1. Southern and Eastern Asia
Environmental Issues

2. Water Pollution
The causes and effects of pollution on the Yangtze and Ganges Rivers

3. The Ganges River - India
Source is high in the Himalayan Mountains
Flows 1600 miles through India and Bangladesh
Empties into the Bay of Bengal
Over 400 million people live in its river valley
Provides water and transportation
“Mother Ganges”

4. Ganges River India’s most sacred river Used for funeral rites
Cremated bodies
(not) cremated bodies
Used by millions for drinking and bathing
Poor sewage systems drain directly into the river
Ganges Action Plan 1985
Water treatment plans attempting to clean-up the river

5. Ganges River Pollution

6. Ganges Action Plan Program started in 1985 to clean up the river
Many sewage and water treatment plants have been built along the river
Challenges to the clean up efforts:
Growing population
Run-off from industries and farm production
Chemical fertilizers
Animal fertilizers

7. Quality of Water
Chemicals used in fertilizer and industry wash into the river every day
Human and animal waste
Bodies of dead animals
Cremated remains of humans
Still, people use river for bathing, drinking, and cooking

8. Ganges River Pollution
India

9. Cities along the Ganges
Highest rates of water-born diseases of any who live in India
Pour millions of gallons of sewage into the river which is then carried to other cities and villages farther south.
Outbreaks of many diseases are common

10. The Yangtze River China’s longest river
4000 miles from the NW part of the the country to the East China Sea
Pumping stations take water out to supply people with water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial uses
Millions of gallons of sewage, chemicals from agricultural and industrial wastes are dumped into the river every day
Nitrogen and arsenic are leading pollutants

11. Yangtze Pollutions Many species of plants and animals are disappearing
High levels of nitrogen and phosphates lead to growth of blue-green algae
This reduces oxygen in the water causing fish to die
These fish are caught and eaten leading to human health problems

12. Yangtze River China’s longest river
- 4,000 miles from the Northwest regions to the East China Sea
Passes through over 185 towns and villages (400 million people)
Poor sewage drains millions of gallons into the river
Fertilizer run-off into the river
Millions of people use the river to catch fish (most have been contaminated by factory chemicals)

13. Yangtze River Pollution - China

14. Three Gorges Dam
You Tube Video:
Three Gorges Dam

16. Improvements China building more water treatment facilities
Encouraging cities along river to build sanitary landfills for garbage rather than dumping in the river
International organizations like the World Bank have worked with China on these programs

17. India’s Air Pollution One of India’s most serious environmental issues
Due to enormous and growing population and rapid growth of cities and development of industry and number of automobiles and trucks
Some of the highest rates of respiratory diseases in the world
Difficult for Indian government to enforce laws on industry and transportation that might improve air

18. Air Pollution
Rural areas have pollution due to material used in homes (wood, animal dung, coal, etc.)
India has some 500,000 annual deaths from indoor air pollution
Can form “brown clouds” which can reduce rainfall and temperatures

19. Air Pollution India

20. Air Pollution in China
Many cities in China have growing populations and industries
China is the world’s fastest growing economy—with no environmental regulation
Leading cause of death are respiratory and heart disease that can be tied to long exposure to air pollution
The burning of coal provides much of China’s energy
Leads to the release of soot, ash, and chemicals into the air
Air pollution also contributes to acid rain

21. Air Pollution China

22. Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (set up before the 2008 Olympics; athletes were concerned)
Works on improving the quality of the city’s air
Automobile traffic was reduced and many factories were closed for a period of time
Arguments from the World Bank to encourage the government to enforce these laws:
Cost of health care far outweighs the economic profits from activities that contribute to air pollution

23. Flooding in India
Monsoon winds bring heavy amounts of seasonal rainfall.
Because the rain continues for months the ground becomes saturated and mudslides occur.
Standing water in flooded streets breeds mosquitoes. Diseases spread by them, such as malaria, spread quickly.

26. Flooding India

27. Flooding in China
The Yangtze River has flooded more than 1000 times but the Yellow River is responsible for the most catastrophic floods.
The Yellow River has killed more people than any other river in the world – called “River of Sorrow”
People have tried to control the river with levees and drainage ditches
When the levees were built, more sediment accumulated in the river, causing more flooding

28. Yellow River – China Flooding
The 1887 Yellow River flood was a devastating flood on the Yellow River (Huang He) in China. This river is prone to flooding due to the elevated nature of the river, running between dams above the broad plains surrounding it. The flood that began in September 1887 inundated the area, killing some 900,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded.

29. Yellow River Flooding in History
The 1938 Yellow River flood was created by the Nationalist Government in central China in an attempt to stop the advance of Japanese forces.
They opened the dikes (dam like structures), It has been called the "largest act of environmental warfare in history,“ An estimate of 800,000 were drowned.
The floods covered and destroyed thousands of square kilometers of farmland and shifted the mouth of the Yellow River hundreds of miles to the south.

30. Flooding China