The Impact of Environmental Degradation: Atmospheric and Geological Issues in Built Areas

Abstract

The paper aims to present in the form of case studies chosen from Sundarban (near Kolkata, India) and Oltenia Plain (South-west Romania), areas located thousands of kilometers apart, how the loss of vegetation can cause distinct environmental degradation through depletion of resources such as air (global warming), water (changes of groundwater level), and soil (landslides), with significant impact on the built-up areas such as Kolkata (India), Craiova, Drobeta Turnu Severin and Turnu Magurele (Romania).The morpho-dynamic of the forest beauty “Sundarbans” is part of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta built at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal []. It is the largest contiguous block of mangroves in the world spanning about 350 km in width over Southern Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India, the Indian Sundarbans delta covering about 9,630 sq.km []. Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, surge storms (especially during hurricanes), tsunamis, also protecting the city of Kolkata, West Bengal []. However, the Sundarbans Delta is being threatened by the heavy loss of vegetation coverage that is proving to be fatal to Kolkata City in terms of climate drowning it increasingly towards global warming []. The paper’s research methodology on how the climate is changing the city is carried out based on Remote Sensing and GIS technology, Secondary Data, State forest reports and reports available from the Central Government of India.The Southern part of the Oltenia Plain is one of the regions with the most reduced forestry surface in Romania, the area being highly exposed to drought and aridity. The study aim is to present how the groundwater level changes and land slides due to deforestation and heavy seasonal rains with huge impact on the stability of soil in areas like Craiova City, Drobeta Turnu Severin and Turnu Măgurele.