A review on ecological degradation, its causes and sustainable development in Delhi, India
Article Main
Abstract
Degradation of natural resources and loss of biodiversity (wildlife flora and fauna) is a global problem that affects our society and hampers the economic and social progress of a country towards sustainable development. In developing countries like India, degradation of natural resources is a major threat to socio-economic development. In general, destruction of the environment, biodiversity and nature, has been a major concern in metropolitan cities. Delhi being a metropolitan city and the capital of India, has been facing this problem since 1980’s. However, the situation was not that bad then. Over the years, the environmental degradation has not only led to the loss of natural flora and fauna of Delhi city but has also become a cause of great concern because of its impact on the health of the common citizens of Delhi. Modernization, industrialization and overpopulation are key factors responsible for bringing about a drastic change in Delhi’s biodiversity and natural resources. Keeping in view their multifarious impacts, the Government of Delhi took some measures to restore the ecosystem of the city. However, we still have a long way to go to bring back the natural flora and fauna of the city, clean air, and the natural resources that have been depleted beyond imagination. Government alone cannot bring about the lost glory of Delhi. Each citizen of Delhi is responsible, and there is a need to join hands together and think in a positive direction to make Delhi a safe living place not only for human beings but also the wildlife that once existed in this majestic city.
Article Details
Article Details
Keywords
Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Ecological restoration, Environmental degradation, Industrialization, Overpopulation
References
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Bentinck, J. & Chikara, S. (2001). Illegal factories in Delhi: the controversy, the causes, and the expected future. International Workshop, Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South (N-AERUS) and European Science Foundation (ESF), Leuven and Brussels, Belgium 23-26 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/drivers_urb_change/urb_economy /pdf_infor_e cono/ESFN_AERUS_Bentinck_Illegal%20factor.pdf
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Chakrabarti, P.G.D. (2001). Delhi’s Ongoing Debate on Informal Settlements and Workplaces –Issues of Environmental Jurisprudence. International Workshop on Coping with informality and illegality in human settlements in developing cities. Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South (N-AERUS) and European Science Foundation (ESF). Leuven and Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/drivers_urb_change/urb_infrastructure/pdf_land%20tenure NAERUS_ESF_chakrabarti_Delhi_Inf ormal_Se ttlements.pdf
Chopra, R. (2016). Environmental Degradation in India: Causes and Consequences. International Journal of Applied Environmental Sciences, 11(6), 1593-1601. https://www.ripublication.com/ijaes16/ijaesv11n6_21.pdf
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Delhi Statistical Handbook (2014). Directorate of Economics and Statistics: Government of NCT of Delhi 2014. www.des.delhigovt.nic.in
Economic Survey of Delhi (2018-2019). Demographic profile. Retrieved from http://delhiplanning.nic.in/sites/default/files/2%29%20 Demographic%20Profile.pdf Economic Survey of Delhi 2020-2021 http://delhipl anning.nic.in/sites/default/files/8.%20Environment.pdf
Forest Department (2010). Retrieved from http://forest.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_forest/Fore st/Home/Forests+ Management/ECO+Task+Force, October 2000
Gulia, S., Nagendra, S.M.S., Khare, M., Khanna, I. (2015). Urban air quality management -A Review. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 6(2), 286-304. https://doi.org/10.5094/APR.2015.033
Indian State of Forest Report (2019). Delhi. Forest Survey of India. Retrieved from https://fsi.nic.in/isfr19/vol2/isfr-2019-vol-ii-delhi.pdf
Kumar, A. (1997). Fauna of Delhi. Zoological Survey of India, Dehradun, Government of India. Retrieved from http://fauna ofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/sfs/037/index.pdf
Mahato, S., Pal, S., Ghosh, K.G. (2020). Effect of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic on air quality of the megacity Delhi, India. Sci. Of The Total Environ. 730, 139086.
Mehta A. C. (2001). An analysis of Census 2001 State-specific Population Data. http://www.educationforallini ndia.com/page159. html (accessed the site on 14th Aug. 2021)
Ministry of Environment and forests (2016). White paper on pollution in Delhi with an action plan. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Retrieved from http://urbanemissions.info/wp-content/uploads/docs/India-1997-CPCB-White-Paper-on-Delhi-Air-Pollution.pdf
National Capital Region Planning Board (1986), Delhi Master Plan 2001. New Delhi
National Portal of India, (2017) Retrieved Feb. 4, 2017, https://web.archive.org/web/20170204103447/https://india.gov.in/india-glance/profile (accessed the site on 27th July 2021)
Press Information Bureau (2018). Native tree species. Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change. Retrieved on Aug. 3, 2018, https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1541596
Puri, H.S. (2018). Delhi Tree Cutting. Business Standard. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/over-12-000-trees-cut-in-delhi-for-govt-projects-in-last-3-years-govt-118080901552_1.html
Rao, R. (2020). Najafgarh jheel-saga of a forgotten river. SANDRP (South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People). Retrieved from https://sandrp.in/2020/09/16/najafgarh-jheel-saga-of-a-forgotten-river/ (accessed the site on 18th Aug. 2021)
Ritwik, N., Pandya, K., Luis, A.J., Sengupta, R. & Kotha, M. (2021). Positive effects of Covid -19 lockdown on air quality of Industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India. Scientific reports, 11(4285). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83393-9
Rizwan, S.A., Nongkynrih, B. & Gupta, K.S. (2013). “Air pollution in Delhi: Its Magnitude and effects on health”. Indian J Community Med., 38(1), 4-8. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.106617
Sarkawt, M.L.H., Prashant, K., Roy M.H., William, J. B., Khare, M., Mishra, S., Namdeo, A., Sokhi, R., Goodman, P., Sharma, C. (2020). Four year assessment of ambient particulate matter and trace gases in the Delhi- NCR region of India. Sustainable Cities and Society, 54: 102003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.102003
Thapliyal, U. P. (1987). Gazetteer of Rural Delhi https://www.indianculture.gov.in/gazettes/gazetteer-rural-delhi
Tourism Resources of Delhi (2021). Retrieved from http://ncrpb.nic.in/pdf_files/ToursimResourcesofDelhi.pdf (accessed the site on 14th Aug. 2021)
United Nations Environment Programme(2017). Towards a Pollution-Free Planet. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved from https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/21800/UNEA_towardspollution_long%20version_ Web.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Varsha (2014). The Delhi ridge. In: Sinha, G.N. (Ed.). An Introduction to the Delhi Ridge (pp. 1-28) Department of Forests & Wildlife, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, New Delhi. http://forest.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/1e22 578 0 43fa6dcba014e23e3c4139c7/Delhi_Ridge_Book-Sinha%2C+G.N.+%28Ed.%29+%282014.pdf?MOD=AJPERE S&lmod=-804673140 &CACHEID=1e22578043fa6dcba 014e23e3c4139c7
Vernon, R., Sundaram, K.V. & Rao, V. (2021). “Delhi”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Retrieved Sep. 3, 2021, https://www.britannica.com /place/Delhi (Accessed the site on 20th Aug 2021).
WorldAtlas (2020). The World’s oldest civilizations. Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-of-the-world-s-oldest-civilizations.html (Accessed the site on 28.7.2021)
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How to Cite
A review on ecological degradation, its causes and sustainable development in Delhi, India. (2021). Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 13(4), 1294-1304. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v13i4.2978
