burning environmental issues of assam or north-east

Burning Environmental Issues of Assam or

North-East

Presented byMrs. Manisha Chaliha (M.A.)

Deptt. Of EducationD.R. College; Golaghat

BURNING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF ASSAM OR THE NORTH-EAST

Content of the Seminar Introduction. Background of NE region. Environmental Issues. Hazards from pollution. Conclusion. References.


Introduction “Environment” is derived from the word

“Environner” which means to “encircle or surround”.

Thus, environment is seen total of water, air & land, inter-relationships among themselves & also the human beings, other living organisms & property.


Background of NE region

The 7 states of NE region supports all sorts of natural diversities, the NE supports people and economics from primitive to modern.

While the traditional, “Jhumings” predominates in the hill-slopes, the capitalist tea-plantation, modernized grain-farming characterized plain landscapes.

Thus ,livelihood of most of the people are directly linked with economics & the natural resources easily available in the region.


Environmental issuesWater resources Sustainable utilization of water resources shall

definitely contribute to the economy both at regional & national level.

The agricultural sector which is the backbone of economy of this region suffers the most. As a result of gross under-utilization of existing water resources & the impact of managing flood & erosion hazards.


Contd. All the hills of NE region are having very

high rainfall from 2300-5000 mm in some areas.

Because of heavy rainfall, recurrent problems of flood; soil, river-bank erosion & drainage congestion occurs.


Forest resources The livelihood of the people of the region greatly

depends upon forest resources. But in spite of having a legacy of rich biodiversity & food-chain these areas haven’t been conducive to sustainable development.

Therefore, a strategy of action should be taken for their protection & production.


Pressure of population It concerns with the population growth,

density, occupational structures, & carrying capacity of the area concerned.

During the period of last 100 yrs(1901-2001), the population of NE increased from around 4 million to 38.5 million.

It creates problems viz. degradation of land & forest, Loss of biodiversity.


Contd. The region was known to the rest of the country

for its rich forest resources. So, systematic deforestation & land degradation

were outside the interest of the people. But in recent period, factors like population

growth, urbanization, industrialization, growing trade & commerce, tendency for immediate economic gain have led to a substantial decline in the “forest cover”.


Hazards from pollution It causes bad effect on various forms of life or

property. We should change our life-style to reduce pollution & should take different action plans.

e.g. the Deopahar reserves forest near NRL in Golaghat district is presently ruling under pollution due to dumping of plastic garbage. The local conscious people have appealed to the NRL authority to consider the problem as burning one & to take proper measure.


Land degradation It means a reduction in the productive capacity of

land. Deforestation has mainly lead to accelerated erosion

& land sliding. The shifting cultivation is held responsible for accelerated erosion in many parts of N.E.

However, the terrace cultivation has rendered the areas less susceptible to soil erosion.

Framing of national policies, development of wetland inventory, monitoring, research, training, education & public awareness help in the management of the wetlands.


Human-animal Conflict It is the another burning issue because of population

growth, occupational shift, infrastructural spread, deforestation, flood & bank erosion, application of agro-chemicals etc.

The loss of one-horned rhinos from Kaziranga National Park to tune of 20 in a year 2006-07 by antisocials.

There is some kind of competition between the people & the wild elephant for relatively level space in many elephant corridors. During recent years the problem of human-elephant conflict an acute one.


Conclusion All the natural resources are interlinked.

Disturbing one will affect the other. The spread of value-education can play an important role in bringing awareness about the environmental issues.


References North-East India Geo-environmental Issues- Deka Sujit. Environmental Studies- Arumugam N., Kumaresan V. Environmental managements- Krishnamoorthy, Bora. Environment :-Problems & Solutions- Asthana D.K.,

Asthana Meera. Population Education for developing Countries-

Salkar R.K. Perspective in environmental Studies- Kaushik &

Kaushik

burning environmental issues of assam or north-east

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