3.0
Introduction
Industrialization
environmental
is
one
degradation.
The
urbanization, deforestation etc.
industrialization.
of
the
other
major
reasons
cause
such
of
as
are only a by-product of rapid
So the history of environmental degradation
of a country is its history of industrialization.
In the early
days when there were only traditional and cottage industries the
environmental degradation and resource depletion were
minimum.
The industrial revolution
at
its
and the subsequent large
scale application of science and technology in industries gave a
boost to industrial production.
shifted on to mass production.
in large quanties.
Thus production by masses was
Natural
resources were consumed
Along with the rate of production, rate of
pollution increased.
According to
Schumacher, in a subtile
system of nature, technology, and in particular super-technology
of the modern world, acts like a foreign body, and there are now
numerous signs of objection.'
into account
when
These objections have to be taken
a balance
sheet
of
the
performance
of
industries is prepared.
Industrialization
interchangeably.
and
Development
are
often
used
Development is preferred in this chapter not
only because it is more comprehensive, but also because it is
Now, development
supposed to be the goal of industrialization.
But the scope
has been a blessing for man in a variety of ways.
of
this
thesis
does
not
permit
one
to
give
illustration of the attractive face of development.
focus of this chapter is on the ugly
a
detailed
Rather, the
and horrible face of
development.
Take
for
instance, the Figure
3.1
which
the Human
Development Report gives as a profile of human distress in
industrialized countries.
I
Figure: 3.1
.I
Profile of Buman Distress in Industrial Countries
. ..
.
....
~ m m n u k per 100.cm women aged 1 5 - 1 9
mm.,dhrrndol*-bpl
..
.
~ c1
r w . m people
Per
'.
.,.I.
,
1w.m maple
ur~tlril
SI~ICS
rarrid.,
2w
60.
Germany
Denmarl
II~,,!,,
49
A".lldil,l, ~ U ~ I I P I I
li"10,3',
I!.,.,,,:
>
>.s#,,,5 8 .,,,,-,I,,?,
1W.
29.
N .v r,Ou%!,d tour\!l,av,
-
Iw#.2elland
YI).
Moll < v l d ~ i l r #<wnd,et
dl
M X l lnOu,llal cuunlriei
250.
Denmall
..,
,,%I
,Aid',
0 .- l i a i
POI,~lldl
lid)
Source: UNDP, Huran Develop.ent Report, 1994, p.30.
According to this profile the United States (US) stands in
the top most position with regard to murder, rape and injuries
from road accidents.
To take another example from among many, we have the
favourite
toys
like plastic gun, for children.
guns have all the arrangements of the real gun
difference that it has no killing power.
These plastic
with the only
This has become a
favourite for children simply because most of what they see in
the Television, hear in the Radio and read in the News Paper has
to do with violence.
More examples of this kind are not given here because the
main theme of this chapter is the harmful effect of development
on environment.
The more we get developed, the more we destroy
our environment.
environment?
Why does development cause so much damage to
is very wide-ranging from poverty to
The answer
thirst for luxurious life.
If it is to eliminate poverty from
the people that the third world countries are running behind
development forgetting nature, it is for luxurious life that the
developed countries are going after development.
one thing
is clear.
Development
In any case,
is necessary
and
it
is
unavoidable as far as human well-being is concerned.
But what
kind of development
In other
is necessary
is the question.
words, what harm has the present day development done to the
environment?
This is the question which the researcher is
limiting herself to in this chapter.
3 .
Catastrophic Consequences of Development
The
concept
of
development
discipline after the second World
emerged
War.
as
an
academic
The then economists
believed that development effectively replicates the experiences
of countries like
Britain,
France, Germany, US, etc. which were
industrialized even in the nineteenth century.
gave
more
importance
accumulation.
to
increasing
These countries
savings
and
capital
As a matter of fact, these economists identified
development with economic growth.
Quite recently a new but significant turning point has
reached in the concept of development when the economists
developed
the
concept
of
'Sustainable
Development8. Here
development combines both moral and material progress.
The
present day environmental degradation caused by deve1.opment can
be discussed under the following heads.
3.1.1
Poverty
Addressing the Stockholm Conference of United Nations
Conference on the Human Environemnt
(UNCHE) on June 5th 1972,
Mrs. Indira Gandhi stated,
"We do not wish t o impoverish the environment any
further and yet we can't
for a moment forget the grim
paverty of large numbers of p ople. Are not poverty and
need the greatest p o l l ~ t e r s 3
?~
Unfortunately, the type of development that is going on in
our country is not much helpful to eliminate poverty. It is true
that the poverty rate has lowered much today
rate at the time when India became
actual beneficiaries
compared to poverty
a free nation.
of the development
However the
programme
are the
millionaires of our country.
That is, development is taking
place in such a way that it helps the rich to become richer and
We are
richer and the poor t o become poorer and poorer.
exploiting our natural resources not to feed our poor but to make
the industrialists more and more rich.
proved by
an example.
Government and GRASIM
This statement can be
As per the agreement
between the Kerala
Calicut, signed on 10th July
Government agreed to supply a ton of Eucalyptus
1974 the
at the
rate of
Rs. 22.50 and other soft wood at Rs. 15 per ton.
According to the
revised rate in 1985 before the closure of
the
received a ton of bamboo just for Rs. 450/-.
factory, it
At the same time a
poor tribal, wfio is engaged in mat- weaving and box-making using
bamboos, to earn a living
bamboos.
had to pay
Rs.48.50
In 1989 when a tribal had to pay
for just five
Rs.98
for five
bamboos, according to the revised agreement the factory has to
pay only Rs.250/-
for a ton of bambo0.'8~~
To put it in simple
.
words, the tribal has to pay Rs. 686/- for a ton of bamboo i e. ,
about three times higher than what Birla has to pay.
So, if we
want development t o eliminate poverty we have t o encourage
traditional and cottage industries as Gandhi had suggested.
It is a general belief that environmental prolxstion and
poverty
elimination
do
not
go
hand
in
hand.
So
%so
environmental protection may lead to the closing down of many
polluting industries, leading to
stomachs empty.
conducted by a US
unemployment, and leaving more
But the fact is just the reverse.
A study
firm shows that there is little relationship
between increased pollution standards and unemployment.
Environment Protection Agency US, has
The
a inaximum of
identified
153 plants closings affecting 32,000 workers in the decade 1971
to 1981, that might
protection.
workforce.
be attributed
These workers came up
to costs of
to 0.003
environmental
percent of the
At the same time about 600 new units were established
to manufacture and install pollution related equipments or to
provide technical services concerning pollution reduction.
It
is calculated that pollution control expenditure in all sectors
of the economy generated 1.1 million new jobs.
The case is
encouraging as far as India is concerned, where labour is much
cheapar than in the West, and thus can proportionately provide
more jobs from environmental protection activities.
