India, political

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India, political

• 28 States, 6 UTs 1 NCR. First, on linguistic
  lines
• Population 1,028,737,436
• 604 Districts (Dev. Blocks 5612
• Panchayats 241,310
• Villages 6,38588
• 22 official languages. 216 languages (each w/
  more than 10000 speakers)

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Topography
North Himalayas tallest mountain rangesTibetan
plateau (cold desert) East delta of Ganges
mangroves, alluvial soil (high yield)
West Thar desert (100mm of rain) South
Peninsula three sides Bay of Bengal (E)
Indian Ocean(S) Arabian Sea (W)
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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India, ecological

• 15 Ecosystems
• Dynamic complex gt important resource base
• Diverse gt hot cold deserts from less than 100
  mm rain to 4000 mm hills, riverine deltas,
  wetlands, alluvial Indo-Gangetic Plains. Each
  evolved unique social ecological dynamics
• Usual for official development planning to
  focus on political boundaries, not ecological
  realities

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Rainwater harvesting eco-specific adaptations
Traditional water management
understood this
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Rivers Lifelines

• Major perennial rivers 12 (w/catchment area
  252.8 mha.
• Ganga-Brahmaputra Meghana system biggest with
  catchment area approx 110 mha (43).
• Some travel vast distances (Ganga travels
  2,510 km, from Gangotri Glacier in central
  Himalayas drains into Bay of Bengal through
  Sunderbans.
• Freshwater use (incl. groundwater)
• Agriculture 80 (for irrigation)
• Domestic 5
• Industry 6

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Irony

• Total annual rainfall 1170 mm -- highest in
  world for country of comparable size
• Monsoons Twice a year in some parts.
• 60 of economy depends on the monsoons.
• No natural reason why any village in any part of
  India should remain water stressed.
• Abundance, mismanaged
• But only 100 hours of rain/year
• Catch water where it falls

600 mm
1,880 mm
100 mm
11,000 mm
2,700 mm
1,800 mm
1,200 mm
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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But parched
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Balance (March April, 2008)
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Drought struck
5 states affected by non - availability of water
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Flooded
Same five states (and a few more) flood prone
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Drought
Mismanagement, not scarcity of rainfall. Even in
years of less than normal rain over 2000 mm of
rain. Have we lost the ability to live with
water? Drought is becoming more or less
permanent Even in good rainfall years, there
is water stress. Even after a flood there is a
drought Nearly 13 of total land area declared
drought prone (2002).
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Most rivers in India have hardly any water left
in summer

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Water-stressed

• Per capita availability of fresh water has fallen
  from 5177 cubic metres to 1869 cubic metres in 50
  years (2001). Thats perilously close to the 1700
  mark fixed by the United Nations, below which we
  will become a "water-stressed"nation.

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
13
Land use

• Land use classification in India (1999-2000)
  (Min. of Agriculture data)
• Classification 1999-2000 (in mha ( of
  reporting area)
• I. Geographic Area 328.73
• II. Reporting area for land utilistion (1-5)
  306.25 (93.16 of total land area)
• 1. Forests 69.41 (22.7)
• 2. Not available for cultivation (ab) 42.83
• a) Non-agricultural uses 23.57 (7.7)
• b) Barren and uncultivable land 19.26 (6.3)
• 3. Other uncultivated land (excl. fallow land
  (abc) 27.93
• a) Permanent pastures and other grazing
  lands 10.90 (3.6)
• b) Miscellaneous tree crops, groves (not included
  in net area sown) 3.37 (1.1)
• c) Cultivable wastelands 13.66 (4.5)
• 4. Fallow land (ab) 24.99
• a) Fallow land other than current fallow 10.19
  (3.3)
• b) Current fallow 14.80 (4.8)
• 5. Net area sown 141.10 (46.1)
• 6. Area sown more than once 46.84
• 7. Gross cropped area (56) 187.94

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Agriculture precarious

• Highest rate of economic growth in history 9
• Lowest rate of agriculture growth in history
  2.6
• Over 60 people depend on agriculture, fisheries
  and forests (23.6 of GDP). Industry (28.4 of
  GDP employs 17). Services (48 of GDP
  employs 23)
• About 68 of the net sown area drought-prone
• Rainfed 60 of cultivable area. Produce 42 food
  for India
• 80 of Indias landholding is less than one
  hectare
• 33 landless (22 in 1991-92)
• Rural unemployment _at_ 9.1 (doubled over 2
  decades)
• 57 of land facing degradation (increase of 53
  since 1994).
• Most impact on common lands rainfed areas

