<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Mongabay India</title>
		<atom:link href="https://india.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=air-pollution&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/air-pollution/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:01:18 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4</generator>
				<item>
					<title>Bihar&#8217;s green budget expands, but environmental indicators show little progress</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 14:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31125413/NTPC_Kantin_Muzaffarpur-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39756</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environmental Politics, Green Business, Green Energy, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its seventh, amounting to approximately ₹158 billion which is roughly three times the amount of the initial ₹56 billion budget. However, on key environmental indicators, the state&#8217;s performance remains poor. For example, the energy sector accounts for roughly 65% of Bihar&#8217;s total greenhouse gas emissions, driven by coal-based power plants. The shift to renewable energy has been low, with renewable energy capacity for 2025-26 standing at 651 MW, up from 376 MW in 2020. The amount is significantly behind the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) call for increasing renewable capacity to 10,000 MW (10 GW) by 2030 and 28,000 MW (28 GW) by 2050 to achieve a &#8216;net zero&#8217; pathway, as stated in its 2024 report. At the current pace, Bihar will reach around 900 MW, just about a tenth of that 2030 target. Biodiversity data shows a similar trend. In 2019, Bihar had 4,550 wetlands spread across 389,713 hectares. By 2025, the number of wetlands reduced by 24 to 4,526 wetlands. As per the latest green budget data, in this period, the total area of natural water bodies has shrunk by 16,843 hectares, that&#8217;s about 70% the size of Patna, Bihar&#8217;s capital. In waste&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The hidden burden of rural air pollution</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-hidden-burden-of-rural-air-pollution/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-hidden-burden-of-rural-air-pollution/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jul 2026 16:07:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Himanshu Praveen]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick kiln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rural India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/17122910/A-commuter-rides-through-a-dense-low-lying-blanket-of-toxic-smog-at-sunset-a-common-winter-and-post-monsoon-reality-along-rural-Bihar_s-unmanaged-waste-dumping-tracks-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39390</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biofuels, Clean Energy, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Health impacts, Human Rights, Industry, Pollution, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the peak of summer, villages around Koilwar and Arrah in Bihar&#8217;s Bhojpur district are often hit by dust storms. By midday, strong winds sweep fine soil across agricultural fields, leaving crops and rooftops coated in dust. But the dust seen in summer is only the beginning. For local communities, air pollution typically worsens after [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the peak of summer, villages around Koilwar and Arrah in Bihar&#8217;s Bhojpur district are often hit by dust storms. By midday, strong winds sweep fine soil across agricultural fields, leaving crops and rooftops coated in dust. But the dust seen in summer is only the beginning. For local communities, air pollution typically worsens after the monsoon into the winter months when temperatures plunge, and ground-level wind speeds drop to near-stagnation. It prevents dust and emissions from industries and households from dispersing easily. As a result, pollutants accumulate near the ground, causing air quality to deteriorate. Vishwanath Pratap Singh, a local social activist based in Bhojpur, says, “During the summer, we somehow manage the heat and dust storms, which are challenging but still manageable. But the real disaster unfolds during the winter months when a strange heaviness grips the village air. &#8220;Persistent eye irritation and chronic throat infections have now become a daily reality for our children and the elderly,” he adds. Aamod Kumar, a resident of Koilwar, says the air becomes unbearable in winter. &#8220;Once the brick kilns start operating, the whole area fills with smoke, especially in the mornings. Ash settles on our crops, affecting the harvest. Stepping outside feels like breathing smoke instead of fresh air.&#8221; The concerns expressed by Aamod and Singh are not an isolated experience. It is supported by findings from a study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Under the project named the AMRIT (Ambient Air Quality Monitoring over Rural areas using&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-hidden-burden-of-rural-air-pollution/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-hidden-burden-of-rural-air-pollution/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A carbon garden reimagines urban greenery</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2026 12:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/26093407/1-Delhi-University_s-carbon-garden-Pic-Prof.-Dinabandhu-Sahoo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38816</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Forests, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ginkgo biloba, popularly known as a “living fossil”, is among the oldest living tree species on Earth, with a lineage that dates back nearly 290 million years. The sole surviving member of an ancient group of trees that existed long before dinosaurs roamed the planet, it now stands witness to a new initiative in a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ginkgo biloba, popularly known as a “living fossil”, is among the oldest living tree species on Earth, with a lineage that dates back nearly 290 million years. The sole surviving member of an ancient group of trees that existed long before dinosaurs roamed the planet, it now stands witness to a new initiative in a quiet corner of Delhi University’s North Campus: the Carbon Garden. The Carbon Garden is not an ornamental green space; it is designed as an ecological intervention — a living system engineered to filter pollutants, sequester carbon and restore ecological balance in urban landscapes. At a time when cities such as Delhi are grappling with worsening air quality, the garden aims to offer a nature-based approach to mitigating pollution. Developed over three years, it houses a mix of plant species, including hydrophytes that thrive in water, xerophytes adapted to arid conditions, mesophytes that flourish in moderate