5 eco issues that could cripple India

I am reading version 2.0 of Greenpeace's new Safe Food Guide, published last week. It ranks 25 of the most popular food companies in India based on whether or not they use GM foods in their products and how well they comunicate that to the consumer. 

Dabur and KRBL rank best while Nestle, PepsiCo, Haldiram and Hindustan Unilever performed worst, according to Greenpeace. 

Useful info. But it strikes me that GM foods probably aren't the things that will have the most serious consequences on our country.

So I email Dr. Seema Javed, senior media officer, Greenpeace India, for her list of top five environmental issues ailing India, from Greenpeace's point of view. She is quick to point out that being one of the fastest growing economies of the world, we face an "enormous uphill task" of saving natural resources in the face of this kind of demand for growth and development. 

"The development path adopted by India is neither sustainable nor equitable," she tells me bluntly. "And it's leading to widespread degradation of environment."

There you have it. Facts from those who know it best.

"On the tip of the iceberg of environmental issues facing India today are impacts of climate change, land degradation, water pollution, forest degradation and rapid unplanned urbanisation. These are the five most pressing challenges that India is facing and that will hamper its rush for growth."

Javed writes:

1. Emissions, rain and climate refugees

India releases the fifth largest amount of emissions and its stand on climate change is that our right to 'development' is non-negotiable. Globally, climate change is expected to result in sea-level rise, which is a serious threat to India considering it has a 7,517 kilometer-long coastline. More than 7 million people will be at risk due to sea expansion and could cost us 1,850 million rupees. Moreover, climate refugees from South Asia will also affect India. Around 75 million people of Bangladesh might be forced to take shelter in India. But more than that, it is the impact on the rains that will affect India the most. It will create havoc for Indian farmers and in turn affect Indian economy adversely. These impacts, in fact, are already showing up.

2. Land degradation

Extensive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and recently the push for genetically modified crops have affected land fertility drastically, in turn affecting production. So much so that vegetables and fruits are found contaminated by heavy metals and pesticides.

3. Pollution of fresh water resources

A major cause of worry. All the major rivers including the mighty Ganga, Yamuna, Riva, Sutlej and Cauvery are polluted with sewage and industrial toxic waste. The groundwater is depleted and contaminated leading to various diseases like cancer, skin ailments and water borne diseases. Millions spent on Ganga and Yamuna Action plans have not given the desired result.

4. Deforestation

India has been busy planting trees, to provide timber and fuel wood -- and in some cases to earn money from selling carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism. The country now ranks second globally in terms of total land area under plantation. Yet forest degradation is a serious environmental, social and economic problem here. Native forests in India are disappearing at a rate of up to 2.7 percent per year. It could put India ahead of most other countries in terms of deforestation. This has affected the livelihood and habitat of a large population of native forest residents.

5. Unbridled urbanization

Has created mammoth cities that are heaving under the weight of human population. Resources are stretched and the demand is unending. Lack of livelihoods in rural areas, a declining agriculture is further pushing people to urban areas. The cities, like Mumbai, not built to bear the pressure are falling apart with severe shortfall in basic amenities. As an example, two-fifths of India's urban population resides in 35 metropolitan cities.