"Shouldn’t Property Prices Be Linked To AQI?” Nithin Kamath Raises Big Question On India’s Rising Air Pollution Issue

After American CEO Bryan Johnson known for his ‘age-reversing’ experiments, recently walked out of Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast due to poor air quality at a Mumbai hotel.

Remarking on the incident, Nikhil’s brother and the other co-founder of Zerodha, Nithin Kamath, said that the air pollution issue isn’t just limited to Delhi.

Sharing his thoughts on platform X, Nithin Kamath wrote, “The biggest takeaway from meeting Bryan Johnson was debunking the myth that only Delhi faces air quality issues and only in winter. While recording Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast in a sea-facing apartment in Bandra, the AQI was a whopping 160+. If it’s this high in Bandra, imagine the levels in more crowded areas. 

Later, I got an AQI meter for our Bengaluru office in JP Nagar, a quiet corner of the city and was shocked to see it reading 120+. Again, imagine how much worse it might be in the busier parts. Bengaluru’s problem is worsened by dust from ongoing construction and poor roads."

Zerodha boss Nithin Kamath claims property prices should be linked to AQI

Admitting that every Indian citizen has the right to access clean air, the entrepreneur opined that property prices should be linked to the air quality index (AQI). “So, shouldn’t property prices be linked to AQI?” the Zeodha boss asked. 

The biggest takeaway for me after meeting @bryan_johnson was debunking the myth I once believed: that only Delhi in India has an air quality problem—and that it occurs only in winter.

We recorded @nikhilkamathcio’s (link in the following tweet) WTF podcast in a sea-facing… pic.twitter.com/qUJPuNTaax

— Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) February 4, 2025

“The higher the AQI, the lower the real estate prices should be,” Nithin remarked. “That means if an area has poor air quality, property prices and rents should be lower, and vice versa. After all, by living in such areas, you are accepting higher odds of respiratory ailments, cancer, etc.,” he explained further.

He regretted that enough research is not done in India on the country’s biggest crisis, air pollution. He concluded by saying Zerodha’s Rainmatter would love to collaborate with researchers working on India’s AQI.

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