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Gone are the days when hill stations were the ultimate escape—where you’d breathe in crisp, clean air and let the magic of nature wrap around you like a soft, woollen shawl. The clouds that once floated by like nature’s pure poetry—sacred, untouched, and brimming with serenity—are now carrying a far less romantic story.
A recent study by the Atmospheric Sciences Division of the Bose Institute has revealed a rather unsettling truth: these fluffy, innocent-looking clouds are now vehicles for toxic heavy metals. We’re talking cadmium, copper, chromium, zinc—the sort of uninvited guests you don’t want anywhere near your lungs, skin, or water sources.
It’s a quiet, almost invisible exchange. Polluted lowlands release contaminants into the air, and the clouds—drifting lazily into the pristine heights of the Himalayas and the lush folds of the Western Ghats—carry that pollution straight to some of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth. The romantic notion of “pure mountain rain” is now, sadly, more fiction than fact.
The real kicker? This contamination isn’t limited to rainy days. Researchers found these metals in non-precipitating clouds during the onset of the Indian monsoon, meaning even when it’s not raining, the air is still quietly laced with toxins. The health stakes are high—long-term exposure could mean everything from developmental issues to cancer.
It’s a sobering reminder that pollution has no boundaries. It doesn’t just stay where it’s made—it climbs mountains, crosses valleys, and settles in the very places we once considered safe havens.
**This news was published on Times of India on 6th August, 2025.
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