Young residents of Pune are raising their voices in growing alarm as pollution levels in the city continue to climb, casting a shadow of uncertainty over their future. For many, contaminated air, water, and land have become an inescapable daily reality, severely impacting their health, lifestyles, and overall well-being. This generation is now demanding stronger governmental action, rigorous enforcement of environmental laws, and a significant boost in public awareness to prevent Pune from becoming unlivable in the coming years.
Personal Health Toll and a Call for Collective Action
The human cost of deteriorating environmental conditions is deeply personal for Pune's youth. Dnyanada Sagare, a 22-year-old journalism student, highlighted the grave impact of air pollution on both people and the planet. Suffering from rhinitis, an inflammatory condition of the nasal lining, she is forced to take daily precautions like wearing masks outdoors and seeking refuge in nature. She attributes the worsening air quality to rapid construction, shrinking green cover, and poor policy implementation. "Individual efforts like using public transport, volunteering with NGOs working towards environment regeneration and stronger government action will together contribute in bringing pollution levels down," Sagare asserted.
For students who have moved from rural areas, the contrast is stark and physically jarring. Yogeshwari Nagile, a 20-year-old sociology student from Nanded, said she never truly understood pollution until she came to Pune. "Soon after shifting I started facing difficulties in breathing. I also developed a condition where my heart rate spikes rapidly due to constant noise," she revealed. The sight of polluted rivers, roadside garbage, and traffic-choked, smoky streets left her deeply shocked. Nagile issued a stark warning: "If this continues, cities may soon become unlivable and people might have to migrate to villages."
Beyond Air: A Multifaceted Environmental Crisis
The crisis, as highlighted by young Punekars, extends far beyond the Air Quality Index (AQI). Eden Barnabas, a 22-year-old law student, stressed that pollution today encompasses severe degradation of water and land, which directly affects public health. He pointed to the lack of strict implementation of environmental laws as a major concern, cautioning that without urgent intervention, Pune could face severe environmental consequences in the near future.
Parisa Visal, a 21-year-old Company Secretary aspirant, framed pollution as a direct threat to life expectancy. "The air we breathe is no longer pure, and it directly or indirectly affects our health and lifestyle. People today are dying younger due to heart attacks and various diseases," she said. With water pollution worsening and clean water becoming scarce, Visal emphasized that "Reducing pollution is no longer a choice, it is an urgent necessity."
Demanding Systemic Change and Early Awareness
The youth are calling for systemic shifts and early education to combat this slow-moving disaster. Harshali Karnik, an 18-year-old economics student, argued that awareness must start much earlier. "Schools and colleges should talk about pollution beyond textbooks," she said, underlining the need for government campaigns to demonstrate why small individual changes matter.
Shreya Kumar, a 25-year-old English literature student, spoke about pollution's insidious, cumulative effects. With an asthma patient at home, the damage is already visible for her family. "For others, it builds up over the years," she noted, suggesting that air purifiers might soon become a household necessity. Kumar revealed a sobering societal shift: "I hear many people saying that they don't want children because of the air quality." While acknowledging that change takes time, she insisted that the government must take concrete steps so that a positive difference is visible within the next five to ten years.
The message from Pune's younger generation is clear and unified: the time for passive concern is over. They are experiencing the health impacts firsthand and are demanding immediate, multi-pronged action from authorities and the community to reclaim their city's environment and secure a viable future.
