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Delhi’s air pollution has a high economic cost

Evidence from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) attributes this toxic mix primarily to vehicular density, traffic congestion, and local emission sources. Importantly, the report notes that stubble burning impacts have reduced in recent years due to floods disrupting crop cycles, shifting attention back to urban and industrial sources. Despite this, 22 air- quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded carbon monoxide levels beyond permissible lmits during October–November, underscoring persistent structural problems. According to IQAir, Delhi currently experiences 11 million excess vehicles moving in and out of the city, while coal- and fuel-based industries contribute nearly 18 per cent of total pollution.

New definition threatens Aravalli hills, its biodiversity: Expert

Citing an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data, he said that applying the 100-metre definition to the 31,414 sq km Aravalli range would render 15,589 sq km—around 49 per cent—unprotected and vulnerable to mining, while only 15,825 sq km would remain protected. He further referred to a Forest Survey of India (FSI) study, which found that of the 12,081 peaks across the 962-km-long Aravalli range, only 1,048 peaks are 100 metres or higher, leaving more than 11,000 peaks outside protection under the current definition. Jakhar argued that measuring hills from the highest face was flawed and said sea-level measurements and slope-based definitions would be more scientific. "If slope angle is considered, even hills as low as 30 metres can be protected," he said, adding that international mining norms factor in slopes, valleys, forests, water bodies, and vegetation. He also pointed out that the Aravalli range holds significant reserves of minerals such as graphite, molybdenum, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements, which increases the risk of exploitation. Referring to recent political developments, he alleged that policy decisions were increasingly influenced by corporate interests without regard for long-term environmental consequences. Citing warnings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jakhar said human activity drove nearly 50 per cent of species towards extinction. "In the name of development, we are now threatening human survival itself," he warned.

Explainer: 2025 के 99% दिनों में भारत क्यों झेलता रहा अजब मौसम के हालात? जलवायु आपदा के कारण और आगे की राह

आप इस बात की कल्पना कीजिए कि लगभग हर सुबह की शुरुआत किसी ना किसी प्राकृतिक आपदा की खबर से हो. कहीं भीषण गर्मी, कहीं तूफान, कहीं बाढ़ तो कहीं भूस्खलन. भारत के लिए साल 2025 में यह कल्पना नहीं, बल्कि सच्चाई बन चुकी थी. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) और पत्रिका डाउन टू अर्थ के आंकड़ों के अनुसार, जनवरी से नवंबर 2025 के बीच 334 में से 331 दिन ऐसे रहे, जब देश के किसी ना किसी हिस्से में अत्यधिक मौसमीय घटना (Extreme Weather Event) दर्ज की गई. यानी पूरे साल का लगभग 99 प्रतिशत समय. अगर 2024 से तुलना करें तो पिछले साल यह आंकड़ा 295 दिनों का था. इन आपदाओं में 4400 से अधिक लोगों की जान गई और करीब 1.74 करोड़ हेक्टेयर फसल बर्बाद हो गई, जो बदलते जलवायु संकट की भयावह तस्वीर पेश करती है.

Jayalakshmi K on Why Delhi Becomes a Toxic Gas Chamber Every Winter

According to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the primary culprit for air pollution is vehicular pollution. It found that the major air pollutant PM 2.5 (particles less than 2.5 microns in size) peaked around the same time that nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide (from vehicle exhaust) increased during peak traffic hours. The report, which was based on input from 22 monitoring stations, showed high carbon monoxide levels (during 30 days out of 59). In fact, CSE’s study last year too had clearly shown that vehicular exhaust contributed around 51 percent of the pollution, as against 8 percent due to crop residue burning. This year’s study was done across a longer period and seals the fact that vehicular exhaust is the main contributor to toxic pollution.

