Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
has halved since the early 1990s, reducing the nursery grounds for the fish that stock the
Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
India's first Five Year Plan in 1951 recognised the importance of forests for soil conser-
vation, and various policies have been introduced to increase forest cover. Almost all have
been flouted by officials or criminals and by ordinary people clearing forests for firewood
and grazing in forest areas.
Noise pollution in major cities has been measured at over 90 decibels - more than 1½ times the recog-
nised 'safe' limit. Bring earplugs!
Water Resources
Arguably the biggest threat to public health in India is inadequate access to clean drinking
water and proper sanitation. With the population set to double by 2050, agricultural, in-
dustrial and domestic water usage are all expected to spiral. The World Health Organiza-
tion estimates that, out of more than 3000 cities in India, only eight have adequate
wastewater treatment facilities. Many cities dump untreated sewage and partially
cremated bodies directly into rivers, while open defecation is a simple fact of life in most
rural (and many urban) areas.
Rivers are also affected by run-off, industrial pollution and sewage contamination. In
recent years, drought has devastated parts of the subcontinent and has been a driving force
for rural-to-urban migration.
Water distribution is another volatile issue. Since 1947 an estimated 35 million people
in India have been displaced by major dams, mostly built to provide hydroelectricity for
this increasingly power-hungry nation. While hydroelectricity is one of the greener power
sources, valleys across India are being sacrificed to create new power plants, and dis-
placed people rarely receive adequate compensation.
