Per capita consumption of minerals and fuels in India and rest of the Asia Pacific needs to be brought down to one fifth of present levels to be deemed sustainable, according to a latest UN report.
A comparison across 10 Asia Pacific countries related to domestic material consumption showed over the past three decades China has become the largest consumer of minerals, followed by India and Indonesia.
The report prepared by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that in 2005, 60% of all material consumed in Asia-Pacific region were used in China and 20% in India.
The report expressed concern over the rate at which water and land resources are being used in the region.
With growing urbanisation, the problem of solid waste is going to be a major challenge for Indian cities, the UNEP report said.
According to the report India is labeled as a water-stressed country.