ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN

SOUTH ASIA

• Introduction• Common environmental problems• Causes• Case study from each country• Collective measures• Conclusion

C O U N T R Y KEY ISSUES KEY CAUSES

BANGLADESH -loss of biodiversity; -limited access to potable water; -water-borne diseases prevalent; -water pollution, especially of fishing areas;-urban air pollution; -soil degradation;-deforestation; -industrial pollution; import of hazardous waste

-High population density and urban primacy; -deficits in urban infrastructure -green revolution /agrochemicals and run-off;-lack of controls on industrialeffluent; -over exploitation and/or pollution of groundwater.

BHUTAN -Soil erosion; -limited access to potable water

-High rates of urbanization

INDIA -Deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification;-loss of biodiversity; -air pollution; water pollution; -natural disasters such as floods,cyclones and landslides are common; -high death rates associated with indoor air pollution.

-High rates of urbanization and deficits in urban infrastructure -industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; -increases in unmanaged marine based tourism;-green revolution/ agrochemicals and run-off;

COUNTRY KEY ISSUES KEY CAUSES MALDIVES -Climate change;

-beach erosion;- degradation of marine habitats.

-High population densities; -increases in marine-basedtourism;

NEPAL -Deforestation; -soil erosion and degradation;-loss of biodiversity; -water pollution;- natural disasters such as floods and landslides in rural areas

-High rates of urbanization; -increased population density

PAKISTAN -Water pollution; -seasonal limitations on the availabilityof natural freshwater resources; majority of the population lacks access to potable water;- deforestation; soil erosion; coastal habitat loss and degradation ofmarine environment; desertification; -loss of biodiversity:

-High rates of urbanization and deficits in urban infrastructure;-industrial wastes; -population increases incoastal areas and rise in tourism;-hunting/poaching; -green revolution/agrochemicals and run-off

SRI LANKA -Deforestation; soil erosion; - loss of biodiversity;coastal degradation;-limited access to potable water; -water-borne diseases prevalent.

-Excessive pressure on forests; -deficits in urban infrastructure; -water pollution by municipal andindustrial waste, and agricultural run-off; extensive mining activities.

COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

• Land Degradation

• Water scarcity and Degradation

• Deforestation and Biodiversity loss

• Impacts to the marine environment

• Atmospheric pollution

• Natural Hazards

CAUSES

• Population• Deficient Urban infrastructure• Industries • Over Exploitation• Green Revolution

• The area is pumped with raw sewage, industrial waste• The Ganges River is slowly declining due to the steady flow of

municipal and industrial waste. • Municipal sewage accounts for 80% by volume of total waste

dumped into the river, while industrial waste constitutes 15%. • Ironically, although the river is viewed as a figure of purification

not only by Hindus but by other religious denominations, Indians persist in dumping the ashes of their dead into it.

• Government efforts to clean up the river have failed due to poor planning and technological mismanagement

• Lack of public awareness and poverty fuels the problem.

•  Varanasi’s water supply is highly dependent on the Ganga, which is considered to be sacred and purifying by the Hindus.

• Immersion and ablution in its water are daily procedures for the inhabitants as well for the numerous pilgrims.

• Every day, around 60,000 people take a holy dip in the Ganga in Varanasi.

• Furthermore, religious practices, such as burning of corpses, aggravate the pollution of the river.

• This extreme focus of daily life along the river makes Varanasi’s water situation more unique but also more urgent than in other cities

SCENARIO IN BANARAS

• Biological Pollution - Urban liquid and solid waste -Dead bodies of animals and humans• Domestic Waste • Solid garbage and dead body disposal • Mass bathing and other ritualistic practices• Chemical pollution

• Karachi is among the eight most polluted cities in Asia• The National Conservation Strategy Report claims that the

average Pakistani vehicle emits twenty-five times as much carbon monoxide, twenty times as many hydrocarbons, and more than three and one-half times as much nitrous oxide in grams per kilometer as the average vehicle in the United States.

• Motorcycles and scooters are major pollutants in the city.

• Karachi is the busiest city in Pakistan. Beside the growing economy, the people of Karachi should the impact of it. Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and psychological diseases already affected 35% of people who live on the city.

• Karachi is the metropolitan city and business hub of Pakistan: On one side the image of Karachi is being projected as major and industrial city of Pakistan but on the other hand pollution-related diseases in Karachi are on the rise due to intolerable levels of air and noise pollution in the city. Some 35 percent of people in one way or another are affected by these ailments including cardiac, lung, ENT, skin, eye and psychological diseases.

• According to estimates, over 1.43 million vehicles are plied on the city’s roads and the number is growing continuously as more than 300 vehicles are being registered in Karachi every day.

