Regional issues of population development and environment in India: an overview

CM Lakshmana, Population Research Centre (PRC) at ISEC

Increasing population and the consequent spurt in infrastructure development have had significant impact on environment in India. High population growth, urbanization and rapid economic growth have been resulting in environmental problems of serious dimensions. Notably, persistence of poverty and the consequent scramble for fast depleting resources have been resulting in irreversible environmental degradation in most of the countries in Africa. On the other hand, rapid population growth and continued economic development are the major environmental concerns in the Asia Pacific region including the Indian sub-continent. It is universally accepted that environmental degradation is taking place at a faster pace in developing countries than in developed countries. Despite this, environmental issues get more academic and policy attention in the developed countries of the world. For instance, the higher use of energy and resources per capita in the United States (US) has been widely debated in the academia and policy platforms, as a result of which, there is now greater awareness among policy makers and masses alike about the urgency of conserving resources. The acute stress on environment as also on human health in the U S and across its contact regions is also widely debated. The present study investigates the relationship between population increase and environmental issues in India.regions. Rapid population growth and persistence of poverty have caused much higher environmental damage in east, north-east and central regions of India also.