Jaipur: Despite the growing emphasis on public transport across the country, India has only two buses for every 1,000 people according to a report released by an environmental NGO here January 19.
“On an average, India has only two buses for every 1,000 people – this is despite the growing emphasis on public transport as cities across the country succumb to severe air pollution.”
“Many water bodies in India are now severely polluted. Three of Rajasthan’s most well-known lakes – the Jalmahal, Jaisamand and Udaisagar – are in a list of the most severely polluted water bodies of India, with BOD levels above the safe limit of 3 mg/l3,” says the State of India’s Environment Report 2017 released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) DG DG Sunita Narain at the Jaipur Literature Festival here.
The Report also said that while there has been an overall decline in environmental crimes reported in the country, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan account for 76 per cent of the cases and the maximum number of people arrested for environmental crimes.
It said that 26 of India’s 29 states have reported a rise in area undergoing desertification in the past 10 years while almost 30 per cent of the country’s area is degraded. “India ranks among the lowest in the list of countries on the Sustainable Development Index,” it said.
CSE said that the report makes a “strong case for de-globalization” and is a unique, one-of-its-kind compilation of information, opinion and data on environment and development in India.
