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India's Environment Crisis: Extreme Weather Rising
8 Mar
Summary
- Extreme weather events occurred on 99% of days in 2025.
- Tigers are increasingly targeting humans near reserves.
- Air quality monitoring covers only 15% of India's population.
The 'State of India's Environment 2026' report highlights a critical environmental situation, with extreme weather events escalating dramatically. In 2025, these events, including heatwaves and floods, impacted 99% of days, leading to 4,419 deaths and extensive crop damage. Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh were most affected. The report stresses the need for proactive resilience measures rather than solely post-disaster relief.
Furthermore, the report indicates a concerning rise in human-tiger conflict. With tiger populations growing and encroaching on human areas, attacks have increased, with 43 people killed between January and June 2025. Habitat loss and overcrowding are cited as primary reasons for tigers venturing out of reserves.
Air quality monitoring in India remains inadequate, with 85% of the population, over 1.2 billion people, living outside the range of continuous monitors. This data gap exacerbates structural inequalities in environmental governance, leaving many smaller towns with high pollution levels unassessed.
