Major Environmental Issues : India

Keywords Deforestation Loss of Biodiversity Global Warming Pollution Politics

Highest Deforestation

Deforestation -- Causes In 2009, India ranked 10th worldwide in the amount of forest loss Deforestation started with the growth of agriculture, but was exacerbated in the nineteenth century when British commercial forestry operations destroyed Indian forests mainly in western and southern areas Causes of deforestation -- colonization, agricultural expansion, firewood collection, commercial forestry, shifting cultivation, development, mining, overgrazing

Deforestation -- Consequences Effects -- Deforestation has affected the lives of wild animals and birds; soil erosion; climate change; women’s livelihoods; water recharge and loss; loss of biodiversity Deforestation is reducing rainfall in India: IIT-Bombay study Reducing Food production Flooding; Landslides Loss of Livelihoods for Forest Dwellers

India : Major States with Forests

Afforestation Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover

Loss of Biodiversity Loss of Genetic, species and ecosystem biodiversity Traditional seeds lost Traditional knowledge loss Seed Banks

Global Warming/ Climate Change Weather changes Rainfall reduction Droughts Melting of Ice caps and Glaciers Changes in agriculture

Pollution

Environmental Conflicts Environment vs Development – Shining Gujarat; Amravati, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Vedanta & Dongria Khonds Rural vs Urban Rich vs Poor Developed vs Undeveloped Regions Traditional vs Modern

Gujarat Pollution The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has declared Gujarat as the most polluted State in the country in 2010 based on the increasing levels of pollution and toxic wastes - 29% of hazardous wastes from Gujarat There are six toxic waste sites in Vapi, two in Ankleshwar, one in Vadodara and one in Valadgaon There are seven states in the country, which account for 80% of the total hazardous wastes and among these Gujarat tops the list followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal

Andaman- Nicobar Islands The Andaman archipelago comprises approximately 570 islands in the Bay of Bengal and encompasses an area of about 6340 square miles Forest survey reports suggest that 92.2% of the total area of the Andaman Islands was under forest cover at the beginning of the colonial period In the rain forests of Little Andaman Islands the mangroves and coral reefs create a prime location for biodiversity These lands were being destroyed by the Forest Corporation and other Government bodies who were indiscriminately cutting trees (1.8 million trees felled in 20 years), mining and carrying out other non-forest activity Some of the ethnic tribal populations have lived in these rain forest islands for 70,000 years, but they were on the brink of extinction due to the disruption of their lifestyle and the destruction of their habitat

Jarawa Reserve and Trunk Road

The Convoy of Tourist Vehicles in the Jarawa Reserve

Amravati –New Capital of AP Andhra Pradesh’s new ‘world-class’ capital city will require enormous amounts of energy and resources to build and to run, while destroying precious natural environments and local livelihoods Amaravati’s planned location on the southern floodplains of the river Krishna violates laws, making the city environmentally unsustainable

Amravati …. Land chosen for Amaravati is currently the source of a vibrant agro- economy that yields Rs 1000 crore per year, with complete linkages from farm to market The soil here is so rich that over 20,000 farmers in the 29 villages grow three or more crops annually and more than 120 varieties in total Even marginal farmers who own half an acre or less earn more than Rs 30,000 each month India's environment body, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), has also expressed concern that the state government did not complete a mandatory environmental assessment before deciding on the location of the city

Amravati – The Loss