Bangalore, June 30: Improper management of effluents
and solid industrial wastes has been causing "irreparable
damage" to environment in states like Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan, says
Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) study.
In states such as West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana thermal
power plants were the main source of pollution, the study
conducted by Prof CM Lakshmana at the ISEC said.
"Discharge of mineral and industrial effluents with least
concern for environment have resulted in ecological damage in
the Western Ghats and mid-Himalayan section", it said.
But, despite hosting a very large number of industries,
Andhra Pradesh has relatively low environmental degradation.
Interestingly, environment has not deteriorated much in
states such as Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir despite higher
population growth due to the "man-environmental relationship",
according to the Bangalore-based ISEC`s study.
Deforestation and degradation of forest areas had led to
drastic environmental degradation in states like Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, requiring increased attention to
forest management and need to take steps expeditiously to
conserve biodiversity, it said.
Migration to industrial cities such as Bangalore, Patna
and Lucknow too have resulted in much higher levels of
environmental damage. Setting up of MNCs in backward regions
also caused environmental degradation, it said.
Creation of Special Economic Zones had resulted in reduced
land holdings. "The promotion of exports through increased
indsutrial development, often on the shrinking agricultural
land, is a matter of grave concern", said Prof Lakshmana.
"This has directly led to reduction of gross agricultural
land, thereby shrinking the net sown area and also extinction
of flora and fauna. This process has also been damaging the
bio-diversity which is vital for our survival," he said
Calling for urgent government action in implementing strict
vehicular emission norms and curbing wanton deforestation to
arrest rapid environmental degradation, ISEC said the
situation warrants implementation of central pollution control
board`s recommendation to prohibit 20-year-old vehicles from
plying and phasing out of 15-year-old or more vehicles.
Noting that jump in vehicular population was the main
source of air pollution in most cities, ISEC, said
environment-friendly mass transit must be developed in major
cities in the long-run.
Negative growth rates in the number of motor vehicles have
led to comparatively less environmental pollution in states
such as Sikkim and Bihar.
"The impact of deforestation in the environment is
manifested in the form of micro-climatic change, increase in
temperature and decrease in humidity/rainfall, flood and soil
erosion", it said.
Bureau Report
