The environmental problems in India are growing rapidly.

The increasing economic

development and a rapidly growing population that has taken the country from 300
million people in 1947 to more than one billion people today is putting a strain on the
environment, infrastructure, and the country’s natural resources. Industrial pollution, soil
erosion, deforestation, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and land degradation are all
worsening problems. Overexploitation of the country's resources be it land or water and
the industrialization process has resulted environmental degradation of resources.
India's per capita carbon dioxide emissions were roughly 3,000 pounds (1,360
kilograms) in 2007, according to the study. That's small compared to China and the
U.S., with 10,500 pounds (4,763 kilograms) and 42,500 pounds (19,278 kilograms)
respectively that year. The study said that the European Union and Russia also have
more emissions than India. India has been ranked as seventh most environmentally
hazardous country in the world by a new ranking released recently. The study is
based on evaluation of “absolute” environment impact of 179 countries, whose data
was available and has been done by researchers in Harvard, Princeton, Adelaide
University and University of Singapore 0n January 12, 2011. Brazil was found to be
worst on environmental indicators whereas Singapore was the best. United States was
rated second worst and China was ranked third.

The rapid growing population and economic development is leading to a number of

environmental issues because of the uncontrolled growth of urbanization and
industrialization, expansion and massive intensification of agriculture, and the destruction
of forests.

AIR POLLUTION (color change for heading)

The World Health Organization estimates that about two million people die
prematurely every year as a result of air pollution, while many more suffer from
breathing ailments, heart disease, lung infections and even cancer.Fine particles or
microscopic dust from coal or wood fires and unfiltered diesel engines are rated as one of
the most lethal forms or air pollution caused by industry, transport, household heating,
cooking and ageing coal or oil-fired power stations. There are four reasons of air
pollution are - emissions from vehicles, thermal power plants, industries and refineries.
The problem of indoor air pollution in rural areas and urban slums has increased.
CNG is not without environmental drawbacks says a new Central Pollution
Control Board study on January 05, 2011. The study says burning CNG has the
highest rates of potentially hazardous carbonyl emissions. Air pollution affects
everyone. Every day, the average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air.

United States Comparison of Growth Areas and Emissions, 1980-2008

 Children are very sensitive to the effects of air pollution. Children's lungs are still
developing and polluted air may contribute to permanent lung damage. Children
breathe more rapidly than do adults, and inhale more pollution per pound of body
weight than adults. Therefore, their lungs have a greater chance for being exposed to
harmful air pollutants.
SMOG

Smog is a kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau ( a word or

morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded
meaning) of smoke and fog.
"Smog" refers to a noxious mixture of air pollutants that can often be seen as a haze in
the air. A temperature inversion occurs when air close to the earth is cooler than the air
above it. Under these conditions the pollution cannot rise and be dispersed. Cities
surrounded by mountains also experience trapping of pollution. Inversion can happen in
any season. Winter inversions are likely to cause particulate and cabon monoxide
pollution. Summer inversions are more likely to create smog. Particularly vulnerable to
smog are people with heart or lung disease, the elderly and small children. The two
main ingredients in smog that affect our health are ground-level ozone and fine airborne
particles.
Ground-level Ozone

Ground-level ozone is a colorless

and highly irritating gas that
forms just above the earth's
surface. It is called a "secondary"
pollutant because it is produced
when two primary pollutants
react in sunlight and stagnant air.
These two primary pollutants are
nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
volatile organic compounds (VOC). NOx and VOC come from natural sources as well as
human activities.

NOx are nitrogen-oxygen compounds that include the gases nitric oxide and nitrogen
dioxide, and are produced mostly by burning fossil fuels. VOC are carbon-containing
gases and vapors such as gasoline fumes (but excluding carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons).

Acid Rain

"Acid rain" is a broad term referring to

a mixture of wet and dry deposition
(deposited material) from the
atmosphere containing higher than
normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric
acids. The precursors, or chemical
forerunners, of acid rain formation
result from both natural sources, such
as volcanoes and decaying vegetation,
and man-made sources, primarily
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) resulting from fossil fuel
combustion. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water,
oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild
solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are
released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds
across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles

The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect, also referred to as global warming, is generally believed to come
from the build up of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced
when fuels are burned. Plants convert carbon dioxide back to oxygen, but the release of
carbon dioxide from human activities is higher than the world's plants can process.
Changes of even a few degrees will affect us all through changes in the climate and even
the possibility that the polar ice caps may melt.