Against a small investment in the field of pollution
control (it varies from 0.2 to 2% of Gross Net Product (GNP) in
the US and European Countries) ,' the Government car, save much
from health benefits.
study
conducted
in
An Environment
1974
found
that
Protection Agency
air
pollution
(US)
alone
contributed $4.6 billion of loss to health, $1.7 million in loss
to
materials, $0.2 billion in loss t o vegetation, and $5.8
billion in loss because of soiling or aesthetics.'
This savings
achieved by avoiding this type of expenditure on pollution can be
funneled to eliminate poverty.
Many of us are unaware of the fact that it is the poor who
are the sufferers of pollution since they are helpless to buy
safety
.
The sufferers of natural resources exhaustion are a l s o
the poor.
A rural dweller in India has to walk half a day or
more to obtain wood for cooking, loosing his entire labour to
this single task.''
An average of 20 or so litres of water per
person per day is available in rural areas as against
nearly 300
litres in developed urban areas.11
The poor are forced
to live in more polluted areas where
low land value make housing affordable.
The surroundings of the
workplace, where they have to convert their labour to bread are
also unhealthy.
Because
the profitmotive factory-owners often
do not care about the health condition of the workers.
Thus it
is not environmnental protection, but: the cancerous growth of
development that affects the poor more adversely.
Therefore,
this is what we have to pay our immediate attention to.
3.1.2
Population and Urbanization
Between 1950 and 1986, the scale of the world population
doubled from 2.5 to 5 billion, while the scale of gross world
product and world fossil fuel consumption each quadrupled.
In
this century world population has trippled and the world economy
has expanded to 20 times
2030, as the world's
its size, in 1900. l2
Between 1990 and
population grows by 3.7
billion, food
production will need to double, and industrial output and energy
use will probably triple world wide
developing countries.l3
and
increase
fivefold in
This growth rate of population can be
best depicted with the help of the following calculation.
It
took about 130 year (from around 1800 to 1927) for the world to
increase its population from 1 billion to 2 billion.
Only 33
years (1927-1960) were necessary for the third billion, 14 year
(1960-1970) for the fourth, and 13 years (1974-87) for the
fifth.14
This growth brings with it the risks of appalling
environmental damage.14
In India from 1901 to 1951, population density went up
from 77 people to 117 people per square kilometer.
F:rom 1981 to
1991, density increased from 216 to 267; that is, there was a
bigger rise in density in just one decade, the 1980s, than in th'e
first five decades of the century.l5
Population growth increases the demand for goods and,
services and, if practices remain unchanged, implies increased
environmental damage.
Population growth also increases the need
for employment and livelihood, leading to additional pressure on
natural resources.
More people produce more wastes, threatening
local health conditions and implying additional stress on earth's
assimilating capacity.
In the early times when
population was minimum people
were distributed on the earth somewhat uniformly.
But with the
beginning of the industrial revolution people began to move and
got collected in certain areas where industries and such other
'deveLopment worksr were going on.
According to experts
urbanization is the result of massive shift of labour and capital
from predominantly rural to predominantly urban activities.l6
At
mid 1990 ,about 73% of the population in developed countries are
urban dwellers.
2025. 17
This
This will increase to 75% in 2000 and 83% in
shows
the
inseparable
relation
between
'development' and urbanization.
In India, according to the 1991 census 217 (26%) million
out of a total population of 844 million,
areas.
now live in urban
The migration of around 13,500 people from rural to urban
areas everyday in search of employment puts severe pressure on
the already civic infrastructure.l8
townships around industries.
distributed in 3609 cities.
These migrants settle in
India's
urban population is
But nearly two-thirds (65.2%) live
in 296 class I cities i-e., urban areas with a population of one
lakh or more. 19
The 1991 census shows that Kerala has
urbanization.
high level of
In 1981 the percentage of urbanization was
18.74%
which had shot up 26.44 percent after ten years in 1991. X
I In
India, out of the 217 million urban population, 70.7
million
(accounting for one third of the urban population) live in 23
metropolitan cities.
It is calculated that 25 percent of India's
urban population live in slums.21
Slums are often located on
land, ill-suited for human habitation.
poor people can afford only such
This may be because these
places.
These places are
characterized either by the presence of dangerous industries or
places where cities' garbages are dumped.
The slum dwellers are
often susceptible to water-borne diseases, and infectious
diseases like tuberculosis, influenza, meningitis, mumps and
measles, due to the unhygienic conditions prevailing in that
area.
Chemicals used in many of the household industries are
another environmental danger that these people face.
Thus urbanization, one of the by-products of the
day development, severely harms our environment.
present-
To put it in
brief, as WHO observes, rapidly growing urban centres are a
particular challenge to environmental health.22
3.1.3
Water Supply and Sanitation
Inadequate access to clean water and sanitation is the
most significant environmental problem and threat to public
health in both urban and rural India.
World Health Organization
(WHO) has estimated that in developing countries 75 percent of
all illness and 80 percent of child mortality cases are
associated with unsafe disposal of excrement, poor hygiene and
water supplies that are inadequate in quality or quantity.23
According to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, about 70
percent of Indiatswater is seriously polluted.24
For instance, the Yamuna receives an estimated 200 million
litres of untreated sewage every day as it passes by New Delhi,
raising the coliform count from 7,500 per 100 millj-litres above
the city to 24 million below the city..
25
In India sanitation
services are available to 48 percent of the urban population,
which is enjoyed by the affluent section of the society and just
3 percent of the rural population.26
According to a survey
conducted by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 1988, of
the 212 class I cities
facilities.
only
71
had
waste-water
collection
Even in these cities, on1.y 64 percent of the
population is covered by sewage facilities.
Out of the 214 class
I1 towns, only 19 have waste-water collection systems.
In the 12
major metropolitan areas, of the 6.5 billion litres of sewage
generated daily, only 1.5 billion litres are collected. 2 7 * 2 8
3.1.4
Vehicular Ihission
an integral part of development, the number of vehicles
As
Heavy vehicles are a significant
are increasing day by day.
source of air pollution in large cities, as are motor scooters
and other small vehicles.
In India between 1981 and 1989 the
number of two wheelers quadrupled, totaling 10.6 million in 1989
and growth rate is expected to continue.
harmful
unburnt hydrocarbons. 29
Most two wheelers emit
In Delhi,
the
number
of
automobiles increased by more than 500 percent from 1961 to 1978,
while bicycle rides in proportion to all trips in the city
decreased from 36% to 20% between 1957 and 1 9 8 1 . ~ ~
In addition to the hydrocarbons, vehicular emissions
consist
of
particles.
carbon monoxide,
nitrogen,
lead
and
suspended
A combination of narrow streets and poorly maintained
vehicles increases the level of pollution.