environments, and ancient plant groups such as pteridophytes and bryophytes. The Carbon Garden has a mix of tree types, ranging from fast growing trees such as casuarina to native canopy builders such as kadamba or burflower trees. They are complemented by ground cover plants and shrubs as well as micro-organisms such as algae, bacteria and fungi. “The careful selection of plant categories play a vital role in maximising carbon sequestration,” says Professor Dinabandhu Sahoo, Head of the Department, Botany, at the university. “Microorganisms living on plant surfaces help break down toxic gases such as methane and carbon monoxide, converting them&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pollution and poor infrastructure remain barriers to cyclists in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 17:22:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/08153957/1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38079</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Environment, Human Rights, People, Pollution, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, echoed the sentiment, framing cycling as “a solution to pollution.” And in December, Andhra Pradesh’s NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha emphasised the importance of cycling not just for personal fitness, but to reduce emissions. With more research highlighting that cycling can reduce pollution and move towards net-zero carbon goals, there has been a push to promote the familiar leisure activity as a climate solution. However, a new study, published in Nature Cities, examined bicycling culture in cities of four low- and middle-income countries — Delhi and Chennai in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Accra in Ghana — and found barriers including lack of physical infrastructure as well as policy, implementation and gender gaps. India is the sixth most-polluted country, according to the 2025 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, with Delhi ranking as the fourth most polluted city worldwide. “Whenever air pollution rises in Delhi, the conversation turns to reducing vehicular emissions. The government and the media advocate using public buses and bicycles instead of cars. But this is ironic because the government acts as an advocate, but nothing is done to improve the actual conditions that discourage their use,” says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Thar desert dust carries bacteria to the Himalayas, a study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Mar 2026 12:50:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bacteria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drug-resistant bacteria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dust storm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thar desert]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/24093507/Thar_desert_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37424</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas, Rajasthan, and Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Environment, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bacteria hitching a ride on the back of desert dust can find their way all the way from Thar up to the Himalayas, carrying with them bacteria harmful to health, new research shows. A study by scientists from the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, examined airborne bacterial community structure [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bacteria hitching a ride on the back of desert dust can find their way all the way from Thar up to the Himalayas, carrying with them bacteria harmful to health, new research shows. A study by scientists from the Bose Institute, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, examined airborne bacterial community structure in a hill-top region of the Eastern Himalayas over two years, from 2022 to 2023. The team analysed three days of back-trajectories of dust using remote-sensing satellite data and found a thick dust layer between 2 and 3 km over the Eastern Himalayas, originating from the Thar Desert. Long-range dust transport from the Thar desert carries 41% unique bacterial taxa over the Eastern Himalayas, scientists report in Science of the Total Environment. Long-range transport via vertical and horizontal air movement carries 80% of the total Himalayan bacteria, it says. This changes the original natural bacterial diversity by about 60%. Bacteria attached to the desert dust and transported over long distances contain one-third skin-infecting pathogens, while pollutants rising up carry mainly respiratory-infecting bacteria (45%).  Downward transport of air is dominated by gastrointestinal tract-infecting bacteria (50%), the study shows. The results “highlight the profound impact of atmospheric transport processes on regional bacterial diversity and public health in a hill-top region, highlighting Himalayan atmosphere as a dynamic and global conveyor of life, including pathogens across long distances,” the report says. According to the authors, despite the inhospitable nature of the atmosphere, characterised by low moisture, nutrient scarcity, intense&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/thar-desert-dust-carries-bacteria-to-the-himalayas-a-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indoor plants may improve comfort indoors, but not replace ventilation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indoor-plants-may-improve-comfort-indoors-but-not-replace-ventilation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indoor-plants-may-improve-comfort-indoors-but-not-replace-ventilation/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Mar 2026 15:33:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality monitoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buildings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indoor farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/23135531/3491846025_dc66fbcec4_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37404</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Plants, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Indoor plants and larger greening systems may improve how indoor spaces feel, but they are not a substitute for ventilation or filtration, according to a new study published in Building and Environment. The paper reviewed evidence on 26 indoor greening systems and assessed how they affect indoor environmental quality across technical, microbiological, health and socio-economic [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Indoor plants and larger greening systems may improve how indoor spaces feel, but they are not a substitute for ventilation or filtration, according to a new study published in Building and Environment. The paper reviewed evidence on 26 indoor greening systems and assessed how they affect indoor environmental quality across technical, microbiological, health and socio-economic dimensions. The study was led by researchers at the