The Eurasia Center
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President@eurasiacenter.org
India: Environmental Overview
Growing Environmental Concerns
Development has contributed significantly to economic growth, but it has
done so at considerable cost to the environment. There has been unbalanced
industrial growth, unplanned urbanization and deforestation. The proximate
drivers of environmental degradation are population growth, inappropriate
technology and consumption choices, and poverty, leading to changes in
relations between people and ecosystems, and development activities such
as intensive agriculture, polluting industry, and unplanned urbanization.
Moreover, institutional failures, resulting in lack of clarity or enforcement of
rights of access and use of environmental resources, policies which provide
disincentives for environmental conservation, market failures, and
governance constraints are bigger problems. The poor are the most
vulnerable from environmental degradation due to their heavy dependence
on their natural resources.1
Demographics
 India boasts a largely homogenous population of 1,220,800,359. 72% of




the people are Indo-Aryan, 25% are Dravidian, with 3% identifying
themselves as ‘Other’.2
In terms of religion, the population is predominantly Hindi (80.5%) with
small groups of Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%) and
Other (1.8%).3
The majority of the population (69%) resides in rural areas, yet a large
population (31%) is starting to live in towns and cities.4
Life expectancy at birth is 66.38 years for males and 68.7 for females.
Population growth rate is 1.28%.5
India has a very young population, with a total median age of 26.7. The
age composition of the population is as follows: 0-14 years: 28.9%, 15-64
years: 65.5%, and 65 years and over: 5.7%.6
“National Environment Policy” Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India < http://moef.nic.in/nep/nep2006e.pdf>
“India.” 2014 CIA World Factbook. < https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html >
3
Ibid
4
“Food and Agriculture Indicators: India.” Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
<http://www.fao.org/es/ess/compendium_2005/pdf/ESS_IND.pdf>
5
Ibid
6
Ibid
1
2
 In 2011, India spent 3.9% of its GDP on health expenditures. Its total
health expenditure per capita was $44 (2009).7
Education
 The Indian education system is composed of both public schools and
private, secular and non-secular schools. Total governmental spending on
education amounts to 3.2% of GDP8 in 2009.
 Primary education is 5 years, and secondary education is 7 years; total 9
years of education is compulsory.
 The number of students pursuing degrees is increasing. In 2009, the gross
enrollment ratio for tertiary level education was 16.4%.9
Geography/Natural Resources
 Located in South Asia, India borders





Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China,
Nepal, and Pakistan.
India maintains a land area of
2,973,190
square
kilometers—
roughly a third of the United States.
It is ranked 7th in the world in terms
of total area.10
India has plentiful natural resources
including the fourth-largest coal
reserve
in
the
world.
Other
resources include: iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore,
chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, and limestone.11
India is estimated to have 5.47 billion barrels of oil reserves, and is
producing 990,200 barrels of oil/day according to a 2012 estimate.12
India also has about 38 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas reserves as
of 2007.13
India’s large coal reserve satisfies more than half of India’s energy
demands.14
Agriculture
 While agriculture employs over 47% of the workforce, it only accounts for
17% of Indian GDP.
15
“Core Health Indicators, India.” World Health Organization.
“Summary Education Profile: India.” World Bank Group.
<http://devdata.worldbank.org/edstats/SummaryEducationProfiles/CountryData/GetShowData.asp?sCtry=IND,India>
9
Ibid
10
Ibid
11
Ibid
12
Ibid
13
“India Natural Gas” Energy Alternatives India
< http://www.eai.in/ref/fe/nag/nag.html>
14
Ibid
15
Ibid.
7
8
 Permanent crops compose 3.74% of the land, and arable land accounts for
over 47.8%, while 35.12% of all agricultural land is irrigated.16
 Key crops include: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane,
lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish. 17
Environmental Major Initiatives
 Objective: Its objective is to build tangible human and technical capacity
in selected state agencies for undertaking environmentally sound
remediation of polluted sites to support18
 In 2011-12, the Indian government allocated 18.22 billion Rupees to the
Ministry of Environment and Forests. This accounted for 0.59% of India’s
total government spending. 19
 The National Environment Policy: comprehensive policy enacted in
2006 which re-examines past conservation efforts and outlines a strategy
for policy and legislation reform.
