Environmental problems are multidisciplinary in nature. Some problems are global and regional while some are local. This paper is an attempt to study the local environmental problems in India and establish their linkage with environmental degradation and human well-being. It also lists India's major environmental problems and suggests changes in policies for sustainable development in India. The paper particularly focuses on water and water contamination related water-borne diseases which affect human well-being and other health aspects. Due to such hindrances, India is finding it hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of environmental sustainability.

Around forty percent of the district of Bihar is having arsenic in its groundwater. The causes of arsenic contamination are mostly through geogenic channel. Excess use of arsenic in drinking water over prolonged period leads to primary, secondary and tertiary health impacts. The agricultural activity is getting hampered due to decline in soil fertility, productivity, and, nuisance of food chain problem. Social problems like depression, suicidal tendency and social ignorance are common, and, therefore, hinder the social and economic activity to the affected person. The majority of the population residing in the arsenic prone belt are from low income and are not aware about the problems of the arsenic menace. The challenges are on the mitigation (at macro) and adaptation (micro and macro) activity. Therefore both short and long term mitigation strategy is needed.

Gender and development are among the two most important components of any economy to sustain its perpetual and sustainable economic growth in both the long as well as short run. The role of women in parliament and the interrelationship between gender and development is critically analysed. Women’s representation in parliament is the dependent variable and the predictor variables considered are gender development index, female access to assets, female labour force, and country GDP per capita. Data were collected from the UNDP human development report for the period 2015 to 2021–2022 and World Bank for 188 countries of which finally 159 were considered to develop the model based on data availability. We have used the theoretical lens of social stratification theory and gender role theory to frame the hypothesis. A random effects model-based panel regression analysis of the data indicated a strong positive relationship between gender development index and the dependent variable, but no relationship between female labour force, and access to assets. The study addresses a critical gap in policy and development of the literature on gender, politics, and development using a global data set, establishing the importance of indicators such as gender development index, and laying down the path for future research on the subject.

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