NCR’s air crisis: Pollution prevention must replace pollute-and-clean

From cosmetic controls to individual and collective responsibility: Clean air by prevention at the source, enforcement, and public participation — not seasonal measures or pollute-and-clean gimmicks. Vehicles, industry, and construction dust are the main year-round pollution sources, yet responses remain short-term. Strong health evidence is often downplayed, exposing gaps in accountability and urgency. Beijing’s enforcement-led model shows that pollution can be controlled at source. Clean air in NCR requires prevention, long-term governance, and public participation. Every winter, the National Capital Region (NCR) descends into a silent public-health emergency. Falling temperatures and sluggish winds trap pollutants near the ground, blanketing the region in poisonous air. Emissions from vehicles, industry, construction dust, and biomass burning accumulate under these stagnant conditions, leaving the NCR struggling to breathe, with crop-residue burning further exacerbating the crisis. The air contains toxic gases and compounds of nitrogen, carbon, sulphate, and others, primarily from vehicular and combustion sources, which drive AQI, PM2.5, and related pollutants to dangerously high levels. Severe air pollution triggers widespread respiratory illness, hitting infants, children, the elderly, and patients with chronic lung diseases such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) the hardest—a pattern seen across major cities in northern India. Governance typically responds with emergency quick fixes, such as chemical water sprinkling, episodic controls under GRAP, school closures, work-from-home advisories, and vehicle restrictions. These measures operate on a limited scale and cannot meaningfully improve air quality for a region of tens of millions. Committees are formed to issue familiar recommendations, often announced just as winter eases and atmospheric conditions improve on their own. Pollution levels fall marginally, yet remain above safe limits for most of the year, except during periods of rainfall. The cycle then repeats, year after year. A December 2025 assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) warns that air pollution in Delhi–NCR is becoming increasingly toxic, particularly in early winter, with high levels persisting from October to November and recent gains at risk of reversal. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) informed the Supreme Court that vehicular emissions are the largest contributor to air pollution (41%), followed by construction dust (21%), industry (19%), power plants (5%), residential sources (3%), and others (11%). Vehicular and industrial emissions together account for about 65% of the pollution load, forming the most toxic component of polluted air, dominated by fine particulates such as PM2.5 and PM1. While stubble burning and biomass are seasonal, most major sources persist year-round, sustaining hazardous air quality. Prolonged exposure to extreme air pollution constitutes a slow-moving medical epidemic. Sustained inhalation severely damages respiratory health; when the AQI exceeds 400, even healthy individuals are affected, while vulnerable populations suffer severe and often irreversible harm. The magnitude of this crisis is well documented in the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, prepared in collaboration with the WHO. This report estimates that 1.7 million deaths in India in 2022 were attributable to PM2.5 exposure, with fossil fuel combustion accounting for the largest share. Despite this evidence, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha in early December 2025 that no deaths were reported due to air pollution, citing the lack of conclusive data linking deaths exclusively to air pollution. The reply emphasised that multiple factors influenced, including diet, occupation, socioeconomic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, and environmental conditions. An identical response was submitted earlier to the Lok Sabha in July 2024 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in July 2024, and again in mid-December 2025. Repeated, identical replies from two key ministries reflect a troubling lack of seriousness and accountability in addressing a well-established health crisis. This persistent apathy underscores the urgent need to recognise air pollution as a public-health emergency — a slow but deadly threat, particularly for infants, the elderly, and those with chronic respiratory illnesses. Meanwhile, governance continues to rely on gimmicks and short-term fixes rather than tackling the root causes. Lessons from Beijing: Enforcement over gimmicks Not long ago, Beijing faced pollution levels comparable to those now seen in the NCR. Its turnaround did not come from seasonal fixes or symbolic measures, but from firm, sustained, and enforceable action. Through decisive governance, Beijing delivered visibly cleaner air. India does not need to reinvent solutions; it can learn from Beijing’s experience. Beijing’s success rested on a multi-pronged strategy that tackled pollution at its source, especially emissions from vehicles and industry. Measures included ultra-stringent emission standards, the phased removal of older high-emission vehicles, limits on the unchecked growth of private car use, substantial investments in clean mobility through metro systems, buses, rail, and electric vehicles, and the relocation of polluting industries away from densely populated urban centres. These hard choices, backed by consistent enforcement, produced measurable and lasting improvements in air quality. Drawing from these lessons, Indian governance must move beyond populist gimmicks and short-term fixes. The public — the most affected stakeholder — deserves honest communication about the severity of the crisis and an explicit acknowledgement that quick solutions do not work. Addressing air pollution requires tough, evidence-based decisions, long-term planning, and the political will to prioritise public health over convenience.

पर्यावरण और पत्रकारिता पर मंथन के लिए आमंत्रित

म्योरपुर/सोनभद्र(विकास अग्रहरि). स्थानीय ब्लॉक के गोविंदपुर, बनवासी सेवा आश्रम,में पर्यावरण और अन्य कार्यों में लगे राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर पहचान रखने वाले पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता और पत्रकार जगत नारायण विश्वकर्मा को दिल्ली की...

