K'taka should check air pollution- study

A leading think-tank has called for urgent Government action in implementing strict vehicular emission norms along with curbing wanton deforestation to arrest rapid environmental degradation in India.
A study by Prof. C.M. Lakshmana at Population Research Centre of Bangalore-based Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) painted a gloomy picture of the scenario and said the situation warrants implementation of Central Pollution Control Board’s recommendations to prohibit 20-year-old vehicles from plying and phasing out of 15-year-old or more vehicles.
Noting that jump in vehicular population is the main source of air pollution in most of the Indian cities, ISEC, which carried out the exhaustive study, said environment-friendly mass transit must be developed in major cities in the long-run. Negative rates of growth in the number of registered motor vehicles have led to comparatively less environment pollution in States such as Sikkim and economically backward Bihar, said ISEC, which was established in 1972 by the late Professor V K R V Rao.
It was revealed during the survey that deforestation and degradation of forest area have led to drastic environmental degradation in States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, which also have significantly higher growth of population. Interestingly however, the environment has not deteriorated much in States such as Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir despite higher population growth and higher percentage of forest area to the total geographical area because of "impressive man-environment relationship".


"Hence, more attention needs to be given to forest management and appropriate steps should be taken to avoid further deforestation. Steps for the conservation of bio-diversity need to be taken expeditiously". The impact of deforestation on the environment is manifested in the form of micro climatic change, increase in temperature and decrease in humidity/rainfall, flood and soil erosion. The rapid rate of industrialisation in the last four decades has been causing massive environmental degradation, pointed out the study, which underlined the need to implement stringent industrial policies to control pollution in order to promote sustainable environment.
However, despite hosting a very large number of registered industries, Andhra Pradesh has relatively low environmental degradation, the study revealed. In States such as West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana, thermal power plants are the main source of pollution.
Improper management of industrial effluents and solid wastes from industrial estates of Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan have been causing irreparable damage to the environment in these states. Discharge of mineral and industrial effluents with least concern for environment has resulted in ecological damages in Western Ghats and mid-Himalayan sections, it said.
Immigration to big industrial cities such as Bangalore, Patna and Lucknow too have resulted in much higher levels of environmental damage. Setting up of MNCs in backward regions also caused environmental degradation, the ISEC study said.
Of late, the creation of special economic zones (SEZs) has resulted in reduced land holdings. "The promotion of exports through increased industrial development, often on the shrinking agricultural land, is a matter of grave concern", Prof Lakshmana said. "This has directly led to reduction of gross agricultural land, thereby shrinking the net sown area and also the extinction of flora and fauna. This process has also been damaging the bio-diversity which is vital for our survival".
It is registered as a Society under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960, to create a blend of field-oriented empirical research and advances in social science theories leading to better public policy formulation