India’s Dilemna: Lack of Infrastructure and Its Impact on the Population and Environment
Jai Batth & Mehtab Dhaliwal
5/26/13
Sustainability & Development
India’s Dilemna: Lack of Infrastructure and Its Impact on the Population and Environment
India has long been a center of learning, culture, civilization, and above all else; wealth. Beginning with the Indus Valley civilization, which began around 3300 BCE, the subcontinent of India has played host to a long line of might civilizations that were created on the wealth of the natural resources found on the subcontinent. This wealth came in the form of metals, rare animals, and most importantly an abundance of land for agriculture and water for both consumption and irrigation. In the modern age India is once again a rising economic power in the global market, with one of the largest work forces in the country as well as a burgeoning middle class it is looking to push itself from a third world country to an economic giant. However with a population upwards of 1 billion people, there is rising cause for concern that such rapid growth is causing harm not only to the environment of India, but also the general population, and more specifically the less wealthy individuals that reside there. The issue that is causing major harm is the lack of infrastructure that has been put in place in India’s largest urban centers to support the ever-expanding number of people that dwell in the largest cities in India. India already has 25 of the 100 fastest growing urban areas in the world (Barta et al 2009). It has three of the worlds 25 mega cities, which are cities with a population of at least 10 million people. However there is no infrastructure in place to support such a large number of inhabitants. India’s urban infrastructure issues also effect the population, specifically the poor, and the environment. The impact of the cities reaches every part of India, and it is imperative that we look at both the problems that arise from it, and steps that are being taken to counteract these problems..
A
5/26/13
Sustainability & Development
India’s Dilemna: Lack of Infrastructure and Its Impact on the Population and Environment
India has long been a center of learning, culture, civilization, and above all else; wealth. Beginning with the Indus Valley civilization, which began around 3300 BCE, the subcontinent of India has played host to a long line of might civilizations that were created on the wealth of the natural resources found on the subcontinent. This wealth came in the form of metals, rare animals, and most importantly an abundance of land for agriculture and water for both consumption and irrigation. In the modern age India is once again a rising economic power in the global market, with one of the largest work forces in the country as well as a burgeoning middle class it is looking to push itself from a third world country to an economic giant. However with a population upwards of 1 billion people, there is rising cause for concern that such rapid growth is causing harm not only to the environment of India, but also the general population, and more specifically the less wealthy individuals that reside there. The issue that is causing major harm is the lack of infrastructure that has been put in place in India’s largest urban centers to support the ever-expanding number of people that dwell in the largest cities in India. India already has 25 of the 100 fastest growing urban areas in the world (Barta et al 2009). It has three of the worlds 25 mega cities, which are cities with a population of at least 10 million people. However there is no infrastructure in place to support such a large number of inhabitants. India’s urban infrastructure issues also effect the population, specifically the poor, and the environment. The impact of the cities reaches every part of India, and it is imperative that we look at both the problems that arise from it, and steps that are being taken to counteract these problems..
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