दिल्ली की हवा होगी जानलेवा, अगर तुरंत... बढ़ते प्रदूषण पर Anumita Roy ने दी चेतावनी, कहा- बिना सख्ती के हालात नहीं सुधरेंगे

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की असिस्टेंट डायरेक्टर अनुमिता रॉय ने चेतावनी दी है कि दिल्ली की हवा अब भी बेहद खतरनाक स्तर पर बनी हुई है. उन्होंने बताया कि करीब 60% प्रदूषण बाहरी राज्यों से आ रहा है, जबकि 30–40% प्रदूषण स्थानीय स्रोतों से पैदा हो रहा है, जिसमें सबसे बड़ा योगदान वाहनों के उत्सर्जन का है. सरकार की कोशिशों के बावजूद ज़मीनी स्तर पर जवाबदेही और सख्त कार्रवाई की भारी कमी है. विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि अगर तुरंत ठोस कदम नहीं उठाए गए, तो दिल्ली की हवा और ज़्यादा जानलेवा होती जाएगी.

India plans ₹2,000-cr MSME tech upgrade to enhance exports, efficiency

“For small scale industries, it is a tough challenge to install emission control equipment, as most of them are expensive and unaffordable for their scale of operation. Even if they manage to install it, it becomes difficult for them to maintain it, leading to it being non-operative most of the time. Technology-based upgradation or standard is a far better approach towards controlling emissions from small scale industries,” said Parth Kumar, program manager, sustainable industrialization unit with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

Why did India face climate disasters on 99% of days in 2025? Know what's next

Imagine waking up every day to news of a natural calamity hitting cities, a heatwave scorching farmlands, a storm ripping apart homes, or a flood engulfing towns. For India in 2025, this was not imagination. According to data from the Centre for Science and Environment and Down to Earth, India faced extreme weather events on 331 out of 334 days from January to November, which is a staggering 99 per cent of the time. In 2024, India experienced such events for 295 days. Over 4,400 lives were claimed and 17.4 million hectares of crops ravaged, painting a grim picture of a nation under siege from its own changing climate. A YEAR OF RELENTLESS EXTREMES No corner of India had respite, with all 36 states and Union Territories facing disasters, from heatwaves in February to floods in November. North-west India was the highest-affected region in terms of number of days, experiencing extreme weather events for 311 days. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh had the greatest frequency of such events, witnessing extremes on nearly 80 per cent of the days. Over 1,500 casualties occurred as a result of lightning and thunderstorms, and 2,707 fatalities happened due to monsoon floods.

Year Ender 2025: From Heatwaves, Punjab Floods To Cyclone Ditwah; 5 Major Natural Disasters Which Devastated India

Year Ender 2025: India faced several natural calamities in 2025, ranging from deadly landslides and flash floods to prolonged heatwaves and powerful cyclones. Each disaster left behind a trail of destruction, disrupting lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure across states. Together, these events have once again pushed a crucial question to the forefront: how unchecked urban expansion, rampant deforestation, rising air pollution and inadequate environmental planning are intensifying the country’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. As the nation protests against the unchecked mining on the Aravalli mountain ranges through the ‘Save Aravali’ campaign, here are some of the major environmental crises that India faced this year: Severe Heatwaves The first signs of climatic distress were evident during the summer months, when temperatures in the plains soared to around 40 degrees Celsius, while hill regions recorded unusually high average temperatures of nearly 30 degrees Celsius. These prolonged heat conditions not only strained public health systems and power supplies but also disrupted agriculture and water availability across large parts of the country. The scale of the crisis is reflected in data from the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth, which show that India experienced extreme weather events on 331 of the 334 days between January and November, an alarming 99 per cent of the period. These events included heatwaves, floods, cyclones, landslides, and intense rainfall episodes. In comparison, India recorded such events on 295 days in 2025, highlighting a sharp escalation in both the frequency and persistence of extreme weather.

Winter air made worse by poison plastic: Open waste burning and its hidden toll on lungs

Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said that reducing the sources of PM2.5 should be the priority. Containing industrial pollution, vehicular emissions and waste burning should top the government’s to-do list. Coal-fire, smoke-belching vehicles and unregulated industries are the chief contributors to Calcutta’s filthy air. But there’s another factor that is not difficult to mitigate but is rarely addressed: the burning of waste. Environment scientists say the presence of plastic in any solid waste makes burning it a “serious health hazard”. Plastic releases highly toxic and carcinogenic elements when burnt in the open. A study by The Energy and Resources Institute to determine the major contributors to Calcutta’s foul air, conducted between 2022 and 2024, found that “refuse burning” had a 5 per cent share in the generation of PM10 and the deadlier PM2.5. Both PM10 and PM2.5 are tiny particles that we breathe in with the air. Of the two, PM2.5 — particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less — is a greater public health hazard because it can enter the deepest crevices of the human lungs. Every winter, Calcutta’s air quality plummets with a drop in the mercury. At 10am on Saturday, the air quality was “very poor” at Victoria; “poor” in Ballygunge, Bidhannagar, Jadavpur and Rabindra Bharati University (BT Road campus); and “moderate” in Fort William and Rabindra Sarobar. “Moderate” — the best reading on Saturday morning, recorded at just two stations — is two levels below the best air quality. In the National Air Quality Index, prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board, “moderate” is ranked third below “good” and “satisfactory” and comes above “poor” and “very poor”. The sources of pollution do not disappear in summer or monsoon, but climate factors like warmer air and rain disperse or wash away some of the pollutants. In winter, the air is cooler and heavier: it does not rise as fast as warm air. The wind speed, too, is generally lower during winter. All this traps the pollutants in the lower atmosphere. The study to determine the sources of air pollution and their relative contribution to the hazard was commissioned by the state pollution control board. Dirty five Dust, coal and biomass-fired cooking, vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and refuse burning are among the top sources of foul air in Calcutta. The worst among them is dust, its share in generating PM10 the highest at 43 per cent. The use of coal and biomass for cooking at roadside eateries and by some poor households, and the use of coal by ironing kiosks, are the top contributors to the generation of PM2.5, their combined share being 29 per cent. At 21 per cent, industrial pollution comes second in generating PM2.5. Vehicle emissions come a close third at 20 per cent. How they hurt us Both PM10 and PM2.5 harm us, but PM2.5 harms more. “PM2.5 includes both fine and ultra-fine particles that can travel across the lungs. These particles can enter the blood circulation and travel to all the organs,” said Arup Halder, a pulmonologist with the Calcutta Medical Research Institute. Halder said the impact of inhaling PM2.5 depends on both the duration and the intensity of the exposure. “Prolonged exposure definitely has a bad impact. At the same time, intense exposure for a short duration too causes damage,” he said. According to the air quality index (AQI), even “moderate” air quality can trigger breathing discomfort among people with asthma, lung disease and heart ailments. A drop to “poor” air quality can cause “breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure”, while “very poor” air can lead to “respiratory illness” on prolonged exposure. Doctors said that PM10 got deposited mostly in the throat and the large airways. “They cause irritation in the nose and large airways,” Halder said. Air pollution also lowers natural immunity and makes people vulnerable to infections, more than one doctor said. Least we can do Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said that reducing the sources of PM2.5 should be the priority. Containing industrial pollution, vehicular emissions and waste burning should top the government’s to-do list. “The sources of industrial pollution are mostly local and peripheral. The government should have a strategy to contain industrial pollution within a region, and that can improve the air quality in Calcutta,” she said. “It could be that the pollution is coming from Howrah or the peripheries of Calcutta. The strategy should factor in these neighbouring places also.” Roy Chowdhury advocated having more electric vehicles, replacing those that run on diesel and petrol. “Even with advanced engines, there will be some amount of tailpipe emission, which will be nil with electric vehicles,” she said. Replacing all coal-fired ovens with induction ovens that run on electricity can cut down the small eateries’ contribution to air pollution. “Hawkers and those running ironing units should be incentivised to run electric-powered induction ovens or heating,” said Punarbasu Chaudhuri, professor and head of environmental science at Calcutta University. “The government should think of giving them access to subsidised power.” State pollution control board officials said that construction activities across the city were responsible for so much dust remaining suspended in the air. “Road dust can be suppressed by sprinkling water. Those in charge of construction sites should keep the soil and construction materials moist by sprinkling water. This will prevent the dust from rising,” an official said.

