in this new millennium.
It has been attempted to evaluate thefuturetransport
scenario to forecast the vehicle air pollution levels.
Following aresome of thepoints of due consideration:
India is expected to have 31 metro cities by 2001 and 51
by 2021. The number of vehicles on Indian roads
is estimated to increase by ninetimesby the tune of
the century out of which 65 % to 70 % shall be two
wheelersorthree wheelers. Urban transport demand
is expected to grow by 2.6 times by 2016 at
theexistingmodel split in larger medium sized cities. At
the existing model split, the urban air quality is expected
to deterioratefaster in the 21
st
century, as two-wheeler population would be as
high as86.13 % of the total vehicles used for passenger
transportation. By the year 2001, CO emission levels
are likely to rise seven times andthat of hydrocarbons by
nine times. The levels of other major pollutants are

percent in 1950-51 to 19 percent in 1995-96. The share


of nuclear power isnominal. This clearly indicates that
burning of fossil fuels, especially coals, emits lot
of carbon
dio x i d e i n t h e a t m o s p h e r e a n d l e a d s t o g l o b a l
wa r m i n g . T h e p e r c a p i t a commercialenergy use in
India has increased from 137 Kg of oil equivalent in
1980 to248 Kg of oilequivalent in 1994 and it again
increased to 476 Kg of oil equivalent in
1996(WorldDevelopment Indicators, 1997). The
energy consumption in India would bequite
higha n d t h u s s t r i c t e r c o m m a n d s a n d c o n t r o l s ,
t e c h n i c a l i n n o v a t i o n s a n d application of
10
efficient pollution abatement technology for vehi
cular and industrial airpollution
couldhelp in reduction of atmospheric pollution.
A considerable amount of airpollution resultsfrom
burning of fossil fuels. Moreover the resources for
fossil fuels are alsolimited thusexploration of
alternate energy resources would provide the way
out. Thusincreasedpopulation and increased per
capita commercial energy use would worsenthe
nationalas well as global atmospheric pollution.An
automobile exhaust accounts a sizable part of
pollution. Their effect
onhumanhealth is particularly of concern. There i
s a strong correlation betweenaverage bloodlead
levels and the lead content in gasoline.
Hydrocarbons present in theexhaust,particularly, in
vehicles with poor combustion cause respiratory
problems. Table 7shows estimated annual episodes
of illness and premature deaths due toambient
SPMin the air in four largest cities of India. It can be
inferred from the table thatboth, theillness and
premature deaths have risen significantly in less than
five years.About 15 to18 million children in developing
countries are affected by high levels of leadin
theirblood, which could be the result of emissions
from vehicle exhaust and arelikely tosuffer from related
illness (Kapoor, 1997).
Water pollution

Water is among the most essential requisites that


nature has provided tosustain life onearth. About 80%
of earth's surface are covered by water. The
deterioratingquality
of w a t e r i s c r e a t i n g v a r i o u s p r o b l e m s f o r t h
e m a n k i n d . T h e g r o w t h i n population, about
90percent of which will occur in urban areas, will also
increase the demand forwater fordomestic and
industrial use and treatment of wastes. Water
pollution
fromdomesticand human wastewater is the
main cause for much severe water bornediseases
.
Theindustrial water pollution is due to inadequat
e measures adopted in theindustry for
thea b a t e m e n t o f p o l l u t i o n . I n a d e q u a t e d i s p o s
a l o f u r b a n w a s t e a n d o p e n dumping of garbage
contaminates surface and ground water.Water and
sanitation services are basic necessities of a community
and
aremostessential conditions for development, as
they play an important role inimproving healthand
quality of life. Inadequate water and sanitation
coverage is one of themost
seriousenvironmental problems (Sumeet, p 123).
It has been estimated that 80percent of
thediseases in the world are associated with water
usage or poor environmentalhygiene(Sumeet p. xvii).
In India, water pollution comes from three main
sources:domesticsewage, industrial effluents and
run-off from activities such as agriculture. The
largescale use of pesticides may have
revolutionized food production, but
thesechemicalsare responsible for more than 2 million
human poisonings every year with aresultant20,000
deaths (WHO,
1986).Polluting a river is dangerous because gen
erally, rivers are the primarysource of drinking
water for towns and cities downstream of the
point of pollution.Broadly, thecauses of water
pollution can be attributed to: Urbanization
Industrialization Withdrawal of wastes Agricultural run-
off and improper agricultural practices

