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F O C U S
The Forgotten
Issue of Environmental Crisis in Punjab Elections
Umendra Dutt
IT
is election time in Punjab. Parties are promising moon to the voters. The
politicians are even ready to bring down the heaven to Punjab. Every body has
started talking about development. The word Development has become a major
issue. Election manifestos are painting a rosy picture of a Developed Punjab.
But, none of them is kind enough to tell what will be cost of this development?
And who has to bear the cost? Who will be sacrificed for this? More over how
sustainable will be this development? This so-called development has already
taken a heavy toll. Severe ecological and environmental health crises are quite
visible in Punjab now. This environmental crisis has eclipsed the very
sustainability, livelihood and the prosperity of the Punjab. But,
unfortunately no political party has taken serious note of this. None of the
party manifesto has touched the environmental crisis in its real sense. Rather
they are promising new gifts at the cost of ecological balance and long term
sustainability of environment, agriculture and economy.
 The five year
electoral system has made our politicians short sighted. They do not want to
address the problems beyond this. Sustainability is not an issue for them at
all. Making promises by ignoring ecological balance is a kind of bribe to get
votes. Politicians are mere pampering the voters of today at the cost of lives
of tomorrow. They may get power to govern, but Punjab will lose its natural
resources ultimately, if these promises fulfilled unchecked. This trend needs to
be questioned strongly.
It is the high
time to take up the issue of environmental health crisis, depleting water
resources, prevalence of high pesticide residues and subsequently the ecological
and agricultural sustainability of Punjab. Elections are providing an
opportunity for this. Those who want to save Punjab from an offing environmental
and agricultural chaos should ask political parties to spell out their agenda
for the same.
Punjab is fast
exhausting its ground water aquifers. But politicians are promising more tube
wells without owning any social and environmental responsibility. In 1970-71
there were only 1.92 lakh tube wells in Punjab, in 80-81 there were 6 lakh tube
wells, and in 90-91 number went up to 8 lakh, 2000-01 again number rises upto 10
lakh and now there are about 14 lakh tube wells. In last four decades ground
water exploitation has touched new heights in Punjab as area under irrigation
through tube wells has gone up to as high as 78% and even more in 2000-01 from
37% in 1960-61. Cropping intensity has also increased from 126% to 185 % during
this period. This means more and more dependency on ground water.
 From last two
decades water security of Punjab is under severe threat. But none of government
had taken any concrete step to save Punjab from water disaster. There was no
holistic plan to tackle the emerging water crisis. Neither any government has
taken any initiative to evolve a perspective, vision and plan for environmental
and agriculture sustainability. Despite all odds area under rice cultivation has
increased from just 6% to 60% in last forty years. This is not only
unsustainable agricultural growth but it is against the very fragile ecological
balance also. Thus the results are very disgusting. In 1984 there were 53
blocks declared as dark zones, then in 1995 number of dark zones has increased
upto 84 and in 2005 this figure further increased to 108 out of total 138
development blocks. Ground water level falling much faster then assumed. In 1973
only 3% area of Punjab has water table below 10 meters, it went up to 14.9% in
1989, 20% in 1992, and 28% in 1997, 53% in 2000, 76% in 2002 and in 2004 the
situation goes beyond expectations when 90% area of Punjab is drawing water from
the depth of more then 10 meters. More over 30% area of Punjab has depth
of 20 meters or even more. This has also created the acute problem of drinking
water in villages. In 1980 there are 3712 villages identified as drinking water
problem villages, this figure went up to 6287 in 1990, and then in year 2000 the
number goes as high as 8518 and as of now 11849 villages or habitations out of
total 12423 in Punjab are facing drinking water problems.
Now our worthy
politicians are luring farmers by promising more tube wells. With new euphoria
for constructing Malls, SEZs and mega construction projects, the ground water
will further exploited without any check. Any government can sanction tube
wells, it can provide free power for the same, or it can install any machinery
for water purification. But question is from where the water will come? Any
government can allow more and more exploration of ground water, which means more
and more fast depletion of aquifers. But who will take responsibility to
replenish and re-charge these aquifers?
