Environmental Issues in Asia

Several people sit on the edge of stone steps leading down to the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Two wade in and splash water on themselves. Two others prepare food. A man and a woman wash clothes and sheets. Further up the steps, two other people change out of their clothes in preparation for bathing. For Hindus, the Ganges River is the personification of the goddess Ganga and is therefore sacred. They bathe in it, wash their clothes and cooking dishes in it, and even drink from it. However, high levels of contaminants in the river including sewage, trash, and even half-cremated corpses make the Ganges one of the most polluted rivers in the world and a potential health hazard to those who come in contact with it.

A building near the Ganges River overflows with wood and tinder to be used in cremation. Several sets of stairs wind up the bank and around the huge piles of wood. A cow eats hay near the shore where a boat is docked. A few men are scattered across the shore. Cremation along the Ganges River is common practice for Hindus. Hindus regularly bathe in it, wash their clothes in it, and even drink from it. Their dead are often cremated and thrown into the river. Because some cannot afford enough wood to fully burn a body, the corpses that are thrown into the river are often partially-burnt or unburnt. This, along with sewage, trash, and other contamination, make the Ganges one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

The pollution of the Ganges River is becoming increasingly worse as time goes on. Pollution that is found in the Ganges include cremated corpses, livestock carcasses, raw sewage, waste from factories, and the used water from peoples' daily lives. There have been many attempts to clean up the Ganges, but they have either failed or made the problem worse. India's government has already spent over $33 million to address the overwhelming sewage problem.

People wash laundry in the Ganges River.

China Water Pollution Has Become China’s Most Urgent Environmental Problem Today At least 300 million people in China do not have access to safe drinking water As much as 70% of China’s lakes, rivers, and streams are affected by water pollution Although legislation is in place China’s government does not strictly enforce. Riverside chemical and power plants, along with paper, textile, and food production facilities, are a leading source of pollution of China's rivers and lakes

Pollution has often led to the temporary shut down of tap water in areas along China’s rivers. Hundreds of thousands of farmers must use filthy water for drinking and irrigation. The economies of entire farming and fishing villages have been destroyed because of pollution. 1/3 of all fish species in the Yellow River have become extinct because of pollution and various other factors.

The Songhua River, despite its pollution and trash, is a popular playground for Harbin residents in the summertime.

Lanzhou, Gansu province: A resident takes a water sample from the polluted Yellow river".

Water pollution of the Ao River in Zhejiang

Effects of Monsoons The torrential rainstorms often cause violent landslides in India and cause flooding of the rivers; which drowns crops. Entire villages have been swept away during monsoon rains, people are left homeless, and people have died because of the severe floods Despite the potential for destruction, the summer monsoons are welcomed in India. Farmers depend on the rains to irrigate their land.

China and Flooding In the Northern Plain region of China is where much of China’s food production occurs. This area is fertile because of the Yellow (Huang He) River. The Huang He has been called "China's Sorrow" because of its frequent and catastrophic floods To combat this problem the government has instituted large irrigation and flood control projects.

` Excessive summer rainfall in central and southern China has leads to annual flooding in the Yangtze River valley Because of annual flooding crops such as cotton and rice can grow in China. However, when the flooding is too excessive crops can actually be destroyed.

The Asian Brown Cloud The Asian Brown cloud is a brown blanket of smog that affects all nations of Asia India, China, Japan, Thailand, etc. It can alter the patterns of the Monsoons, reduce photosynthesis, increase respiratory problems, and reduce solar radiation. Toxic waste, motor vehicles, cooking fuels, and forest fires contribute to this air pollution

Satellite pictures over much of Asia and the Indian Ocean show an enormous brown stain hanging in the air

Air pollution is mostly human made As many as five million deaths are caused by air pollution every year in India Cities in India such as Bombay and Calcutta are below safety limits for pollutants Much of India’s pollution come from motor vehicles

Population Population in Asia is one of the major reasons why Asia has problems with pollution China hold’s the world’s largest population at over a billion and India’s population is growing and expected to surpass China one day. Such a large number of people put a strain on the environment and increased pollution. 7 of the world’s most populated cities exist in China.

Because of the large populations of these countries flooding is devastating because crops are destroyed. The government of China has also tried to control their population by instituting a one child policy in 1979.