In India the number
of vehicles is very high, most of them are poorly maintained and
the plight of the roads is very poor, thus bringing vehicular
pollution to its maximum.
3.1.5
Deforestation
The destruction caused by modern man to environment is
very high.
Today the range of deforestation varies from the
rural people, collecting firewood from the forest, to Government,
exporting tinber to get foreign exchange.
In India deforestation
is mainly for industrial, agricultural and construction purposes.
Encroachment into forest, either for cultivation or housing is a
serious problem in India.
Often these encroachments are made
legal by the Government for getting political mileage.
The
Pattayamelasl in Kerala is a a case in point. Another major
pressure on forest resources is the increasing demand for tinber
and paper.
country
From 1980-81 to 1991-92, paper production in the
rose
105
percent
and
wood
usage
also
rose
significantly.31
While T.N. Seshan was the Secretary to the Ministry of
Environment a few years ago, he frankly admitted in a meeting of
the Society for International Development in Delhi that India is
losing 10 million trees every 24 hours.32
As far as fuel wood
is concerned, a study shows that Indian forest can supply an
estimated 41 million cubic meters per year.
annual demand is 240 million cubic meters. 33
But the current
The Government has
proclaimed that for the health of the nation, about 33 per cent
of the land should be under forest. 34
pictures show that nation's
However,
satellite
actual tree cover (forestland with a
crown density of 40% or more) is only 38.5 million hectares i.e.,
11 - 7 percent of India8s total area. 3 5 r 3 6
~eforestation causes rapid desertification, soil erosion,
reduction in rain fall, global warming, etc.
Another serious
consequence of deforestation is loss of bio-diversity.
The
current tropical deforestation poses a great threat, as it will
wipe out in a decade more species than the natural extinction in
a few hudred million years of evolution.
considered as one of
the world's
Even though India is
leading 'megadiversity'
states, the large scale deforestation in the Western Ghats and
North-East, recognized internationally as bio-diversity
spots',
3.1.6
'hot
is causing serious alam. 37
IIodernization of Agriculture
With the introduction of science and technology the method
of agricultural production has changed a lot.
As the mouths to
feed are increasing day by day it is the responsibility of the
nation to produce more with less area of cultivation. This has
been made possible by the over-application of fertilizers and
pesticides and the introduction of High Yielding Varieties (HW).
Fertilizer use in India during 1950-51 was just 0.55 kg
per hectare.
By the early 1990s Indian farmers were using about
72 kg fertilizer per hectare. 38
According to Geoffrey Lean of
the World Wild Fund ( W W F ) , the percent change in fertilizer use
in India in between 1964-66 to 1983-85 is an increase of 7 6 0 . ~ '
Over application of fertilizers causes serious damage to living
things.
For example, the nitrate used in agricultural fertilizer
is not in itself poisonous.
But the intestinal bacteria can
convert it into nitrite, which affects the t.ransport of oxygen by
the blood.
High levels of nitrite in drinking water can cause
respiratory difficulty and even death in infants.
In a country like India this over-application of chemical
fertilizers
and
the
subsequent
environmental
and
health
degradation can be checked to a great extent, if we use urban
sewage, animal dung and food industry wastes.
The last mentioned
item alone could yield more nitrogen, phospherous and potassium
that are presently consumed in commercial fertilizers
India.40
all over
Appropriate small scale industries can be used for
conversion of these wastes to fertilizers.
This will not only
reduce the harm caused by chemical fertilizers but also make
fertilizer available in low prices.
Application of pesticides
also increases day by day.
percent of change in pesticides imports by
increase of 261
The
Asian countries is an
in between 1972 to 1985
( 1 9 8 5 prices). 41
According to as4 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report,
on the global basis, pesticides have contributed to over 4 7
percent increased crop yields.
In India after the adoption of
chemical pest control measures there is an increase of crop yield
over
20 to 50 percent.42
the coin.
But this is only the positive side of
The major draw-back of extensive use of pesticide is
an increase of pests themselves!
For example fifty years ago
when the pesticide-use was limited, there was only 7 insect
species which were known to be resistant to pesticides.
1989 the number has shot up to
more than 450.
But in
Twenty years ago
virtually no plant pathogens resisted pesticides, now more than
100 appears to be immune.43 Kuttanad, the \rice bowlt of Kerala,
is now facing serious environmental problems as a result of the
over application of fertilizers and pestici.des.
Many of the small scale farmers are not much aware of the
optimum quantity of pesticides that has to be used for getting
better results.
In India this type of danger is very alarming as
many of the farmers are illiterate and are not exposed to any
training programme.
According to WHO, agro-chemicals alone lead
to about four million poisoning each year around the world,
killing atleast 15,000 people. 4 4
Rice is the principal food crop of Kerala.
However, the
area under rice cultivation is decreasing year after year.
According to Economic Review 1994, the crop which had a coverage
of around 8.75
lakh hectare in the mid
seventies
suffered
severe set back in area resulting in a total loss of more than 3
lakh hectumover a period of 15 years.45
The area index for food
grains for an average of three years from 1976-77 to 1978-79 was
102.55.
In 1991-92 it was only 67.22, 67.00 in 1992-93 and a
mere 64.61 in 1993-94. 46
However the production of food grains
per hectare is increasing.
One of the reasons for the miracle is
the introduction of (HYV).
It accounted for 34% of the total
production of rice in 1993-94 eventhough only 1.72 lakh hecter
out of 5.30 lakh hecter was under HYV. 47
Gandhi this type of quick returns
As foresighted by
has its own drawbacks.
The
major drawback in the introduction of HYV is, it depletes soil
nutrients more quickly which are not being fully replaced.
According to an all India calculation in 1980-81, about 18
million tons of nutrients
were removed from the soil by
foodgrain crops, but only 5.5 million tons
of fertilizer were
applied.48
3.1.7
Industrialization
Industry extracts materials from the natural resources
base
and
inserts both
environment.
products
and
pollution
into
the
Today there is a competition between nations,
especially developing countries to fill their country with
industries.
The motto behind this notion is the belief that it
is only through industrialization economic growth can be
achieved.
In the run for rapid industrialization many of these
countries forget their traditional industries, actual needs and
natural resources.
What the West produces and consumes is
believed to be the best for several developing countries.
According to WHO, industrialization in developed countries has
underpinned the change from predominantly rural and agrarian
societies to predominantly urban society where i;c
Gcrc thaii
a
small percentage of the labour force work in agriculture.49
India following the foot steps of the developed countries, i;ad
iiat Gaiidhi,
is industrializing rapidly, rather than remaining an
agriculture based country.
-83-
This one-sided growth, forgetting the fact that food is
produced only from fields and not from industries, is dangerous.
According to UNEP industry now produce seven times more goQds
than
it did in 1950.
It handles 80,000 chemicals and introduces
1000-2000 new ones every year. 50 Hazards due to large scale
industrialization is discussed under the following heads.
