It is not wrong to predict that India will face the problem of marine plastic pollution due to increasing human activity. The problem is not confined to one region only but actually the whole world has a part to play in this sphere. We have to say that one of the major reasons why such an environmental problem has emerged is the tremendous development that has taken place in the last 50 years.
A lot of plastic waste has been manufactured in this country and has been disbursed to different parts of the globe. Now the problem of marine plastic pollution arises when we realize the huge quantities of plastics which are disposed of annually. The main reason why such a large number of plastics is disposed off is the increasing consumption of meat and dairy products as well as the consumption of fish and seafood. These animals are being drowned in water because they are being used for food production. Moreover, there is a lot of plastic waste which is produced during the process of manufacturing plastic items. This is why the countries which have a huge production of these products are facing the problem of plastic pollution at a very fast rate.
If you think that only the developing countries have the problem of marine plastic waste then you need to change your mind. Developed countries are also facing the problem of excessive plastic production. Therefore, if we take India for example then there are three main reasons due to which the country has a major problem of plastic waste. Firstly, the heavy manufacturing of plastic and the resultant plastic waste makes it necessary to import raw materials from other countries, which further increases the import cost.
Secondly, the huge production of plastics has led to a situation where the market for imported plastics is completely saturated. On the other hand, the high demand and the cheap supply of these plastics make the export of India plastics a very difficult task. The third reason as regards how India can face the tidal wave of plastic is the increasing population of the country. As the population of the country keeps on increasing every year, the need for more plastic items will be increasing with the same pace. At the end, if this problem is not tackled then it will become very difficult for India to continue its way of industrialization.
To conclude, it can be concluded that India is facing the problem of excess plastic waste and this problem is likely to increase in the foreseeable future. Hence, India needs to focus on its development towards a stage where it would be able to reduce the amount of plastics produced per annum and the best way to achieve this target is to reduce the amount of plastics exported to other countries. Also, it should increase its efforts in promoting the use of biodegradable and green plastics. It should promote the use of low-phosphate systems for the production of plastics and increase the use of non-biodegradable materials instead of using plastics in their creation.
Achieving these two objectives would greatly help India to clean up its act on marine plastic pollution. The Government of India should take serious steps to ensure that the various ministries working on these issues coordinate their efforts in order to work together towards a common goal. It is also necessary for each ministry to work in co-ordination with each other. If done effectively, these efforts can significantly reduce the amount of marine plastics dumped into the environment. Thus, India has the potential to significantly reduce its marine plastic pollution.
