E n vir o n men t a l Issu es in In dia This page is intentionally left blank. E n v ir o n m en t a l Is s u es in In d ia A Rea der Edited by Mahesh Rangarajan ih ill PEARSON An imprint of Pearson Education Copyright © 2007 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. Licensees of Copyright © 2007 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. Pearson Education in South Asia Licensees of Pearson Education in South Asia No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without without the publisher’s prior written consent. the publisher’s prior written consent. This eBook may or may not include all assets that were part of the print Thivs eerBsiooonk. Tmhaey p ourb mlisahye nr orte sinecrvlueds et haell raigsshett tso t hreamt woveree a pnayr tm oaft tehreia pl rpirnets veenrts iino n. The pubtlhisish eerB roeosekr vate sa nthye t irmigeh.t to remove any material in this eBook at any time. ISBN 9788131708101 ISBN 9788131708101 elSBN xxxxxxxxxxxxx eISBN 9789332500662 Head Office: A-8(A), Sector 62, Knowledge Boulevard, 7th Floor, NOIDA Head Office: A-8(A), Sector 62, Knowledge Boulevard, 7th Floor, NOIDA 201 309, 201 309, India India Registered Office: 11 Local Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi Registered Office: 11 Local Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, 110 017, India India Co nt ent s List of Tables ¥111 Preface and Acknowledgements x Introduction x111 Section I: Pre-colonial India Introduct1on 3 1. Climate, a Factor in the Rise and Fall of the Indus Civilization: Evidence from Rajasthan and Beyond 7 V.N. Misra 2. Iron Tools, Forest Clearance and Urbanization in the Gangetic Plains 18 Makkhan Lal 3. Forests and Settlements 33 Romila Thapar 4. The Forest and the Field in Ancient India 42 Mahesh Rangarajan 5. The Great Mughals Go Hunting Lions 49 Divyabhanusinh 6. Ecology and Traditional Systems of Water Management: Revisiting Medieval Rajasthan 70 Mayank Kumar 7. A Historical Study of the Control of Grass and Fodder Resources in Eighteenth-Century Maharashtra 97 SUMIT GUHA vi Contents Section II: Colonial India Introduct1on 107 8. Mahatma Gandhi and the Environmental Movement 111 Ramachandra Guha 9. The Uses of Eccentricity: The Making of Salim Ali 129 Madhav Gadgil 10. Jim Corbett: A Life Story 135 D.C. Kala Section III: Independent India’s Environment Introduct1on 157 11. Agriculture on Spaceship Earth 161 M.S. Swaminathan 12. The Green Revolution 184 J.R. McNeill 13. Rehabilitating Degraded Lands 195 N.C. Saxena 14. Common Property Resources and the Rural Poor 206 N.S. JODHA 15. Water Pollution Control: Role of Community and Public Action 247 Himanshu Thakkar 16. Diara Diary 275 Mukul Sharma 17. South Asian Pastoralism: The Environmental Question 288 Arun Agrawal and Vasant Saberwal 18. The New Land Use Policy: People and Forests in Mizoram 298 Daman Singh 19. The Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India 316 Bina Agarwal 20. A Great Legacy Dissipated 362 M. Krishnan 21. Sacred Groves for the Twenty-First Century 366 K. Ullas Karanth Contents vii Section IV: M ovements and Alternatives Introduct1on 381 22. Ecological Conflicts and the Environmental Movement in India 385 Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha 23. Monumental Folly 429 Darryl D’Monte 24. The Tragedy of Displacement 437 Sanjay Sangvai 25. Community, Place and Citizenship 444 Ajant ha Subramanian 26. Lessons from the Deluge: Priorities for Multi-Hazard Risk Mitigation 454 Aromar Revi 27. The Tiger and the Honeybee 471 Savyasaachi 28. Empowerment and Disempowerment of Forest Women in Uttarakhand, India 483 Madhu Sarin 29. The Dreams of a Water Warrior 507 Roopali Phadke Section V: Global Issues Introduct1on 517 30. Environmentalism and Political Economy 521 Dunu Roy 31. Are We Prepared for Another Bhopal? 530 Vijay K. Nagaraj and Nithya V. Raman 32. Is the Friendly Atom Poised for a Comeback? 544 Eliot Marshal 33. Global Warming and India 550 Anand Patwardhan Further Readings 559 About the Editor and Contributors 564 Ta bl es 6.1 Revenue Collection and Number of Wells/Tanks (1658 ce) 86 11.1 Population Projections (Millions)— India 164 11.2 Food Demand and Supply Projections for India 164 11.3 Some Significant Landmarks in the Twentieth Century 166 11.4 Yields Obtained During the 1972 Kharif Season in Trials Under the All-India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture 167 11.5 Average Annual Yield of Different Animal Production Systems 167 11.6 Land Use Statistics, 1968—69 169 11.7 Areas Under Different Soils, 1969—70 169 11.8 Nitrogen Balance, 1969 170 11.9 Ultimate Irrigation Potential in Different States (Data from the Report of the Second Irrigation Commission) 172 12.1 Yield History in 93 Developing Countries, Yield (kg/ha) 1961-1992 188 14.1 The Location and Agro-Climate Features of the Areas Covered by the CPR Study 210 14.2 Benefits from Village Common Property Resources 212 14.3 Indicators of Rural Households’ Dependence on CPRs 215 14.4 Some Details about Fuel Consumption by Households, 1984-85 218 14.5 The Extent of Dependence of Households on Common Property Resources for Animal Grazing 219 List of Tables ix 14.6 Employment Provided by CPR-Product Collection Activities 222 14.7 Employment in CPR-based Activities 223 14.8 Share of CPR-based Activities in Daily Time-Allocation of Households 224 14.9 Details Indicating the Role of CPR-based Activities During the Days of Involuntary Unemployment, 1982-83 226 14.10 Average Annual Household Income from CPRs 228 14.11 Impact of CPRs on Inequality of Household Incomes 230 14.12 Extent and Decline of CPR Land 233 14.13 Distribution of Privatized CPRs in the Study Villages 235 14.14 Current Status of the CPR Lands Given to the Rural Poor, 1982-85 237 14.15 Some Indicators of Factors Causing Dispossession of CPR Lands Given to the Rural Poor 239 18.1 The Area under Rice Production 301 18.2 Total Rice Production and Per Capita Availability 302 18.3 Coverage of the New Land Use Policy 309 19.1 Average Annual Income from Village Commons in Selected Districts of India (1982-85) 327 19.2 Distribution of Privatized Village Commons in Selected Districts of India 330 19.3 Time Taken and Distance Travelled for Firewood Collection 338