Ninety per cent of Delhi agrees climate is changing, finds survey

Ninety per cent of respondents in a recent survey in Delhi agreed that climate change is taking place, with 95 per cent saying that temperatures have increased and 64 per cent saying rainfall have reduced.

Half of the respondents felt that air quality in the Capital has worsened, and 40 per cent are of the view that air pollution policies have not been implemented properly. Nearly 40 per cent said tree cover, surface water, and bird species’ habitats had changed for the worse.

These findings are part of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) annual Environmental Survey 2014 that was released on Tuesday. The survey threw light on public attitudes on various environmental issues, including the ‘environment versus development’ debate. The survey, carried out in collaboration with the Department for International Development, U.K.’s international development agency, covered eight cities. Water and waste were the focus in this year’s survey, the second year of the survey, said TERI researchers.

The survey had 11,214 respondents spread over Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Kanpur, Coimbatore, Jamshedpur, Indore and Guwahati.

In Delhi, 50 per cent said the quality and availability of drinking water and waste management have improved. Nearly 70 per cent said citizens use more water than required, but only 17 per cent were willing to pay the actual cost of the subsidised water they use.

“If we want to bring about improvement in environmental quality, then the foundation on which any such effort would rest, would be on the awareness of the public. I hope through this survey we are able to bring about the level of awareness that really lays the foundation for action in the right direction,” said Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, in a video message to the gathering.