• Drainage and flood control - many parts of the city are subject to frequent flooding due to insufficient drainage, residential encroachment along canal banks and improper solid waste disposal.

• Solid waste management - many parts of the city have inadequate or no waste collection while the only controlled disposal site causes environmental degradation.

• Industrial waste is disposed of without any control.• Industrial pollution - about 200 "problem"

industries contribute to pollution of surface and groundwater, air and land pollution, excessive noise, and public health risks.

• The CM( colombo metropolitan) area is highly vulnerable to floods as amply demonstrated in the floods of 2010, which has become an almost annual event.

• Increased storm water runoff aggravated by inadequate drainage infrastructure, canal bank encroachment, clogging of existing canals and drains due to solid waste dumping, reduction in water retention areas due to illegal filling of marshy land etc. paralyzes the city from time to time causing inconvenience to large number of people.

• The institutional environment characterized by fragmentation of responsibilities for urban planning and development is a major constraint to have effective control of this situation, and for efficient city management.

•Flooding & drainage issues •Canal & lake water quality issues

•Traffic congestion issues

•Poor public convenience

• Threat to important ecosystems

• in Dhaka, huge inequity in land use practices and patterns, excessive pressures on land, uncontrolled industrial management as well as agricultural degrade and contaminate the city lands.

• Most of the city lands receive huge amount of pesticides and polluted water from the surrounding rivers during cultivation.

• The city also lacks proper solid waste management systems.

• Industrial discharges, especially from the tanneries in Hazaribagh are severely polluting large areas of soil surface with different toxic chemicals.

• In fact, rapid urbanization, industrial development, increased economic activities toward development with participation of national and international parties also remain responsible for land and soil degradation

• Improper city land use practices

• Mixed Land Use Practices

• Encroachment of rivers, canals, wetlands, forests and agricultural land for settlements

•Unplanned urbanization, and especially the often haphazard development of industrial units, has generated a range of environmental problems affecting human health and welfare. •Air and water pollution are becoming a serious problem. •Urban land also is polluted due to the absence of urban services and to the messy disposal of human waste

• Currently the most highlighted environment problem is air pollution.

• Kathmandu is particularly liable to it, due to its location in a bowl shaped valley with little natural air movement for much of the year.

• Emission of dust due to smoky motor vehicles and construction works, and the release of particulate matters (PM) by small scale industries such as brick kilns are major sources of air pollution

• Noise pollution is also increasing, due principally to aircraft noise, because of the international airport’s close proximity to the city core, to outdated vehicle engines, and industries located near residential areas

• The sewage treatment plants in Kathmandu are not functioning and the untreated sewage has to be discharged directly into the rivers.

• As a result, the condition of the Bagmati river system has severely deteriorated: aquatic life is virtually inexistent, human bathing for religious purposes has decreased, and the river water is now very bad for agricultural use.

• The environment in thimphu is one of most pristine in Asia with clean air, water and primeval forest.

• However, with high growth rates in population, unchecked migration ,increased population density , rapid increases in imports of cars, and rising demand for fuel wood, roads and building construction, the future suggests many negative effects on environmental assets, which can further expose the population to climate change vulnerabilities.

• Of particular importance is the use and management of watersheds, change in land use• patterns from agriculture and forestry to industry, roads, townships, mines and quarries -• that not only affect hydropower generation, but lead to environmental degradation.

• Air quality – considered among the best in the region • Moreover ,records show an annual increase of 11-17% in the number of cars in the period 1985-

2003.

• Rising sea temperatures• coral reefs - bleaching and

death• exposed to the risks of

intensifying weather events• With the melting of polar ice

caps, the Male is also exposed to the risks of sea-level rise

•  Future sea level is projected to rise within the range of 10 to 100 centimeters by the year 2100, which means the entire country could be submerged in the worst-case scenario.

COLLECTIVE MEASURES• Taking notice of such emerging concerns, SAARC has started

taking steps towards environmental concerns of the region. • The sixteenth SAARC Summit was held in 2010 under the

theme of “Towards a Green and Happy South Asia” as rightly selected theme by the host Bhutan.

• Before and during the Summit India stressed on the futuristic approach of SAARC and gave full support to the cause of climate change.

• The region also saw its first regional agreement on environment during this Summit.

• A statement on climate change entitled as the Thimpu Statement on Climate Change was also adopted during this Summit.

• The Convenors of this session want to make a humble attempt to compare the SAARC’s efforts to protect environment with the UN’s and to draft a new agreement for the future actions in the region based on the lessons taken from the other international and regional documents on climate change and environmental protection.

CONCLUSION