Health issues in India
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 […]
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 […]
Arunachal Pradesh and Assam could witness flooding. The river the northeastern states share with China is swelling following heavy rainfall. The Brahmaputra river flows through China, India and Bangladesh. It originates in Tibet with the Tsangpo river and enters India via the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh with the Siang River. The Siang then […]
The Union health ministry has pledged its support for those hit by savage floods in Kerala, as fears of disease outbreaks loom. Kerala is battling one of the worst calamities in its history with nature’s fury leaving over 400 dead and lakhs homeless. The effect has also spread over to the neighbouring states of Karnataka […]
It is undoubtedly good news that India’s heatwave season this year did not bring the hundreds of deaths normally associated with the period. However, there is a caveat to this success. India’s climate is not becoming any less inclement, nor is it likely to in future. In fact, it’s going to get much worse. From […]
Pollution is not only corroding our air but has made most of India’s groundwater undrinkable. An investigation by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has found high levels of groundwater contamination across the country. Groundwater exists underground in the pores of the soil and cracks in the rock. Its significance is often overlooked. However, groundwater […]
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) […]
Hindu tradition has it that if you bathe in the waters of the River Ganga, your sins get washed away. Every year, seventy million visit the river to do just that. But now the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has compared a dip in the holy river to being as ‘injurious to health’ as a packet […]
The air in Delhi was close to clean yesterday. This marked the first time this had happened in nearly a year. The news is a welcome respite for the 18.6 million residents of the national capital. But how long will it last? The Air Quality Index (AQI) assesses air quality by assigning values between 0 […]
