Pollution

Air pollution in India is altering lightning patterns. A study titled “Aerosol‐Cloud Interactions and Their Role in Modulating Lightning Activity: Evidence From Extreme Events Over India” has found that tiny particles in the air, called aerosols, can influence clouds and lightning during extreme weather events in west‐central and northeast regions of India.

The central government during the Parliament session said there is no conclusive data to establish a direct correlation between deaths or diseases occurring exclusively due to air pollution. This position by the centre is in stark contrast to multiple studies highlighting India’s growing pollution-linked health burden, reported India Today.

A new study by Nature revealed that temporarily removing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most effective way to offset methane emissions, which have a large short-term effect on the temperature. The report said that matching the temporary temperature effects of methane with equivalent temporary CO2 cooling eliminates significant climate burden being passed to future generations.

Parents, environmental activists, came together and staged a protest at India Gate on Nov. 9 against the worsening air quality in Delhi. The protestors demanded urgent government action to ensure clean air, reported The Hindu. Several protestors were later detained for assembling without permission.

Across India, pollution levels spike during the time of Diwali, due to the widespread bursting of firecrackers. This can be termed a seasonal rise in air pollution. Delhi and its surrounding regions, especially, face one of the most significant surges in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations during this period

The Supreme Court allowed, “as temporary measure” the sale and bursting of green crackers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) from October 18 to October 21, and restricted the timings to 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm, the Indian Express reported.

Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said  his ministry’s August 29 notification to set up a system of registered environmental auditors (EAs) to “supplement, not replace” pollution control boards is being done to encourage industry to self-regulate and end inspector Raj, reported the HT.

Noise pollution from trains has been impacting all railway-adjacent urban slums in Delhi. The levels have surpassed Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms — and in some cases, exceeding limits by as much as 85%, says a new study, Indian Express reported.

According to new research, if the air quality of Delhi was improved to meet the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), an average Delhi resident could live 8.2 years longer, DTE reported. The research by The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) found that the loss in life

Bengaluru Urban, Mumbai, Patna, Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), and North 24 Paraganas in West Bengal have the highest PM2.5 emission coming from diesel generator (DG) sets with serious implications on human health. In a recent report titled, “Switch on, Smoke off: Reducing Emissions from

The Centre released the Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025 for remediation of contaminated sites by those responsible for contamination. The notification names 189 contaminants and their response level for agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial areas.

After the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shared its plan to clear the Ghazipur landfill by 2028, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked for clarity on lapses in waste management, the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant there and leachate management, saying the untreated waste was adding to the legacy waste at Ghazipur, reported TOI.

The environment ministry again extended the SO2 compliance deadline for coal-based power plants located within 10 km of the National Capital Region or cities with over one million population from December 2024 to December 2027, ET reported.

Delhi is set to use artificial rain to lessen air pollution in the city. This will involve five aircraft sorties each of 90 minutes which will spray seeding mixture covering nearly 100 square kilometres over low-security air zones in northwest and outer Delhi, Live Mint reported.

India’s green court, The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said the Uttar Pradesh government’s report on the status of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and Sewage Waste Management (SWM) submitted to the tribunal has huge gaps. The court handed a prescribed format to the government to fill the gaps and ordered it to submit missing details by July 28, the date of next hearing, HT reported.