ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN UTTAR PRADESH

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN UTTAR PRADESH - A

SUMMARY

Issue	Severity		Status	Causes
BROWN AGENDA
Water quality		High	1. 6.4 million DALYs valued at water contamination and poor sanitation 2. Fluoride levels exceed WHO prescribed limits in 11   districts 3. Nitrate levels exceed WHO prescribed limits in 8 districts 4. Iron levels exceed WHO prescribed limits in 11 districts 5. Fertilizer and pesticide use is increasing 6. 19 percent rural and 80 percent urban households have toilets Closed drains collect wastewater from 9.5 percent rural and 26.5 percent urban households.	Natural sources Agricultural runoff Poor sewerage & sanitation facilities Inefficient management practices
Indoor air pollution		High	1. 2.6 million DALYs valued at Rs. 17. 1billion are lost due to traditional biofuel use 2. Chief Cook's exposure to RSPM is between 1.8 to 20.0 mg/m3 During cooking period (3 hrs/day) 3. Exposure to CO is between 0.5 to 23.5 ppm during cooking period 4. Average exposure; to SO2 is 133.9 ig/m3 during cooking period	Use of traditional biofuels (fuelwood,dung cake, straw, crop residue etc.)
Urban ambient air pollution		High	1. 0.4 million DALYs valued at Rs 2.6 billion are lost due ;to urban air pollution 2. SPM levels in 8 cities are 2-3 times higher than the ambient air quality standards. 3. Industrial air emissions in highly polluted districts range between 0.007 to 1.48 kg/percapita/year	Transport Large Industry Small scale industry Power generation Back-up power generators Natural sources
Surface water pollution		Medium	1. Water Quality Index at select locations is between 0 to 50 (poor to fair quality,-i.e. not ;fit for activities involving direct contact with water) 2. Total coliform bacteria in Ganga near Kanpur is more than 37 million MPN/100ml 3. BOD around 75 mg/litre at Hindon near Saharanpur	Domestic sewage and poor sanitation Industrial effluents Agricultural runoff
Municipal solid waste		Medium	1. 20,820 tones per day (0.4 kh/capita/day)of solid waste generated in urban areas 2. A two fold increase is MSW is projected by 2016, and if not managed properly will have serious health and ecosystem impacts	Households Commercial establishments
Hazardous waste		Medium	1. 145786 tons of hazardous waste generated by 1036 industries in 2003 2. Serious ecosystem consequences if safe disposal sites are not initiated	Industries
Biomedical waste		Medium	1. 20.7 tons/day of biomedical waste generated by 1600 hospitals (250 gm/hospitalbed/day) 2. Serious health and ecosystem consequences if safe disposal is not initiated	Hospitals
GREEN AGENDA
Forests and biodiversity loss		High	1. 8.8 percent geographical area under forest and tree cover 2. Rich plant ;diversity with 5352 species 3. Ten plant taxa belonging to eight genera and six families are endemic to UP 4. Gangetic River Dolphin - a highly endangered freshwater mammal is under threat 5. One National Park and 23 wildlife sanctuaries cover 34% of forest area 6. Pressure from 65.1 million livestock (270/sq.km) 7. 5000 to 10000 hectares of forest land diverted for development activities each year	Population pressure Development activities Encroachments Poaching Fuel wood collection
Land degradation		High	1. 13.52 million hectares of land affected by degradation, including 1.15 million hectare saline/alkaline land, 0.81 million hectare water logged land 2. 11 districts with more than 9% land areas as degraded land	Inefficient, excessive irrigation Industrialization Urbanization Loss of forest/tree cover, Poor land management
BLUE AGENDA
Water availability And Strees		Medium	1. Abundant water resources, with spatial variations : 13,500 villages (12% of revenue villages)do not have reliable drinking water sources 2. 42,775 villages (38% of revenue villages)have limited access to drinking water sources 3. 53 percent of the 623 towns get 50 percentless water than the supply norm 4. Annual surface water availability is 162 billion cubic meters. 5. Annual replenishable groundwater availability;is 84 billion cubic meters About 50% groundwater currently exploited 22 over exploited blocks in western UP 56 semi critical blocks (28 in western UP)	Over exploitation by agriculture Inefficient management practices Population growth.

Source:Environment Monitor, Uttar PradeshCAUSES FOR WATER POLLUTION IN U.P.

Domestic wastewater, industrial effluents and agricultural runoff contribute to water pollution.

Domestic wastewater… Increasing water consumption by burgeoning urban population coupled with poor wastewater treatment facilities, and lack of sanitation facilities in urban and rural areas contribute substantially to the water pollution in UP. Lack of adquate sewage collection, treatment and disposal facilities contributes to enhanced levels of biological pollution of the lakes, streams and rivers. Water contamination leads to may water related diseases, and subsequently to social and economic burden on the state.

Lack of toilet and drainage facilities… Nearly 4.5 million urban slum inhabitants (72% of total slum dwellers) lack toilet facilities, where as all India figure for slum population lacking toilet facilities is only 55%. Less than 20 percent of the rural population; has access to toilets (Figure 18). However, demand for latrines is increasing, in more densely populated areas where privacy and security, particularly for women, are a greater issue (The World Bank, 1996, Box 5). Drainage connectivity in rural as well as in urban areas is poorly developed. Wastewater is collected through closed drains from 9.5 and 26.5  percent of rural and urban households respectively, where as open drains serve 60.9 and 65.9 percent rural and urban households (Census of India, 2001).

Biochemical oxygen demand … BOD load released into watercourses in UP (from towns and cities with population more than 0.1 million) is estimated at 444 million kg/day. Domestic sector contributes virtually all of surface water BOD, and is one of the greatest environmental problems in UP. Eleven districts in UP release more than 2000 kg/day of BOD into rivers and streams  and two rivers, Yamuna and Ganga receive most of the BOD load.

BOD from industry … At the end of 2002, Uttar Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (UPSPCB) identified 396 grossly polluting major and medium industries that individually discharge a BOD load of 100 kg or more per day into the rivers. Eighty percent of the 734 new industries proposed in the state also have high or moderate polluting potential. Addition of new pollution sources might put further pressure on the already precarious water pollution scenario in the state, if adequate policy, institutional and legal compliance mechanisms are not put into place.

 
Fertilizer and pesticide runoff from agriculture… The green revolution ushered by the development of high yielding varieties and associated development of high yielding varieties and associated development of water resources and application of agricultural chemicals, has mad India self sufficient in food grains. But the negative impacts of use of agricultural chemicals, often used indiscriminately, on water environment are being felt now. The fertilizer run off leads to nutrient enrichment in the receiving water bodies resulting in eutrophication. The pesticides get accumulated in the food chain, with increasing concentrations along the food chain (bio-magnification). This in turn affects various species in the food chain, including man.


Effects of water pollution
The effects of water pollution are not only devastating to people but also to animals, fish, and birds. Polluted water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, agriculture, and industry. It diminishes the aesthetic quality of lakes and rivers. More seriously, contaminated water destroys aquatic life and reduces its reproductive ability. Eventually, it is a hazard to human health. Nobody can escape the effects of water pollution.
The individual and the community can help minimize water pollution. By simple housekeeping and management practices the amount of waste generated can be minimized.