Religious and social practicesAccording to the


scientists at the National Environmental
Engineering andResearchInstitute, a staggering 70%
of the available water in India is polluted. Onlyfive
states,Maharashtra, Gujrat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal, generate morethan 63%of the
total waste water in India as they lack treatment
facilities (Down toEarth, July 15,p.19). Sewage
generated from 25 heavy polluting cities and towns
accountfor about 75percent of the pollution load in the
river. The Yamuna with 200 million litresof
untreatedmuck being dumped in it everyday by Delhi's
Sewerage System has becomeone of themost polluted
rivers in the world (Down to Earth, June 30, 2000,
p.55). The increasing river water pollution is the biggest
threat to public health. Thediseasescommonly
caused due to polluted water are cholera,
diarrhoea, hepatitis,typhoidamoebic and bacillary, d
ysentery, guineaworm, whereas scabies, leprosy,tra
chomaand conjucvitis are some of the diseases
associated with water scarcity. Allthese
couldb e a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e r a p i d l y i n c r e a s i n g p o
p u l a t i o n a n d l a c k o f wa t e r resources.Inadequate
access to safe drinking water and sanitation
facilities leads tohigher infantmortality and intestinal
diseases. More than one million children died due
todiarrhoeaand other gastrointestinal disorders
in 1990s. In addition, around 90 lakhcases of
acutediarrhoeal diseases have been reported in India,
Uttar Pradesh reporting
thehighestn u m b e r o f c a s e s ( C e n t r a l B u r e a u o f
H e a l t h I n v e s t i g a t i o n , 1 9 9 6 ) . I t i s estimated that
73million workdays are lost every year due to water
related diseases. The costof treatingthem and the loss
in production amount to Rs. 600 crores a year
(Citizen'sReport,1982).
Summary and conclusions

Rapid population growth continues to be a matter of


concern for the countryas it hasmanifold effects, one of
the most important being environment
degradation. Theoutcomes of excessive population are
industrialization and urbanization.
Thestudyreveals that rapid population growth has
led to the overexploitation of natural
resources. The deforestation has led to the shrinking
of forest cover, which eventuallyaffectshuman
health. The considerable magnitude of air pollution
in the countryalso pulls upthe number of people
suffering from respiratory diseases and many a
timesleading todeaths and serious health hazards.
The situation is also similar for water pollution,
asboth ground water and surface water
contamination leads to various waterbornediseases.
From the various effects of environmental
degradation on humanbeings,discussed in this
paper, it appears that if human beings wants to
exist onearth, there isn o w h i g h t i m e t o g i v e t o p
priority to control pollution of all types for
a healthy living. Itcan be said that even after fifty
years of independence, India is unable toachieve
thed e s i r a b l e s t a n d a r d s o f h e a l t h f o r i t s p o p
u l a t i o n a s c o n s e q u e n c e s o f environmentdegrad
ation. There is a need to control population growth
in the country. Special effortsshould bemade for
educating the general mass and local leaders about
the adverseeffects of large population through specially
designed IEC (Information, Education
andCommunication) activities. In order to increase green
cover and to preservethe existingforests, afforestation
and social forestry programmes should be
implementedat thelocal level. Further, measures to
control air pollution should be
intensifiedthroughoutthe country. Wastewater treatment
plants be established in accordance withthe needof
time and its usage should be encouraged. The
heavy penalty should beimposed on

industries disposing off the wastes into the river.


Moreover, the landfills areto beproperly managed to
prevent ground water contamination. Since slums
areone of
them a j o r s o u r c e s o f wa t e r p o l l u t i o n p r o p e r m
e a s u r e s s h o u l d b e t a k e n t o facilitate theslums
with water and sanitation facilities. More emphasis
should be laid oncompulsoryenvironmental education
at the school level in order to make people aware
of thee n v i r o n m e n t p r o t e c t i o n . T h e e n v i r o n m e n
t p r o t e c t i o n s h o u l d n o t b e a responsibility
of government alone but mass and local leaders should
be encouraged to makededicatedefforts to eradicate
the environmental problems. To sum up, it may be
emphasized that the environment is neither a free
giftof environmental goods and services, nor it can be
thought of as just a sink fordepositingof waste products
from houses, industries and other sources. It is the need
of time toprotect environment for the present and future
generation.

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