Environmental Issues Across
Southern and Eastern Asia
SS7G10 The student will discuss environmental issues across
Southern and Eastern Asia
a. Describe the causes and effects of pollution on the
Yangtze and Ganges River
b. Describe the causes and effects of air
pollution and flooding in India and China
E. Q.

How does pollution affect the Ganges and
Yangtze Rivers and the people who live near
them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snPdEl0Duoo
.
Ganges River

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Begins in Himalayan
Mountains and flows 1600
miles through India into
Bangladesh and the Bay of
Bengal.
Provides water and
transportation
Known as “Mother
Ganges”
The Ganges River basin is
one of the most fertile
and densely populated in
the world
Ganges River Pollution



Chemicals (farming,
industry) wash into
water every day.
Human (cremation) and
animal waste (dead
bodies) pollute the river
Sewage from nearby
cities is dumped into
the water
Think Pair Share
Discuss with a partner
 How does the pollution of the Ganges effect
the 400 million people that live nearby?

Ganges River pollution Continued


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The poor rely on the Ganges
River on a daily basis for bathing,
washing, and cooking
the Ganges River is considered
holy, and ritual bathing in its
waters is practiced by an
estimated 60,000 people per day
Cities along the Ganges have the
highest rates of water-born
diseases
It has been suggested that 80% of
all illnesses in India and 1/3 of
deaths can be attributed to
water-borne diseases.
A woman with a skin disease rests near offerings and
trash on the banks of the Ganges in Kanpur, India.
Ganges River Pollution

India created the 1985 Ganges Action Plan, to
clean up the river
Many sewer and water treatment plants have been
built along the river
 However, pollution remains a huge problem today
due to the growing population and run-off from
industries and farms

April 14, 2013
Yangtze (Chang Jiang) River - China
Yangtze River

China’s longest river,
flows over 4000 miles
to the East China Sea

Around 400 million
people live in the area

River is used for
industries, drinking, and
irrigation
Yangtze River Pollution





The Yangtze River is being polluted
by sewage, agricultural (nitrogen
from fertilizers), and industrial
waste (arsenic – poison!)
Many of the plant and fish species
are dying and the Yangtze could
become a dead river
High levels of nitrogen &
phosphates lead to growth of bluegreen algae – reduces oxygen & kills
fish
People eat contaminated fish
Pollution greatly affects the cities’
water supply
Yangtze River Pollution

The government built the
Three Gorges Dam on the
Yangtze River to provide
hydroelectric power

The dam has altered the
environment upstream by
flooding populated areas and
threatening plants & animals
with extinction

The dam was built in an area
prone to earthquakes (!)
Solutions

China is building water treatment plants to remove
pollutants from the water

China encourages cities to build landfills rather than
dumping garbage into the river