University of Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research under the GREENIN Micro Network Plus project. It introduced a ten-question framework to assess indoor greening systems and noted that much of the earlier research relied on short-term or sealed-chamber experiments that do not reflect real buildings. The review brought together 35 experts from the U.K., Europe, the U.S., Australia, India and Brazil. Indian researchers were part of the collaboration, making the findings particularly relevant for India, where heat stress, air pollution and building conditions shape indoor environmental quality. Prashant Kumar, lead author of the study, said the team designed the framework to address “a translation gap in the field.” He said earlier research often showed “what plants might do under simplified conditions, but not how they perform in real buildings once ventilation, occupancy, intermittent pollution sources and maintenance are considered.” Kumar said the framework was intended to move the discussion from “can plants remove pollutants under idealised conditions?” to “under which combinations of ventilation, source strength, and operational control does a given iGI (indoor green infrastructure) system yield a meaningful net change, and at what risk/cost?”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indoor-plants-may-improve-comfort-indoors-but-not-replace-ventilation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indoor-plants-may-improve-comfort-indoors-but-not-replace-ventilation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Chronic exposure to air pollution can influence dengue severity, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/chronic-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-influence-dengue-severity-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/chronic-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-influence-dengue-severity-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2026 13:43:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lekha Bandopadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dengue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GDP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hospitals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PM 2.5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/17215625/AP21300279041032-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37313</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Health impacts, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2024, an unprecedented high of over 14 million dengue cases and more than 11,000 dengue-related deaths were reported globally. While the roles played by climate change and rapid urbanisation in the recent amplification of dengue transmission, are recognised, increased exposure to air pollution is also a corollary of these two burgeoning factors. In a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2024, an unprecedented high of over 14 million dengue cases and more than 11,000 dengue-related deaths were reported globally. While the roles played by climate change and rapid urbanisation in the recent amplification of dengue transmission, are recognised, increased exposure to air pollution is also a corollary of these two burgeoning factors. In a recent study, researchers wanted to understand if long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) contributes to increased fatality rates in dengue. In collaboration with researchers from Japan, Bangladesh, and the United Kingdom, the study led by Sakirul Khan from the Research Center for Global and Local Infectious Diseases, Oita University, Japan, reports that higher ambient PM2.5 exposure significantly increases dengue mortality. Conducted across 20 dengue-endemic countries including India, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America conducted during the period 2020–2024, the study found that countries with annual mean particulate matter (PM2.5) over 35 μg/m3 had three to five times higher dengue fatality rates than countries with mean PM2.5 below 15 µg/m³. Weakening the host’s system The 2025 report on the state of global air found that air pollution led to almost 8 million deaths worldwide in 2023 and 4.5 million deaths were attributable to ambient PM2.5 exposure. Air pollution is known to jeopardise the immune system and vascular passageways that ensure smooth communications to secure the fort of human health. Studies have found that chronic exposure to PM2.5therefore causes inflammation and functional problems in the inner cellular lining of the blood vessels , i.e., endothelial&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/chronic-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-influence-dengue-severity-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/chronic-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-influence-dengue-severity-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study suggests air pollution may harbour drug-resistant bacteria</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-suggests-air-pollution-may-harbour-drug-resistant-bacteria/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-suggests-air-pollution-may-harbour-drug-resistant-bacteria/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Mar 2026 13:16:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antimicrobial resistance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delhi air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drug-resistant bacteria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PM 2.5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WHO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Health Organization]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/17093631/AP23311234399476-scaled-e1773720792853-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37301</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi, Global, and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution and Health impacts]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every year, Delhi&#8217;s air quality hits a new record for severe pollution, putting millions of residents at familiar and emerging health risks. Data on particulate matter, dust, and vehicular emissions are shared and dominate conversations. But new research emphasises the need to look beyond the usual chemical pollutants. Airborne microbial contamination, especially antibiotic-resistant bacteria, is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every year, Delhi&#8217;s air quality hits a new record for severe pollution, putting millions of residents at familiar and emerging health risks. Data on particulate matter, dust, and vehicular emissions are shared and dominate conversations. But new research emphasises the need to look beyond the usual chemical pollutants. Airborne microbial contamination, especially antibiotic-resistant bacteria, is a rising concern that has so far flown under the radar. A new study, published in Scientific Reports, analysed indoor and outdoor air samples from various urban settings in Delhi and found significantly higher levels of Staphylococcus, a group of bacteria commonly associated with multidrug resistance. &#8220;When we talk about air pollution, we typically measure parameters such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, lead, and others,&#8221; says Madhuri Singh, a research scientist in the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and corresponding author of the study. &#8220;However, microbial load should also be considered as an additional parameter, as it is equally important from a public health perspective.