1. Environmental Issues Across Southern and Eastern Asia
SS7G10 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southern and Eastern Asia
a. Describe the causes and effects of pollution on the Yangtze and Ganges River
b. Describe the causes and effects of air pollution and flooding in India and China

2. E. Q.
How does pollution affect the Ganges and Yangtze Rivers and the people who live near them?

3. .

4. Ganges River
Begins in Himalayan Mountains and flows 1600 miles through India into Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal.
Provides water and transportation
Known as “Mother Ganges”
The Ganges River basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated in the world

5. Ganges River Pollution
Chemicals (farming, industry) wash into water every day.
Human (cremation) and animal waste (dead bodies) pollute the river
Sewage from nearby cities is dumped into the water

6. Think Pair Share Discuss with a partner
How does the pollution of the Ganges effect the 400 million people that live nearby?

7. Ganges River pollution Continued
The poor rely on the Ganges River on a daily basis for bathing, washing, and cooking
the Ganges River is considered holy, and ritual bathing in its waters is practiced by an estimated 60,000 people per day
Cities along the Ganges have the highest rates of water-born diseases
It has been suggested that 80% of all illnesses in India and 1/3 of deaths can be attributed to water-borne diseases.

8. A woman with a skin disease rests near offerings and trash on the banks of the Ganges in Kanpur, India.

9. Ganges River Pollution
India created the 1985 Ganges Action Plan, to clean up the river
Many sewer and water treatment plants have been built along the river
However, pollution remains a huge problem today due to the growing population and run-off from industries and farms
April 14, 2013

10. Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River - China

11. Yangtze River
China’s longest river, flows over 4000 miles to the East China Sea
Around 400 million people live in the area
River is used for industries, drinking, and irrigation

12. Yangtze River Pollution
The Yangtze River is being polluted by sewage, agricultural (nitrogen from fertilizers), and industrial waste (arsenic – poison!)
Many of the plant and fish species are dying and the Yangtze could become a dead river
High levels of nitrogen & phosphates lead to growth of blue-green algae – reduces oxygen & kills fish
People eat contaminated fish
Pollution greatly affects the cities’ water supply

13. Yangtze River Pollution
The government built the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River to provide hydroelectric power
The dam has altered the environment upstream by flooding populated areas and threatening plants & animals with extinction
The dam was built in an area prone to earthquakes (!)

16. Solutions
China is building water treatment plants to remove pollutants from the water
China encourages cities to build landfills rather than dumping garbage into the river
The World Bank helps organize these programs

17. Summary: Cause and Effect Flow Map
Causes of Pollution
on the
Ganges and Yangtze
Rivers
Solutions for Pollution
on the
Ganges and Yangtze
Rivers

18. CRCT Test Prep pages
1. To which does the Ganges flow after it leaves India?
China
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
D. Bangladesh

19. CRCT Test Prep pages
2. Where does the Ganges River flow into the sea?
Bay of Bengal
East China Sea
Sea of Japan
Yellow Sea
A. Bay of Bengal

20. CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137 3. Which is true about the Ganges River?
The river is ignored by Indian religious rituals.
People do not drink the water because it is so polluted.
Many people use the river for transportation as well as a water supply.
Plant and animal life have not been affected by the poor quality of the river’s water.
C. Many people use the river for transportation as well as a water supply.

21. CRCT Test Prep pages
4. How has India’s need to develop more industry ended up creating problems along the Ganges River?
Factories along the river dump industrial waste and chemicals into the river every day.
No one is allowed to cremate dead bodies along the river since the large factories have been built.
Industries along the river use so much water that the Ganges is almost dry by the time it reaches the sea.
Factory owners have refused to allow the Indians living along the river to bathe in the water or use the water for cooking.
A. Factories along the river dump industrial waste and chemicals into the river every day.

22. CRCT Test Prep pages
5. How has the Indian practice of cremating their dead been a problem for the river?
People are not allowed to go near the river when cremations are taking place.
The banks along the river regularly catch fire and threaten Indian homes built there.
Factory owners cannot use water once human ashes have been thrown into it upstream.
The bodies of dead animals, as well as the ashes of human beings, have been placed in the water causing pollution.
D. The bodies of dead animals, as well as the ashes of human beings, have been placed in the water causing pollution.

23. CRCT Test Prep pages
6. What was the purpose of the Ganges Action Plan begun in the 1980s?
To try and clean up the river
To bring an end to the cremations
To end using the river for drinking water
To slow down the building of new factories
A. To try and clean up the river

24. CRCT Test Prep pages
7. Why has the Indian government had such a hard time making much progress in cleaning up the Ganges River?
Most people in India feel the river is not polluted so they are not worried about it.
The government of India has not made the cleaning up of the Ganges River one of its goals.
Few people have gotten sick from the water in the Ganges River, so it is hard to get money for clean-up operations.
India’s combination of growing population and run-off from farming makes it hard to see much progress in controlling pollution.
D. India’s combination of growing population and run-off from farming makes it hard to see much progress in controlling pollution.

25. CRCT Test Prep pages
8. Why is the Yangtze River so important to the population and economy of China?
Water from the Yangtze River is used to irrigate the Gobi Desert.
The Yangtze River is the international border between China and India.
People can use the Yangtze River to get over the Himalayan Mountains.
It supplies millions of people with water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses.
D. It supplies millions of people with water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses.

26. CRCT Test Prep pages
9. Into what body of water does the Yangtze flow?
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
East China Sea
South China Sea
C. East China Sea

27. CRCT Test Prep pages
10. What are some of the main causes of high levels of nitrogen in the Yangtze River?
The waste is from nuclear power plants.
The bodies of dead animals are thrown into the river.
The chemicals used in fields run into the river.
The exhaust fumes from the millions of cars run into the river.
C. The chemicals used in fields run into the river.

