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Indian Exports From Polluting Firms Rising |
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In a stinging remark on India’s pollution record, the World Bank has
said India’s exports from polluting industries is increasing and more
Indians are falling ill because of bad environment. The statement comes
at a time when both the US and Europe are talking about imposing a
carbon tax on imports
from polluting industries in India and China.
India
has threatened to take the western world to World Trade Organisation
for indulging in unfair trade practice if the ‘unfair’ tax is imposed.
The
World Bank, in its appraisal document for cleaning the Ganga project,
said the share of the most polluting sectors in India’s exports has
increased dramatically during the last decade.
It backed its
claim with the data from United Nations on country-wise commerce and
trade. The bank told HT in an email response that exports from polluting
industries almost doubled to around 20 % between 1997 and 2006.
“The
data is consistent with other evidence found in the literature that the
share of most polluting industries in India’s exports is increasing.
These are typically industries like iron and steel, chemical, paper,
petroleum and non-ferrous metals and non-metallic mineral products,” the
bank said.
India is not fully in agreement and has said the
country’s track record on pollution abatement of exporting industries
has increased in the last four years. The bank’s paper says India has
initiated new policies to check environment degradation but its impact
is yet to be known.
The bank also said the growing pollution
footprint is negatively impacting human health and development outcomes
with increase in number of cases of water borne diseases.
The bank’s claim has backing of independent government reports indicating rising water contamination of rivers and water bodies.
The
Central Pollution Control Board 2009 report on water says that 34 % of
water bodies in India were highly contaminated, an increase of about
four percentage points in the last five years.
Source : hindustantimes.com
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