South Asia: Chapter 10 Section 2: Looking to the Future

Lesson Questions:  What environmental issues are affecting South Asia?  How does rapid population growth affect South Asia?  What are some results of urbanization in South Asia?

Environmental Issues  Indian folk poet Ghahshyam “Shilani,” inspired the Chipko or “Hug-the-tree” movement  Chipko, founded in 1972, wanted to raise awareness for environmental conservation  In South Asia, as elsewhere, some people are concerned about the effects of modernization  the Indian government wants to develop resources and improve the standard of living  Industrialization and modernization leads to positive and negative effects

Protecting the Environment

Narmada Valley Project  NVP has upset environmentalists  the Narmada river flows through central India, and the NVP calls for 30 major dams to be built and 3000 minor dams as well  Proponents argue that the project will provide water to irrigate millions of farm land  the dams will also provide hydroelectricity

Narmada Valley cont.  Critics argue that the NVP will result in more harm than good  Opponents argue that the dams will flood farmland, destroy wildlife, and displace up to 250,000 people  the protests have slowed work on the dams and has led the World Bank to withdraw support  despite these setbacks the project continues  Construction of the dam is now halted at meters, lower than the 130 meters that the dam is eventually supposed to reach.  entire project is meant to be finished by 2025

The Water Shortage

Accident at Bhopal and other Environmental Issues  1984: in Bhopal, India an American owned chemical plant leaked into the atmosphere, killing roughly 2000 people and leaving lasting illnesses  Limestone quarries have also been protested because they destroy the forests, damage farmlands, and worsen water shortages  Nuclear power plants are also a problem  deforestation, and pollution by chemical insecticides and fertilizers are also a problem

Bhopal

Positive Effects of Mining

Crisis in numbers  Overpopulation has caused sprawling urbanization  Population increase has caused a strain on resources such as land, water, and building materials  In 2000, approximately 1.4 billion lived in South Asia  India is predicted to have a higher population than China  Since 1947, India has doubled  the region increases by roughly 26 million people per year

Cause and effects  increase in medical care have caused the population to rise  infant mortality is down and so is the occurrence of disease such as cholera, malaria, and smallpox  ¼ of the population is under age 15 and they lack the resources to feed, cloth, and educate  traditional values affect the size of the family  in the city and on large farms, families are usually smaller  large landowners do not want to split up their land with many children  poorer farmers tend to believe that more children will provide more labor  in traditional families, boys are valued more than girls and sometimes parents keep trying to have a boy regardless if they have several daughters already