Pollution and Waste in LDC

Which place would you least like to live and why? Linfen, China Ludhiana, India Guiyu, China

Pollution is a major problem in LDC Cities Why do you think the following have led to an increase in air and water pollution? Large cities (size) Rapid urbanisation (growth) Level of development (poor)

Large Cities: Dealing with waste (including sewage) is very difficult when city size exceeds 1m. This leads to water pollution on a massive scale. China has over 130 cities now with a population in excess of 1m (compared to just 1 on the UK). These cities usually have high population density with many cars and the need to provide electricity from cheap (coal) sources, air pollution is difficult to avoid too.

Raid Urbanisation When cities are growing at a rate of 4-8% per year, it is impossible for the authorities to build enough houses, let alone add the necessary pipes and sewers. The rapid growth and the unplanned nature of this mean that pollution is inevitable. When you consider that London has over 1100 miles of sewers beneath its streets, it is an almost impossible task to add sewers to some of the largest cities in the poorest countries.

Level of development Without money, governments face an uphill battle to build sewers, water treatment plants etc. There is also less money to police things such as emissions from factories and cars. Also, with a need to develop, it is less likely that governments would pass laws to clean up industry which would reduce profit and productivity. The argument is often the fact that we were happy to pollute in Victorian times in order to develop so why shouldn’t they do the same now.

Air Pollution Linfen, China Around 2 thirds of China’s energy comes from coal power and the vast majority of this is found in the areas in and around Linfen. Estimates claim that between 3000-5000 heavily polluting trucks pass through the city each day transporting coal. These lorries add to the pollution. They run 24 hours a day in order to feed the need for energy in China. Main pollutants are ash, Sulphur Dioxide, lead and Carbon monoxide Cancer rates are higher here than elsewhere in China, especially lung cancer. Other diseases such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis are way above average rates Children are showing high levels of lead in their bodies, something linked to mental illness and increases the risk of giving birth to deformed babies.

Water Pollution Watch the short video…. Ganges Water Pollution Over 1.3BN litres of untreated industrial waste and raw sewage is poured into the Ganges every day. Other Indian river shave similar problems due to a lack of water treatment facilities and a lack of legislation on industrial waste disposal.

Ludhiana, India (Buddah Nullah River) This small river was the main source of water in Ludhiana (population 3million) as well as providing vital irrigation for local farmers. Due to heavy industry such as chemical works and tanneries (leather production), many poisonous chemicals have been poured into the Buddah Nullah river, killing all life in it and causing major issues for the people who rely on it. The government did build a treatment plant but it is often broken and unmanned so polluted water simply bypasses the plant. Locally produced crops such as carrots have been found to contain dangerous levels of lead and other heavy metals. Cancer rates (stomach) are very high in the region, as are diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis. The Buddah Nullah River - Water Pollution

Dealing with Waste Most cities in LDC have a problem in removing waste. Without a coordinated system of refuse collection and recycling initiatives, waste is often left to pile up in the street. Huge landfill sites, designed to cope with small populations, have been over filled by the rapidly growing population. An extra problem is that some cities actually import waste from all over the world in a bid to make money from the things we throw away

Guiyu, China E-waste is the name given to electronic products thrown away by people in MDC’s. These might old phones, laptops, games consoles or TV’s. With increased wealth and rapidly developing technology, we have become a throw away society, eager to have the most up to date versions of products such as the i phone. Companies collect this waste and ship it in containers to places such as Guiya where locals work at home or in small workshops to dismantle the goods in order to collect the metals contained within the circuit boards. Metals have to be heated, and this gives of fumes, many of which are harmful such as lead, mercury or silicon. The plastic and other useless bits of the waste are often burned and then either dumped in the local river, or taken to the already overfilled landfill site. China- E-Waste Video Part 2