Solution

(a) Biodiversity Loss
(i) India has approximately 20 percent of the livestock population on a mere 2.5 percent of the world’s geographical area. The high density of population and livestock and the competing uses of land for forestry, agriculture, pastures, human settlements and industries exert an enormous pressure on the country’s finite land resources.
(ii) The per capita forestland in the country is only 0.08 hectare. There is an excess feeling of about 15 million cubic metre forests over the permissible limit. Indiscriminate felling of trees has led to destruction of forest cover.  Air Pollution
(i) In India, air pollution is widespread in urban areas where vehicles are the major contributors. Vehicular emissions are of particular concern since these are ground level sources and, thus, have the maximum impact on the general population. The number of motor vehicles has increased from about 3 lakh in 1951 to 67 crores in 2003.
(ii) India is one of the ten most industrialised nations of the world. It has led to unplanned urbanisation, pollution and the risk of accidents.
(b) Dichotomy of the Threat to India’s Environment
The developmental activities in India have resulted in pressure on its finite natural resources, besides creating impacts on human health and well-being. The threat to India’s environment poses a dichotomy—threat of poverty-induced environmental degradation and, at the same time, threat of pollution from affluence and a rapidly growing industrial sector. Air pollution, water contamination, soil erosion, deforestation and wildlife extinction are some of the most pressing environmental concerns of India.