Suspended

• India generates about five million tonnes of hazarduous waste. But systems to manage it are non-existent Boards fail to even list the guilty, leave alone penalise Hazarduous waste generating (HWG) units in some states

Unbalanced sheet

> People are using over 20 per cent more natural resources each year than can be regenerated. The ecological footprint of humankind is increasing. This overdraft will not last long. Carry on stomping In 1999, the Earth had 11.4 billion hectares of productive land and sea space, that is about 1.9 hectares of productive land per capita. Our global ecological footprint for that year, however, was 2.3 hectares per capita.

Tropical pill

• 1,393 new medicines were marketed between 1975-1999. Only 1.14 per cent were for tropical diseases and tuberculosis • The global disease burden of these tropical diseases is more than 10 per cent

What's eating you?

> Food is more than what lies on your plate. It's someone's labour. It's someone's export to meet your off-season demand. It's what keeps the pesticide machinery well-oiled. It's the wish for many. > Way back in 1970, the US spent about US$6 billion on fast food; in 2000 it spent more than US $110 billion. The US now spends more money on fast food than on higher education,

Eating into the seas

Under siege • 38 per cent of Africa's coastal ecosystems are threatened by development-related activities. Population densities reach 500-1,000 inhabitants per square km along the Nile delta

The idea of a clean city

>> By 2007, one-half of the world's population will live in urban areas compared to little more than one-third in 1972. By the end of 2002 some 70 per cent of the world's urban population will be living in Africa, Asia or Latin America

Delhi breeds water inequity

People in Delhi use, on an average, 2.95 billion litres of water every day. About 363 litres per person daily. >> Since 1961 water production has multiplied six times. >> Domestic consumption has increased from 166 litres per capita per day (lpcd) in 1961 to 224 lpcd in 1999-2000.

Caught in the web

Procuring food still takes away much of the income. > Indian villagers spend 59.4 per cent of their total expenditure on food. Urban India spends 48.1 per cent Basic necessities become luxuries. > Only one in ten people in rural India have access to sanitation. > Half of rural India does not get potable water Quality of life is a dream.