Population, resources and environment linkages in India

Dr Ulimiri V Somayajulu, Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt Ltd
Tilak Mukherji, Sigma Research and Consulting Pvt Ltd

This papers aims at understanding the linkages between population, resources and environment variables in India. The paper uses secondary data from sources such as Indian Census, FSI, NSSO, Planning commission, FAO et al. As human population continues to expand, the resource base continues to shrink, posing a new challenge to humanity. Water scarcity is emerging as major problem and tropical forests are depleting at an alarmingly high rate. Availability of natural resources to rural community, especially the poor sections, has eroded severely. High population growth rates led to more intensive use of resources, exacerbating existing scarcities and over exploitation. Fixed water resources and higher population pressure may push India to water stress zone by 2025. Only 6 of the 20 states are environmentally sustainable while 6 states are moderately food secure states. The preliminary analysis provides evidence for the inter relation between variables relating to population, resources and environment.