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Forests gt more than timber

• 30 fodder needs
• 40 of Indias energy needs (more than 80 in
  rural areas).
• More than timber gt NTFPs
• 3,000 plant species find use
• Sustenance income supplement for 500 million
  people
• NTFP-based small-scale enterprises provide up to
  50 income for 20-30 of the rural labour force
• Account for 55 of employment in the forestry
  sector
• Account for over 50 of revenues earned by forest
  department

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Real forest vs. forests in law

• Forest department, largest landowner
  bureaucracy in India
• Forest cover 678338 km2 (20.64) - (gt10 tree
  canopy density). Unclear - orchards, plantations,
  sugarcane cotton fields count as forest cover
• Forest area 774,740 km2 (23.57 of India's land
  area)
• Reserved (51.6) Protected (30.8) Unclassed
  (17.6)
• 1951-1988 Sweeping notifications. Forest area
  enlarged by 26 million ha (from 41 to 67 mha)
• 20 of reserved forests have no green cover
• Poorly surveyed tribal areas. Poor land records.
  Forest dept. (77 mha) revenue records
  (67.87mha) don't tally. Millions caught in middle
  (farmers, tribals). 60 of forest cover in 187
  tribal districts (in 1/3rd size of country)
• People vs. parks 90 National Parks (5 forest
  area) 501 Sanctuaries (17 forest area). 3.7
  million people (740,000 families)

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
17
Mineral map

• Poor employer To produce Rs. 1 crore worth of
  minerals, sector employs just 8 people
• Mining in 50 districts (30 backward
  districts)

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Mining gt boomtime

2.55 million (52 tribal) people displaced
because of mining projects alone Value of
mineral production Rs 84,211 crores
(2005-06) People employed 560000 (2005-06) down
30 from 1991 to 2004 Dilemma Small-scale,
unregulated, but large employer 1.8 billion
tonnes waste generated from mines Hotspots of
conflicts Case in point Uranium mining produces
4.1 million tonnes of waste close to 50,000
people living close by.
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Reiterate gt Poverty chronic, concentrated

• Poverty line Spending capacity Rs 356
  /month(rural) Rs 538/ month (urban).
  Expenditure needed to consume 2,400 kilo cal
  (rural) 2100 kcal (for urban)/ day
• 301.7 million people (27.5 of India) poor (72
  in rural areas, acc. to 2005 figures)
• 57 concentrated in five states Maharashtra,
  Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar West
  Bengal
• 30 households eat less than 1,700 kilo
  calories/day/person. Rural poor spend 70 of
  income on food

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Forest area
Tiger reserves
Schedule V area
Poorest districts
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Resource curse
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Urban India
7 mega cities (gt 4 million people)28 cities with
million-plus people
By the end of 2008 50 of world 29 of India
will move to cities By 2050 70 of world 55
of India will live in cities
Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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Urban fallouts gt equity, congestion

• Air pollution and mobility crisis Cities being
  built for cars, not mobility. Pollution,
  congestion equity.
• Solid waste 120,000 tonnes of garbage every day
  in Indian cities. Few disposal, re-use and
  recycling capacities.
• Cities are water stressed. Per capita water
  supply from 9 lpcd to 584 lpcd across urban
  India.
• What we have is fast getting polluted Only 72
  cities with partial sewerage facilities. Only 17
  with primary treatment facilities, yet woefully
  inefficient. Dirty water is the largest killer of
  babies.
• Urban India consumes 87 of nations electricity.
  Energy inefficient.

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
24
Case in point Logjam in Delhi

• 1951 to 2000 Urban pop. increased 4.6 times.
  Vehicles increased 158 times (all-India)
• 1996 2005 Delhi's road length increased 20.
  Vehicles increased 132. 1000 new vehicles
  added/day
• 21 of Delhi's land area already under roads.
  Greenery covers 19 of land in greenest capital
  in the world
• Buses in 1950 11. Today 1.1
• Equity gt personal vehicles use 75 road space to
  meet less than 20 of city's commuter demand.
• Hidden subsidies gt Personal vehicles pampered.
  Cheap parking, lower taxes (buses pay more),
  infrastructure spending for car use, cheap diesel
  fuels, lower taxes for small cars...)

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)
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60 years of anti-poverty programmes

• More than 2000 rural development programmes
• Rs. 314 billion for poverty alleviation/year
• Inefficient It takes Rs. 3.65 to transfer Rs. 1
  programme money to poor
• But, 0.6 million villages, 23 million elected
  local governments, 3.8 million elected
  representatives.
• Time to decentralise?
• Informal sector employs 92 of in India.
• Private public together employs only 8
• Need 108 jobs/minute for next five years (can
  create only 10 from current growth)
• Ecology has huge potential 110 jobs/minute
• Economy from ecology

Anil Agarwal Green Centre Challenge of the
Balance (March April, 2008)