How can we
expect from any government to act on water crisis if there is no water policy as
such and no action plan to mitigate water crisis. Punjab has no state water
policy as of now. In 2004 a draft water policy was circulated with in
governmental circles only and it is still not more than a draft. This draft
policy is mere spoiled carbon copy of National Water Policy -2002.
Interestingly, this water policy is already under fire for being instrument to
paving way for privatization and corporatization of water resources. More over
this policy is meant to serve corporate interests rather then serving farmers
and common people. Making water a sellable commodity has to have very serious
repercussions. Several civil society groups are already demanding redrafting of
National Water Policy 2002. Thus a state water policy draft copied from NWP can
not be serve purpose at all.
Will the
claimants of power in Punjab have any vision and perspective plan? Neither there
had been a single minute of discussion in Punjab assembly on state water policy,
nor does any political leader has raised the issue in or out side the house. It
is important to know as to how many MLAs have got the copy of this draft water
policy. Even those who are claming to be savior of Punjab water have not seen
this document. This draft policy was all most kept secret and there was no
public dialogue in any form on this has taken place.
The water
resources are not the property of our generation only. They belong to our future
generations too. The water security of Punjab's coming generations is already
jeopardized. Punjab needs sustainability of water resources. Does any political
party of Punjab dare to take up this issue?
Another
environmental issue need to be thoroughly discussed during and after elections,
is the severe health crisis caused by environmental degradation and toxicity.
Horrible environmental health crises have engulfed the vast area of the state,
particularly the Malwa region, as cancer, reproductive health problems, early
ageing and skeletal fluorosis has become very common. But most infamous disease
is Cancer, which has taken lives of thousands of people. People had borrowed
money for cancer treatment; they forced to sell their land, ornaments and
tractors to save lives of their family members. But, the deadly cancer wins.
Neither the lives were saved nor do they remain able to repay debt. It is a grim
sorrow saga of whole of the Malwa and despite all tall claims and promises there
is no respite for cancer sufferers and their family members.
Now on the eve
of elections both Akali Dal (Badal) and Congress (I) promised to open cancer
hospital in Malwa region, but is it the real solution to the crisis? Cancer is
mere one symptom of environmental degradation and presence of toxic substances
in our environment and food chain. Opening up of a cancer hospital will serve
though important but very limited purpose. It will treat the cancer patients,
but certainly it will not undo the toxicity present in our eco-system. More over
it will not check the high prevalence rate of cancer in all ages and sexes. We
have to prevent cancer as prevention is always better than cure. Therefore we
have to make environment free from toxicants, pesticides and other
contaminators.
There are few
more aspects of environmental health crisis in Punjab. The reproductive health
is in very serious trouble. Punjab has one of the highest numbers of Neural Tube
Defect NTD babies, then growing infertility, deformities, congenital
abnormalities, high birth rate of brainless children (80% among this are
females), deteriorating semen quality, DNA and chromosomal damage, weakening of
bones and joints due to water with high TDS causing serious spinal problems even
in children and more worrisome is large scale female foetal loss.
Punjab has very
high pesticide spry density. It consumes near 18% pesticides of whole of India
on just 2.5% agricultural area of country. The entire food chain of Punjab
contains residue of several pesticides. The data from All India Coordinated
Research Project on Pesticidal Residue clearly indicates presence of DDT, HCH
and BHC in cereals, milk, butter, fruits, vegetables and even infant formula.
The edibles have residues of other pesticides like Phosphamidon, Quinalphos,
Chlorpyriphos, Endosulfan, Malathion, Parathion, Monocrotophos and lindane. The
presence of pesticides in blood as detected by Centre for Science and
Environment also raises serious questions. CSE report states the presence of
cocktail of 6 to 13 pesticides in blood samples. CSE also find organo-chlorine
and residues of the newer and so-called 'non-persistent' pesticides –
organophosphates in blood .This is a serious threat to the health of people of
Punjab. This finding is disturbing because organophosphates are now getting
added in body to the earlier contamination of organochlorines. These
organophosphates have far higher toxicity than the older organochlorines.
But our
politicians have no time to discuss these issues. Even the two committees setup
after CSE report came out were miserably failed to do any thing. The so-called
high power committee headed by the Chief Minister did not held a single meeting.
