Pollution and Poverty
Even after its independence in 1947, the Republic of India has the world's largest number of poor people in a single country. 32.7% of the Indian people fall beneath the international poverty line of $1.25 dollars per day. 68.7% of the people live on under $2 dollars per day. If you travel around the country you can see people on the streets scavenging for food on the polluted roads or begging for food.
Trash on the streets is not an uncommon sight in India. Public dummping of solid wastes contributes to the already harmed environment. Along with human litter there is waste from stray animals. There are very few landfills in India but those present are poorly maintained and are a home to pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, and rats. Air pollution and water pollution is also there in great amounts. Greenhouse emissions, gas from cars, and some from factories are factors. The rivers are so polluted that no amount of sanitation is helping.
The homeless often use the pollution around them for food, clothing or even to build shelter. Unfortunately this causes them to be more prone to diseases carried by flies and mosquitoes. With no shelters or proper garbage control, India is a country with many flaws that need to be fixed. Then again, no country is perfect.
By Aadi Sharma
Children looking for food on a railway station