International Journal of Development in Social Sciences and Humanities

In the present existence, there have been number of aspects that lead to the degradation of the environmental conditions; this has become a major problem not only in India but in other countries of the world as well. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through the depletion of resources such as air, water, and soil; the destruction of the ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife are also aspects of environmental degradation. When the environment becomes damaged and loses its important aspects or when its components gets demolished, then it is stated that the environment has been degraded. When the habitats are destroyed, loss of biodiversity has taken place, or depletion of natural resources has happened then the person understands that environmental degradation has come about. Either human activities or natural processes are the factors that lead to the degradation of the environment. The main purpose of this research paper is to understand the effects of environmental degradation upon the surroundings, conditions and the existence of the individuals. The effects of environmental degradation are always negative and have an unconstructive influence upon the lives of the human beings. The main areas that have been taken into account are causes of environmental degradation, environmental problems, human activities on the environment, main components of disaster management and prevention, and measures for combating environmental degradation. The most serious problem that has lead to the environmental degradation has been the problem of poverty within the country; when people lack the funds and the resources, they largely depend upon the environment for their existence, for instance in rural areas, people make use of water from the water bodies and there has also been an increase in water pollution, the tribal people are dependent upon the forests and the natural environmental conditions for their basic requirements such as food, clothing, dwellings, water and meeting the other household needs; hence, excessive dependence upon the environment leads to environmental degradation.