Health issues in India
Seven of the world’s ten most polluted cities are in India. The findings highlight an issue which has long been a blight on public health in the country – and one that is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. The new data reveals that not much has changed since the previous announcement that […]
Every year, India’s paddy field farmers burn seven to eight million metric tonnes of crop waste. The effect of this on India is astronomical – both on the country’s wallet, and its people’s health. Crop burning incurs a cost of almost US$30 billion every year, new research suggests. A groundbreaking study led by the International […]
A sharp and worrying rise in pollution rates is being felt especially in the north of India, whose metros dominate the list of India’s most polluted cities. Bihar capital Patna tops the list. Kanpur and Varanasi – both in Uttar Pradesh – follow in second and third place respectively. Delhi places fourth in the rankings, […]
Kolkata may be India’s ‘City of Joy’, but pollution meant residents had little cause for happiness this November. Coverage surrounding India’s air pollution crisis often centres on Delhi. However, the national capital was not the most polluted city this month. This distinction fell to Kolkata, which recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) readings worse than those […]
India’s children are at severe risk of health issues due to air pollution. Around 93 percent of children globally are regularly exposed to air pollution levels considered dangerous to their health. This is according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Such data suggests the dire prospect that the overwhelming majority of children […]
Diabetes cases in India are rising. Some studies suggest that it is India’s fastest growing disease. India housed an estimated 72 million cases of diabetes in 2017. This figure is expected to increase considerably to 134 million by 2025. A victim of its own success? The reasons for this rapid increase in diabetes cases are […]
As Delhiites choke on smog, are efforts across the border efforts to make Pakistan “clean and green” bearing fruit? The newly elected Government of Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan had made tackling environmental challenges an election agenda. Since coming to office, Khan has launched his vision for a “Clean, Green Pakistan” – with the […]
Tens of millions of Indians face nutritional deficiencies in the coming decades because of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, a recent study suggests. Rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are killing crop quality in India. This means commonly consumed foodstuffs in the country, such as rice and wheat, will lose much of their nutritional value. This […]
Most Indian cities have become unliveable thanks to catastrophically high levels of air pollution across the country. While the toll this takes on public health is broadly understood, research has hitherto been lacking on the link between air pollution and shorter lifespans. A new study by researchers at the University of Texas has given a […]
Lung cancer is often thought of as a smoker’s disease – and for good reason. Tobacco use drastically increases one’s risk of developing the disease. Yet in India more and more lung cancer cases are being seen among people who have never smoked. A study conducted by doctors at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) […]
