New research shows that rural and urban regions of India face similarly high health risks due to air pollution.
The city of Delhi has been consistently ranked as one of the world's most polluted cities. As the monsoon ends, haze sets in, with Deepawali around the corner, bringing the entire city to a standstill with low visibility. Besides vehicular emissions, smoke from diesel generators and construction dust, a significant contributor to this problem is the practice of crop residue burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana. A recent study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, suggests that groundwater conservation policies, adopted by Punjab and Haryana, have changed the patterns of rice production. These policies, the researchers argue, have led to the concentration of crop residue burning into a narrower period, later in the season.
Researchers identify a bacterial strain that prefers aromatic pollutants over sugar as food
The extensive use of fireworks, particularly during festivals like Diwali, releases large amounts of harmful gases and toxic substances into the atmosphere. As a result, the air gets polluted and can affect our health. In a recent study, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have analysed the excessive air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers during Diwali and their potential impact on health.
In a recent finding that could unveil a hitherto unknown function of the South Asian monsoon, researchers from Germany and Cyprus have described how the South Asian monsoon plays an active role in regulating the levels of pollutants in the atmosphere.
Delhi, the city once famous for the charm of the Red Fort and the elegance of Qutub Minar, is today infamous for its pollution crisis. Ranked one of the most polluted cities in the world, the air in the city is taking a toll on its residents’ health. With over 10 million vehicles registered in Delhi, it is not surprising that the air is turning toxic. But how bad is the air really in the roads of Delhi?
Study from IIT Bombay finds that airborne pollutants affect the water available for agriculture.
In the past century, fossil fuels like petrol and diesel have powered our vehicles, machines and in fact, our world! But the era of these fuels is coming to an end; all our petroleum reserves are soon ending, and the increasing pollution due to these fuels is making the world sick. Now, our hope lies in biofuels—fuels produced by organic wastes that are renewable and eco-friendly, unlike fossil fuels.
Erik Solenheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme visited Center for Ecological Sciences at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru to deliver a talk about the interface of science and policy.
In his talk titled ‘Science Policy Interface: Insights and ideas for a changing world’ Mr. Solenheim spoke about the three main environmental challenges of we face today namely; climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meterology, Pune, study how carbonaceous aerosols affect the different layers of our atmosphere. They find that these aerosols can have far reaching effects like instabilities in the mid to upper troposphere, bringing about a change in the rainfall patterns and causing abnormal heating of the atmosphere through radiation
