So extreme are conditions in the country that not a single district now meets World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for acceptable air quality.
Leave aside polluted rivers, urban areas besieged by garbage and overrun by cars; forget the increasing homelessness and rising slums, or the water crisis and traffic snarls, the inordinately high decibel levels of noise, or even the overcrowding and stampedes in public places. Forget all that, and just see how easily and shamelessly we adapt to the most damning, the most basic of requirements: air quality. The daily breath of air.
https://thewire.in/environment/the-steps-we-must-take-now-to-solve-the-pollution-problem
Almost 70% of urban air pollution is caused by vehicles, yet more than 54,000 vehicles continue to be registered in India daily. In the long term, in order to reduce numbers, registration of new vehicles should be allowed only when the owner provides proof of private parking space.
Increased taxation for a higher carbon footprint should in the long term force people to take jobs closer to home.
Eventually all building construction must be pre-fabricated and treated like a manufacturing process rather than an on-site cottage industry. This way, walls, floors and roofs can come off a factory production line and be quickly assembled on site.
In keeping with the idea of a Bio City, where the number of trees matches the number of people, a mapping of the green area of each city district needs to be undertaken,
by Gautam Bhatia
12/01/2026