Rising Heat and Toxic Air — The Climate Burden on Gurgaon’s Children

 

Rising Heat and Toxic Air — The Climate Burden on Gurgaon’s Children 

- Kinga Hunyady.

Childhood in Gurgaon is increasingly shaped by two converging climate pressures: extreme heat and hazardous air pollution. Scientific assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirm that South Asia is experiencing more frequent, intense, and prolonged heatwaves due to global warming. For children, this exposure carries disproportionate health consequences. Their bodies heat up faster, dehydration sets in quicker, and prolonged exposure raises risks of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Schools across the Delhi-NCR region—including Gurgaon—have repeatedly altered schedules or suspended outdoor activities during peak heat periods. Lost playtime is not trivial; pediatric health research shows outdoor physical activity is essential for bone strength, cardiovascular fitness, and cognitive development. Climate-driven heat is quietly eroding these developmental foundations.

Air quality magnifies the threat. Gurgaon falls within one of the world’s most polluted urban corridors, with monitoring by the Central Pollution Control Board frequently recording “very poor” to “severe” Air Quality Index levels. Climate change aggravates this pollution load. Higher temperatures accelerate ground-level ozone formation, while stagnant heat conditions trap particulate matter close to the surface.

The World Health Organization identifies air pollution as a leading environmental risk to child health, linking it to asthma onset, reduced lung growth, respiratory infections, and increased lifetime risk of chronic disease. Evidence from the Lancet Countdown further shows that children exposed to sustained pollution perform worse in school due to illness-related absences and impaired concentration.

Thus, in Gurgaon, climate change is not a distant environmental shift—it is a daily physiological stressor, constraining movement, damaging lungs, and altering the rhythms of childhood itself.

Sources
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (Heat Extremes, South Asia) • WHO Air Pollution & Child Health • CPCB AQI Data (Delhi-NCR) • Lancet Countdown India Briefs

Internal Migration in India: How Gurgaon’s Growth Reflects the Need for Balanced Development

Internal Migration in India: Why Balanced Regional Development Is Critical for Sustainable Cities. Internal migration in India is a powerful driver of economic mobility. Millions of citizens move across states each year seeking employment, education, and better healthcare. Migration is not a problem — it is a constitutional right and an economic necessity. However, when opportunity becomes geographically concentrated, cities begin to experience serious strain.Gurgaon — officially Gurugram — represents both India’s economic success and the growing risks of uneven development.

Migration Is a Right — But Development Must Be Balanced The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of movement and residence under Article 19. This mobility strengthens our democracy and labour markets.

Yet, large-scale migration to select metropolitan regions often reflects:

·         Limited industrial growth in several states

·         Inadequate higher education infrastructure

·         Gaps in healthcare systems

·         Weak local job creation

When employment ecosystems are concentrated in a few cities, migration becomes a necessity rather than a choice. Balanced regional development is therefore not about restricting movement — it is about expanding opportunity everywhere.

Gurgaon’s Population Growth and Infrastructure Stress. Over the past two decades, Gurugram has witnessed rapid urban expansion. While it has emerged as a corporate hub, this growth has led to significant challenges:

1. Groundwater Depletion

Large parts of the district have been categorized as “over-exploited,” meaning groundwater extraction exceeds natural recharge. Rapid construction and rising population density have intensified pressure on water resources.

2. Urban Congestion

Traffic congestion, construction stress, and pressure on civic amenities reflect gaps in long-term urban planning.

3. Environmental Sustainability

Shrinking green cover, increasing waste generation, and air pollution are direct consequences of concentrated urban growth.

These challenges highlight the urgent need for sustainable city planning across India.

 Constitutional and Policy Responsibility

India’s constitutional framework emphasizes reducing inequality:

·         Article 38 calls for minimizing inequalities in income and opportunity.

·         Article 39 promotes equitable distribution of resources.

·         Article 280 enables fiscal transfers to reduce regional disparities.

Development funds and national schemes aim to strengthen infrastructure. However, implementation and long-term planning vary across states.

When development is uneven, migration pressure intensifies on already strained cities.

Learning from Strong Human Development Models

Kerala offers an example of sustained investment in literacy, healthcare, and social development. High literacy rates and strong primary healthcare systems demonstrate the impact of long-term human capital investment.

While every state has unique challenges, the principle remains clear:

When education and healthcare are prioritized, citizens gain stability and opportunity locally.