Occupational Health H a z a r d s
At the work place a variety of factors influence the level
of risk for the working population.
exposure t o hazard,
They include the extent of
availability of safety equipments etc.
Estimates on the current occupational injury rates
there are
suggest that
120 million occupational injuries per year and 200,000
deaths. 51g 51A
The
prevalence
of
some
common
occupational
diseases among exposed population is as follows:52
Silicosis 3.5
43.8% :
;
43.2%
byssinosis 5.0
mercury poisoning 2.6
70.0%
-
-
-
;
coal miner's
30.0%
37.0%
;
pneumoconiosis 8.3
: lead poisoning 1.7
-
100.0% :
noise-induced hearing loss 1.7
occupational skin disease 1.7
-
-
- 86.0%.
Health risks to the public
Health risks vary considerably for the public living and
working outside the factory.
They include the distance from the
factory, the relationship with the factory workers and the
susceptibjlity to pollutants.
The family members of the workers
may get exposure to toxic substances such as lead brought home on
-84-
worker's
clothings.
pollutants.
Infants and children are more susceptible to
Exposure is often higher for people who live close
to industries.
Industrial pollution has many indirect health
effects.
The liquid waste from the industries cause reduced fish
catches.
The toxic substances will enter into the body of human
beings who consume the fish.
The slum dwellers often take their
bath in this contaminated water, and this may cause skin diseases
to them.
Accidental Releases
Accidental releases of toxic gases stored in huge tanks
are a common type of industrial accident.
This will result in
health risks both at the work place and in a wider environment.
The industrial disaster that occured at the Union Carbide Plant
in Bhopal at mid night on December 2nd 1984 is the Worst example.
More than 2,00,000 persons were exposed
to
methyl isocyanate
(MIC) gas, and an estimated 3,600 deaths have resulted from the
exposure.53
Today, approximately 50,000 persons are estimated to
be suffering long term health effects.
Inflammatory damage to
the eyes and lungs appear to be the main cause of morbidity.
Increased spontaneous abortion and psychological problems have
been reported. 54
Industrialization and death rate in India
Industrialization in India is mainly concentrated in
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Out of these
States, the health status data from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and
Tamil Nadu show that the death rate is higher in industrial areas
than in non-industrial areas.
For Example, the
average death
rate in urban areas in Gujarat in 1987 was 7.4 deaths per 1000
population.
In the three industrialized districts in the State,
the death rates were much higher than t.he State average.
Figure 3.2).
(See
At the same time the death rate is very low in the
non-industrial areas.
In Amreli, a non-industrial area the death
rate is only 4.7 when compared to 8.9 in highly industrialized
Ahmedabad.
The
main
reason for this is the high rate of
pollution in industrialized areas. 55
Figure 3.2:
Death Rates in Urban Areas of Gujarat
1
I
( p e r 1000 population)
Ahmedabad
State Average
Source:
m
Industrlal Areas
a
Non industrial Area.
B.
Bowonder, Environmental Management: Redefining
Perspectives, The Hindu Survey of Environment 1995,
p . 158.
Major C h e m i c a l Disasters in India After Bhopal Gas Tragedy
The Table
3.1
shows that there is no
reduction
in
industrial disasters even after Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 even
-86-
Sore of the Major Chemical Disasters in India after
Bhopal
Table 3.1:
Date
Place
No of People
Killed Injured
Nature of accident
Dec. 1985
ShriRam Food and
Fertilizers, Delhi
2
500
Oleum gas leak
Jul. 1987
Bhorari Industrial
area, Pune
-
420
Sulphur trioxide
leak
Jun. 1987
Bhuaneshwar
4
NA
Ammonia gas leak
Nov. 1987
Behrampur,Ahmedabad
-
5000
May
Deese Town,
Ahmedabad
19
53
1988
Oleum gas leak
Acid tanker
overturned
Oct. 1989
Chlorinators India
Ganjan, Orissa
6
100
Chlorine gas leak
Nov. 1990
Indian Petro
35
Chemicals Ltd.
Nagothane, Maharashtra
fiO
Explosion in gas
eracker plant
Nov. 1991
Gwalior Rayons and
silk Mills,
Gwalior, MP
9
100
Nov. 1991
Dahanu, Uharashtra
lo0
I. 9
Chemical explosion from overturned tanker
Apr. 1992
Naya Bazar, Delhi
12
-.
Chemical explosion in warehouse
Sep. 1992
National Fertilizer
plant, Paniput,
11
11
Ammonia gas leak
Mar. 1993
Century Rayon,
Sahad, Maharashtra
11
123
Sulphuric acid
gas leak
Oct. 1994
Jhansi, UP
30
25
*
June
GRASIM, Mavoor
Kozhikode
1995
Explosion in
filling unit
Explosion in a
factory
Breathing poisonous gas (Hydrogen
sulphide) while
repairing effluent
chamber
3
* Data included by the researcher.
Source : LQX Rego. 'Environment Legislation
way to go; The
H 1 du Survey of the Environment ld9g lp9"lTl.
-
though, the Government had taken several measures including the
implementation of Environemntal Protection Act in 1986.
Industrial Hazards
- Comparison of Industries
All industries are not equally hazardous, although all of
them require natural resources for their production. The general
assumption is that chemical industries are more pollutive. 56
According to C.D. Oomachen, (Chairman Maharashtra Pollution
Control Board) every year, the Indian chemical industry Kills
and injures 10,000 of every lakh of workers.57
33,
According to
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimate, chemicals,
petroleum and coal industries discharge 657.3 litres/production
employee/year of hazardous wastes, which is next to basic metal
industries which account for 805.1 (See Figure
3.3).
Other major
industries which are environmentally destructive are non-metallic
products, food, beverages, textiles, fabricated metals, transport
equipments, paper, printing, leather and wood and wood product
industries. Fig.
3.3
shows a comparison of industries in
hazardous waste production.
Figure 3.3:
Corparison of Hazardous Industries
Source: UNEP., Environment Brief No.7
Disposal of Hazardous Wastes
The disposal of hazardous chemicals released
as a by-
product or waste product of large scale industries is a serious
problem.
As the production of these chemicals increased, it
resulted in a steep increase in waste disposal costs.
Between
1977 and 1987 the cost for disposing one ton of non-hazardous
waste has increased from $15 to $250.
The cost for disposal of
one ton of hazardous waste can now reach as high as $2,500.
Today the industrialists in rich countries, where these hazardous
chemicals are produced in large quantities, are aiming at the
third world countries to dump their waste, as many of these
countries are willing to accept it for
$40
a ton.58
For example,
according to 'Green Peace' figures, imports of plastic wastes to
India increased by 97.3 percent from 3,974.7 metric tons
to 7,841.8 metric
in 1992
tons in 1993 from industrialized countries
like the US, UK, Australia.5 9
3.1.8
Pollution
Today
industries are one of
the major
sources of
pollution. Pollution, in its simplest sense can be defined as any
adverse change or modification made to the natural environment by
the activities of man.
