Improper management of effluents and solid industrial wastes is causing “irreparable damage” to environment in states like Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan, says a study.
In states such as West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana thermal power plants were the main source of pollution, the study conducted by C M Lakshmana at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) study said.
“Discharge of mineral and industrial effluents with least concern for environment has resulted in ecological damage in the Western Ghats and mid-Himalayan section,” it said. But, despite hosting a very large number of industries, Andhra Pradesh has suffered relatively low environmental degradation.
Environment has also not suffered much in states such as Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir despite higher population growth due to the “man-environment relationship,” it pointed out.
