Green India, Green World

Over the past few decades India's forest cover has come down significantly. Many fast growing Indian cities specially in the North and Western part of India are highly polluted. This pollution has lead bad health of people living in these cities.

The most polluted city in India is Delhi which has a population of 17.5 million people. It is followed by cities like Agra, Ludhiana , Kanpur, Ahmedabad etc. This are fast growing cities and pollution levels in this cities have put the health of people living in this cities in danger.

The city of Agra is well known for Taj Mahal which is an architectural wonder made with some of the most finest marble stone in the world. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one 8 wonders of the world. This Taj Mahal is losing its lustre because of the pollutants released by nearby factories in Agra. The marble is turning yellow.

One of the major reasons why India went through this massive deforestation is that India's population has increased by a factor of 4 after independence. This has lead to greater demand for food production so more and more forest land had to be cleared for agriculture, industries and residence.

There was a time when people used to drink water directly from the river Ganga, for Hindus the water of this river is sacred , however no longer can anyone even think of directly drinking water from that river , it is one of the most polluted river on earth. The river Ganga has to pass through some of the most populated areas in north India.All the industrial and human waste of this cities are thrown into this river.

As the river has tremendous religious significance people bath in this river and people who regularly bath in this river often fall ill reporting various stomach and skin problems. The Indian government invested lot of money into the cleaning of Ganga but the projects were shoddily implemented and most of the money meant for the project was lost to corruption, so the condition of the river did not improve.

This are some of the multiple pollution related issues that we are facing in India for air pollution- the solution is use of green energy in generation of electricity. India is blessed with ample sunlight . Solar energy can reduce the need of coal and gas based power plants.

The states of Rajasthan and Gujrat can become the solar powerhouses of the country. The electricity from sun produced in both this states would be enough to power entire northern, western and central India. Even states like Madhya Pradesh , Chattisgarh, UP get enough sunlight to generate more than enough power for themselves.

India is blessed with a 7,517 km long coastline. The sea coasts are always windy so ample Wind energy can be generated here but the real opportunity lies in harnessing the tidal energy along the coastline. There is enough scope to generate enough tidal energy along the coast that use of fossil fuels would be totally unnecessary. The energy is green and the energy is cheap. Even in south India there is lot of sunlight so great amounts of solar energy can also be generated.

An Indian IT- services company Infosys intends to power its offices with solar electricity from its own captive power plant. According to the company the power generated from the solar power plant would cost them a little more than Rs 3 per unit. Far lower than Rs. 5.65 it pays for its Bangalore office.

Similarly there would be other companies that would surely follow the suit. Green Power is the future and need of mankind. If environment is not taken into consideration while planning our future the result would be disastrous.

The cleaning of rivers like Ganga is very essential since this rivers are the major source of water for human consumption and agriculture. However for this to happen government's will is a must. The waste discharged by industries and the waste from sewage should be treated. Harmful materials like lead, arsenic and others should be removed from this before disposal. The industries that throw out poisonous gases into the atmosphere should be equipped with pollution control devices that can neutralize the harmful gases. There should be some regular monitoring mechanism that ensures that the pollution control devices are used properly and are maintained properly. 

Sewage itself can be great source of bio gas that can be used to generate electricity. In Delhi there are power plants that are powered by bio gas from sewage.

Environment and Development can coexist and should coexist because environmental balance is essential for the sustenance of human life and animal life on earth. Yes we want development but development with healthy life and a green world.