Author: Prof P K Joshi
Image Courtesy: Shutterstock For many living in or regularly visiting Delhi—one of the world’s largest urban agglomerations—breathing is no longer a passive act. The city’s air has become a toxic mixture of microscopic, suspended particles, reactive gases, and chemical compounds that together constitute one of the world’s most severe urban pollution crises. Every winter (and now almost year-round), the dense haze that blankets the capital isn’t just smog—it’s a complex cocktail of pollutants that harms lungs, hearts, brains, and entire ecosystems. What was once an episodic haze has evolved into a chronic atmospheric emergency, one that silently but relentlessly erodes…
The Atharva Veda, Rig Veda, and Yajur Veda contain prayers that emphasise the importance of maintaining a clean atmosphere for physical and mental well-being. Similarly, the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita links air quality to health, noting that impure air can lead to diseases. Although these ancient texts did not define air pollution in scientific terms, they highlight early concerns about environmental purity. The concept of pollution as we know it emerged during the Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries), when people began noticing the environmental impacts of industrialisation. Later, environmentalists like John Evelyn, who addressed London’s air issues in Fumifugium (1661), and…
Image Courtesy: PIB Kerala — God’s own country, the land developed by Lord Parshuram for his followers to reside peacefully, is celebrated for its lush greenery, rich biodiversity, and vibrant culture. However, in recent years, this tranquil landscape has been increasingly plagued by a series of devastating disasters that have severely impacted the environment and the local population. In 2018, the state endured its worst flood in over a century, tragically claiming over 500 lives and forcing more than a million people into emergency shelters. Subsequent landslides in 2019, 2021, and 2022 have continued to challenge the region, highlighting the…