ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: NATURE AND DIMENSIONS

Abstract: Environmental degradation has added new problems more particularly, in the developing countries. India which is a developing country is facing environmental problems because of the negative effect of a developing economy and from conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. Development can take place at the cost of environment only until a point. In fact, development without concern for environment can only be short-term development. In the long run, it can only be anti-development can go on only at the cost of enormous human suffering, increased poverty and oppression. Thus, we in India are faced with the need for accelerating a pace of development for alleviation of poverty which is to a great extent responsible for many of our environmental problems. If the entire picture of environment degradation is looked at from the Indian perspective, we may find that the overall position is not very encouraging. In fact, India has been described as a pollution loving nation. Every sad or happy occasion finds expression in one type of the pollution or other. The birth or the marriage of a son is celebrated by bursting crackers thus resulting in air pollution and thus by displaying amplified orchestra band giving rise to noise pollution. Again on the occasion of death as Prof. Diwan Rightly points out “we pollute our rivers by disposing dead bodies.” We have been termed as “lovers of cleanliness” but prefer to throw rubbish and other household waste to the public streets. This is the picture at home. When we come out of our houses, what is the scenario? It has been estimated that nearly 70 per cent of our available water is polluted. The Ganga and the Yamuna, the two of our sacred rivers are the most polluted. The same is true of other rivers. Waste matters and effluents from industries of all types are being dumped into the waters used for drinking and thus pushing the nation towards an ecological disaster. In fact, waste disposal problems are getting worst day-by-day posing serious environmental health and safety risks