On November 12, Delhi’s air became distinctly unbreathable. A thick blanket of smog enveloped the capital, which recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 400, and the pollution was categorised as “severe”. On November 9, Delhiites, aware of the possible respiratory ailments this relapsing crisis could lead to, protested at India Gate. Many were detained.

Meanwhile in April, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, released a three-decade long study that established that rainwater, in several parts of the country, was becoming increasingly “acidic.”

In August, there was another environmental disaster, this time in the Himalayas: flash floods inundated Uttarkashi, washing away people and buildings, reportedly caused by a

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