India's cities: Challenge for survival
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- Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:29:24 +0800
India's cities: Challenge for survival
YP Gupta
05-Aug-07
MORE than half the population of the developing world lives in urban areas, and
is exposed to serious health hazards.
India's burgeoning population, which has touched over 1,100 million, has been
polluting and degrading the environment, creating adverse health conditions.
Such basic health care amenities, such as an effective sewerage system, a safe
drinking water supply, elementary sanitary facilities and hygienic conditions
continue to elude a large section of the population.
Rising numbers, increasing industrial waste, overflowing garbage,
bumper-to-bumper vehicles, depleting water resources, growth of unauthorised
colonies, lack of civic amenities and medical facilities have worsened the
situation. In a word, the problems pose a serious challenge to survival.
Rapid urbanisation has resulted in a major health hazard. It has been
responsible for the resurgence of a number of diseases because overcrowding,
inadequate waste disposal, hazardous working conditions and air and water
pollution have adversely affected the urban life.
Air pollution from industry and use of petroleum as fuel in over 630 million
vehicles the world over have caused a number of diseases like lung cancer,
asthma, bronchitis, etc. The developing countries account for 70 per cent of the
atmospheric pollution in the world. Mexico City has been described as the
world's most polluted. Delhi with a population of over15 million is ranked
fourth among the 41 cities of the world monitored for air pollution, and is
among the 10 most polluted cities in the country. The other badly affected
cities are Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanpur and Ahmedabad. Increasing number of vehicles,
thermal plants and industrial units in Delhi are the major toxic air pollutants.
Over 5,100,000 vehicles in Delhi account for 65 per cent of air pollution.
The damaging pollutants in the form of hydrocarbons, suspended particulate
matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, lead oxide, etc, have
been poisoning the atmosphere. Delhites have been dying a slow death because of
the polluted air. The urban population has been choking in the areas where the
levels of susp[pended pariculate matter (SPM) have increased to around seven
times the average limit of 60 microgrammes prescribed by the World Health
Organisation. As a result, 30 per cent of Delhites have been suffering from
respiratory diseases. Those from a low-economic status are the most affected.
Asthma is a major pollution-related ailment. Every tenth school-going child has
been suffering from asthma. Air pollution has been killing around 10,000
Delhites every year.
Water pollution and sewage disposal are equally responsible for adversely
affecting the country's health scenario. About 70 per cent of India's water
supply is seriously polluted with sewage effluents according to the World
Resources Report.
The United Nations had also reported that India's water quality is poor; it
ranks 120th among the 122 nations in terms of the quality of water available to
its citizens. Owing to the pressure of population in urban areas, water
pollution and sewage disposal have adversely affected life in Delhi. The problem
of garbage disposal has become quite acute. The World Development Report says
that Delhi's water supply is among the worst in many big cities of the
developing world. In its recent report, the Comptroller and Auditor-General of
India expressed shock over the amount of untreated sewage flowing into the
Yamuna river, passing through Delhi, making its water unsuitable for any
purpose. The Central Pollution Control Board has recently found that the tap
water in Delhi contains carcinogenic substances, and that the toxic quotient is
five times higher than the standard.
Plastics, toxic and domestic wastes flowing through drains have been polluting
the Yamuna river. Over 18,000 million litres of domestic industrial waste enter
the river polluting it with toxic chemicals and a high level of coliform
bacteria. The high level of coliform bacteria increases the incidence of
water-borne diseases. Also, the discharge of industrial effluents and municipal
waste in Haryana have been polluting the Western Yamuna canal water, which has
adversely affected the drinking water supply in Delhi.
As a result of water pollution, a number of diseases continue to break out in
epidemic form every year in one or the other part of the country. A large
section of Delhites is afflicted by water-borne diseases (cholera, diarrhoea,
gastroenteritis, etc) every year. Slum-dwellers are the worst victims because of
the absence of basic health care amenities.
Children among the poor are the most vulnerable as they are largely
undernourished and their immune systems are under-developed. Nearly one million
children in India die from cholera and gastroenteritis diseases every year.
It is apparent that the rapidly growing population and urbanisation have
complicated the health scenario in metropolitan cities. WHO had launched a
global healthy cities initiative to make them healthier. Serious efforts are
required to improve the quality of life in the metropolitan cities, and there
should be emphasis on planning towards checking population growth and
urbanisation.
In case appropriate steps are not taken to improve the quality of water on a
priority basis, the critical situation in Delhi will persist. Reforms geared to
ensure a better environment are thus badly needed.
The author is ex-Principal Scientist, IARI, New Delhi
The Statesman/ANN
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