Air and Water Pollution in India (CLASS ASSIGNMENT)

In his lecture on November 7, 2011, Dr. Narasimhan, a botanist at MCC, discussed current environmental issues in India.  Two of the specific issues that he covered were water quality and pollution and air pollution.  I found this class to be really interesting especially after experiencing a taste of these issues for myself during the month that we have been here in India. 

Dr. Narasimhan informed us that out of the three million people in the world who have died prematurely as a result of indoor and outdoor air pollution, India had the largest number of deaths.  New Delhi is in the top ten most polluted cities in the world and has twelve times the average number of respiratory diseases due to air pollution as India’s national average.  We have not yet been to New Delhi but I have observed the pollution even here in Tambaram and Chennai and I cannot imagine it being even worse.  As soon as I leave the gates of MCC where the trees improve the air significantly, I instantly experience the air pollution in Tambaram.  Immediately upon exiting the gate I feel particulate matter getting into my eyes and the air smells of exhaust and other pollutants.  Walking across the street to the market or the Pic N’ Pack, my nose begins to get itchy and I often sneeze.  In fact, when I blow my nose after being in the city dirt literally comes out.  I have never experienced anything like it before and I don’t know how people live in it everyday, especially people who don’t have a place like MCC to retreat too at the end of the day.

 According to Dr. Narasimhan, the biggest source of air pollution in India is vehicular emissions, accounting for 70% of air pollution.  Over the last 20 years, the amount of vehicular pollution has increased in India by eight times.  He also mentioned that auto rickshaws are particularly harmful to the environment because their engine is especially inefficient.  This surprised me as rickshaws are so small, with only three wheels, that I assumed that they would be better for the environment than other cars.  It also was interesting since we have had several opportunities to ride in auto rickshaws since being here and I have noticed how many there are on the road.  I can believe that the engines are inefficient because I have noticed how loud they are and how badly it smells of exhaust when I have ridden in them.  Learning how inefficient the rickshaws are made me feel slightly guilty about riding in them.  Untreated industrial smoke is also a source of air pollution in India.  This is especially a problem in big cities with lots of industries.

One really interesting point that Dr. Narasimhan made is that India’s problem does not lie in lack of sound environmental legal guidelines and laws.  Instead it is the lack of enforcement that is the problem.  I have noticed that you rarely see police pulling people over or arresting anyone.  I always assumed that there weren’t rules in place but I now understand that it is more likely that they are simply not being enforced.  Dr. Narasimhan mentioned that there is a push for more efficient rickshaws but that the automobile companies are going against this guideline.

Water quality and quantity is a huge problem in India.  Dr. Narasimhan stated that water has become a commodity in India rather than a resource because quality water is not easily accessible for all.  He informed us that 1.5 million preschool children die from diarrhea due to bad water annually.  Also, 60% of urban deaths in India are a result of cholera, dysentery, or gastroenteritis. 

 Municipal and solid wastes are largely responsible for the contamination of surface and ground water along with depletion of groundwater.  In regards to water quantity, agriculture is the main consumer of water, constituting 85% of water use in India.  This does not surprise me as we have seen so many rice paddy fields since being here.  I knew from my Global Water Issues seminar freshman year that rice is a very water intensive crop but I was really able to observe this when we actually walked through a rice paddy field.  From the road, it appears as tall grass.  However, when you walk through the field, you have to walk through lanes between the rice paddies because the ground by the rice crops is actually soaked in water and almost seems like a swamp.  I have also noticed how much rice Indians consume and how much we have consumed since being here.  It is literally served two meals per day, every day.  The portions are huge too.

Rice Paddy Field

Drinking water availability is 78.4% in rural areas and 84.9% in urban areas in India according to Dr. Narasimhan’s lecture.  Based on the pollution that I have seen in the rivers and water and public defecation that I have observed, it does not shock me that drinking water is not sanitary everywhere.  Even at MCC, we are still advised to drink bottled or filtered water.

On the side of the road in Tambaram near MCC

It is evident from Dr. Narasimhan’s lecture and my personal experiences here that India suffers severely from air and water quality issues.  Automobile and industrial pollution are major contributors to this problem.  India needs to invest in solving these problems in order to improve the health of the country.  Perhaps substitutes for rice for some meals could be implemented to conserve water, especially since so many people have to be fed with such a huge population.  Public transportation could be improved so there is less air pollution.  Also, implementation and enforcement of laws is crucial for the improvement of air and water quality in the country.