Water, air and noise
pollution are the
major types of pollution for which industry is responsible.
Watar Pollution
One of the main natural resources required for the running
of an industry is water.
Water requirement may vary from
-89-
industry to industry.
It is calculated that viscose rayon
industry requires 1600 litres of water per lkg. of fibre.
Pulp
and paper industry which is one among the major water polluting
industries require 270-450 litres water per lkg of paper. 60
At
the turn of the twenty first century the water requirement for
industry may increase by six fold and by the year 2025 may be 24
times the demand.61
Industrial
waste-water contributes only
about one fourth of India's total waste-water by volume, but is
over one half of the total water pollutant load.
Most industrial
waste water comes from large and medium size facilities,
especially in the chemical industry and related sectors.62
According to a study, much stretch of the Yamuna which
flows through Delhi receives about
day.63
5 lakh litre of DDT waste per
The Hoogly estuary is chocked with untreated industrial
waste from more than 150 major factories around Calcutta.64
Today, in Kerala almost all water bodies in the coastal
zone are polluted by industries.
It has been estimated that
about 0.5 mm3 of trade effluent are being dumped into the rivers
and the tidal waters of Kerala every day.65 Periyar, the longest
river in Kerala receives effluents from twenty five percent of
industries in Kerala.
Industrial establishments draw around
169349 kilolitres of water from Periyar daily.
Of this 144075
~ is
kilolitres comes back to the river as e f f l ~ e n t s . ~It
estimated that the tidal waters of Periyar receives 41.4 and
127.9 millions
litres per day of (direct discharqes from
engineering and chemical industries respectively.67
The quantity of waste discharged is of the order of 2424
lakh litres per day and the major pollutants identified are:
suspended solids, mercury, zinc, copper, cadmium, lead, fluoride,
ammonia, urea, chlorine, oil, grease and radioactive materials.68
Today in Kerala there are about 23 major industries causing water
pollution including GRASIM, Mavoor: Hindustan News Print Ltd.,
Velloor and Travancore Titanium Products, Thiruvananthapuram.
Air Pollution
Air pollution is as old as industrialization.
Pollution
of the air is more widespread in its effect than other forms of
pollution, becasue people have to breath air.
polluted one can avoid drinking polluted water.
is not possible as far as air is concerned.
If water is
But such choice
All industries which
consume energy in any form cause air pollution. Sulphur dioxide,
oxides of nitrogen and suspended particulate matter have been
identified to be the major pollutant in industrial regions.
Today air pollution in urban area is a severe problem.
Recent statistics show that an estimated 600 million people,
i-e., 11.3% of the total world population (world population in
1990 is 5,292 million)
live in cities where sulphur dioxide
levels exceeds WHO health guidelines and 1,200 million (22.6% of
world population) live in cities where particulate matter exceeds
WHO health guidelines.69
According to a study by WHO and UNEP, in Bombay, when
there are higher levels of sulphur dioxi.de there is an increased
-91-
prevalence
of
breathing
difficulties, coughs
and
colds.
Morbidity data between 1971 and 1979 establish a link between
dense air pollution in Bombay and a higher rate of death from
respiratory and cardiac condition as well as cancer.70
percent
of
Calcutta's
population
suffer
from
sixty
pneumonia,
bronchitis and other respiratory diseases related to air
pollution.71
In Kerala, studies carried out so far show that 90 per
cent of the air pollution is due to chemical industries.7 2
in
chemical industries, most of the air pollution problems are due
to sulphuric acid plants of huge capacities and caustic soda
plants.
FACT
Gwalior Rayons
(Ernakulam
Zone)
(Calicut Zone),,Travancore Rayons and
and
Travancore
Titanium
products
(Trivandrum Zone), are the major factories in Kerala having huge
sulphuric acid plants.
Noise Pollution
Noise is an unwanted sound without agreeable musical
quality.
Sources of noise pollution are numerous.
sources are
(1) industrial and
Butthe major
(2) non-industrial.
The
industrial may include noises from various industries, vehicular
movements, etc.
Among the non-industrial, important ones are the
street noise due to the use of loud speaker, demonstration etc.
Any way noise pollution has become an inseparable part of
development.
The intensity of noise pollution is directly
proportional to the intensity of urbanization.
Tn cities like
Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi the average noise level has been found
to be between 65 and 90 decibels.
Experts
are
of
the
opinion
that noise in excess of 90 decibels for continuous period can
cause loss of hearing.
According to
WHO noise-induced hearing
loss has been found to be one of the most prevalent occupational
diseases in both developing and industrialized countries. 72A
Besides hearing
loss noise
pollution
can
cause psychological
problems such as behavioural changes, tension in muscle, nervous
irritability, strain, etc.
hypertension, etc.
and
physiological
problems
such as
Prolonged chronic noise can produce stomach
ulcer as it may reduce the flow of gastric juice and change its
acidity.
Noise can also lead to abortion, and congenital defects
in unborn child.
3.1.9
Energy
Today, coal
provides almost 40 percent of the nation's
total energy requirements and is the source of about
of its commercial energy.
60 percent
From 1980 to 1991-92, coal production
more than doubled to 229 million tons, and is expected to reach
400 million tons by the turn of the century. 73
Hydroelectric
India.
energy production
is somewhat cheaper in
This is the main source of energy production in Kerala.
But when a dam is erected over a water source, it will create
severe environmental degradation.
The damage
to environment is
directly proportional to the size of the dam to be constructed.
Dense forests
covering hectares of land will be completely lost.
This will lead to the loss of rich flora and fauna and in some
cases the extinction of some species.
The value of the rare
flora and fauna cannot be computed in monetary terms.
Another sociological factor arising out of dam construction
is mass rehabilitation.
Among the various development projects
the persons displaced by dam construction is very high (See Table
Governments have to spend huge amounts for this purpose.
3.2).
Often rehabilitation is done in barren lands.
So, besides
leaving the fertile land once they had enjoyed, these people are
forced to put additional :labour to make the barren land
Often
only
a
small
percent
of
persons
fertile.
displaced
are
rehabilitated.74 Table 3.2 provides a conservative estimate of
persons displaced by various types of 'developmentf projects in
India from 1957 to 1990
Table 3.2:
A Conservative Estimate of Persons Displaced by
Various Categories of Projects
1951-1990
-
Type of project
Mines
Total D P S ~No.
