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Environmental pollution is one of the serious problems faced by the people in the country, especially in urban areas, which not only experiences rapid growth of population due to high fertility, low mortality and increasing rural-urban migration, but also industrialization which is accompanied by a growing number of vehicles. In India, the rapid increase of human numbers combines with desperate poverty to deplete and pollute local resource bases on which the livelihood of present and future generations depends. Though the relationship is complex, population size and growth tend to expand and accelerate these human impacts on the environment.
According to the World Development Indicators report in 1997, 1.5 billion people live exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, 1 billion live without clean water and 2 billion live without sanitation. The increase of population has been tending towards the alarming situation. The world's population was estimated to be 6.14 billion in mid-2001 and projected 7.82 billion and 9.04 billion in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively. The contribution of India alone to this population was estimated to be 1033 millions in mid 2001 which has been projected 1363 millions and 1628 millions in 2025 and 2050 respectively. (2001 World Population Data Sheet). According to the provisional results of the Census of India 2001, the population of India on 1st March 2001 is 1027 millions. If the world population continues to multiply, the impact on the environment could be devastating.
Population impacts on the environment primarily through the use of natural resources and production of wastes and is associated with environmental stresses like biodiversity, air and water pollution and increased pressure on arable land. India is the world's sixth-largest and second fastest growing producer of greenhouse gases. According to a World Bank-sponsored study, estimated environmental damage in the year 1992 amounted to about the US $ 10 billion or Rs. 34,000 crores, which is 4.5 % of GDP. By the year 2000, more than 350 million Indians will live in cities. In 15 years, more than half of Indians will be urban dwellers; 1/3 will be slum dwellers and squatters.