Why Tier-2 and Tier-3 Cities Matter

Strengthening smaller cities is essential for:

·         Reducing pressure on megacities

·         Preventing groundwater and environmental crises

·         Promoting local employment

·         Enhancing climate resilience

·         Ensuring equitable growth

Investment in industrial clusters, medical colleges, skill centers, and sustainable infrastructure across states can reduce over-concentration in select urban hubs.

 Environmental Sustainability Must Be Central

India’s urban future depends on sustainable water management, green infrastructure, and decentralized growth. The water stress in NCR is a reminder that natural resources are finite.

Unchecked urban concentration accelerates depletion.

Balanced development is therefore not only an economic priority — it is an environmental necessity.

A Call for Awareness and Collective Responsibility

At our organization, we believe sustainable development must be inclusive and geographically balanced.

We encourage:

·         Evidence-based policy discussion

·         Citizen awareness on urban sustainability

·         Accountability in public spending

·         Community participation in environmental conservation

·         Long-term planning beyond electoral cycles

Internal migration in India should reflect aspiration — not compulsion.

Cities like Gurugram can continue to thrive, but only if development expands across all regions, reducing pressure on natural resources and ensuring dignity of opportunity everywhere.

Balanced development is not just policy.
It is a responsibility — shared by governments, institutions, and citizens alike.

 

About Our Initiative

At our organization, we are committed to advancing public health, sanitation, environmental sustainability, and equitable development across India. We believe that true progress is not measured only by economic growth, but by access — access to clean water, quality healthcare, education, safe living environments, and dignified livelihoods. Rapid urbanization and internal migration have highlighted the urgent need for balanced regional development. Through community engagement, awareness campaigns, research-based advocacy, and grassroots partnerships, we work to:

·         Promote sustainable water and sanitation practices

·         Strengthen health awareness in underserved communities

·         Advocate for evidence-based policy reform

·         Encourage environmental responsibility and resource conservation

·         Support inclusive development that reduces inequality

Our mission is rooted in the belief that sustainable cities begin with empowered communities — and that development must reach every district, not just a few urban centers. By fostering awareness, collaboration, and accountability, we aim to contribute to a future where opportunity, health, and sustainability are accessible to all.

 

Climate Change, Inequality, and Community-Led Solution Efforts in Gurgaon

Climate Change, Inequality, and Community-Led Solution Efforts in Gurgaon

Climate change is not only an environmental crisis; it is also a deeply human one. Across India, rising temperatures, pollution, and water stress are reshaping daily life, with the greatest impacts falling on those least equipped to adapt. The United Nations warns that climate change is accelerating existing inequalities, particularly in urban areas where economic divides, informal settlements, and environmental exposure intersect. Gurgaon offers a clear example of how climate change affects people unevenly — and why community-based action matters. 

Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in India

UNDP research highlights that climate impacts are distributed unevenly across populations. In India, low-income households, informal workers, women, children, and the elderly are often most exposed to climate risks such as heatwaves, pollution, and water insecurity. These groups typically have limited access to healthcare, secure housing, and adaptive resources.

Extreme heat has become one of the deadliest climate hazards in India. The UN notes that heat stress reduces labour productivity, worsens health outcomes, and disproportionately affects outdoor workers — many of whom live in urban peripheries or informal settlements. Climate change thus reinforces cycles of vulnerability rather than affecting all urban residents equally.

Gurgaon’s Human Climate Reality

While Gurgaon is often associated with corporate offices and modern infrastructure, large sections of its population live with limited environmental protection. Informal settlements and low-income neighbourhoods frequently lack reliable water supply, green spaces, and adequate waste management. Climate change magnifies these gaps.

UNEP reports that air pollution and heat exposure are closely linked, particularly in dense urban areas with limited tree cover. In Gurgaon, the loss of green spaces has reduced natural cooling, increasing heat exposure for communities living in poorly insulated housing. Water scarcity further compounds vulnerability, especially during summer months when demand peaks.

Why Community-Level Action Is Essential

The United Nations consistently emphasises that top-down climate policy alone is insufficient. Effective adaptation must be grounded in local realities and informed by community participation. Grassroots initiatives are crucial for translating climate goals into practical actions that people can adopt in their daily lives.

Community-based organisations help build trust, spread information, and support behaviour change — all of which are essential for long-term resilience. They also ensure that marginalised voices are included in climate responses, reducing the risk that adaptation efforts benefit only the most privileged.

