Its factories and workshops produce chemicals, cut diamonds and textiles. The beggars who swarm through other Indian cities are almost nowhere to be seen, making Surat, by many standards, a picture of India's prosperous future. What is wrong with the picture, however, is apparent to any visitor to the city of 2 million in Gujarat state. Untreated sewage oozes into the Tapi River. The emphasis is on growth, hoping that the quality of life will take care of itself.
Environmental consciousness is low, and India's top-heavy governing system unresponsive.
Finally, the country's needs are so vast that the alternatives it faces in almost any case are unpleasant. Damming rivers for hydropower plants has devastated river systems, submerged farmland and displaced thousands of people. Politicians, reluctant to make a pro-environment decision that might shut down a factory, cancel a dam or cost jobs, often do nothing instead. High on the list of problems is water. Rivers are increasingly polluted, and groundwater levels are falling several meters every year.