India has plentiful natural resources. These include fertile soil, various rivers, lakes, ponds and streams, forest cover, mineral & ore deposits, etc. For example, the plateau region in central India is very rich in high-quality black soil, which is ideal for cultivating cotton. Deposits of bauxite, copper, chromate, diamonds, gold, lead, lignite, manganese, zinc, uranium are also abundant. India accounts for a fifth of the world’s total iron-ore reserves. But, in the recent past, many developmental activities such as urbanisation, industrialisation and commercialisation of agriculture have led to the exertion of an enormous pressure on its finite resource base. This has an adverse impact on overall human health and well-being.

There are various causes for this problem of environmental degradation. One of the most important ones is deforestation. In India, the forested area is under severe threat and large-scale of destruction of vegetation has disturbed the ecological balance. The per-capita forestland in India is only 0.08 hectare, as compared to the recommended requirement of 0.47 hectares. Such problems compound the pre-existing issue of environmental degradation.

India has seen many grassroots movements to counter such problems. One prominent example is the Appiko Movement. It is similar to the famous Chipko movement, which was initiated to create awareness about the loss of forest cover. In 1963, some woodcutters arrived at Sirsi ditrict to fell trees. Over 100 men, women, and children, who were local villagers, hugged the trees to prevent the woodcutters from felling them. This movement quickly spread to the neighbouring districts. It is estimated that 12,000 trees were saved due to such local efforts.

On the federal level, India has instituted a legal mechanism to preclude environmental degradation, namely the Environment Protection Act of 1986. This Act defines environment as the total of both the biotic components (humans, animals, plants, micro-organisms) and the abiotic components (water, air, land) and the inter-relationship which exists between them. The primary objective of the Act is to protect and improve the natural environment and regulate all the matters connected herewith. The Act covers the entire territory of India. It allows the policymakers to make rules to control environmental pollution and contamination, and to set appropriate standards and limits for the same purpose.