A good number of areas have been identified where priority action is needed: 1. Population Stabilization 2. Natural Resource Assessment and Management 3. Strategies for Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Control 4. Human Settlement and Public Health 5. Environmental Laws and Regulations 6. Environmental Education and Awareness.
Area # 1. Population Stabilization:
On 1 March 2011, India had a population of 1,210 million. Can we afford this? We account for 17.51 per cent of the world population, with only 2.4 per cent of the world area available to us. The crux of the matter is that future population growth has to be related to the resource base. Resources shrink as people multiply and demographic pressures lead to economic pressures.
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Thus, our immediate task is to know the carrying capacity of our country. In any case, a zero population growth holds the key to our prosperity, and to achieve this the government must be prepared for a measure of unpopularity. This has to be accomplished in the next decade or so.
In turn, it takes to the birth control strategies, education and vocation—for both men and women—which involve considerable scientific and technological inputs including immunology and biotechnology. A policy on population has to be enunciated in a comprehensive manner.
Area # 2. Natural Resource Assessment and Management:
Land is one of the important components of the life support system and has been overused and abused. There are a number of competing demands on land, like agriculture, forestry, grasslands, urban and industrial development. We need a time-bound micro-level land use survey, starting with the village indicating our long-term requirements for competing land uses and land capability.
Obviously, land use will have to be related to soil quality use and not land economics. The total scenario of land use will need to be built up meticulously and backed by appropriate legislations, because the existing legislations are indeed very weak.
Water resource is another important natural resource which needs to be assessed and conserved in appropriate manner for sustaining development of the society.
Connected with land use planning is watershed management, a problem of utmost urgency on account of the fact that our water regimes in the mountain ranges are threatened resulting in the depletion of water resources along with the other associated problems.
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We have to evolve environmentally sound water conservation and management strategies for future decades ahead, otherwise this will be a major problem of the entire country in near future.
The river valley projects envisaged in future and those that are on-going need to be looked into with their environmental impacts and due provisions made for environmental safeguards.
A basin-wise approach needs to be followed and the engineering component should be considered in conjunction with catchment and command areas development. In addition, unplanned irrigation has caused more problems and losses than solutions and gains.
The country has performed exceedingly well in agriculture and production has increased from 50.8 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 155.5 million tonnes in 1984-85 and finally to over 275 million tonnes in the year 2000 to feed a billion people. Thus, there is an urgent need to boost productivity per unit area per unit time through overcoming the gap between actual and potential yields.
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In spite of the adverse environmental effects of high-input high-output agricultural technology, for the foreseeable future, the country will have to depend on this model, which cannot be suddenly changed in favour of environmentally sustainable but low input models like organic farming, no-till or minimum-till agriculture.
The loss of top soil, quantity wise, is the maximum in India, being 18.5 per cent of the total soil loss at the global level. Strategies to reduce the top soil need to be developed on an urgent basis, otherwise land degradation will be faster. Degraded mines and other types of wasteland should be reclaimed and put to some productive use.
Regarding forest wealth, the country is facing a serious problem. The effective forest cover today is very low i.e., about 23.41 per cent as revealed by recent remote sensing survey, but the national requirement is about 33 per cent in plains and 60 per cent in hills.
Thus there is great need for existing forest protection, as well as promotion of all sorts of efforts relating to creation of new forest area. To achieve these objectives, three broad types of forestry—conservation, production and social forestry—need to be practiced.
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There is need for considerable inputs in forestry with regard to science and technology, education and training, and demonstration and extension, if it has to meet the comprehensive objectives.
The biological wealth of the country is fairly considerable with nearly 45,000 plant and 65,000 animal species (except insects). However, at present our efforts of conservation have been limited to a few vertebrates and tree species. It is now felt as extremely important that the conservation effort on an ecosystem basis will be much appropriate than on a species basis.
On paper we have over 550 sanctuaries and 96 national parks, but in practice, we have no idea of the holdings in these areas. There has been considerable adhocism in declaring sanctuaries and national parks. Though there is a reasonable understanding of the threatened animals and plants, yet appropriate strategies for their conservation is not framed so far.
Regarding fossil fuel and mineral resource exploration and their subsequent use pattern, there is no short term or long term policy of resources exploitation. The productivity of resource exploitation is only linked with market force economy.
Area # 3. Strategies for Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Control:
All kinds of environmental pollution are man-made problems, which arise from anthropogenic, industrial and agricultural sources. During last couple of decades enormous amount of pollutants contaminated the land, water and air.
The nature of pollutants and their quantification were made by regular monitoring programmes. Minimum National Standards (MINAS) with respect to major industries have been established. Implementation of MINAS would control pollution at source.
For strict control of pollutants discharge/emission to environment, regular monitoring and surveillance is highly essential.
A number of environmental laws and the implementing agencies like—the State Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board and Green Bench of High Court—need to perform more active role on strict enforcement of the pollution regulations. But to achieve the goal, there is need for participatory approach for effective action plan implementation.
Conventional energy generation is principally a polluting process and energy is a very important input for development. Thus, there is a great need for harvesting non-polluting renewable energy system for major developmental activities. Thus, a perspective in the energy science is yet to be developed.
In the immediate future, the country will have to conserve—to the maximum extent—the commercial sources on the one hand, and replace and supplement the same with non-conventional sources on the other. Solid waste and effluent waste water must be recycled for appropriate use and residue must be disposed in eco-friendly manner. Considerable attempts has already been taken up over the years on these
Area # 4. Human Settlement and Public Health:
Due to continued rise of population, the demand for housing, drinking water, sewerage disposal and various other public health support systems was increased enormously. At present, there is shortage of at least 25 million houses, 18 million (75 per cent) in rural areas and 7 million (25 per cent) in urban areas. There is scarcity of drinking water supply and the public sanitary system.
As a consequence, there is rise of infectious diseases, continuous recurrence of mosquito-borne diseases, and gastroenteritis.
There is a great need for future improvement of drinking water supply and substantial improvement of sanitary conditions, particularly in urban habitats. Improvement of slums through various programmes is undertaken in urban centres, but its faulty action plan with short-term approach does not improve the quality of life to a greater extent.
Area # 5. Environmental Laws and Regulations:
There is a plethora of Central and State laws/enactments which have direct or indirect relevance to environment. In spite of these laws, the improvement of environmental quality is not substantial. There are a lot of fallacies in the laws that have to be amended — otherwise effective implementation could not be possible.
In general, the citizens of India, by and large, are not too law abiding. As such, for effective implementation, both judiciary and executive bodies should work together in future days ahead.
Area # 6. Environmental Education and Awareness:
Since 1970, many conferences—national and international—have been held, but the fact remains that while most people recognize the urgent need for environmental education, only some have clear ideas about what needs to be done, and very few have either the actual experience or the knowledge of the courses that need to be taught.
Thus, there needs an objective orientation of environmental education—either in formal system or in non-formal sector. India is one of the major countries having large number of NGOs working on environmental awareness campaign.
The role of mass media and various other public institutions cannot be ignored thereby. Time has come when we have to be very realistic to make economic planning and environmental protection must be compatible and deeply integrated in the planning process.