With the unbridled economic and industrial growth that post-Independence India has witnessed has come unplanned urbanisation and a growing population pressure. All this is bound to have its effects on the environment. Air and water pollution from emissions and industrial activity has considerably deteriorated natural surroundings. Inadequate waste management and industrial effluence has made the country's rivers major carriers of chemical and water-borne diseases. This has left not only humans at risk, but also the country's biodiversity, as virtually every day, some species or another falls under threat or goes extinct.

India has three types of biodiversity zones - forests, wetland and marine and is home to about 33 per cent of the world's species of plants and animals. Altogether, India has 372 main species of mammals, 1,224 main species of birds, 408 main species of reptiles, 197 main species of amphibians, 2,546 main species of fish, and 47,000 species of plants. Quite a few of these are endemic and not found anywhere else in the world. A nation's biodiversity is its most priceless treasure, and no country can afford to let it go desecrated.

Urban India is among the most polluted places on earth. With economic growth and middle-class prosperity, the number of commercial and personal vehicles has risen significantly, leading to excessive emissions and air pollution. While in metropolitan areas, checks and regulations for vehicle and industrial emission of greenhouse gases are generally enforced, they are non-existent in other major towns.

Toxic wastes from industrial activity and of late electronic waste from discarded computer and mobile phone parts are the main causes of surface pollution. Many industrial nations use countries like India to dump their hazardous waste, where it is then recycled into other uses and become potential health hazard time bombs. The overwhelming use of plastic products are also great causes of pollution that can have adverse health effects.

Unmanageable human and industrial waste are the main reasons for surface water pollution. While many rural areas lack even the most basic sanitation facilities, even the urban areas that do have them generate sewage that goes untreated into water bodies. A greater risk comes from industrial effluents - hazardous chemicals that are simply dumped into rivers. Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers also pollute the groundwater from which most drinking water is drawn. Waste disposal also causes great pollution on stagnant water bodies such as lakes and ponds, rendering them unfit for human and animal activity. (See also Water and Sanitation)

Such widespread air and water pollution causes considerable risk to human health. Air pollution is the main cause of respiratory diseases while water pollution affects us directly through the water we drink and indirectly through the food we eat. Lead and arsenic poisoning are also some grave environmental risks that humans face.

While human beings are in a position to assess the danger that faces them, the country's biodiversity is ruthlessly mowed down by progress and economic development. Urban areas today are all but devoid of any wildlife and native greenery. Industrial effluents have far-reaching effects on wildlife, and many native species are dying out simply due to excessive contamination of their habitats and food sources.

Rapid and unplanned urbanization as well as expansion of agriculture has caused biodiversity habitats to dwindle due to encroachment. Human-animal conflicts are a regular feature in not only rural areas, but in urban areas as well, as hunting and grazing grounds are cut down, migration routes are snapped and water bodies are filled in. An upsurge in the need of timber for housing and furniture has caused once abundant forests to be cut down, and whatever government regulations exist are flouted by the well-entrenched timber mafia.

It has often been the case that newly introduced flora and fauna species, be it intentionally or unintentionally, have edged out their native counterparts, causing them to die out. Imported and genetically modified crops for agriculture and fish for aquaculture can create havoc with native species by hybridization.

a. Government legislations: The government of India has passed a series of legislations to ensure that India's environment and biodiversity are protected. Some of them are:

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989; Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989; Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998; National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Re-cycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999; Coastal Regulation Zone - Notifications.

b. Corporate and social responsibility: Apart from government regulations, industrial houses are increasingly being persuaded to be more environment-friendly and to develop adequate waste disposal methods that are not harmful to nature. A number of civil society organizations have also contributed to awareness for a cleaner and more livable surroundings, both for humans and for flora and fauna.

Since 1990, TERI has been involved in a joint forest management (JFM) support programme in the Yamunanagar and Morni Pinjore areas in the Siwaliks of northern Haryana, where forest cover had been severely stripped after years of degradation. The programme was organized in collaboration with the Haryana Forest Department (HFD) and was funded by the Ford Foundation. The initial work began with the setting up of a village-level resource management institution, known as the Hill Resource Management Society (HRMS). A series of water harvesting structures were constructed, and plots of forests were leased out to the HRMS to facilitate the harvest of fodder grasses to be used in rope-making and bamboos were supplied at lower rates for various employment purposes. Ten years later, the results were apparent. While the yield of the local bhabar grass increased considerably, so did the forest and shrub coverage in the area. As a result, the local residents were able to prosper and replenish their livestock withy more productive breeds.

BAIF Development Research Foundation
Native Livestock rearing and pollution free energy resources

Bombay Natural History Society
Collection of data relating to India's biodiversity

Centre for Environmental Education
Awareness and solutions for environmental issues

Centre for Science and Environment
Environmental resources and advocacy

CPR Environmental Education Awareness Centre
Environmental awareness and clean and sustainable energy