Ozone depletion

Ozone depletion is another result of pollution. Chemicals released by our activities affect
the stratosphere , one of the atmospheric layers surrounding earth. The ozone layer in the
stratosphere protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Release of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) from aerosol cans, cooling systems and refrigerator
equipment removes some of the ozone, causing "holes"; to open up in this layer and
allowing the radiation to reach the earth. Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin
cancer and has damaging effects on plants and wildlife.

Travel and Air pollution

Vehicle emissions are responsible for 70% of the country’s air pollution. The major
problem with government efforts to safeguard the environment has been enforcement at
the local level, not with a lack of laws. Air pollution from vehicle exhaust and industry is
a worsening problem for India.

1 round trip flight from NY to LA = 2,000 pounds of CO2.

Aircraft pollutants: According to a study published in the

journal Environmental Science and Technology (EST) in the first week of October
2010, almost 8,000 people will die due to aircraft pollutants this year, and 3,500 of
them would be from India and China.

The effects of air pollution are obvious: rice crop yields in southern India are falling as
brown clouds block out more and more sunlight. And the brilliant white of the famous
Taj Mahal is slowly fading to a sickly yellow. In the “Tajmahal Case” a very strong step
was taken by Supreme Court to save the Tajmahal being polluted by fumes and more
than 200 factories were closed down. Birds and species affected badly.
 Indoor Air Pollution

We usually think of air

pollution as being outdoors, but
the air in your house or office
could also be polluted. Sources
of indoor pollution include
Biological contaminants like
mold and pollen Tobacco
smoke Household products and
pesticides Gases such as radon
and carbon monoxide Materials
used in the building such as
asbestos, formaldehyde and
lead

Water Pollution

Water pollution is the introduction into fresh or ocean waters

of chemical, physical, or biological material that degrades the
quality of the water and affects the organisms living in it.
 This process ranges from simple addition of dissolved or suspended solids to discharge of
the most insidious and persistent toxic pollutants (such as pesticides, heavy metals, and
nondegradable, bioaccumulative, chemical compounds).

Contaminated and polluted water now kills more people than all forms of violence
including wars, according to a United Nations report released on March 22, 2010 on
World Water Day that calls for turning unsanitary wastewater into an
environmentally safe economic resource. According to the report -- titled "Sick
Water?" -- 90 percent of wastewater discharged daily in developing countries is
untreated, contributing to the deaths of some 2.2 million people a year from
diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene. At least 1.8
million children youngerthan 5 die every year from water-related diseases. The
Mithi River, which flows through the city of Mumbai, is heavily polluted. The frothy
brew is so glaring that it can be viewed on Google Earth.

Fully 80 percent of urban waste in India ends up in the country's rivers, and unchecked
urban growth across the country combined with poor government oversight means the
problem is only getting worse. A growing number of bodies of water in India are unfit
for human use, and in the River Ganga, holy to the country's 82 percent Hindu majority,
is dying slowly due to unchecked pollution.

Examples of Water Pollution

• Industrial PollutionWater is discharged from after having been used in production

processes. This waste water may contain acids, alkalis, salts, poisons, oils and in some
cases harmful bacteria.
• Mining and Agricultural WastesMines, especially gold and coal mines, are responsible
for large quantities of acid water. Agricultural pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides may
wash into rivers and stagnant water bodies.
• Sewage Disposal and Domestic WastesSewage as well as domestic and farm wastes were
often allowed to pollute rivers and dams.
Water pollution is a serious global Problem. It is the leading worldwide cause of deaths
and diseases and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.

COLOR CHANGE KAR DIYO

To know why 1,000 Indian children die of diarrhoeal sickness every day, take a wary
stroll along the Ganges in Varanasi. As it enters the city, Hinduism’s sacred river
contains 60,000 faecal coliform bacteria per 100 millilitres, 120 times more than is
considered safe for bathing. Four miles downstream, with inputs from 24 gushing sewers
and 60,000 pilgrim-bathers, the concentration is 3,000 times over the safety limit. In
places, the Ganges becomes black and septic. Corpses, of semi-cremated adults or
enshrouded babies, drift slowly by.

