Pollution in Asia
DESCRIBE THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF AIR
POLLUTION AND FLOODING IN INDIA
AND CHINA.
DESCRIBE THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF
POLLUTION ON THE YANGTZE AND
GANGES RIVERS.
Air Pollution
 Asian Brown Cloud



2 mile deep brown haze
Respiratory problems
Climatic Changes

Floods
 Acid rain



 Causes:
Blocks Sunlight

Destroys crops

Industrialization
High population in Urban
areas
Burning wood and other
biomass material

Many areas lack electricity
or other cleaner energy
sources
Asian Brown Cloud
Air Pollution
China’s is the world’s fastest growing economies—with
no environmental regulation
India has some 500,000 annual deaths from indoor
air pollution
Bangladesh has about 100,000 annual deaths from
indoor air pollution
India’s Environmental Concerns
 India’s main environmental concern is overpopulation.
 It affects many of India’s other issues.
 India’s population is expected to be about 1.6 billion by
2050.
 Such a large number of people will put a strain on
groundwater supplies.
 More water is needed to irrigate crops to keep up with the
food supply.
 If artificial fertilizers are used on crops, then drinking water
may be affected.
India’s Environmental Concerns
 Rivers such as the Ganges and groundwater are also
polluted by toxic waste from industry.
 Industry and vehicles pollute the air.
 India has many small industrial workshops.
 Because of this, it is difficult for the government to
enforce laws to improve air and water pollution
Ganges River
 India’s most sacred river
 Used for funeral rites
 Cremated bodies
 (not) cremated bodies
 Used by millions for drinking and bathing
 Poor sewage systems drain directly into the river
China’s Environmental Issues
 China’s fast industrial development and the large
population have created major problems for the
environment.
 Pollution has increased and natural resources have
been depleted.
 Seven of the world’s ten most polluted cities are in
China, according to a World Health Organization
report.
China’s Environmental Issues
 Feeding the Chinese people is a huge task. Much of the food


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production occurs on the North China Plain.
The fertility of this plain is mostly because of the Huang He
(Yellow River).
The Huang He used to regularly flood over its banks, often
destroying crops.
This river is sometimes referred to as “China’s Sorrow.”
To combat the widespread and disastrous flooding, the
Chinese government has carried out large flood control and
irrigation projects since 1949.
China’s Population
 To handle the population problem in China, the
government instituted a one-child-per-family policy
in 1979.
 Couples that have only one child receive economic
and educational benefits, while in cities, couples that
have more than one child pay fines.
 This population control policy has not been as
successful as was hoped.
 Many Chinese babies are put up for adoption.
Yangtze River
 China’s longest river
- 4,000 miles from the Northwest regions to the East China
Sea
 Passes through over 185 towns and villages (400
million people)
 Poor sewage drains millions of gallons into the
river
 Fertilizer run-off into the river
 Millions of people use the river to catch fish (most
have been contaminated by factory chemicals)
Yangtze River
 Three Gorges Dam
 Pros:
Provide millions with Hydroelectric power
 Control flooding in certain areas


Cons:
Many plants and animals living near the river may face extinction
 Built on an area prone to Earthquakes!

Three Gorges Dam
Summarize…
 Describe the causes and effects of air pollution and
flooding in India and China.
 Describe the causes and effects of pollution on the
Yangtze and Ganges Rivers.