Current Issues in Monsoon Asia
By: Sindhoora Ponnam and Jessica Le (Humanities 1B)
India's Overpopulation Leads to Environmental Impact
This article discussed how large population growth has led to several issues in India including increasing poverty, unemployment, and shortage of food. Most importantly in my opinion, the article also focused on environmental impacts as a primary issue which affects not only the people living in India but also our planet. As India’s population continues to increase, more jobs are needed to sustain the population, resulting in the numerous openings of new factories. Because these factories need energy in order to operate, an abundant amount of fossil fuels are burnt. These industrial emissions heavily contributes to two current issues: global warming and air pollution. Because India is known as an agrarian country, climate and temperature play an important role in the economy. With global warming, the temperature of the Earth is gradually increasing, creating a risk for farmers who solely depend on their crops for money. Furthermore, air pollution is another environmental threat in India. Although many people believe that trees will help reduce air pollution through photosynthesis, as the population of India continues to increase, people are beginning to cut down trees to use the wood in order to make enough houses and fuel industries. As a result, the large growing population of India has impacted the country environmentally, causing air pollution, global warming, and deforestation.
Cause-and-Effects of Pollution in the Ganges River
Causes of Pollution in the Ganges River:
- 1 billion liters of raw untreated sewage are dumped in their river daily.
- Thousands of dead bodies are released in the bank of the river.
- Hundreds of living yet unwanted babies or cattle are dumped into the river for religious reasons.
- Industries dump vasts amounts of toxins and chemical wastes which eventually ends up in the Ganges River.
Effects of Pollution in the Ganges River:
- Pilgrims, who identify the Ganges River as the holiest river, and millions of Indian citizens are used to sipping and bathing in the water of the Ganges River. If they continue to do so, this may be hazardous to their health.
- This River is the leading cause of infant and child mortality rates.
- The polluted water creates skin problems and serious disabilities.
- The Yamuna River, which is the main contributor of the Ganges River, has been drained of water and sea life for years.
- Ganges River Dolphins are harmed and gradually dying off due to water pollution.