BUGEN5930: Business, Society and the Planet.

Assignment Task 1: Reflective Journal

Topic: Sustainability issues, challenges, concepts and approaches.

Increasing economy and globalisation has converted many small towns in South-east Asia as emerging global megacities. And I belong to one of those megacities, Hyderabad, India, also known as Hi-Tech city for its tremendous contribution in IT sector. Being a municipal corporation in early 1900’s, Hyderabad has grown in size and activities in early 2010 and thus was made a Greater Municipal cooperation. Still accommodating more and more IT firms in the heart of the city has led to many environmental issues like, dense pollution, low quality of air, water pollution, solid waste pollution etc.
Air pollution is, by far is the biggest concern in my locality, followed by bad roads and industrial emissions. Every increasing motors vehicles and their activities, rapid rate of industrialization, wide spread construction activities has contributed to poor air quality in Hyderabad. Resulting in poor health for citizens and premature death in carrying mothers. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), respirable suspended particulate matter level in my city is on rise and it might cross the acceptable limit soon. According to Times of India, a famous national News daily, 20% of lung cancer patients who die in the city are exposed to high levels of air pollution. Central Pollution control board (CPCB), a government organisation has supported this argument, stating that, air in Hyderabad is dangerously laced with carcinogenic agent benzene. On the national level, Anumita Roychoudhury, Executive director of Centre for Science and Environment, India stated that “Half of Indian Urban population breathes air laced with particle pollution that has exceeded standards. A high one-third of our population is exposed