vi
merge the city at some pockets and devastate the life and livelihood of the people
living along the coast.
The pollution control in this country was taken into consideration with the introduction of Water Pollution Prevention Act (1974), Air Pollution Prevention Act
(1981) and Environment Protection Act (1986). Earlier in absence of any regulatory
measures our environment had already been impaired. Since mid 1960s India
switched over organic to chemical agriculture. Though food grain production has
increased from 80 million tons to 270 million tons, the indiscriminate application of
chemical fertilizers, pesticides and over exploitation water resources have impaired
our environment. Many rivers are longitudinally disconnected consequent to building of dams and barrages which do not allow minimum ecological flow in the channel. The aquatic habitats are thus fragmented. Further, towns, cities and grossly
polluting industries discharging their liquid waste into the rivers resulting lowering
of dissolved oxygen, increasing biochemical oxygen demand and thousands of coliform bacteria making the river polluted. The 118 towns/cities developed along the
bank of the Ganga discharge wastewater more than 6000MLD making it unfit for
bathing.
In India, where population growth and urbanisation are happening at a rapid rate,
waste management is considered as one of the topmost challenges. In 2011 the
population of India was 1.21 billion and 31% of this live cities/towns. Only municipal solid waste in India was whopping 1,43,499 tonnes per day in 2014–2015. The
segregation of waste at source and subsequent processing is far from reality.
Therefore increased efforts are required for facing mammoth waste management
problem.
This collection of essays elaborates the challenges of environment management
in this subcontinent. I wholeheartedly endorse this book and congratulate the contributors and the editors for their outstanding efforts.
Kalyan Rudra
Chairman, West Bengal Pollution Control Board
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Foreword
merge the city at some pockets and devastate the life and livelihood of the people
living along the coast.
The pollution control in this country was taken into consideration with the introduction of Water Pollution Prevention Act (1974), Air Pollution Prevention Act
(1981) and Environment Protection Act (1986). Earlier in absence of any regulatory
measures our environment had already been impaired. Since mid 1960s India
switched over organic to chemical agriculture. Though food grain production has
increased from 80 million tons to 270 million tons, the indiscriminate application of
chemical fertilizers, pesticides and over exploitation water resources have impaired
our environment. Many rivers are longitudinally disconnected consequent to building of dams and barrages which do not allow minimum ecological flow in the channel. The aquatic habitats are thus fragmented. Further, towns, cities and grossly
polluting industries discharging their liquid waste into the rivers resulting lowering
of dissolved oxygen, increasing biochemical oxygen demand and thousands of coliform bacteria making the river polluted. The 118 towns/cities developed along the
bank of the Ganga discharge wastewater more than 6000MLD making it unfit for
bathing.
In India, where population growth and urbanisation are happening at a rapid rate,
waste management is considered as one of the topmost challenges. In 2011 the
population of India was 1.21 billion and 31% of this live cities/towns. Only municipal solid waste in India was whopping 1,43,499 tonnes per day in 2014–2015. The
segregation of waste at source and subsequent processing is far from reality.
Therefore increased efforts are required for facing mammoth waste management
problem.
This collection of essays elaborates the challenges of environment management
in this subcontinent. I wholeheartedly endorse this book and congratulate the contributors and the editors for their outstanding efforts.
Kalyan Rudra
Chairman, West Bengal Pollution Control Board
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Foreword