Overview of Indian Environmental Challenges

India has multiple environmental issues like air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution and other environmental pollution. The major challenge, above all, is climate change. 

In response to humans contaminating the environment, nature is responding back. India was in a worse environmental situation from 1947 to 1995, but it has improved the situation between 1995 and 2010 by addressing some core issues. 

However, India still has a long path ahead to reach a similar environment quality as other developed nations. And for that, pollution remains a major challenge. As environmental issues are severe, their adverse impacts on physical and mental health, livelihood, economy and climate are also prevalent in the country. Some of the major environmental challenges are explained in the following passages.

Water pollution

Water pollution is one of the biggest problems in India. The untreated sewage is discharged and causes surface pollution and groundwater pollution. The issue is aggravated by the lack of development of sufficient wastewater treatment plants and the lack of maintenance of the existing ones. 

Most of the existing wastewater treatment plants are not operating optimally because of poor maintenance, lack of staff and improper structure of resource supply. The uncollected waste then gathers in urban areas, which leads to the release of contaminants and percolation on the soil surface. 

According to a World Health Organization’s (WHO) study, only 209 out of 3,119 cities have a partial sewage treatment plant, and eight have complete facilities. Most cities dump untreated waste into natural water sources like rivers and lakes. The waste generated by agriculture, small-scale industries, etc, also finds its way into the lakes, groundwater or rivers, further contaminating their water.

Air pollution

Air pollution is also one of the major problems in India. The major sources of pollution are the burning of biomass, emissions from vehicles, and adulteration of fuel. 

India is one of the largest consumers of fuel, agricultural waste, and biomass for energy production. About 90% of India’s total energy is generated by traditional fuel in rural areas, which produces more combustion products and is responsible for increasing air contamination. These are also a source of greenhouse gas emissions. 

For a long time, the annual practice of burning crop stubbles in India has contributed to the problem before and after the rainy season. It releases nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, and various particulate matter and causes smog in many parts like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and West Bengal.

Waste pollution

Every day, tonnes of garbage is generated in rural and urban areas, from households, small-scale industries, etc. This waste causes pollution, which is also one of the biggest problems in India. 

The corners of the street and empty lands are filled with trash. Even the sidewalks, the beaches, and public and tourist places are becoming trash cans. Even after imposing comprehensive waste segregation and management programmes, the problem has not been solved. 

This has happened due to poor waste management implementation, lack of proper facilities provided to the population, and ignorance. In some places, the garbage is simply not being collected at all. Hundreds of tonnes of medical waste are dumped without any treatment, which toxifies the environment. 

The landfills are overflowing without proper management as there is no supervision from the government’s side. Thus, they have become a major source of greenhouse emissions, breeding grounds for flies, mosquitoes, rodents, etc.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution is the excessive noise at the wrong place, at the wrong time that may harm normal life activities. This is also one of the biggest environmental problems in India. 

The major reasons for noise pollution in India are the machinery in factories, transportation systems, vehicles, trains, etc. It increases multifold during the festive season due to celebratory music played on loudspeakers. 

This may also be due to poor architectural planning in urban areas where industries and the residential sectors are built. Noise pollution is also prevalent indoors, especially in some workplaces. All these noises cause health problems in the population; noise-induced hearing loss, deafness, irritation, mental instability, etc, are some of them. These also interfere with the animal communication and navigation system.

Climate change

Climate changes in India have severe effects on the country. India was ranked fourth on the list of countries profoundly affected by climate change in 2015. The average temperature has risen by 0.7 degrees Celsius between 1991 and 2018 and is increasing continuously. 

A study predicts the occurrence of multiple droughts in India by the end of the 21st century. The glaciers in the Himalayas are melting, producing a rise in the sea level, winters are getting colder, summers are getting extremely hot, monsoons are decreasing; all these changes are due to continuous pollution of the environment.

One of the biggest problems in India is greenhouse gas emissions. India is ranked as the third-largest emitter of CO2 (as per a 2009 study). India shares approximately 5 % of human-sourced emissions.

Conclusion

India’s environmental challenges require serious analysis. Most of them are being addressed by the government through various schemes and acts. To combat air pollution, the Government of India has adopted electric vehicles scheme, promoting the usage of greener and cleaner fuels like CNG, renewable biofuels and E85 blended petroleum.

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, has also led to relatively better air quality as strict rules and regulations were applied to industries and other generation sources. 

Similarly, the government opens new sewage treatment plants to control water pollution. Recently, the government has been implementing two projects in New Delhi to turn the city’s trash problem into an energy resource.

 The Supreme Court of India imposed strict guidelines on loudspeakers and car horns in public places. Together with strict monitoring, all these efforts might help the country reach a sustainable state and solve India’s environmental challenges.