HEEALS and Community Empowerment

In this context, HEEALS (Health Education Environment and Livelihood Society) plays a role in strengthening climate awareness at the community level in Gurgaon. The organisation works across environmental education, public health, and livelihoods, recognising that climate change intersects with everyday social challenges.

HEEALS engages communities through workshops, awareness materials, and youth-focused initiatives on issues such as climate change, waste management, and water conservation. By linking environmental knowledge with practical action, the organisation supports communities in making informed choices that contribute to sustainability.

Importantly, HEEALS aligns its work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, reinforcing the idea that climate action is inseparable from health, education, and social well-being.

Building Inclusive Climate Resilience

UNDP stresses that inclusive climate resilience requires empowering communities rather than treating them solely as beneficiaries. Education, participation, and local ownership are essential for ensuring that climate solutions are durable and equitable.

In Gurgaon, this means recognising that climate resilience is not just about infrastructure or technology, but also about social capacity. Community-level initiatives complement urban planning by addressing behavioural change, awareness gaps, and local vulnerabilities that large-scale policies often overlook.

Conclusion

Climate change in India’s cities is as much a social challenge as an environmental one. Gurgaon illustrates how climate risks intersect with inequality, shaping who is most exposed and who is most protected. UN frameworks underline the importance of inclusive, people-centred climate action.

By supporting awareness, participation, and sustainable practices at the community level, organisations like HEEALS contribute to building resilience from the ground up. Together with strong urban governance, such grassroots efforts are essential for ensuring that climate action in India’s cities is both effective and equitable.

Breaking the Period Taboo Starts With Talking — Not Whispering

Breaking the Period Taboo Starts With Talking — Not Whispering.

Every month, millions of girls face a silent struggle. Not just cramps or discomfort — but shame, stigma, and lack of support.

Because periods are treated as something “secret” or “dirty,” many girls miss school during menstruation. Some eventually drop out altogether — not because they lack dreams, but because they lack access to proper menstrual hygiene, safe toilets, or even the confidence to ask for help. A natural biological process should never be the reason a girl’s education stops.
Poor menstrual hygiene can also lead to infections, reproductive health issues, and long-term complications. But the damage isn’t only physical.
Constant embarrassment, teasing, and isolation can harm a girl’s mental health, lowering self-esteem and creating anxiety around something completely normal.
And this is why boys must be part of the conversation too.
When boys grow up understanding menstruation, they grow into men who respect, support, and stand beside women — not mock or shame them.
Period education is not “only for girls.” It is for families, schools, and society.
Breaking the taboo means:
✔ Talking openly at home and in classrooms
✔ Ensuring access to safe menstrual products
✔ Creating clean toilets and disposal systems
✔ Teaching boys empathy and awareness
✔ Replacing shame with science and support
Periods are not a problem. Silence is.
Let’s raise a generation that treats menstruation with dignity, knowledge, and compassion. 🩷

Climate Change in India and the Urban Challenge of Gurgaon!

Climate Change in India and the Urban Challenge of Gurgaon

-Kinga Hunyady

Climate change is increasingly reshaping India’s urban future. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are already affecting cities across the country. According to the United Nations, India is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations due to its rapid urbanisation, high population density, and exposure to climate-sensitive systems such as water and energy. As urban areas expand, cities have become critical sites where climate risk, infrastructure stress, and governance challenges converge.

India’s Urban Climate Context

UN climate assessments show that India has experienced a consistent rise in average temperatures over recent decades. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies South Asia as a region facing heightened risks from extreme heat, irregular monsoons, and increased flooding. Cities are particularly exposed because dense construction, limited vegetation, and high energy consumption amplify warming through the urban heat island effect.

India has committed to climate action under the Paris Agreement and has set ambitious targets for renewable energy and emissions intensity reduction. However, UN-Habitat notes that while mitigation efforts have gained momentum, urban adaptation remains underdeveloped, especially in secondary and rapidly expanding cities where planning systems struggle to keep pace with growth.

Gurgaon: Rapid Growth, Rising Climate Stress

Gurgaon (officially Gurugram), located in the National Capital Region, exemplifies these urban climate pressures. Once predominantly agricultural, the city has evolved into a major corporate and residential hub within a few decades. This transformation has generated economic opportunity but has also intensified environmental stress.

