(A version of this appeared first in Firstpost on Sep 19, 2018) Undoubtedly, the water situation of India, which asks about a fifth of the world’s population to survive on less than 1/30th of the world’s water, is precarious. This is now. What about the future? India’s population is growing, getting wealthier, and, oh yes, …
I was at a birthday party a few days ago. In a kid's party - getting away from plastic is hard. First, is the ubiquitous Flex - because it's cheap, light, quick-to-customize and the kid is super excited in seeing his/her face on it, it is de rigueur decoration at a party (or any event, …
Continue reading Plastic in Daily Life – Birthday Party edition
Today is Gandhi Jayanthi. The Mahatma said 'The Earth has enough to satisfy our needs but not our greed'. Being a holiday, it's usually a time to tidy forgotten corners. And what turns up. Used sketch pens. Lost-and-now found plastic caps. Medicine strips with no tablets inside. Cellophane wrappers of books. Used chapstick containers. And …
One of my pleasures (dare I say, rituals) in my everyday living is my tea. I'm looking at my tea tray, as I write and asking myself how much plastic is on it? To begin with, the tray is plastic. We used to have a wooden tray - but it stained too easily in the …
(I'm starting a blog post series on the plastic choices I've been oblivious to in my daily life - open thinking format/ suggestions welcome). The world is shouting "No Plastic" - surprisingly, this appears to be more than skin deep because I'm seeing small changes around me. More people are carrying reusable shopping bags. I …
If there is one question that Delhi residents ought to ask themselves it is this: What are the success factors for conquering the Delhi Air Pollution? Success Factor#1: The Need for Data Let’s consider the facts. Fact#1: Over a million Indians died in 2016 due to air pollution. Delhi is ranked as the most polluted …
Continue reading Five Success Factors for conquering the Delhi Pollution Problem
(A version of this article appeared in Firstpost: http://www.firstpost.com/living/delhi-routinely-tops-global-air-pollution-rankings-how-we-can-seek-more-effective-solutions-4179921.html The prestigious medical journal, The Lancet recently reported that air pollution is associated with 6.5 million deaths annually, and as the Lancet rather poetically puts it, is a “killer indifferent to political agendas and that cannot be contained by borders”. Don’t we know it? Because pollution is …
Continue reading Delhi Air Pollution – How is the way we think about it so so wrong?
In South India, the conversation seems to always turn to Dengue. The neighbourhood hospitals are overflowing with dengue cases, and sachets of Nila Vembu Kashayam (a herbal remedy against fevers) are being sent home, as per government instructions, in my 5-year-old’s homework diary. Offices and factories are reeling under a wave of absenteeism as workers …
We began this mini-series within the column by talking about the Gujarat and Assam floods. Major Catastrophes? Little more than a month ago, large parts of Gujarat and Assam had been inundated by water, and lakhs of people had been displaced. Between then and now, Bihar has been devastated by the floods. Parts of Bangalore …
Continue reading Why action on flooding is less likely than an Indian GoT starring Rajinikanth?
Climaction 