&#8221; The link between antimicrobial resistance and air pollution is not new; the science is well established, and the evidence is clear. However, this particular study is an important addition to the existing research as it uses data from Delhi, one of the cities that battles severe air pollution year after year, to show this link, says Sarah Hyder Iqbal, researcher and co-founder of Superheroes Against Superbugs, a community for awareness and action against antimicrobial resistance. Smog over New Delhi. A new study analysed air samples&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-suggests-air-pollution-may-harbour-drug-resistant-bacteria/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-suggests-air-pollution-may-harbour-drug-resistant-bacteria/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Oleum leak puts spotlight on safety and pollution in a chemical hub</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Mar 2026 11:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meena Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fuel leak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hazards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petroleum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/16102523/A-view-of-the-Tarapur-MIDC-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37271</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Environment, Environmental Crime, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days before National Safety Week which aims to promote safety and prevent accidents in workplaces. While a few suffered the toxic effects and were admitted to nearby hospitals, there were no fatalities reported. Oleum is a corrosive liquid, a mix of sulphuric and sulphur trioxide, used in the production of sulphuric acid. It is a raw material for manufacturing dye intermediates in which Bhageria Industries specialises. The leak occurred from two day-tanks at Bhageria Industries Limited. The Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Maharashtra which is investigating the leak, found that about 1,200 litres or 1.2 tonnes of oleum was stored in these two tanks at the unit and they were placed on cement structures on four legs. One of the legs broke possibly due to the corrosive ambience, and one of the tanks with 800 litres of oleum, tilted and collapsed onto the other tank which contained 400 litres, breaking the charging valve. As a result, the liquid oleum spilled out, forming a dense gas when it came into contact with outside air. The liquid vapour spread due to the wind direction, and many people started running away from the vapour that was rapidly&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India’s new waste management rules face old implementation gaps</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Mar 2026 14:45:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jyotsnika Tiwari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toxic Waste Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste-to-energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/06124304/AP20210450913024-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37176</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biofuels, Carbon emissions, Energy, Environment, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pollution, Renewable Energy, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry notified the new solid waste management (SWM) rules of 2026 on January 27, superseding the 2016 rules. The new rules signal a shift towards a more systematic compliance architecture, with a clearer outline of duties for waste generators, a revised definition of Bulk Waste Generators, and higher landfill user fees for mixed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry notified the new solid waste management (SWM) rules of 2026 on January 27, superseding the 2016 rules. The new rules signal a shift towards a more systematic compliance architecture, with a clearer outline of duties for waste generators, a revised definition of Bulk Waste Generators, and higher landfill user fees for mixed waste to encourage segregation. Well-intentioned as the new rules are, experts caution against gaps in implementation that have dogged solid waste management in India for decades. Illustrating this are the towering landfills in New Delhi — Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla — symbols of the city’s historical failure to segregate waste at source. Delhi leads all Indian cities, generating approximately 600 grams of waste per person per day. Nearly 64% of the collected waste is processed, according to the Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB), while the remaining 36% or. 4,241 tonnes, find its way to unsanitary landfills, or dumpsites everyday. These landfills and dumpsites are silent contributors to air pollution through the year as well as to greenhouse gas emissions and heat stress during the summers. Biomass and waste burning are the second largest contributors to particulate matter emissions in Delhi, contributing 23% to PM10 and 24% to PM2.5, according to one source apportionment study. When biodegradable waste accumulates and is left to rot, it produces methane, which has a warming potential 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, over a 20-year-period, and is the second-largest contributor to global warming. According to another study, higher&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New report flags sulphur dioxide emissions from Bokaro Steel Plant</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Mar 2026 16:33:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/04143355/AP842492653352-scaled-e1772615137987-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37138</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Coal, Energy, Environment, Health impacts, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Decarbonising the steel industry — one of the largest coal consuming industries in India — focuses primarily on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the greenhouse gas effect. However, industrial processes in steel-making also cause air pollution, releasing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, all of which adversely impact public health. A new analysis [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Decarbonising the steel industry — one of the largest coal consuming industries in India — focuses primarily on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the greenhouse gas effect. However, industrial processes in steel-making also cause air pollution, releasing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, all of which adversely impact public health. A new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) tracked air pollution emissions disclosures from the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) in Jharkhand. It found that even though BSL met existing regulatory limits, pollution from the plant led to around 273 low birthweight births, and 284 preterm births each year. India’s installed crude steel capacity is projected to reach between 260 million and 280 million metric tons by 2035, keeping up pace with growing demand from the automotive, renewables, and defence sectors. It currently accounts for 10-12% of India’s carbon emissions, making it a key sector for decarbonisation on the way to net-zero emissions. The use of blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces in additional steel capacity could lock in a carbon-intensive process. Until innovations on how to replace coal in steel-making become viable, investing in better air monitoring and filtration could help reduce the impacts of air pollution caused by the same process, the CREA report suggests. “The emissions by the industry are self-reported or reported by a third party hired by the industry. The reported emissions for compliance are always below the standard, whether it is BSL, Bhillai Steel Plant, IISCO [Indian&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pollution concentrations soar higher above ground during haze</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Mar 2026 14:51:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aerosol chemistry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality modelling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality monitoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AQI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atmospheric science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boundary layer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delhi air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drone monitoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[high-rise exposure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[particulate matter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PM2.5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution forecasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[secondary aerosols]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vertical pollution profile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter haze]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/03142922/AP25314257198720-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37114</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Innovations and Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Coal, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, Pollution, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On hazy winter mornings in Delhi, the air people breathe at street level may not tell the full story. A new peer-reviewed study published in Nature npj Clean Air reports that PM2.5 concentrations were up to 60% higher at around 100 metres above ground compared to surface levels during severe haze episodes. The findings suggest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On hazy winter mornings in Delhi, the air people breathe at street level may not tell the full story. A new peer-reviewed study published in Nature npj Clean Air reports that PM2.5 concentrations were up to 60% higher at around 100 metres above ground compared to surface levels during severe haze episodes. The findings suggest that pollution can accumulate not only near roads and traffic corridors, but also higher up at an altitude where many residents and office workers in high-rise buildings spend much of their time. Using a custom-built drone equipped with low-cost particulate matter sensors, researchers conducted multiple flights over South Delhi in March 2021. On one hazy morning, PM2.5 levels reached around 160 micrograms per cubic metre at 100 metres, compared to roughly 100 micrograms per cubic metre at ground level. Ajit Ahlawat, Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology and lead author of the study said about the finding, “This indicates that ground-based monitoring alone substantially underestimates actual exposure to pollution in the lower urban boundary layer, especially during haze episodes.” Traditional air quality monitors typically measure pollutants around five to ten metres above the ground. “This misses vertical gradients in shallow nocturnal boundary layers that trap pollutants aloft,” Ahlawat said, referring to the different heights in the layer of air close to the ground that forms at night which can go up to 300 metres or higher. He added that hygroscopic particle growth, where particles absorb moisture and grow, and secondary aerosol formation often occur&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Policy shifts test Bihar’s ethanol-led industrial revival</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2026 12:37:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fuel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/13012716/AP23242459404348-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36871</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Energy, Environmental Politics, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Santosh Kumar has spent more than a decade moving from state to state in search of a livelihood. The last time he migrated from his home in Bihar was more than two years ago, when he went to Delhi. There, he worked as a boiler operator in a factory. “I would earn ₹20,000 a month, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Santosh Kumar has spent more than a decade moving from state to state in search of a livelihood. The last time he migrated from his home in Bihar was more than two years ago, when he went to Delhi. There, he worked as a boiler operator in a factory. “I would earn ₹20,000 a month, but a large part of it was spent on food and lodging,” he said. Two years ago, Kumar learned from a friend that a new ethanol plant was being set up in Nawanagar, about 20 kilometres from his village in Bihar’s Buxar district. “I immediately returned and joined the plant,” said the father of three. Kumar has been working at the Nawanagar ethanol plant since then. However, the situation changed towards the end of last year when India&#8217;s Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited — reduced ethanol procurement quotas for Bihar. The decision led to a 10-day shutdown of the Nawanagar plant in December 2025, where Kumar is employed as a boiler operator. “I am afraid that if this continues (reduced procurement causing shutdowns), I will