India is a multicultural Hindu-Muslim state where beyond the posh streets lie industries that contribute their worst to the environment every day. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was asked when pollution in his city would finally come to an end, to which he replied with the initiative called “Ab Bus Karo,” which banned the use of cars on major streets and motivated people to use buses instead. We need more initiatives of this kind in every part of India to fight global climate change.
India is a huge economy of 1.25 billion people and still expanding. The entrepreneurs of the country are not at all concerned about the environment but a few programs have started to show their concern about environmental issues. However, most of these have eventually failed after gaining initial popularity. Even the Indian government’s initiative called “Swachh Bharat” meaning, Clean India, has also turned out be one of the biggest failures of the government. Similarly, many such commitments made by the Indian government and other developing countries at the UN and other global summits have proved to be mere statements, with no visible results.
On one hand, most countries commit to use green technology to control carbon dioxide emissions but fail to implement these regulations when it comes to business. Large Indian entrepreneurs buy huge plots of land, resulting in the displacement of human settlements and the exploitation of the natural resources located nearby. Moreover, many governments sell property to private corporations at low prices. The governments believe that measures like these will help develop the economy but do not realize that the entrepreneurs work only for maximizing profits and have no concern about the problems resulting from their exploitation of resources.
One of the major examples is the establishment of a Tata Motors factory for manufacturing the world’s cheapest car Tata Nano in West Bengal, India. The farmland was acquired by the government and provided to the company to build the factory but farmers, residents, activists and opposition parties opposed the setup of the factory and finally the company backed out and built another one in the state of Gujarat, India. The unacceptable use of power by the governments in some countries has led to the exploitation of farmland and has given rise to ecological imbalance. This calls for strict regulations to examine how the establishment of any large factory affects the environment and what measures need to be taken.
A recent initiative of the Delhi government to curb air pollution came when they announced the implementation of an odd-even car program that allows odd numbered cars on the roads on certain days and even numbered on other days. Violation of this law incurs a fine of Rs 2,500. Vehicles such as three wheelers, CNG run vehicles, ambulances, VIP vehicles, vehicles of ministers, etc., are exempted. This move has been criticized by many people who own only one car, but owners of more than one car have not been bothered.
Another problem facing the Indian economy is industrial waste and emission. There is no proper law in place to curb industrial pollution or to stop industries from disturbing the ecological balance. A recent example is the yellowing of the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world located in Agra. Due to industrial emissions from the other side of the Yamuna River, the marble of the Taj started turning yellow. This phenomenon has never been witnessed before even though the building has been standing for centuries.
Industrial emissions which contain harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide and other nitrous oxides, cause harm not only to the health of humans but also increase the amount of suspended particulate matter in the air and cause smog. These days in winter, Delhi witnesses extremely heavy smog due to air pollution. Moreover, as per a survey conducted recently, the lungs of residents of Delhi have far more tar and particulate matter than those of residents of other states.
It is an undeniable fact that most people in India are unaware of climate-related issues like global warming and the greenhouse effect. This is mainly due to a general lack of awareness among people. Most people do not realize the consequences of current environmental practices. In many Indian cities, garbage is burnt after collection and this is seen as a method of reducing pollutants. Similarly, the use of polluting fuels, like kerosene, also add to the trouble.
As a first and foremost responsibility toward the environment, there is a strong need to create awareness among the general public. The Indian government should concentrate more on organizing environmental awareness drives instead of conducting yoga assemblies throughout the country. Furthermore, environment-friendly practices should be promoted among the masses. This could be done by the use of television advertisements, posters, billboards, banners, pamphlets and other sources of print and electronic media.
There should be an increase in the number of government campaigns promoting the protection of the environment by taking initiatives and continuously promoting them in order to make them fruitful. Merely initiating campaigns and later failing to promote them leads to failure. A major example is the “Clean Ganga” campaign. This was started by the Indian government as a drive to promote the collection of funds and public support for cleaning the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh. The campaign has failed miserably and the cleaning process has not yet been started although it has been more than a year since it was launched. It is clear that every campaign needs a strict follow up in order to succeed.
Another measure that needs strong focus is the allocation of land for industrial purposes. The current guidelines of Indian land regulations are not being followed by many industries. Before the sale of government land or the procurement of private land for industrial purposes, it should be the highest priority to study the purpose of the development of the industry before granting permission to start the industry. It should be determined whether or not the emissions of the industry are permitted under the guidelines prescribed by the government. In short, we need stronger laws to prevent the formation of polluting industries.
Mohammed Abdul Majid,
Chicago