Air pollution remains a major concern. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights that urban air pollution is closely linked to climate change, as transport, construction, and energy use are major sources of both greenhouse gases and harmful pollutants. In Gurgaon, heavy traffic, ongoing construction, and limited public transport coverage contribute to persistent air quality problems.

Water Insecurity and Urban Planning

Water scarcity is another critical challenge. According to UN-Water, many Indian cities are extracting groundwater faster than it can naturally recharge. Gurgaon relies heavily on groundwater, while irregular rainfall linked to climate change has reduced recharge reliability. Rising temperatures further increase water demand, placing additional strain on urban water systems.

UN-Habitat emphasises that climate-resilient urban planning must integrate water management, land use, and ecosystem protection. In Gurgaon, fragmented governance and rapid private development have often limited such integration, increasing long-term vulnerability.

Cities as Climate Decision Spaces

The United Nations consistently stresses that cities are not just victims of climate change, but key actors in addressing it. Urban governments influence transport systems, land use, housing, and energy consumption — all of which shape climate outcomes. Effective climate action therefore depends on city-level decision-making that prioritises resilience alongside economic growth.

This requires coordinated planning, investment in green infrastructure, and collaboration between public authorities, civil society, and the private sector. Without such coordination, climate risks are likely to deepen existing inequalities and undermine urban sustainability.

Local Action and the Role of Civil Society

Civil society organisations play an important role in complementing urban governance by connecting policy goals with community action. In Gurgaon, organisations such as HEEALS (Health Education Environment and Livelihood Society) contribute through environmental education and awareness-raising initiatives that encourage sustainable practices at the local level.

By supporting climate awareness, waste management education, and water conservation initiatives, HEEALS helps reinforce broader climate objectives outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to sustainable cities and climate action.

Conclusion

India’s climate challenge will be largely determined in its cities. Gurgaon illustrates how rapid urbanisation, when not matched by climate-responsive planning, can intensify environmental and social risks. UN frameworks make clear that urban resilience must become central to India’s climate strategy. Integrating sustainability into city planning — while engaging communities and local organisations — will be essential for navigating a climate-constrained future.

Digital violence is real violence. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life. Even more devastating is the fact that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by their intimate partner or family.

It is a scourge that has intensified in different settings, but this year, the campaign for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women focuses on one in particular: the digital realm. Violence against women on online platforms is, today, a serious and rapidly growing threat that seeks to silence the voices of many women—especially those with a strong public and digital presence in fields such as politics, activism, or journalism.
It is a form of violence on the rise due to weak technological regulation, a lack of legal recognition of this type of aggression in some countries, the impunity of digital platforms, new and fast-evolving forms of abuse using AI, movements opposing gender equality, the anonymity of perpetrators, and the limited support for digital victims.
What is digital abuse?
Digital tools are increasingly being used to stalk, harass, and abuse women and girls. This includes:
• Image-based abuse/ non-consensual sharing of intimate images – often called revenge porn or leaked nudes.
• Cyberbullying, trolling, and online threats.
• Online harassment and sexual harassment.
• AI-generated deepfakes such as sexually explicit images, deepfake pornography, and digitally manipulated images, videos or audio.
• Hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms.
• Doxxing – publishing private information.
• Online stalking or surveillance/tracking to monitor someone’s activities.
• Online grooming and sexual exploitation.
• Catfishing and impersonation.
• Misogynistic networks – e.g.manosphere, incel forums.
These acts don’t just happen online. They often lead to offline violence in real life (IRL), such as coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide – killing of women and girls. The harm can be long-lasting and affect survivors over a prolonged period of time.
Digital violence targets women more than men, across all walks of life, but especially those with public or online visibility – such as activists, journalists, women in politics, human rights defenders, and young women.
The impact is even worse for women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, including race, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation
Did you know?
• 38% of women have experienced online violence and 85% have witnessed digital violence against others.
• Misinformation and defamation are the most prevalent forms of online violence against women. 67% of women and girls who have experienced digital violence reported this tactic.
• 90 – 95% of all online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images with around 90 per cent of these depicting women.
• 73% of women journalists reported experiencing online violence.
• Fewer than 40% of countries have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyber stalking. This leaves 44% of the world’s women and girls – 1.8 billion – without access to legal protection.

