Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath initiated a topic of discussion proposing that real estate prices should be related to air quality. He suggested that properties in highly polluted areas should have lower valuations due to the health risks involved. On his brother Nikhil’s WTF podcast, Nithin Kamath debunked a myth he once believed in. He disclosed the biggest takeaway from age-reversal millionaire Bryan Johnson’s looks.
The Biotech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson known for his extreme longevity experiments talked about health on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast previously. In the middle of their conversation, Johnson, who was wearing a face mask, unexpectedly cut the discussion short, citing the reason as India’s air pollution. When Nikhil Kamath asked just how bad the air quality was, Johnson cheekily remarked,
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“I can’t see you over there.”
When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality. @nikhilkamathcio was a gracious host and we were having a great time. The problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I’d brought with me ineffective.
Inside,… https://t.co/xTkpW567Xv
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 3, 2025
Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath faced reality when he understood that it is not only Delhi that suffers from poor air quality
Nithin had this conception that in India only Delhi suffers from poor air quality and only in winter. But influenced by the conversation with entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, Nithin realized that not only Delhi but Mumbai and Bengaluru are also polluted. His recent experiences with the cities also backed this realization.
Kamath wrote on LinkedIn,
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“So, shouldn’t property prices be linked to AQI? The higher the AQI, the lower the real estate prices should be. 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”
While recording a podcast in Mumbai’s Bandra, Kamath was surprised to find the AQI at 160+ in a sea-facing apartment. Similarly, near his Bengaluru office location in JP Nagar, which is a secluded area, recorded an AQI of 120+. He said,
“If the AQI was this high in Bandra, just imagine the levels in the more crowded parts of the town. Later, I got an AQI meter for our office in J.P. Nagar-a quiet corner of Bengaluru-and was shocked to see it reading 120+. Again, imagine how much worse it might be in the busier parts of the city. What makes matters trickier in Bengaluru is the dust from the ongoing construction boom and poor roads”
Citing Bengaluru’s rapid construction and poor roads that worsen air pollution, he remarked,
“If the AQI was this high in Bandra, imagine the levels in more congested areas”
Check the LinkedIn post here.
As a way to push for better environmental policies, Kamath has previously proposed linking property values to air and water quality, suggesting a ‘property price discount’ for high-AQI areas.
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Kamath also shared his concern in a post on Instagram
He wrote,
“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”
Kamath also mentioned that most places in the US and Europe have AQI below 50 and long-term exposure to poor air quality can impact one’s health. He added,
“This has bothered me ever since. Everyone should have equal access to clean air. With water, you can use a filter to ensure decent quality. But what about air? We seem to have gotten used to the fact that air pollution is just a part of life, and we’re okay with breathing low-quality air-even though clean air is a fundamental right granted to citizens by the Constitution”
View this post on Instagram
Kamath also advised researchers and hospital chains to collaborate with Zerodha’s Rainmatter organization to study the effect of poor air quality on public health.
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Here is how netizens reacted to the discussion
Here is the podcast that led to the discussion
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What do you think about Nithin’s suggestion? Let us know in the comments.