But, the opposition does not make this an issue. Then comes recommendations made
by expert committee setup after PGIMER submitted its report on high prevalence
of cancer cases in Talwandi Sabo block. These recommendations are not brought
out in public. The apathy is not limited upto here. Punjab Pollution Control
Board which had spent approximately Rs 15 lacs on this study has dumped the
report. It is not published properly, only photocopies were distributed in a
limited circle. Even the villagers of Talwandi Sabo block till date does not
know what was written in that report. Because it was not translated in Punjabi,
thus not circulated and neither its synopsis was distributed. But, again the
opposition parties were also failed to take up this issue. Akali Dal - BJP or
any other opposition party has not taken any clear stance on the crisis and
neither any of them has questioned the role of Punjab government. No body knows
how many politicians had gone through the PGIMER- PPCB report. It is also worth
mentioning that Mr Manpreet Badal is committed to this issue in his personal
capacity and he has also hosted a People's dialogue on Environmental Health
Crisis organised by Environmental Health Action Group of Kheti Virasat Mission
at Badal village in August 2005. But as main opposition and a party Akali Dal
seems to be lesser concerned because it's other MLAs from Malwa region does
not shown any interest in the entire issue. Congress is seems to be satisfied
with governmental action only and as the party it remains mum. Where as, BJP is
no where in the scene at all.
The pathetic
situation of water resources and environmental health concerns ought to be
raised in the elections. It is the issue of future generations of Punjab. The
performance of politicians and political parties in Punjab should be evaluated
on their concerns, commitment and actions for tackling the ecological crisis.
Parties must bring out with their action plan to mitigate water and
environmental health crisis. The voters should ask for the same.
After all, would
be rulers should know the importance of understanding, vision and commitment for
the issues of livelihood and ecological sustainability, water security and
environmental health safety. Let us make the environment a voter's agenda.
Author is
Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission. Jaitu, Faridkot district
based environmental NGO in Punjab. Phone: 9872682161, E-mail: umendradutt@gmail.com)
The Kheti
Virasat Mission - KVM
The KVM is a nor
for profit conscious civil society organization established in March 2005 and
registered as a charitable trust with head office at Jaitu town of district
Faridkot.
KVM is working
in the field of natural farming , sustainable agriculture, conservation of
natural resources, environmental health and eco-sustainable technologies.
KVM
undertakes policy debates, issues of WTO and globalization, activities of
environmental education, awareness and advocacy, youth activities for
environment and sustainable development. Apart from this KVM has also build
cross section alliance through networking with other civil society groups,
activists, and experts.
KVM is working
to promote sustainable - ecological agricultural practices, conservation and
regeneration of natural water resources and to re-establish the traditional
wisdom and practices related to water.
BACK
The
politics of Environment
Gobind Thukral writes from Vancouver
Slowly
but surely the issue of climate change is taking a center stage in Canadian
politics. Prime Minister Stephan Harper can no longer repeat those unqualified
words and ridicule Kyoto treaty sponsored by the United Nations as
“money-sucking socialist scheme.” He has discovered much to his chagrin that
the letter he wrote five years back ridiculing the issue of climate change and
worsening situation would be too embarrassing to him as prime minister. There is
no around to appreciate his scorn even among his Conservative party. This letter
released by his opponents recently has unnerved the government to the extent
that Harper’s Environment Minister john Barid has rushed to Paris to
personally talk to the scientists who have issued a
clear notice on global warming and called it most likely man made.
The first volume
of the fourth assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
has been three years in the writing and brings together the work of 600 writers
from 40 countries. More than 620 experts have reviewed the findings, and
representatives of 113 governments have read and revised the key points.
According to the
report there is evidence that the higher temperatures of the last half century
are unusual compared with the at least the previous 1,300 years. As greenhouse
gas levels have risen so have temperatures - global average air and ocean
temperatures have been increasing and there has been widespread melting of snow
and ice. Unusual weather conditions are linked to this. We can observe this all
around and feel it in Punjab as in Canada, Indonesia or America. But since the
use of fossil fuels is linked to the industrial development where bog
corporations operate with huge profits, it invariably gets linked with politics.