Rehabilitates
Backlog %
25,50,000
6,30,000
19,20,000
1,64,00,000
41,00,000
1,23,00,000
12,50,000
3,75,000
8,75,000
Wild life
6,00,000
1,25,000
4,75,000
Others
[i,OO,OOO
1,50,000
3,50,000
2,13,00,000
53,80,000
1,59,20,000
Dams
Industries
Total
*
DP
-
-
Displaced Persons
Source :
Walter Fernandes and Samyadil Chatterji, "A
Critique of the Draft National Policyn, Lokayan
Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 5, March-April, 1995, p.31.
According to the authorities, the water collected in the
dam can be used for irrigation after power generation.
In this
connection it is relevant to remember the destiny of Kallada
Irrigation Project (KIP) in Kerala.
It was started with an
estimated expenditure of 13.28 crores in 1963, with an aim of
irrigating 1,30,000 acres of land.
But now the expenditure has
reached a huge sum of 500 crores.
Now KIP is irrigating about
40,000 acres. i.e., the expenditure for irrigating one acre land
is 1,25,000 - approximately 3 times higher than the investment of
Rs.49,767 per hectare for irrigation as envisaged by Central
Annual Budget 1992-'93. 75
Many land areas which were paddy
fields when the project started, are now filled with houses and
other cash crops nullifying the major aim of the project, i.e.,
irrigation. An analysis will definitely show
that the cost of
the project will be much above the benefit.
Large scale irrigation will also lead to
and soil salinity.
water logging
A study shows that an area of 6 million
hectares was affected by water logging and another seven million
hectares by salinity due to large scale irrigation.76
According
to seismologists huge dams will cause earth quakes.
Thanks to NGOs, today the people are more aware of their
environment.
The Government is forced to abandon the Silent
Valley Project due to public protest.
But
it is sad to note
that the Kerala Government is going ahead with Pooyamkutty
project, inspite of the objections raised by the Ministry of
Environment and Forest and the mass protest by NGOs.
Another dam
project
termed
under
construction
in
environmentalists as the 'world's
the
country,
by
largest planned ecological
disaster', is the Narmada Valley Project.
The project involves
the setting up of over three thousand dams in the valley through
which the mighty and sacred Narmada flows.
Of these the biggest
dam namely Narmada Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and the Sardar Sarovar
in Gujarat will together hold more water than any other dam in
the country.77
Protest against these dams are flooding not only
within the country under the leadership of Ms. Medha Padkar but
outside, in different parts of the world.
Reservoirs for energy production and irrigation are quite
necessary for the progress of the country.
But the Government
should opt for small dams and that too where environmental
degradation is the least.
The present rate of consumption of energy in the world is
100 million barrels of oil per day.
400 million barrels per day.
By 2,000 it will reach 300-
The annual
onwards is calculated as 5 percent.78
increase from that date
In 1991-92 Indiars import
payment went up 27% to buy petroleum.79
Oil accounts for about
one third of all commercial energy eventhough coal dominates
India's energy mix.
According to the latest estimates India's
reserve of crude oil at 1996-97 level of production (projected
production 50 million tonnes) would last only for about 16 years
more,
i-e., till about 2012-13 AD. Natural gas, another source
of energy will be exhausted after 23 years.
-96-
Today many of the developing nations are switching over to
nuclear power plants imitating the West.
But the Western
countries are now showing less interest i.n nuclear plants owing
to their high hazardous nature.
The three Mile
Island (US) and
Chernobyl disasters give ample evidence to show how nuclear
plants are unsafe and fatal even to industrialized nations, where
modern technology
prevail.
The
hazard
will be greater if it
is in a densely populated area.
If mankind had given enough attention to the renewable
resources, such as wind, sunlight, etc. pollution
(in case of
nuclear and thermal power generation) and natural resource
depletion (such as coal, oil etc) caused
by the present-day
methods of energy production, could have been reduced.
Table 3.3
shows the different kinds of renewable energy resources, their
potential and their present day utilization.
Table 3.3:
World Renewable Energy Resources
(trillion watt hours per year)
Source
Potential
Wind
2,00,000
4
200
<1
4,000
0
>300
35
Hydro
>13,000
2,000
Solar
very large
41
Tidal
Wave
Geothermal
Source :
Realized
Current world
Electricity connumption
Dr. Peter Chester, National
Power
U.K. cited in
A.J. Fairclough,
l'Global environmental and natural
resources problems - their economic political and
security implicationw, .Washington Quarterly, Winter
1991, p. 8 7 .
3.1.10
Desertification and Soil-Degradation
Desertification
development.
is
another
side-effect
of
modern
It involves the degradation of pasture land,
clearance of residual wood vegetation, spread of shifting sand
formation and the depletion and decline in the quality of water
sources.
The world wide growth of permanent
at a rate of 6 million hectares per year.
desertification is
Every year owing to
soil erosion an additional 20-21 million agricultural land
becomes barron.
8
Desertification affects almost every region
82
of the world, but it is most destructive in drylands of Latin
America, Asia and Africa.
Two fifths of Africa's non-desert land
risks being turned to desert as does one third of Asia's
fifth of Latin America's.
moderately
affected
affected.83
The
and
About 470 million
about
consequences
increased hunger and death
of
people are
are
severely
desertification
include
190
million
and one
as well as social instability and
conflict when dry land degradation drive ecological refugees in
their millions to the cities and across national boundaries.
A
change in mammalian fauna and arthropodes may result in a rise of
rodent and insect-borne disease.
Another
unscrupulous
problem
land
use
faced
for
by
many
countries
agriculture,
constructive purposes is soil erosion.
due
industrial
to
and
Erosion makes soil less
able to retain water, depletes it of nutrients and reduces the
depth available for the roots to take hold.
In India soil
erosion affects 25-30% of the total land under cultivation.84
Deforestation is the
soil erosion.
main reason of both desertification and
Land modification and cultivation of cash crops in
unsuitable range lands also fastened the process.
3.1.11
Acid Rain
The major contributer for acid rain is large scale
industries.
Industries
emit
different
gases
sulphurdioxide, chlorine, etc. in to the atmosphere.
such
as
These gases
will convert into its corresponding acidic form, when combines
with rain water and causes acid rain.
In the early days it was
some what limited only to the industrialized nations.
the third world countries also
face this problem.
But now
For example,
a study conducted in the 'industrial capital of Kerala8 viz.,
Kochi showed the rain water having pH in the range 3.6-6.8
with
an average of 4.4 showing high acidity.85
The effect of acid rain may not be localized as wind will
carry the pollutants causing acid rain from one area to another.
According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), about
60% of Europe's
commercial forests suffer damaging levels of
sulphur deposition.
In Sweeden about 20,000 of the country's
90,000 lakes are acidified
to some degree; in Canada
48,000 are
acidic.86
3.1.12
Greenhouse Effect and Ozone Layer Depletion
Greenhouse effect is caused by the increased use of
resources.
The burning of fossil fuels and the cutting and
-99-
burning
of
forests
release
carbon
dioxide
(C02).
