State of India's Environment 2017

The Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, releases an Annual State of India’s Environment. Here are some key indicators taken from their 2017 Report:

State of land and agriculture:

·      Soil Health Card Scheme (Chapter 10 of the book)

o   As on October 18, 2016, only 23% of the target had been met with respect to the number of cards issued.

o   25 of the 33 states had met less than 50% target.

·      Nearly 30% of land in India is degraded. Of the total geographical area of 328 million ha, 96 million ha is under desertification.

·      26 states have reported an increase in the area undergoing desertification over the past 10 years.

State of forest clearance:

·      Between January and September 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change granted clearances for forest diversion to 249 projects covering an area of 10,000 ha.

·      36% of the total forest land approved for diversion was for irrigation projects and 20% was for mining projects.

State of urban water bodies:

·      Urban floods are on the increase since the wetlands, which work as sponges during floods, have been built over.

·      Loss of water bodies has been severe (more than 50% in area) in cities such as Srinagar, Delhi, Guwahati, Udaipur, Surat, Kolhapur, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram.

State of public transport:

·      State bus services are outdated and incapable of meeting the increasing demand.

·      India has just two buses for every 1000 people.

·      The average occupancy ratio in state bus services is 71%.

·      46 state bus companies have losses to the tune of Rs.10,800 crores.

State of wildlife:

·      In 2016, India recorded a 25% increase in tiger deaths, 98 compared to 78 in 2015.

State of energy:

·      Although power deficit reduced from 8.5% in 2010-11 to 2.10% in 2015-16, India’s diesel generator market has been growing steadily, especially in the residential sector.

This post relates to Chapter 1 of the book.