Environment Pollution and Related Problems in India

Environmental pollution has become a global issue. One of its bad effects is that it leads to depletion of the ozone layer, causes climate changes, makes ground water toxic, causes health hazards and so on. The absence of adequate environmental laws worsens the situation further.

Environmental Pollution and Present Scenario in India 

Environmental pollution is rampant in India and the following are some bottlenecks to be aware of:

Lack of Vision and Planning

There is a lack of vision and planning on the part of the government of India, in foreseeing environmental issues. Further, there is a failure on the part of Government to formulate appropriate policies, programs and plans, to address the issue.

Flaws in Process of Developing Policies

The entire law making process in India is a flawed. There is a lack of stringent environmental laws to address the problem. In most cases, laws function like paper tigers. For instance, the National Agricultural Policy is a policy which is not encapsulated in any law and therefore, it is ineffective. No single Indian law includes the contents and concerns of the policy document. Further, some classic examples of stand alone legislations are the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Flaws in Law Making Process

The law making process in India has many loopholes. It does not follow a logical and consistent path, neither during the drafting process nor after enforcement.

Issues in the Process of Law Enforcement 

India still follows inadequate and outdated environmental laws. Further, various factors that contribute towards poor implementation of environmental laws in India, are:

• Lack of appropriate skills amongst the law enforcement agencies.
• Inadequate infrastructural facilities.
• Lack of proper understanding of environmental laws.
• Lack of coordination among the law enforcement authorities and officers.
• Jurisdictional conflicts.
• Shortage of skilled and trained legal personnel.
• No initiatives are being taken to recruit law officers who possess knowledge, skills and understanding of environmental issues and laws.

Lastly, the tendency to centralize the decision making power and bureaucratized structure hampers the process of proper law enforcement. The political and bureaucratic intervention in day to day activities of the law enforcement authorities affects and curbs their professional competence and efficiency.