Objectives are: (1) conservation of critical environmental resources, (2)
intra-generational equity: livelihood security for the poor, (3) intergenerational Equity, (4) integration of environmental concerns in economic
and social development, (5) efficiency in environmental resource use, (6)
environmental
governance,
(7)
enhancement
of
resources
for
20
environmental conservation
 Right to Information Act: In order to maintain accountability and
transparency, the Ministry of Environment and Forests welcomes queries
from public and has made its organizational structure, expenditures,
regulations, and procedures public.21
Land
 An estimated 146.82 Mha. area
suffers from various forms of land
degradation due to water and wind
erosion and water logging.22
 Integrated
Watershed
Development Programme (IWDP):
launched in 1989-90 to develop the
wastelands on watershed basis, to
strengthen the natural resource base
and to promote the overall economic
16
Ibid
Ibid
18
“National Environment Policy 2006” Government of India: Ministry of Environment and Forests
<\http://moef.nic.in/nep/nep2006e.pdf>
19
“Central Plan Outlay by Ministries/Departments.” Government of India: Union Budget & Economic Survey.
<http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2011-12/bag/bag42.pdf>
20
Ibid
21
“Right to Information Act, 2005” Government of India: Ministry of Environment and Forests
< http://moef.nic.in/modules/right-to-information/>
22
“State of Environment Report 2009” Government of India: Ministry of Environment and Forests
17
development of the resource-poor and disadvantaged people inhabiting in
those areas.22
Air
 Of the world’s 3 million premature deaths occur each year due to the
outdoor and indoor air pollution, the highest numbers are assessed to
occur in India.23
 Air
(Prevention
and
Control of Pollution) Act:
Enacted in 1981, extended
the authority of the Central
Pollution Control Board to
set and enforce regulations
for air pollution.24
 Kyoto
Protocol:
India
ratified Kyoto Protocol– an
international agreement to
limit carbon emissions– as a
non-Annex
I
country.
Between 1990 and 2010, India’s carbon emissions increased by XX%, and
if their carbon emissions continue to increase, their non-participation in
the Kyoto Protocol may become a more pressing issue.25
Water
 Water pollution is a serious problem as almost 75 percent of its surface
water resources and a growing percentage of its groundwater reserves are
contaminated by biological, toxic, organic and inorganic pollutants. In
many cases, these sources have been rendered unsafe for human
consumption as well as for other activities such as irrigation and industrial
needs.26
 National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (MWMP): The
monitoring is undertaken on a monthly or quarterly basis for surface water
and on a half yearly basis for groundwater. The monitoring network covers
445 rivers, 154 lakes, 12 tanks, 78 ponds, 41 creeks, 25 canals, 45 drains
and 807 wells.27
 River Boards Act: adopted in 1956, designed to advise the central
government on development opportunities, coordinate activities and
resolve disputes on the following topics: conservation with a view to
“State of Environment Report” Government of India: Ministry of Environment and Forests
<http://moef.nic.in/soer/2009/SoE%20Report_2009.pdf>
23
Ibid
24
Ibid
25
“Kyoto Protocol” UNFCCC<http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php>
26
Ibid
27
Ibid
22
control and optimize use of water resources, promotion and operation of
schemes related to irrigation, water supply and drainage, promotion and
operation of schemes related to hydro-power and flood control, promotion
and control of navigation, promotion of afforestation and control of soil
erosion, and prevention of pollution.
There is a realization of the fact that the
Act should be revised and amendments
are currently under way to strengthen its
power.28
 National Lake Conservation Plan:
implemented since 2001 for conservation
and management of polluted and
degraded lakes in urban and semi-urban
areas.29
 Bay of Bengal Large Marine
Ecosystem Priogramme (BOBLME):
India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldices, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and
Tailand work togegheter to improve the lives of the coastal populations
through improved regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment
and its fishes.30
Acknowledgements:
Research and Data Development Provided by: Kumar Bhattacharya, Research Assistant
Under the Supervision and Coordination of: Dr. Gerard Janco, President
28
Ibid
“Guidelines for National Lake Conservation Plan” Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee <http://moef.nic.in/downloads/publicinformation/NLCP_guideline.pdf>
30
Ibid
29