Page 62 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Unit 2: Major Segments of Indian Society

of unauthorised slums in congested urban areas and lack of civic sense among the settlers in these Notes
slums further adds to the growing mound of filth and diseases. Various forms of racketeering in
municipal work exist in our cities. For instance: (a) since payment for garbage removal is made on
the basis of trips and not the weight of the garbage picked up, a large number of trips are shown
on records and money is split between the contractor and the municipal employees; (b) a large
number of vehicles used for garbage-collecting operations are actually used for unauthorised
work; (c) debris is diverted and sold to private parties for filling up building sites while payment
for debris disposal is taken from the municipality; and (d) drivers of trucks and dumpers sell
diesel meant for sanitation trucks.
Obviously, the basic problem is excessive urbanisation and the resultant slumming of cities. Since
our politicians use migrants as vote-banks, they remain unconcerned with taking necessary civic
action. Lack of understanding at the planning level, lack of coordination between the agencies
concerned, mismanagement of municipalities, and lack of necessary funds to be provided by state
governments will always remain barriers to putting sanitation maintenance cycle in proper shape.
If cities continue to treat sanitation and sewage as low-priority areas, overcoming health crisis in
urban areas will be an insurmountable task in years to come. As a long-term remedy, what is
needed is using new techniques of refuse collection, new technology for the disposal of garbage,
and a fundamental change in the municipal infrastructure and land use planning.
Pollution
Our cities and towns are major polluters of the environment. Several cities discharge 40 per cent
to 60 per cent of their entire sewage and industrial effluents untreated into the nearby rivers. The
smallest town contributes its share of garbage and excreta to the nearest waterway through its
open drains. Urban industry pollutes the atmosphere with smoke and toxic gases from its chimneys.
Areas recording higher levels of air pollution abound with many ailments which particularly
affect children below five years and people above fifty years of age. The high synergistic effect of
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc. causes many diseases. The ambient air quality in Delhi
gives it the dubious distinction of being the fourth most polluted city in the world. The issue of
environmental pollution in urban areas is considered so significant that even the Supreme Court
in July 1995 had to ask for strict enforcement of environmental laws leading to closure or relocation
of about 146 hazardous industries in Delhi by November-December 1996. The orders led to even
agitations by the affected workers in December 1996, but the Apex Court stuck to its decision of
not allowing industries within the National Capital Region (NCR), and shifting them to
neighbouring states. The vehicular emissions in Delhi account for 64 per cent of Delhi’s air pollutant
load, power plants are responsible for 16 per cent and industries account for 12 per cent.
Similar significant role was played by the Supreme Court in yet another judgement on environment
protection in Andhra Pradesh in October 1996. The judgement banned shrimp (small marine fish)
culture within 500 metres of the high tide line along the 6,000 km coastline and the dismantling of
all structures within the restricted zone by March 1997. The country earns more than Rs.600 crore
in foreign exchange through export of shrimp from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu alone.
According to an estimate by the Central Pollution Control Board, the effluent generation from
acquaculture farms on the east coast alone was about 2.37 million cubic metres (The Hindustan
Times, January 6, 1997). The poison we put in the environment comes right back to us through our
air, water and food, slowly seeping into our bodies and showing up as cancer, immune disorders
or as hormonal system disorders. No wonder, the doctors claim that the worsening environmental
condition in India has increased the chances of catching cancer dramatically in the four metros—
Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai—the chances of having cancer are as high as 7 to 11 per
cent during a lifetime. A conservative estimate of cancer patients in India by the year 2001 stands
at eight lakhs. Of course, the poor suffer more than the rich from environmental degradation.
Causes of Urban Problems
Following McVeigh and Shostak (1978: 198-205) who have linked urban problems in the United
States to four factors, we can identify following five major causes of problems of urban life in
India:

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