have to migrate again to Delhi, Gujarat, or Maharashtra,” Kumar said. Murari Chaudhary, another boiler operator at the same plant, shares similar concerns. “If the situation remains the same, the plant will close, and we will become unemployed,” said Chaudhary, who is from Jharkhand. “There are no other employment options nearby. If I have to work, I will&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Air pollution can both fuel and suppress lightning in India, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/air-pollution-can-both-fuel-and-suppress-lightning-in-india-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/air-pollution-can-both-fuel-and-suppress-lightning-in-india-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Feb 2026 10:50:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aerosol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[erratic weather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lightning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weather patterns]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/12003510/AP23111293153944-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36848</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Climate Change, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Lightning is among India’s deadliest natural hazards, accounting for nearly 40% of all natural disaster-related deaths each year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. While rising temperatures and stronger convection linked to climate change are known to influence lightning activity, a new study points to air pollution as another key factor shaping how lightning [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Lightning is among India’s deadliest natural hazards, accounting for nearly 40% of all natural disaster-related deaths each year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. While rising temperatures and stronger convection linked to climate change are known to influence lightning activity, a new study points to air pollution as another key factor shaping how lightning forms inside clouds. The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, examines how aerosols, tiny particles suspended in the air from both human and natural sources, modulate lightning activity across different regions of India. According to the authors, air pollution can both enhance and suppress lightning, depending on pollution levels, particle size, and regional meteorological conditions. How pollution influences lightning Subhojit Ghoshal Chowdhury, the lead author of the study, from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, says the relationship between air pollution and lightning is not linear. “Our study shows that air pollution can both increase and decrease lightning, depending on how polluted the air is and what kind of particles are present,” Chowdhury explains. He notes that when pollution levels increase moderately, lightning activity intensifies. “Tiny pollution particles, or aerosols, act like seeds, creating many small cloud droplets that get lofted high into the atmosphere. There, they freeze into ice crystals and graupel (soft hail), and collisions between these ice particles generate electrical charge; lightning occurs.” However, Chowdhury adds that this process reverses when pollution becomes excessive. “When pollution becomes too high, excess particles disrupt the cloud’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/air-pollution-can-both-fuel-and-suppress-lightning-in-india-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/air-pollution-can-both-fuel-and-suppress-lightning-in-india-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Budget signals a shift in India’s climate and energy priorities</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2026 14:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Annual budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Critical Minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electricity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy storage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Municipal Bond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supply chain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/03113134/AP25247548851789-scaled-e1770098800708-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36715</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Coal, Energy, Environmental Politics, Green Energy, Hydroelectric power, Industry, Politics, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In her ninth consecutive Union budget speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention “climate” even once. She mentioned “environment” but in the context of infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and dedicated freight corridors. This reflects the overall thrust of the budget, which focused more on infrastructure expansion, reducing import dependence, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In her ninth consecutive Union budget speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention “climate” even once. She mentioned “environment” but in the context of infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and dedicated freight corridors. This reflects the overall thrust of the budget, which focused more on infrastructure expansion, reducing import dependence, and strengthening domestic manufacturing, while remaining muted on environmental concerns. Experts say external factors, including climate finance constraints, economic conditions, and geopolitical tensions, may be influencing this tone that the budget has taken. A similar tone was also seen in the Economic Survey tabled on January 29, which analyses the state of the economy and sets the context for the budget which then announces the government&#8217;s actual spending and policy proposals. The Survey noted that capacity constraints and a widening gap between ambition and operational reality have marked the global climate agenda. It highlighted climate finance as a key challenge and said India should approach the transition as part of a broader energy system strategy linked to growth and security. Rohit Azad, Assistant Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, said external constraints, such as climate finance, cannot justify inaction. “Climate change is going to affect India far more than the Global North, given our tropical climate and high levels of poverty. Livelihoods will be impacted, and disasters will become harder to manage. It is in our own interest to act,” he said. Azad also pointed to global political shifts. “There is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Shrinking Aravallis, rising dust pollution</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/shrinking-aravallis-rising-dust-pollution/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/shrinking-aravallis-rising-dust-pollution/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jan 2026 14:39:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lekha Bandopadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aravallis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dust storm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[minerals]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/21121434/Image-3-e1768978312500-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36558</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Ecology, Environment, Habitat Loss, Mining, Mountains, Pollution, and Thar Desert]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s capital region is witnessing another smoggy winter with severe air pollution. As the Delhi government deploys various dust control measures in the capital, the hills of a shrinking Aravalli range — which guard India’s mainland from the dust of the Thar desert in the west — are caught up in a legal battle for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s capital region is witnessing another smoggy winter with severe air pollution. As the Delhi government deploys various dust control measures in the capital, the hills of a shrinking Aravalli range — which guard India’s mainland from the dust of the Thar desert in the west — are caught up in a legal battle for protection. North India experiences five to ten dust storms annually between March and June, killing people, damaging property and worsening the already compromised air quality in the region. A recent study also found a positive correlation between rising temperature and increasing aerosol load in India’s atmosphere. “As per our analysis of satellite data from 2019 to 2023, the major aerosol hotspots in India are the regions of Ladakh, Western Ghats, Thar desert, Rann of Kutch, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab,” the corresponding author of the study Sangem Giriraj, told Mongabay-India. Experts point out that the degradation and mining of the Aravalli range is weakening a key natural barrier against desert dust, potentially worsening air pollution across northern India. Mining and dust “Obstacle dunes found on the western or Thar desert side of the Aravalli hills are the most compelling evidence that the Aravallis block desert sand,” says Chetan Agarwal, an independent forest and environmental services analyst, based on his analysis of Google Earth images. These dunes have formed over hundreds of thousands of years as the Aravalli hills slowed down the western desert winds causing deposition of the heavier sand particles, adds Agarwal.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/shrinking-aravallis-rising-dust-pollution/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/shrinking-aravallis-rising-dust-pollution/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Monitoring India&#8217;s clean air programme needs reimagining, suggests analysis</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/monitoring-indias-clean-air-programme-needs-reimagining-suggests-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/monitoring-indias-clean-air-programme-needs-reimagining-suggests-analysis/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jan 2026 17:46:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/14160306/AP24319347692370-scaled-e1768386969370-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36477</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Health impacts, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new assessment of air pollution trends in highly polluted cities finds that since 2017, levels of particulate pollution have actually been reducing – but it’s unclear how or why. In 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Programme — a flagship scheme aimed at reducing levels of pollution in “non-attainment cities” — those exceeding [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new assessment of air pollution trends in highly polluted cities finds that since 2017, levels of particulate pollution have actually been reducing – but it’s unclear how or why. In 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Programme — a flagship scheme aimed at reducing levels of pollution in “non-attainment cities” — those exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) consecutively for five years. Despite five years since the programme was launched, there’s been marginal improvement, with most cities continuing to report high levels of pollution. Failure of the programme to effect meaningful change has been, in part, due to its design. The NCAP set a target for non-attainment cities to reduce PM10 levels by 20-30% by 2024, using 2017 levels as a baseline. In 2022, the scheme was renewed with a revised target of reducing PM10 levels by 40% by 2026. As fresh renewal of the Programme approaches, experts have been calling for an overhaul, including making changes to the pollutants targeted under the programme, incentives provided, and setting up a comprehensive, standardised monitoring framework. An assessment of changes in air pollution levels in NCAP cities by the Health Effects Institute, released on January 13, found reductions in both PM10 and PM2.5 levels at monitoring stations assessed. However, attributing these changes to the NCAP alone is challenging, due to an unclear monitoring system and other interventions that may have played a role. “We’re making huge investments in improving our air quality monitoring systems. But if we do&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/monitoring-indias-clean-air-programme-needs-reimagining-suggests-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/monitoring-indias-clean-air-programme-needs-reimagining-suggests-analysis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>What India can learn from China&#8217;s approach to improving air quality [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-can-india-learn-from-chinas-approach-to-improve-air-quality-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-can-india-learn-from-chinas-approach-to-improve-air-quality-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jan 2026 16:11:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanushree Ganguly]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commission for air quality management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vehicles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zero Emission Truck]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/14153712/AP25313456036449-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36469</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[I spent my winter break in Kolkata this year. Although I have worked on air pollution for nearly eight years, this was the first time my parents and neighbours remarked that they were relieved I had escaped Delhi’s toxic air. In previous years, their concern had always been whether I could cope with Delhi’s bitter [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[I spent my winter break in Kolkata this year. Although I have worked on air pollution for nearly eight years, this was the first