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Environmental issues in rural settlements UPSC

The following types of environmental issues are involved in rural settlements.
  • Natural environment issues
  • Man-made environment issues
    • Wrong farming practices
    • wrong way of irrigation
    • Lack of infrastructure

Natural environment issues
  • The rural settlements along the banks of rivers are always prone to floods and due to floods humans, animals, goods, and livelihood have to suffer heavy losses.
  • During the rainy season, many water-borne diseases spread due to floods and filth.
  • The rural settlement of the coastal area is prone to cyclones and storms.
  • The mountainous rural settlement is prone to landslides and cloudbursts.

Man-made environment issues
  • The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides creates problems of soil and water pollution.
  • Excess use of nitrogenous fertilizers leads to eutrophication in the water body.
  • Wrong farming practices, wrong land management, and deforestation are causing soil erosion.
  • More population is creating more burden on agricultural land.
  • To maximize profits, the practice of growing cash crops is increasing due to which the soil is lacking a particular nutrient.
  • Jhum cultivation in the hilly region of Northeast India causes a lot of damage to the environment.
  • Air pollution is caused due to burning of old agricultural residues left in the fields before sowing the crop. Due to this, the problem of pollution in the area around Delhi increases during the cold season.

Problems arising due to the wrong method of irrigation:
  • Excessive groundwater extraction leads to a fall in the groundwater level.
  • Water seeping through irrigation systems acidifies the soil and is a breeding ground for malaria and other diseases.
  • Soil erosion due to over-irrigation
Lack of infrastructure:
  • Due to a lack of toilet and sewage infrastructure, open defecation is more prevalent in rural settlements resulting in many communicable diseases and causing high child mortality.
  • The absence of LPG, CNG leads to deforestation which has different environmental damage
  • Rural settlements are more vulnerable than urban settlements because the infrastructure in rural settlements is weak, due to which rural settlements have to suffer losses due to minor disasters.
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