Green Challenges

Col. V Katju

Over the last decade, the importance of environment and its devastating impact on living beings and the quality of life is being recognized. Its alarming rate of degradation has become a cause for concern as this would effect the very survival of life on earth. Phenomenal growth of population, consumerism, lifestyle wasteful of non-renewable resources, deforestation, etc. are all having a detrimental effect on the environment and unless their devastation is checked the situation may become irreversible. It has to be clearly understood that protection of environment is everybody’s business.

As such, a holistic view has to be taken for initiation of effective and expeditious action not only by governments but by community, NGOs. civic agencies, corporate sector, scientific organisations, individual citizens and the industry. Hence, it is essential to understand the challenges we face and consequently address them for environmental mitigation.

Population

The South Asian Region has a population of 1.3 billion. This high density and rapid growth has led to fragmentation of land holdings and multiple cropping, migration of population from rural to urban areas, resulting in an unbalanced strain on the urban infrastructure. The snow-balling effect from this demographic change has led to unmanageable towns and cities, pollution of water and air deterioration in health, an infrastructure which cannot provide quality life increase in crime, depletion of the cover and rise of slums. For example, 60 percent of Delhi’s population is that of people who have migrated from neighboring states, culminating in the Capital's population-explosion. To deal with such a situation, mega-cities have no option but to create satellite townships with adequate resettlement and rehabilitation facilities.

Migration of population leads to drastic demographic changes which are resented by the ethnic population, spawning insurgent movements against the government. Counter insurgency operations are a drain on the resources of a country but cannot be neglected in order to safeguard the integrity and sovereignty of the country.

Regional Cooperation

South Asian countries have no colonial past. Division of the Indian sub-continent into three countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by the British without giving due consideration to the ethnic population has resulted in conflicts due to boundary disputes. Even countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka have an on-off relationship with their neighbours due to problems of sharing river waters and power, ethnic conflicts, trans-border migration, boundary disputes and trade. SAARC is an attempt to bridge these gaps but has not been successful. A mature and pragmatic approval has to be taken by all governments in a spirit of give and take and trying to understand the aspirations of the people. It is a challenge which needs urgent mediation as if effects environment and development.

Effective Laws and Policies

The countries of the region have formulated laws and policies on environment. Laws have been enacted on environment, water protection, air, noise pollution and wildlife preservation etc. but enforcement and compliance needs much to be desired. Governments impose on the people what they think is best for them without ascertaining what the people want. Most South Asian countries have in place watchdog agencies like Pollution Control Boards but they can only make assessments and convey their recommendations to the government. They do not have executive mandate like the Environment Protection Agency in the USA, which can take legal action against violation of environmental laws. Flouting of environmental laws is a common feature in urban societies. Stringent laws do not necessarily mean effective compliance. Civic authorities have to ensure that judicial orders when passed are strictly implemented. Although attitudinal change is a time consuming process, ensuring compliance will inculcate habits of caring and being in harmony with nature.

Education, Information and Awareness

South Asian countries have introduced environment education in the schools, but mainly in the urban sector. In rural areas, although traditional knowledge is passed down from generation to generation, due to migration from rural to urban areas, the people take time to adapt themselves to the new situation creating unhygienic conditions in cities and towns. Girls' education has become universal but they drop out at the high school level in order to learn their role of a housewife. Besides studying their education they do not migrate to higher levels of education thus putting them at a disadvantage in taking up jobs. As a result, they cannot achieve self-empowerment and decide their future. This lack of women’s education and empowerment is a major reason for rampant population growth. Along with education, the rural areas lack information technology facilities like telephone, internet and television. There are hardly any portals which can provide information on education, health, agriculture, environment and rural livelihoods in the villages. The rural masses do not get information on how to improve fertility of their land, species of trees which they could plant, how to dispose off solid waste, methods of water conservation and other avenues of sustainable livelihoods. In towns and cities creating a general awareness on environment protection and mitigation is a major challenge.

Natural Calamities

Floods, cyclones, earthquakes and droughts are a normal feature in the South Asian Region. Although forests occupy 18.6 percent of the total land area, they are getting depleted at a fast rate with increasing demand of wood for house construction, furniture etc. This denuding of forest cover has adverse effect on soil fertility and structure, salinity, moisture absorbing capacity and underground water table factors that contribute to drought. Lack of trees also result in floods, thus a cycle of flood and drought become a predictable phenomenon. Earthquakes often result in landslides in the hill region which, in terms of degraded forest cause loss of cultivable land, thus a downfall economic growth. Cyclones are common in coastal areas causing havoc to life and property. Governments have to take energetic steps to prevent deforestation, ensure buffer food stocks as reserves, provide timely information before the natural calamity takes place and ensure a state of readiness for disaster relief. Unless these measures are in place, a country would take time to recover economically which will impact the environment. q