time my parents and neighbours remarked that they were relieved I had escaped Delhi’s toxic air. In previous years, their concern had always been whether I could cope with Delhi’s bitter winter cold. This year felt different, not just because of how bad the air was, but because the crisis was impossible to ignore. Delhi’s citizens took to the streets to demand action on clean air, and social media was abuzz with reels and memes on pollution. December, despite the drop in farm fires, turned out to be more polluted than October and November. In the midst of all this, as Delhi was grappling with severe pollution levels in mid-December, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in India took to X (formerly Twitter) to offer help, sharing how China cleaned up its pollution. This, in turn, triggered a series of articles by air pollution experts in India, asking: China could clean up its air, why can’t India? Almost all of them point to the same set of measures — coal caps, industrial shutdowns, tighter vehicle emission standards, and the scrapping of older vehicles — adopted under China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan launched in 2013. And rightly so. Since 2013, China’s particulate pollution levels have declined by nearly 40%. We at the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) estimate that this improvement could potentially help&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-can-india-learn-from-chinas-approach-to-improve-air-quality-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-can-india-learn-from-chinas-approach-to-improve-air-quality-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>People are leaving cities to escape toxic air</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jan 2026 14:48:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubble burning]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/07123604/AP25349222525857-scaled-e1767770149493-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36364</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Environment, Health impacts, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Air quality did not enter Amitabh Chawla’s life as a statistic; it arrived as grief. By the time his mother died in 2024, eight years after his father, the Gurugram-based multimedia professional had started seeing air pollution as a generational toll. “My grandparents lived into their 90s. My teetotaller parents did not make it past [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Air quality did not enter Amitabh Chawla’s life as a statistic; it arrived as grief. By the time his mother died in 2024, eight years after his father, the Gurugram-based multimedia professional had started seeing air pollution as a generational toll. “My grandparents lived into their 90s. My teetotaller parents did not make it past their 60s. The difference, I believe, is the air,” says Chawla, 44. “Somehow, a fear has seeped into me that if we continue to breathe this poisonous air, it is going to take a toll on my family and me. For a generation that grew up in a polluted environment, I don’t think our bodies can endure for long.” Over the past two years, this concern has changed how the Chawlas live. Summers are spent at their ancestral home in Dugri village, Ludhiana, Punjab, away from Haryana’s Gurugram, a thriving business destination home to multinational corporations, manufacturing clusters, IT firms, and startups, among others. When the stubble-burning season begins around September and air quality starts to deteriorate in North India, the family rents a house away from the region, such as in the coastal town of Puri in Odisha, for weeks. “For the last two years, we have been living like nomads to escape pollution,” says Amitabh Chawla, who is currently in Puri, a coastal town known for its long stretches of greenery, pristine beaches, and Lord Jagannath Temple. To overcome this ordeal, the family is now exploring permanently shifting to an East Asian country,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/toxic-air-pushing-people-to-migrate-from-cities/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Disease-carrying microplastics in the air we breathe</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/disease-carrying-microplastics-in-the-air-we-breathe/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/disease-carrying-microplastics-in-the-air-we-breathe/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jan 2026 15:52:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ravleen Kaur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microplastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/06150728/AP20298488985675-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36356</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Plastic, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An average resident of an Indian city can inhale nearly three grams of plastics over their lifetime, almost the weight of a small plastic bottle, according to a new study that looked at an emerging airborne pollutant – inhalable microplastics (iMPs) – and their implications for human health. Inhalable microplastics are a subset of airborne [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An average resident of an Indian city can inhale nearly three grams of plastics over their lifetime, almost the weight of a small plastic bottle, according to a new study that looked at an emerging airborne pollutant – inhalable microplastics (iMPs) – and their implications for human health. Inhalable microplastics are a subset of airborne microplastics. While airborne microplastics are typically less than 5 mm in size, inhalable microplastics are 500 times smaller, at less than 10 microns in size, a size that can penetrate the nasal cavity and enter the lungs, says the study in the journal Environment International. Typically, fine particles from dust, smoke, and fuel, are categorised either as PM2.5 or PM10, which are particles considered responsible for air pollution. But microplastics now make up as much as 5% of these particulate pollutants in India’s cities, says the study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai and Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai. “This research points to the anthropogenic plastic dust, caused by weathering of clothes and tyres – products that are a part of urban life. Microplastics are not yet included in air quality standards like PM2.5 and PM10, but their persistence and toxicity mean they should be. We urge policymakers to officially recognise inhalable microplastics as a new air pollutant,” said Abhishek Biswas, researcher at the Environmental Nanoscience Laboratory at IISER, Kolkata who played&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/disease-carrying-microplastics-in-the-air-we-breathe/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/disease-carrying-microplastics-in-the-air-we-breathe/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
			</channel>
</rss>