28. CRCT Test Prep pages
11. Which is one of the most common industrial pollutants found in the Yangtze River?
Arsenic
Nitrogen
Nuclear waste
Human sewage
A. Arsenic

29. CRCT Test Prep pages
12. What has been the effect of the rapid growth of algae in the Yangtze River?
The oxygen levels in the water go down and fish die.
The river dolphins and porpoises can rely on the algae as a food source.
The Yangtze River can no longer be used for shipping and transportation.
The algae have provided a good source of fertilizer for those who live along the river.
A. The oxygen levels in the water go down and fish die.

30. CRCT Test Prep pages
13. Why did the Chinese government decide to go ahead with the Three Gorges Dam project along the Yangtze River?
The dam would provide water for all of China’s desert areas.
China’s people needed a reliable source of hydroelectric power.
China needed to be able to store water because the Yangtze river often dried up in the summer.
Careful study showed there would be no environmental problems associated with the dam.
B. China’s people needed a reliable source of hydroelectric power.

31. CRCT Test Prep pages
14. How would building sanitary landfills along the Yangtze River help reduce pollution in the water?
The garbage could go into landfills instead of in the river.
The landfills would reduce the general need for more electricity.
The chemicals would no longer run into farmers’ fields and into the river.
All of the garbage would be recycled in landfills and there would be no waste.
A. The garbage could go into landfills instead of in the river.

32. India – Air Pollution
The capital city of New Delhi is one of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world.

33. Air Pollution in India Air Pollution Causes:
Growing population, rapid growth of cities, development of industry, & automobile emissions (main cause) are leading causes
The Asian Brown Cloud is a layer of air pollution that covers parts of India & looks like a brown stain
Caused by cooking over open fires
Pollutes air inside homes also
Brown cloud reduces rainfall and temperatures
Effects: Air pollution leads to high levels of respiratory diseases (breathing) (some of highest rates in the world)
Solution?: Many poor people do not want to slow down economic growth, so government has problems enforcing pollution laws

34. China: Air Pollution 2008 Olympics – held in Beijing, China
The athletes were worried about the air pollution in Beijing (caused by burning coal for fuel and the millions of cars and trucks)
The Chinese government set up the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau
Task: clean up the air
How: limit automobiles and temporarily close factories
Result: 45% reduction in air pollutants

35. China –Air Pollution Causes
Fossil fuels:
Coal
For industry and heating homes.
Coal is cheap but pollutes the air.
Factories
Vehicles

36. China - Effects of Air Pollution
Up to 656,000 premature deaths each year from respiratory and heart disease
Acid rain – causes crop damage
Climate change
Only 1% of people in cities breathe safe air

37. International Concern
World Bank leaders encourage countries to clean up serious environmental problems quickly.
The long-term costs of pollution (cancer, heart disease, lung diseases, extinctions of plants and animals) are more expensive than the clean-up effort.
China and India have almost ½ the people on the planet; reducing their pollution will prevent many health problems.

38. China & India - Flooding
Heavy rainfall in monsoon season
Rivers overflow banks
Deforestation
no trees to absorb water
Affects water supply by damaging sewage plants
Causes serious illnesses like malaria and cholera
Crops are destroyed causing huge financial losses

39. Effects of Flooding – China/India
Deaths [Worst Recorded Flood: Huang He River, China, August 1931 (3,700,000 people)]
Homes/villages destroyed
Possessions lost
Fertile land washed away

40. Solutions
Dams
Levees
Reservoirs

41. Summary: Cause and Effect Flow Map
Causes of Air
Pollution
In India and China
Solutions for Air
Pollution
In India
And China

42. CRCT Test Prep pages
15. When Beijing, China was awarded the 2008 Olympics, which environmental issue was a big concern for many of the athletes?
The city’s air pollution
Lack of fresh drinking water
Temperatures would be too hot in the summer in China
Heavy seasonal rains that come to China in the summer
A. The city’s air pollution

43. CRCT Test Prep pages
16. Which contributes to air pollution problems in China?
The shrinking population
Use of coal-burning power plants for energy
The gradual drop in the number of new factories
The lack of automobiles and trucks in rural areas
B. Use of coal-burning power plants for energy

44. CRCT Test Prep pages
17. Which is a leading cause of death in China?
Skin cancer
Respiratory and heart disease
Injuries from automobile accidents
Injuries related to factory accidents
B. Respiratory and heart disease

45. CRCT Test Prep pages
18. What was the job of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau in the months before the 2008 Olympics?
Improve the city’s air quality
Work to end the pollution in the countryside
Begin building dams to provide fresh drinking water for the athletes
Keep all cars and buses out of Beijing while the Olympics were in progress
A. Improve the city’s air quality

46. CRCT Test Prep pages
19. Why is acid rain dangerous to the environment?
May cause chemical fires
Can harm plants and animals
Often leads to massive flooding
Causes an increase in air temperature
B. Can harm plants and animals

47. CRCT Test Prep pages
20. What economic argument does the World Bank make to urge countries to do whatever they need to do to clean up serious environmental problems quickly?
Health problems disappear very quickly once pollution problems are solved.
The process of cleaning up serious environmental problems is usually very easy to do.
Most serious pollution problems can be taken care of without spending a lot of money.
The long-term costs of pollution are often more expensive than the clean-up effort would be.
D. The long-term costs of pollution are often more expensive than the clean-up effort would be.

48. Written Assessment Choose 1:
½ page: Why is it important for people living in the United States to be concerned about water and air pollution that occurs in China and India?
Write a half page summary about the environmental concerns of Southern and Eastern Asia.