Current Issue - Volume 18 Issue 11 (February 2026)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely used since the 1940s for their water- and grease-resistant properties, have emerged as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants in India. Increasing research reveals their presence in rivers, groundwater, sediments, food packaging, wastewater, and even human blood and milk. Industrial discharge, urban runoff, landfills, and firefighting foams are key sources. Despite rising contamination, India’s research and regulatory frameworks remain fragmented and limited. Dr Kriti Akansha and
Avanti Roy Basu call for nationwide monitoring, stricter regulations, advanced treatment technologies, and a comprehensive national PFAS management framework..

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In this article, Dr Muskaan Negi examines the widespread practice of burning apple-pruning residue in Himachal Pradesh and its environmental and health consequences. While burning is a convenient and low-cost method for farmers, it releases harmful pollutants such as PM₂.₅, black carbon, and toxic gases that degrade air quality, especially in mountain valleys prone to temperature inversions. These emissions raise AQI levels and pose serious respiratory and cardiovascular risks. The article advocates practical, community-based solutions—such as mulching, composting, shared chipping facilities, supportive policies, and local biomass markets—to reduce pollution while improving soil health and farmer livelihoods.

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In this article, Arvind Kumar highlights that air pollution remains a severe winter crisis in northern India, driven by PM_2.5 from vehicles, industry, construction, biomass burning, and agriculture. Its impacts are worsened by weather patterns and transboundary movement. With serious health and economic costs, urgent action is needed. Effective control requires robust data, strong regulatory institutions, cross-jurisdictional coordination, cleaner technologies across sectors, and sustained political commitment. Initiatives such as NCAP, GRAP, and renewable energy expansion show progress, but integrated, long-term, airshed-based management is essential.

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The Pashu Sakhi model strengthens rural livestock healthcare by training local women as para-veterinarians, addressing India's shortage of veterinary services. Supported by WOTR, the initiative improves animal health, farmer incomes, and women's leadership. In Rajasthan's Baran district, trained Pashu Sakhis are enhancing disease prevention, productivity, and community resilience. read more

India’s heat waves have become a year-round crisis, which has health and economic implications. A paper on “Spatiotemporal changes in heat stress exposure in India, 1981–2023,” was recently published in Nature Communications. This is the first district-level study on the subject. The paper analyses how heat stress exposure has changed at the district level in India over time (1981–2023) using high resolution (~11 km) hourly data on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The research also defines heat stress exposure (HSE) to occur when UTCI crosses 32 degrees Celsius.

Here, we are in an exclusive email conversation with the co-authors of the paper—Harvard Professor SV Subramanian and IIMB Assistant Professor Arpit Shah. read more

India’s first Climate Finance Taxonomy promises to steer billions of dollars towards climate action. Designed as a guiding framework for investors and policymakers, the draft released in May 2025 laid down ambitious objectives. Yet, beneath the promise lie ambiguities that risk blurring the line between genuine climate action and greenwashing, write Yukta Anand and Prof. Asheesh Pandey. read more

Forests are more than ecosystems—they are living pharmacies and pantries. Communities have long depended on wild herbs and mushrooms for food, medicine, and income. Yet, recent cases of accidental poisoning in Jammu & Kashmir reveal the risks that emerge when indigenous knowledge systems weaken and ecological patterns shift. A centuries-old tradition of forest foraging is increasingly threatened by misidentified herbal plants, Khursheed Ahmad Shah writes.

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