The World Bank helps organize these programs
Summary: Cause and Effect Flow Map
Causes of Pollution
on the
Ganges and Yangtze
Rivers
Effects of Pollution
on the
Ganges and Yangtze
Rivers
Solutions for Pollution
on the
Ganges and Yangtze
Rivers
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
1. To which does the Ganges flow after it leaves
India?
A.
B.
C.
D.
China
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
D. Bangladesh
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
2. Where does the Ganges River flow into the
sea?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Bay of Bengal
East China Sea
Sea of Japan
Yellow Sea
A. Bay of Bengal
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
3. Which is true about the Ganges River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The river is ignored by Indian religious rituals.
People do not drink the water because it is so polluted.
Many people use the river for transportation as well as a
water supply.
Plant and animal life have not been affected by the poor
quality of the river’s water.
C. Many people use the river for transportation as well as a
water supply.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
4. How has India’s need to develop more industry ended up
creating problems along the Ganges River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Factories along the river dump industrial waste and chemicals into
the river every day.
No one is allowed to cremate dead bodies along the river since the
large factories have been built.
Industries along the river use so much water that the Ganges is
almost dry by the time it reaches the sea.
Factory owners have refused to allow the Indians living along the
river to bathe in the water or use the water for cooking.
A. Factories along the river dump industrial waste and chemicals into the
river every day.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
5. How has the Indian practice of cremating their dead been a
problem for the river?
A.
B.
C.
D.
People are not allowed to go near the river when cremations are
taking place.
The banks along the river regularly catch fire and threaten Indian
homes built there.
Factory owners cannot use water once human ashes have been
thrown into it upstream.
The bodies of dead animals, as well as the ashes of human beings,
have been placed in the water causing pollution.
D. The bodies of dead animals, as well as the ashes of human beings, have
been placed in the water causing pollution.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
6. What was the purpose of the Ganges Action
Plan begun in the 1980s?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To try and clean up the river
To bring an end to the cremations
To end using the river for drinking water
To slow down the building of new factories
A. To try and clean up the river
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
7. Why has the Indian government had such a hard time making
much progress in cleaning up the Ganges River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Most people in India feel the river is not polluted so they are not
worried about it.
The government of India has not made the cleaning up of the
Ganges River one of its goals.
Few people have gotten sick from the water in the Ganges River, so
it is hard to get money for clean-up operations.
India’s combination of growing population and run-off from farming
makes it hard to see much progress in controlling pollution.
D. India’s combination of growing population and run-off from farming
makes it hard to see much progress in controlling pollution.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
8. Why is the Yangtze River so important to the
population and economy of China?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Water from the Yangtze River is used to irrigate the
Gobi Desert.
The Yangtze River is the international border between
China and India.
People can use the Yangtze River to get over the
Himalayan Mountains.
It supplies millions of people with water for drinking,
irrigation, and industrial uses.
D. It supplies millions of people with water for drinking,
irrigation, and industrial uses.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
9. Into what body of water does the Yangtze
flow?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
East China Sea
South China Sea
C. East China Sea
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
10. What are some of the main causes of high levels of
nitrogen in the Yangtze River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The waste is from nuclear power plants.
The bodies of dead animals are thrown into the river.
The chemicals used in fields run into the river.
The exhaust fumes from the millions of cars run into the
river.
C. The chemicals used in fields run into the river.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
11. Which is one of the most common industrial
pollutants found in the Yangtze River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Arsenic
Nitrogen
Nuclear waste
Human sewage
A. Arsenic
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
12. What has been the effect of the rapid growth of
algae in the Yangtze River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The oxygen levels in the water go down and fish die.
The river dolphins and porpoises can rely on the algae as
a food source.
The Yangtze River can no longer be used for shipping and
transportation.
The algae have provided a good source of fertilizer for
those who live along the river.
A. The oxygen levels in the water go down and fish die.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
13. Why did the Chinese government decide to go ahead
with the Three Gorges Dam project along the
Yangtze River?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The dam would provide water for all of China’s desert
areas.
China’s people needed a reliable source of hydroelectric
power.
China needed to be able to store water because the
Yangtze river often dried up in the summer.
Careful study showed there would be no environmental
problems associated with the dam.
B. China’s people needed a reliable source of hydroelectric
power.
CRCT Test Prep pages 134-137
14. How would building sanitary landfills along the
Yangtze River help reduce pollution in the water?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The garbage could go into landfills instead of in the river.
The landfills would reduce the general need for more
electricity.
The chemicals would no longer run into farmers’ fields
and into the river.
All of the garbage would be recycled in landfills and there
would be no waste.
A. The garbage could go into landfills instead of in the river.
India – Air Pollution

The capital city of New Delhi is one of the top
10 most polluted cities in the world.
Air Pollution in India

Air Pollution Causes:

Growing population, rapid growth of cities,
development of industry, & automobile
emissions (main cause) are leading causes

The Asian Brown Cloud is a layer of air
pollution that covers parts of India & looks like a
brown stain
 Caused by cooking over open fires
 Pollutes air inside homes also
 Brown cloud reduces rainfall and
temperatures

