Chapter 9 — Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems

The chapter classifies pollution into (i) air pollution, (ii) water pollution, (iii) land pollution, and (iv) noise pollution, based on the medium through which pollutants are transported and diffused.

Industry is identified as the most significant contributor. Major water-polluting industries named in the chapter are leather, pulp and paper, textiles, and chemicals.

The chapter lists diarrhoea, intestinal worms, and hepatitis as diseases commonly caused by contaminated water. It also cites WHO data stating that about one-fourth of all communicable diseases in India are water-borne.

The programme aims to develop sewerage treatment systems in towns, monitor industrial effluents, develop the river front, carry out afforestation along the bank to increase biodiversity, clean the river surface, develop Ganga Grams in Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, and create public awareness to avoid adding pollutants to the river even through rituals.

Combustion of fossil fuels, mining, and industries are cited as the main sources. These processes release oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, and asbestos into the atmosphere.

The chapter states that air pollution causes diseases related to the respiratory, nervous, and circulatory systems. Urban smog (smoky fog over cities) caused by atmospheric pollution is also harmful to human health, and air pollution can cause acid rain.

Noise pollution is measured in decibels (dB). Main sources are factories, mechanised construction and demolition works, automobiles, aircraft, and loudspeakers used at community events. The chapter identifies traffic as the biggest nuisance because its intensity depends on the type of vehicle and road condition.

In metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru, about 90% of solid waste is collected and disposed. In most other cities and towns, 30 to 50 percent of waste generated is left uncollected, accumulating on streets and open spaces and leading to serious health hazards.

The chapter identifies high demand for labour in urban areas, low job opportunities in rural areas, and unbalanced patterns of development between urban and rural areas. It notes that after 1961 about 29% of India's urban growth has been attributed to rural–urban migration, and that poor people often bypass small cities and move directly to mega cities.

Slums are residential areas of the least choice, marked by dilapidated houses, poor hygienic conditions, poor ventilation, and lack of basic amenities like drinking water, light, and toilet facilities. Open defecation and unregulated drainage are serious health hazards. Most slum workers are employed in low-paid, high-risk, unorganised sectors and are prone to undernourishment, disease, and social exclusion.

Land degradation is a temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of land. It is caused by soil erosion, waterlogging, salinisation, and alkalinisation. Processes can be natural (gullied or ravinous land, desertic or coastal sands, glacial areas) or human-induced (degraded forests, mining and industrial wastelands, degraded shifting cultivation areas).

The NRSC classifies wastelands using remote sensing techniques. This enables categorisation of wastelands according to the processes — natural or human-induced — that created them.

The Daurala case study (near Meerut) illustrates the 'polluter pays' principle. Groundwater was contaminated with heavy metals from untreated industrial wastewater. An NGO, village community, and industry worked together: a 900 m pipeline was laid for potable water, the village pond was desilted and recharged, rainwater harvesting structures were built, and 1,000 trees were planted.

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