Source: Unicef

CSR & Grassroots NGOs: Unlocking Real Impact for India’s Communities : A Whitepaper by HEEALS

CSR & Grassroots NGOs: Unlocking Real Impact for India’s CommunitiesA Whitepaper by HEEALS

Executive Summary

Despite India’s progressive CSR law mobilizing billions of rupees annually, thousands of small, community-based NGOs—organizations doing incredible, high-impact work at the grassroots—struggle to access CSR funding.

This whitepaper highlights why CSR must rethink its approach and actively collaborate with grassroots NGOs like HEEALS. It outlines challenges, opportunities, and actionable strategies to build inclusive, high-impact CSR portfolios that go beyond optics and create deep, lasting change.

The Current CSR Landscape: Progress with Gaps

India is one of the few countries in the world where CSR spending is legally mandated. According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, CSR spending crossed ₹30,000 crores in FY 2022–23. Major investments have been made in education, healthcare, skill development, and rural development.

However, the beneficiaries of this funding are often large, well-known NGOs with established visibility and capacity. Smaller, grassroots organizations—like HEEALS—are left out, even though they work with the most marginalized populations and have proven, cost-effective interventions.

The Grassroots Struggle

Despite being deeply embedded in communities, solving real problems, and driving sustainable change, grassroots NGOs face three persistent challenges:

❌ They don’t have a big brand name – Corporates prefer large NGOs for credibility and publicity.
❌ They lack resources for polished reports & presentations – Proposal writing, impact measurement, and compliance take up disproportionate energy.
❌ They are invisible on donor platforms – Without networks and visibility, they remain off the radar of CSR managers.

But here’s the reality: impact isn’t measured by the size of an organization—it’s measured by the change they create.

Hidden Costs of Ignoring Small NGOs

When CSR funds bypass grassroots organizations, there are consequences:

• Missed Reach: Marginalized communities in remote areas stay untouched.
• Loss of Contextual Solutions: Large programs may not be culturally sensitive, leading to low adoption.
• Reduced ROI: Large NGOs may have higher overhead costs, resulting in lower per-rupee impact.

Why CSR Should Support Grassroots NGOs

They Understand the Ground Reality
Grassroots NGOs work where large organizations often can’t—villages, slums, and semi-urban belts—building trust with communities.

They Create Sustainable Change
Because they are part of the community, they focus on long-term, trust-based solutions rather than short-term campaigns.

They Deliver High ROI
A fraction of the funds given to a large NGO can transform a grassroots project—maximizing impact per rupee spent.

A Smarter CSR Strategy: What Needs to Change

CSR must go beyond compliance and optics. Here’s how corporates can unlock real impact:

1. Diversify Your CSR Portfolio

Balance investments between large and small NGOs to achieve both scale and depth of impact.

2. Pilot Small Grants, Then Scale

Start with ₹10–20 lakh projects to build trust and evaluate impact before scaling funding.

3. Invest in Capacity Building

Support grassroots NGOs in strengthening governance, compliance, and reporting—not just project funding.

4. Simplify Processes

Make proposals and reporting formats accessible to small NGOs, reducing administrative burdens.

5. Measure Impact, Not Optics

Focus on lives changed, not logos displayed. Impact data matters more than branding opportunities.

HEEALS: A Case Study for CSR Partnership

HEEALS has been working since 2010 to address urgent issues like:

• Menstrual Hygiene: Pads distribution, awareness workshops, and taboos reduction.
• Mental Health & Gender Equality: School-based counseling and community awareness.
• WASH: Safe drinking water and sanitation programs in rural schools.
• Child Marriage & Dowry Prevention: Legal literacy campaigns and stakeholder dialogues.
• Food & Mood Program : Distributed Nutritious Food Packets and Organized Workshop
• Health, Education, Environment and Skill learning programs .

With limited resources, HEEALS has positively impacted thousands of children and women in Meerut, Gurgaon, and other NCR regions. CSR support could scale these efforts to reach tens of thousands more.

Call to Action for Corporate CSR Leaders

 CSR is about impact, not just optics.

• Corporates: Open your doors to small, credible NGOs and create a balanced portfolio.
• Policymakers: Incentivize CSR collaborations with grassroots organizations.
• NGOs: Continue building credibility, document impact rigorously, and seek partnerships.

Supporting grassroots NGOs like HEEALS ensures no community is left behind and that CSR truly delivers on India’s promise of inclusive growth.

Email: communications@heeals.org

Whatssapp +91-7982316660

Website : www.heeals.org

IG: @heealsindia