Putnam CountyMiddle School 7th Grade Social Studies

Southern and Eastern Asia

Standards

• SS7G10 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southern and Eastern Asia.– a. Describe the causes and effects of pollution on

the Yangtze and Ganges Rivers.– b. Describe the causes and effects of air pollution

and flooding in India and China.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East AsiaThe Yangtze River, the longest in Asia and the third longest in the world, is expected to benefit 800 million people after the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is realized. However, the river on which so many already rely has suffered severe pollution far beyond many people's imagination. By 2003, industrial and urban daily wastewater exceeded 25 billion tons along the Yangtze, 90 percent of which was untreated, and the drinking water of more than 500 cities threatened.

The river is facing six big crises: deforestation, silting, earlier dry seasons, degraded drinking water, threatened wildlife, damage to sluices and power stations, and damage to the river's natural self-cleaning processes.

There is insufficient planning and not enough motivation to clean up their act, whilst the law provides no consistent redress and offers too many loopholes. Currently, 62 counties in Sichuan have no independent environmental supervision mechanisms, and the existing 36 county-level mechanisms are unable to enforce environmental law.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Yangtze River Pollution

How hungry would you have to be to eat a fish from this river?

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East AsiaSome of the main Ganges river pollution contributors are those in industry - specifically in this case those of the leather industry who use vast amounts of chromium and other toxins and chemicals. Thanks to globalisation, international, national and local government this trend seems unlikely to get better with more and more factories cropping up every week and all running under a distinct lack of regulations.

Another of the main issues of the Ganges river pollution is the vast irrigation networks which have cropped up to feed India's ever expanding population - These vast networks of canals and ditches slowly but surely filter off the water from the Ganges and it's subsidiaries causing an alarming drop in the water levels, especially in the dry season.

Now these problems are huge on their own but couple with this with fact that India's holiest river, specifically at the banks of the ton of Varanasi, is considered as the pilgrimage site with tens of thousands of pilgrims entering the city every month to bathe, wash, sip and drink the water.The river is now a leading cause of infant and child mortality rates, skin problems and more, serious disabilities –

The Yamuna river, the main contributor to the Ganges has been completely devoid of all water and sea life for the past 15 year!

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Chromium pollutes the Ganges turning it toxic and poisonous

Raw Sewage

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

YET !!!

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

What are the affects of polluted waters?

Fishing and fisheries – pollutants can outright kill the fish or create an environment where algae can grow depleting the oxygen for the fish.

Oddly enough people now want bottled water, which takes 2 bottles of water to make, and then the plastic bottle ends up back in the water as trash.

Sewage in the water produces bacteria such as Hepatitis A, E. coli, and giardia which can cause gastroenteritis, cholera, chronic diarrhea and possible death.

Untreated trash such as fishing line or six pack holders can kill and maim wildlife

Pollution can become so bad in ports and harbors that trade could be suspended to help keep the pollution from spreading.

Garbage can jam up Hydro-electric Power plants. Garbage and pollutants can make irrigation useless, poisoning the very food

eaten. What other issues can you think of???

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

The Kyoto ProtocolThe Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which focuses on preventing or decreasing global warming. Air pollution is one of the main concerns of global warming.

What causes air pollution? When did the first big (man made) increase occur?

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Acid rain that kills forests and can ‘melt’ buildings Asthma Ozone Depletion that leads to skin cancer Global Warming If the world is getting warmer and the glaciers melt what would happen to Miami? What other issues can you think of?

Environmental Issues of South and East AsiaSURAT, India — Early on a Monday morning during the August monsoon, after several days of torrential rains, the engineers in charge of a massive dam about 50 miles upstream from this diamond-polishing hub faced a harrowing crisis. With water brimming well past the permitted levels at the 350-foot Ukai Dam, according to official records, and the skies showing no sign of relief, the engineers apparently threw open the

reservoir’s 21 sluice gates. Water then did what water does. It surged downriver, swallowing this city of three million people like a hungry beast. The diamond lanes of India became a warren of muck and ruin. In less than three days, at least 120 people died. More than 4,000 animal carcasses were later hauled out of the mud. Two weeks after the floods, Surat’s diamond-polishing factories were practically empty of workers, who had fled fearing disease. An industry group estimated the losses at $60 million.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

What are some causes of flooding? We covered a big one last Monday.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

What Causes do we have for flooding?

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Floodwaters in south-west Chongqing municipality, after torrential rains hit areas along the Yangtze river.

A landslide in early August in Gansu killed at least 1,239 people and left 505 missing. More than 305 million people in 28 provinces, municipalities and regions especially the southern and central provinces and regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing Municipality, Gansu, Sichuan and Guizhou, and the northeastern province of Jilin have been affected, while at least 4.66 million people have been evacuated because of the risk of flooding and landslides in the latter half of June.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

• SS7G10 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southern and Eastern Asia.– a. Describe the causes and effects of pollution on

the Yangtze and Ganges Rivers.– b. Describe the causes and effects of air pollution

and flooding in India and China.

Environmental Issues of South and East Asia

Assignments: Map Quiz 1 page essay I will grade them and get

them back to Mr. Rogers Monday.