– The Economist on December 11, 2008

Plastic Pollution Plastic bags, plastic thin sheets and plastic waste is also a major
source of pollution. From January 20, 2011 sale of plastic or polythene bags has
been banned.

Municipal solid waste India’s urban population slated to increase from the current
330 million to about 600 million by 2030, the challenge of managing municipal solid
waste (MSW) in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner is bound
to assume gigantic proportions. The country has over 5,000 cities and towns, which
generate about 40 million tonnes of MSW per year today. Going by estimates of The
Energy Research Institute (TERI), this could well touch 260 million tonnes per year
by 2047.

Municipal solid waste India’s urban population slated to increase from the current
330 million to about 600 million by 2030, the challenge of managing municipal solid
waste (MSW) in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner is bound
to assume gigantic proportions. The country has over 5,000 cities and towns, which
generate about 40 million tonnes of MSW per year today. Going by estimates of The
Energy Research Institute (TERI), this could well touch 260 million tonnes per year
by 2047.

Pollution due to biomedical waste Pollution due to biomedical waste is likely to

spread disease dangerous to life and making atmosphere noxious to health. In early
April, 2010 a machine from Delhi University containing cobalt-60, a radioactive
metal used for radiotherapy in hospitals, ended up in a scrap yard in the city.

Trend of fertilizer consumption in India (1951 – 2000)

Summary of the Major Annual Environmental Costs for India [Total = US$ 9.7
billion]

Poverty is the biggest polluter

The United States, with under 5 percent of the world’s population, accounts
for more than 20 percent of total carbon emissions. India, with more than 17
percent of the global population, accounts for just 5.3 percent of emissions.
Reduce pollutions: suggestions
1. Projects to save Agra monuments back on trac The growing threat from pollution
to India's prized monuments, including the Taj Mahal, has prompted the authorities to
speed up action on March 22, 2011. The project aims to insulate the world heritage
monuments, including Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Planning
Commission presented 8 schemes against pollution in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-
2017).

2. World Bank Cooperation on India's Green AgendaIndia and the World Bank
agreed on January 13, 2011 to further strengthen their partnership to advance India's
green-growth agenda.

3. India to build advanced coal-fired power plant Indian scientists aim to built an
advanced ultra-super critical coal-fired power plant in the next six years. Once realised,
the plant is expected to put India in a very select group of nations having the technology
which would reduce the amount of pollution when compared with the current thermal
power plants.

4. Green Court launched India launched a "green" court on October 19, 2010 to make
polluters pay damages as it steps up its policing of the country's environmental laws.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said India was only the third country in the world
after Australia and New Zealand to set up such a tribunal. "This is the first body of its
kind (in India) to apply the polluter pays principle and the principle of sustainable
development," Rameshtold reporters in New Delhi.

5. National Action Plan on Climate Change The Centre has made a provision of Rs.
25,000 crore to mitigate the effects of climate change, a serious problem that India will
face in the coming decades, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam
Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha on August 21, 2010. Besides, the Finance Ministry has also
sanctioned Rs. 5,000 crore as recommended by the 13th Finance Commission to tackle
this serious problem,” Mr. Ramesh said About 220 scientists from 120 research
institutions were working on assessing the impact of climate change on agriculture,
water, health and forests.

6. Steps in Budget 2010-11 for the Environment The increased pollution levels
associated with industrialisation and urbanisation, a number of proactive steps have been
proposed in the Union Budget (2010-11).

The major steps include:

a.National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) - for funding research and innovative projects
in clean energy technology. Allocation for National Ganga River Basin Authority has
been doubled in 2010-11 to Rs.500 crore. The “Mission Clean Ganga 2020” under the
National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the objective that no untreated
municipal sewage or industrial influent will be discharged into the National river has
already been initiated.

b.Mumbai Cyclothon 2010

Mumbai witnessed it's first ever Cyclothon on February 21, 2010, with over
7,000 participants at the Mumbai Cyclothon 2010

Conclusion

Pollution is a life killer, but also a life saver. Its true that Pollution has made some
disastrous effects. Pollution is becoming closer to put life on the verge of death. It has
killed many lives already. Technology has been the responsible one for most of the
Pollution that exists today. Albeit, technology has been evolving to make this world a
better place. Nowadays, technology is being cleaner to conserve Earth. Also, it has been
cleaning Earth (water treatment plants, air purifiers, etc.). Technology will progress over
the years to make Earth a healthier living experience.