Deforestation is one of India's most pressing environmental problems. Unplanned industrial development and the pressure for more agricultural land have felled once lush tree cover and less than 11% of original forest cover remains. The effect has been a sharp rise in soil erosion, the silting up of dams, and landslides. India experienced its worst environmental accident in 1984, when an explosion at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopßl led to an escape of lethal gases. Over 2,000 died.