Effects: Air pollution leads to high levels of
respiratory diseases (breathing) (some of
highest rates in the world)

Solution?: Many poor people do not want to slow
down economic growth, so government has
problems enforcing pollution laws
China: Air Pollution
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2008 Olympics – held in Beijing, China
The athletes were worried about the air pollution in
Beijing (caused by burning coal for fuel and the
millions of cars and trucks)
The Chinese government set up the Beijing Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau
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
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Task: clean up the air
How: limit automobiles and temporarily close factories
Result: 45% reduction in air pollutants
China –Air Pollution Causes

Fossil fuels:

Coal
For industry and heating homes.
 Coal is cheap but pollutes the air.

Factories
 Vehicles

China - Effects of Air Pollution
Up to 656,000 premature deaths each year
from respiratory and heart disease
 Acid rain – causes crop damage
 Climate change
 Only 1% of people in cities breathe safe air

International Concern



World Bank leaders encourage countries to clean up
serious environmental problems quickly.
The long-term costs of pollution (cancer, heart
disease, lung diseases, extinctions of plants and
animals) are more expensive than the clean-up effort.
China and India have almost ½ the people on the
planet; reducing their pollution will prevent many
health problems.
China & India - Flooding
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Heavy rainfall in monsoon
season
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Deforestation
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Rivers overflow banks
no trees to absorb water
Affects water supply by
damaging sewage plants
Causes serious illnesses like
malaria and cholera
Crops are destroyed
causing huge financial losses
Effects of Flooding – China/India
Deaths [Worst Recorded Flood: Huang He
River, China, August 1931 (3,700,000
people)]
 Homes/villages destroyed
 Possessions lost
 Fertile land washed away

Solutions

Dams

Levees

Reservoirs
Summary: Cause and Effect Flow Map
Causes of Air
Pollution
In India and China
Effects of Air
Pollution
In India
And China
Solutions for Air
Pollution
In India
And China
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
15. When Beijing, China was awarded the 2008
Olympics, which environmental issue was a
big concern for many of the athletes?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The city’s air pollution
Lack of fresh drinking water
Temperatures would be too hot in the summer in
China
Heavy seasonal rains that come to China in the
summer
A. The city’s air pollution
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
16. Which contributes to air pollution problems
in China?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The shrinking population
Use of coal-burning power plants for energy
The gradual drop in the number of new factories
The lack of automobiles and trucks in rural areas
B. Use of coal-burning power plants for energy
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
17. Which is a leading cause of death in China?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Skin cancer
Respiratory and heart disease
Injuries from automobile accidents
Injuries related to factory accidents
B. Respiratory and heart disease
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
18. What was the job of the Beijing Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau in the
months before the 2008 Olympics?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Improve the city’s air quality
Work to end the pollution in the countryside
Begin building dams to provide fresh drinking
water for the athletes
Keep all cars and buses out of Beijing while the
Olympics were in progress
A. Improve the city’s air quality
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
19. Why is acid rain dangerous to the
environment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
May cause chemical fires
Can harm plants and animals
Often leads to massive flooding
Causes an increase in air temperature
B. Can harm plants and animals
CRCT Test Prep pages 137-139
20. What economic argument does the World Bank make to urge
countries to do whatever they need to do to clean up
serious environmental problems quickly?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Health problems disappear very quickly once pollution problems are
solved.
The process of cleaning up serious environmental problems is usually
very easy to do.
Most serious pollution problems can be taken care of without
spending a lot of money.
The long-term costs of pollution are often more expensive than the
clean-up effort would be.
D. The long-term costs of pollution are often more expensive than the
clean-up effort would be.
Written Assessment

Choose 1:


½ page: Why is it important for people living in
the United States to be concerned about water
and air pollution that occurs in China and India?
Write a half page summary about the
environmental concerns of Southern and Eastern
Asia.