The
accumulation of C02 and certain other gases like methane, nitrous
oxide and ozone in the atmosphere traps solar radiation near the
earth's
surface causing global warming.
This could cause sea
level to rise over the next 45 years large enough to inundate
many low-lying coastal cities and river deltas.
drastically
upset
national
and
It would also
international
agricultural
production and trade systems. 87
Chloroflurocarbon 6:CFC)
is many
times more
-
the purely man-made greenhouse gas
potent than the same quantity of
dioxide or methane. 88
carbon
As much as 20 percent of the green house
warming is attributed to human activity.
Since 1970s these long-
lived industrial chemicals have contributed to the progressive
depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.
An
important
consequence of ozone layer depletion is an increase in solar
Ultra-Violet ( W ) radiation on the earth's
surface.
This could
have catastrophic effect on human and livestock health and some
life forms at the base of marine food chain.89
that the W
It is estimated
rays will cause an increase in nonmelanomia skin
cancer of about 25 percent (3,00,000 additional cases a year)
within several decades and an increase in eye damage from
cataracts of about 7 percent (1.7 million cases a year). 90
3.2 Beneficiaries of Development
Economic development is necessary to raise the standard of
living of
people
and
to
eradicate
poverty.
But
if
the
development is going on
unchecked, it will only be c:ancerous.
It puts great pressure on nature and
natural r.?:;ou.cces.
A
comparison between developed and developing coun-ti.-ieson the
achievements of
'development'
so far
help us to
made will
analyse whether the present model of development is necessary for
mankind.
As Gandhi foresaw, the present-day development helped
only the rich to become more rich and the poor more poor.
This
can well be proved by the Table 3.4 compiled by UNDP.
Table
3.4:
Global Income Disparity 1960-89
Percentage of Global income
-Year
Poorest 20%
(%I
1989
Richest
Poorest
(8)
1.4
--
-- -
Richest 20%
82.7
59
120
to 1
Source : UNDP, Human Development Report 1992, p. 36.
Figure
3.4:
Income Disparity Between the Richest and E'oorest 20%
of the World Population
.-. --
Source: Human Development Report
101
1992, p . 3 4
-- - --
1
Table 3.4 and Fig. 3.4 clearly shows that as 'development
process1 is going on, the gulf between the rich and poor is
widening alarmingly.
UNDP has made this cal.culation for a group
of 41 countries for which data are available.
It fears,
"If data were available for all 160 countries, the
global disparity ratio would undoubtedly be higher
still-because in the
group of 41 countries, the
industrial countries (where inco e disparities tend to
be smaller) are overrepresented.Bi
According to them the inequality ratio for: the whole world is
probably more than twice that is indicated in the table and may
well over 150 to I. 92
Table 3.5 shows the global economic disparities among the
richest fifth and the poorest fifth.
Table 3.5:
Global Economic Disparities - Distribution of
Economic Activity 1989 (Percentage of world total)
Parameters
Richest fifth
-
Poorest fifth
GNP
82.7
1.4
World Trade
81.2
1.0
Commercial lending
94.6
0.2
Domestic savings
80.6
1.0
Domestic investment
80.5
1.3
Compiled from; UNDP, Human Development Report 1992, p.35.
T*le
3.6 shows the disparities between industrialized and
developing nations on the consumption pattern of fossil fuels,
some
minerals
and
metals,
some
forest
products
and
some
agricultural products.
Table 3.6:Consurption
-
Item
Unit
Fossil
Giga
joules/
person
Aluminum
Copper
Pattern of Industrialized and Developing Nations
Class- 1.961.-65 1966-70 1971-75 1976-80 1981-85 1986-90
if ication
I
1.15.82 142.53
165.70
169.52
153.81
160.90
D
7.37
8.26
10.34
12.91
14.53
17.28
metric
tons/100
persons
I
5.99
9.00
11.89
13.50
12.56
14.13
D
0.13
0.23
0. .37
0.51
0.58
0.69
metric
tons/lOOO
people
I
6.17
7.00
7.46
7.90
7.50
8.06
D
0.17
0.17
0.26
0.34
0.38
0.48
cubic
meters/
person
I
1.10
1.60
1.14
1.17
1.17
1.29
D
0.43
0.44
0.44
0.46
0.48
0.48
Beef &
Veal
Kg/
person
I
D
24.53
3.98
27.37
4.06
28.59
3.84
29.65
4.21
27.69
4.15
27.17
4.29
Cotton
Kg/
person
I
D
6.91
1.93
5.32
2.29
5.30
2.40
4.70
2.29
4.77
2.76
5.35
2.60
Round
Wood
I=Industrialized: D = Developing
Source:
Compiled from World Resources 1994-95.
The
Table 3.6
shows that even in 1961 the consumption
pattern of industrialized nations was somewhat high.
It seems
that a saturation point was attained by industrialized countries
in all cases except in fossil fuel and aluminum.
cases the consumption rate has increased much.
In these two
Following the
foot steps of industrialized nations developing nations also
\improvedf their consumption rate, eventhough it is very low when
compared to the consumption pattern of industrialized nations in
1961-65. Anyway more consumption of fossil fuels means more
production of green house gases, more consumption of forest
products and minerals and metals means more depletion of natural
resources.
This disparity between the developed and the developing
nation through the process of development can be much enlightened
by taking the US and India
as representatives of developed and
developing nations respectively.
In the US where production and
consumption is in i.ts maximum, necessity has given way to luxury.
Over-production and consumption have resulted in more wastes and
less recycling. But in India the case is just the reverse.
The
population in India is three times greater than that in the US.
The standard of living of the rich in India (those drawing
Rs.56,000 or above as income per year
-
this accounts for 1.44
percent of the total population) is very much below the average
income of the US.
If the income of the rich in India in 1990 was
a'
equivalent t066,1811 per year, the average income of the US was
about < 19,309 per person in 1990.93
Indian population has an income below
About 59 percent of the
Rs. 12,500 per year.
The
income per year of 27 percent of the population is between
Table 3.7:
Income Distribution in India
Income per year
Rs./year
Rural
Urban
(percentage of population)
above 56,000
0.54
3.75
Source: World Resources 1994-95,
Total (Indian
Population as
a whole)
1.44
p.19
Table 3.8 shows the difference between India and the US in
the consumption pattern of natural resources.
aluminum, copper and nickel
The US exports
in moderate quantities whereas
imports aluminum, bauxite, nickel, potash and petroleum in large
quantities. At the same time the major export of India is limited
to iron ore alone
whereas as it depend on other nations fully
for nickel and potash and heavy to moderately on phosphate rocks
and petroleum respectively.
The US/India per capita ratio in the
consumption of pulpwood and natural gas is a huge 385.7 and 183.9
respectively. It is 42.7 in the case of petroleum while it is
44.8 and 33.7 in the case of copper and aluminum respectively.
