India's Population Hits 1.4 billion. Let's Break Down the Impact on the Environment

Based on the projections by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as published in its report “State of World Population Report”, India’s population is expected to surpass that of China by 2.9 million by mid-year 2023. India’s population will reach 1.4286 billion, compared to China’s 1.4257 billion.

Let’s break down this impact on the environment. Here are a few things that are on my mind as India reaches the most populous nation in the world.

1. Strain on Water Resources leading to over-extraction of groundwater and increasing scarcity of water.

2. Land degradation as cities expand leading to deforestation and soil erosion.

3. Improperly managed waste generation including e-waste, plastics and other hazardous waste.

4. Strain on natural resources as the economy expands.

5. Increase in air pollution as population needs of vehicular transportation, power generation and other polluting industries also increase.

6. Threat to biodiversity as human activity expands

7. Climate change for all the reasons above

The Indian Government will need to enact targeted policy changes to mitigate the effects of the increasing population on the environment. These include sustainable development practices such as renewable energy, public transportation, and land use planning. It is important for the government to enact and enforce environmentally friendly regulations that will protect natural resources. Water conservation and waste management will require concerted efforts such as encouraging rainwater harvesting and recycling of waste. Finally but importantly, the community will need to work in partnership with the government to ensure environmentally friendly practices. Education, public awareness campaigns, and community outreach programs must be central to policy changes that the Government of India enacts.