The fact that environment degradation is bad economics is yet to dawn on the
business corporations and political leaders.
Eleven of the
last 12 years have ranked among the 12 warmest years since records began in
1850, and as a result, the 100-year trend in temperatures has been adjusted
upwards since the 2001 report, from an increase of 0.6C to 0.74C by the end of
2005. Much of the increase was recorded over the last 50 years, when the
temperature increased by an average of 0.13C a decade - almost twice as fast as
over the previous 100 years.
Oceans have been
absorbing more than 80% of the extra heat, causing water to expand and sea
levels to rise. Between 1961 and 2003, the global average sea level rose by an
average of 1.8mm a year. And between 1993 and 2003 it rose at a rate of 3.1mm a
year. Scientists assert that sea levels rose much more quickly last century than
in the 1800s.
Average Arctic
temperatures have increased at almost twice the global average rate over the
past 100 years, and the ice has shrunk by 2.7% each decade. Since 1900, the area
covered by frozen ground has decreased by about 7%.
Elsewhere, more
intense and longer droughts have been seen over wider areas since the 1970s,
particularly in the tropics and sub-tropics, and in the North Atlantic there has
been an increase in the incidence of typhoons and hurricanes.
This report
clearly stated after long deliberations that it is very likely that climate
change over the past 50 years is not down to natural causes alone and that it is
extremely likely there were human causes.
The levels of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased distinctly since 1750 and now
far exceed the levels before the industrial revolution. Human use of fossil
fuels, and changes in land use, are the main drivers behind the increase in
carbon dioxide levels, while agriculture has increased levels of methane and
nitrous oxide.
The IPCC says
levels of carbon dioxide increased from a pre-industrial level of 280 parts per
million (ppm) to 379ppm in 2005 - far exceeding the natural range over the last
650,000 years, which has been measured as between 180ppm and 300ppm.
Most
disturbingly, the levels have increased more quickly over the past 10 years than
they have since 1960 when scientists first began to record the increase.
By the end of
this century, temperatures could be between 1.8C and 4C higher than in 1999,
although some of the scenarios suggested a rise of as much as 6.4C. In 2001,
using a different methodology, scientists predicted an increase of 1.4 to 5.8C.
Warming of just
1.8C over the century could be achieved by moving rapidly towards a service and
information economy, with reductions in the materials people use and the
introduction of clean, efficient technologies. We need global solutions to
economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The worst-case
scenario, with warming of 4C, would be the result of rapid economic growth, a
global population that peaks in the middle of the century and the rapid
introduction of new technologies, but continued reliance on fossil fuels. A
switch to non-fossil fuels would instantly cut the predicted temperature rise to
2.4C.
The scenarios
for sea levels suggest a rise of between 18cm and 59cm over the same period,
with the events that could lead to the highest temperatures also leading to the
biggest increase in sea levels. These could eat away coastal lands in a
big way.
However, the
predictions don't take into account the extra water that will enter the oceans
as ice caps melt, so the real figures could be much higher. The last time the
Polar Regions were significantly warmer than now was around 125,000 years ago,
and the meltdown which that caused led to a 4-6m rise in sea levels.
If the ice flow
in Greenland and Antarctica were to melt at a rate directly in proportion with
the predicted rise in temperatures, the upper estimate for the sea level rise
would increase by 10-20cm. larger increases could not be excluded. Tragically
knowledge of the impact of melting ice is "too limited" for a
conclusion to be reached.
The report says
snow cover will contract and sea ice will shrink in both the Arctic and
Antarctic, and that late-summer sea ice may disappear entirely in the Arctic by
the latter part of this century. It is very likely that heat waves and heavy
rain will become more frequent, and tropical cyclones will become more intense.
Because the
oceans will be unable to take up carbon dioxide at the same rate as in the past,
atmospheric greenhouse gas levels will increase more rapidly. To stabilise
carbon levels at 450ppm, emissions would have to be reduced by around a third
over the course of 21st century.
It is important
that industrialized countries in North America, Europe and the emerging
industrial giants like China and India take care of environment first and allow
the mother earth remain an environment friendly planet. Politics of over
exploitations must take a backseat.
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