Around 90% of Indians living in eight major cities feel climate change is a reality, over 80% feel average temperatures have risen and more than 63% feel rainfall levels have gone down over the years.
These are among the findings of an environmental survey carried out among 11,214 people in eight cities by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a think-tank based in New Delhi. The eight cities are New Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore, Jamshedpur, Kanpur and Pune. The survey was conducted between December 2013 and February 2014.
A large majority of those surveyed feel air quality has worsened and the number of bird species in their cities has declined.
On the bright side, a majority feels drinking water availability and quality as well as waste management in their cities had improved.
As the survey findings were released in New Delhi on Tuesday, R.K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said: “We have focused on cities which normally don’t get the kind of attention they deserve. If we want to bring about improvement in environmental quality, then the foundation on which any such effort would rest, would be on the awareness of the public. I hope through this survey we are able to bring about the level of awareness that really lays the foundation for action in the right direction.”
Over 90% of those surveyed feel the quality of the environment has an immediate impact on health. Around 40% feel environment and development go hand in hand with no apparent trade-offs, while only 30% thinks the government should prioritise environment over development. A higher proportion of women (48%) feel environmental protection and development go hand in hand. The percentage among men is 36.
The proportion of those who perceived an improvement in air quality, drinking water quality and availability, and tree cover is higher in richer neighbourhoods. About one-third of those surveyed lived in these neighbourhoods, while 24% lived in middle-income areas and 43% in the poorer parts of the cities.
About 10% of those surveyed rely on packaged water. Over half of them say they are treating their drinking water. The percentage is as high as 68 in the rich neighbourhoods, 46 in the middle-income areas and 40 in the poorer parts of these cities.
Nearly half the people surveyed say garbage is not collected from their homes. Nearly 90% of them feel improper waste management imposes “severe” (67%) to “moderate” (23%) health hazards. Around 60% feel the best solution is to generate less waste was seen as the best strategy to address the problem of waste management by around 60% of respondents, while 25% are in favour of segregating waste. However, over half of those surveyed say they are unwilling to segregate their waste into biodegradable and non-degradable. Around 86% of the respondents feel polythene bags should be banned.
Of the people surveyed, 31% had gone to college, 32% more had finished school and 23% had completed middle school, while 14% had only primary education.