When we compare
the US with the rest of the world for
natural resource consumption, then also the US remains
The ratio of the US
the top.
per capita consumption to the world average
varies from 1.5 for cement
to 6.9 for plastic. 94
Natural Resource Consumption, US and India, 1991.
Table 3.8:
(1,000 metric tons except where noted)
Resource
US
consumption
Indian
consumption
US/India
percapita
Ratio
Aluminium
Exports
(percent of
consumption)
Imports
(percent of
consumption)
U.S
U.S
India
India
4,137
420
33.7
42.6
0.0
36.0
2.4
12,835
4,648
9.4
0.5
3.2
95.9
1.2
2,057
157
44.8
39.0
0.0
24.9
12.9
Iron Ore
64,810
25,384
8.7
20.5 124.1
6.2
0.0
Crude Steel
93,325
20,300
15.7
6.2
0.4
15.3
10.6
137
15
31.2
26.9
0.0
96.5
100.0
2,,381
57.6
12.6
0.0
1.4
76.4
1,043
18.4
11.1
0.0
80.7
100.0
Coal
672,036 184,992
12.4
12.7
0.0
0.5
2.9
Petroleum
666,032
53,294
42.7
0.9
0.0
43.6
45.0
Natural
21,387,719 397,250
gas
(terajoules)
183.9
0.7
0.0
9.0
0.0
Beef and
Veal (head)
11,758
10.5
0.9
0.3
5.4
0.0
Roundwoo
(1,000cm )
468,003 281,045
5.7
6.4
0.0
0.5
0.5
Pulpwood
(1,000cm3 )
136,377
385.7
8.6
0.0
1.0
0.0
Bauxite
copper
Nickel
Phosphate
rock
40,177
Potash
5,612
4
35,989
1,208
-
Source : lJorld Resources 1994-95, p. 17.
So
million
much
of
the world
resources
are
used
by
just
250
of people constituting only 5 percent of the total world
population.
By consuming the lion's share of natural resources
the US is raising seri.ous environmental problem not only to the
US itself but also
the world as a whole.
The US is the world's
leading producer of green house gas emission. Heavy fossil fuel
consumption in the US is also a cause of acid precipitation in
Canada.95
This comparison is made not only to show the widening gulf
between the consumption of the developed and the developing
nations but also to point out the threat to the environment if
the developing nations are following the consumption pattern of
developed countries.
At the same time it. clearly points out that
developed nations have to
throw
away
their present
day
consumption pattern and to lead a life which is based on minimum
needs and not on luxury.
So, if
the mankind does not changed its attitude towards
the present-day 'developmentD, the fate of the earth will be
disastrous.
Today is late, and tomorrow will be too late.
Here
comes the relevance of Gandhian principles towards life, and the
present day concept of 'sustainable development'
3.3
Sustainable Development
The term sustainable development was brought into common
use by the WCED
(Hrundtland Commission) in its seminal 1987
report, 'Our Common Future'.
According to the Commission
sustainable development is development that meets the needs of
the present
without compromising the ability
needs. 96 The Earth
generations to meet their own
of the future
Summit at Rio
(1992) defined it as a strategy to
"meet the needs of the present world population without
causing adverse effect on health and on the
environment, and without depleting or endangering the
global resource base, hence without compromising $he
ability of future generations to meet their needs."9
In the simplest way, sustainable development can be
defined as development in harmony with nature and development
which has concern about the future.
The Commission has put
forward this idea to control the mad race of industrialized
countries to become more industrialized and 'more developed'.
But even then there is no change in the development pattern of
industrialized countries.
To them development is to produce more
and consume more.
Sustainable development requires the promotion of values
that encourages consumption standards that are within the bounds
of what is ecologically possible and to which all can reasonably
aspire.
An expansion in wants can increase the pressure on
resources and slow the rise in living standards in areas where
deprivation is widespread.
By the over
exploitation of resources, the industries may
meet the wants of people.
The technological advancements may
solve some immediate problems.
But a good portion of people may
be neglected by ill-considered development.
Till time man
intervened in the natural systems through many ways. When such
interventions became too high the very
threatened.
existence of man was
The accumul.ation of technological knowledge enhanced
natural resource exploitation.
~ u tultimate limits are there and
sustainability requires that long before these are reached, the
world must ensure equitable access to the constrained resources
and re-orient technological efforts to reduce the pressure.
The very concept of sustainable development includes
equity between rich and poor and between generations and the
protection of the environmental resource base so that it can
support growth
over the
long term.
World
Commission
on
Environment and Development 1987 observed,
"Far from requiring the cessation of economic growth,
it
recognizes that the problems of poverty and
underdevelopment
nnot be solved unless we have a new
'3
era of growth.
.."
The term sustainable development would not have come into
the picture if mankind had followed the principles of Gandhi.
When he warned the world about the evils of mass production
nobody listened to him.
everybody's
According to him, there is enough for
need but not enough for any body's
greed.
But man
was greedy and it was his greed to produce more and consume more
at the expense of nature, forgetting the very existence of nature
that has brought about. al.1 these problems.
of Gandhi's
the next
A close examination
views on industrialization and development is made in
Chapter.
3.4
Conclusion
Before that, some of the main conclusions that emerge from
the various data given above may be summed up as follows:
(i
The increase .in the number of murders, rapes and other
forms of violence arc? seem to be the result of the present day
development (ii) Attempts
at protecting the environment does not
in any way block the attempts at poverty eradication (iii)
Industrialization is
the major cause of the present day
ecological crisis (iv) The so
resulting from
called 'benefits1 of development
industrialization are enjoyed mostly by the urban
population while they are denied to the
rural poor (v)
The
Gandhian statement that trading in soil fertility for the quick
returns would prove to be disastrous and it would result
in
virtual depletion of soil is found to be quite correct as the
present day over application of pesticides and fertilizers and
High Yielding Varieties have resulted in serious environmental
problems (vi) Indiscriminate industrialization
has led to
atmopheric pollution and resource depletion as forecalled by
Gandhi (vii) Desertification, as a result of deforestation and of
similar factors, has caused serious environmental problems such
as soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, loss of biodeversity,
etc.
(viii)
Industrialized nations are using developing
nations as their waste basket as the export of hazardous
chemicals in one form or other from.the former to the latter is
on the
increase day by day (ix)
The
ill-effects of the
luxurious life style of
by the West is universal, as acid rain,
ozone layer depletion, etc. have no geographical. bounds (x)
Gandhi
As
observed, under the present Western model of development
the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer (xi) There is
a
glaring disparity in the consumptions and per capita income when
one compares the 'geed based1 American way of life with the 'need
based' way of life in the third world countries like India (xii)
Sustainable development
which
is in tune with
the Gandhian
principles is gaining momentum today.
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