India Faced Daily Extreme Weather in 2025, Averaging 12 Deaths Every Day

India experienced extreme weather on 331 of 334 days between January and November 2025, with an average of 12 deaths reported daily, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth. The total death toll stood at 4,419, the highest in four years, while widespread floods, storms, landslides and heatwaves damaged crops, homes and livestock across all 36 states and Union Territories, according to the report. In total, around 17.4 million hectares of farmland were affected, along with the destruction of more than 181,000 homes and the deaths of nearly 77,200 animals. Maharashtra bore the brunt of agricultural loss, with 8.4 million hectares of crop damage. Gujarat and Karnataka followed with 4.4 million and 2.75 million hectares, respectively. The north-west region, which includes Punjab and the Himalayan states, recorded extreme weather on 311 days, the most of any region. The east and north-east followed with 275 such days. The north-west also reported the highest number of deaths, at 1,459, followed by central India with 1,120. Across the year, extreme weather occurred daily in nine of the eleven months: February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. In comparison, such frequency was recorded in six months of 2024 and five in 2023, reflecting a steady shrinkage in the duration of normal weather conditions. For the third consecutive year, all 36 states and Union Territories experienced extreme weather events. The 331 days of incidents in 2025 surpassed the 295 recorded in 2024, 296 in 2023 and 292 in 2022. Among specific hazards, lightning and thunderstorms proved deadliest, killing 1,538 people. Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest state-wise toll at 608 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 537 and Jharkhand with 478. The figures come amid continued criticism of the government for clearing high-emission infrastructure and extractive projects even as climate-linked disasters become more frequent and severe. Extreme events began early in the year. Winter saw events on 97 percent of days, a sharp rise from 64 percent in 2022, driven largely by an increase in heavy rain and flood days. Rainfall occurred on 51 of the 59 days between January and February, disrupting what is typically a dry season. The first heatwave of the year was recorded on February 25 in Goa and Maharashtra, marking the earliest appearance of heatwave conditions during the winter period. February also turned out to be the warmest in 124 years, with extreme weather reported in 31 states and Union Territories, nearly double the spread seen in February 2024 and five times higher than in 2023. Between March and May, extreme weather continued without a break, occurring on nearly every day of the season. Heatwaves became more frequent and widespread, affecting 19 states, including higher-altitude regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. At least 990 deaths were reported during this three-month period, more than triple the 302 deaths recorded in the same season in 2022. Heavy rain, floods and landslides emerged as the dominant events, overtaking hailstorms that had previously been more common. The monsoon season, spanning June through September, brought extreme weather on all 122 days. Heavy rain, floods and landslides were reported daily across 35 states and Union Territories, while lightning and storms occurred on 104 days, cloudbursts on 17 days and heatwaves on eight days. During this period, at least 11 million hectares of cropped land were damaged, accounting for roughly 65 percent of the total loss nationwide. The actual extent of damage may be higher due to incomplete state-level reporting. Flooding and landslides proved to be the deadliest hazards of the year, together causing 2,707 deaths. Yet, despite the relentless downpours, around one-fifth of the country’s districts experienced rainfall deficits. By the end of September, 147 of 727 districts had received deficient or largely deficient rain, underscoring the uneven and erratic nature of monsoon distribution. Extreme weather continued into the post-monsoon months of October and November. All 61 days in this period recorded events across 34 states and Union Territories. Himachal Pradesh reported the highest frequency, with events on 50 days, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 38 and Kerala with 26. October was particularly wet in the southern peninsula, ranking as the 13th wettest since 1901. Coldwaves arrived earlier than usual, beginning on November 7, nearly two weeks ahead of the November 21 onset in 2022. In contrast to past years, when coldwaves were largely limited to Maharashtra and Rajasthan, 2025 saw such conditions spread across 13 states covering all four regions of the country, marking a significant expansion in reach. Environmentalists say the government has allowed major road, hydropower and mining projects to go ahead in fragile areas like the Western Ghats and Himalayan states by weakening environmental rules. In many cases, environmental impact assessments have been skipped or watered down, meaning these projects are approved without fully examining the long-term damage they could cause. Activists have also raised concerns over limited investment in climate adaptation measures. While early warning systems have improved, critics say rehabilitation, resilient housing and agricultural support remain underfunded. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change has been revised, but implementation at the state level remains uneven and poorly financed. Activists have also raised concerns about the lack of investment in helping communities adapt to climate risks. They say that while early warning systems have improved, there is still not enough support for rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods or strengthening farming systems after disasters. India has updated its National Action Plan on Climate Change, but critics say many states are struggling to put it into action due to weak planning and limited funding.

Climate Change and You: Will 2026 be hotter, wetter, or both?

The monsoon this year was devastating. In the first nine months of 2025, between January and September, India experienced extreme weather events on 99% of the days, according to a report from the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment. The extreme events, which include lightning and storms, heavy rain, floods, and landslides, claimed 4,064 lives, affected 9.5 million hectares of crop area and destroyed 99,533 houses. We don’t know how 2026 will turn out: hotter, wetter, or both? But one thing is certain: we are reaching a stage where the weather will increasingly impact holiday plans. Some are warning that this is the "beginning of the age of non-tourism".