Air Pollution in Delhi
Authorities in the Indian capital have ordered primary schools to hold classes online, issued construction bans, and urged people to work from home as the annual scourge of air pollution reached the "severe" category in a health alert system for the first time this season. The toxic air sparked anti-government protests and calls for people with health problems to simply leave Delhi if they can.
Health Alert System
According to India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the severe classification indicates potentially serious health effects for people with weakened immune systems and negative effects even on healthy people. The emergency measures were announced after Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) rose sharply to 425. An AQI between 400 and 450 is classified as "severe" and typically requires authorities to implement emergency measures under the government’s phased pollution response plan.
Causes of Air Pollution
The air quality in India’s capital is deteriorating sharply due to a number of factors including the burning of agricultural waste and seasonal climatic conditions. But activists say authorities have not done enough to curb air pollution. At the weekend, hundreds of people protested for the first time against the poor air quality at India Gate in Delhi. Several demonstrators wore gas masks in symbolic protest and held banners, including one that read: "I can’t breathe."
Protests and Warnings
Earlier this month, one of the city’s leading pulmonologists, Dr. Gopi Chand Khilnani, advised people with health problems who can afford to leave Delhi temporarily to do so. “Everyone cannot afford to leave Delhi because it is not easy,” Khilnani said. "But for those who suffer from chronic lung disease or chronic heart disease, those who require oxygen and those who have the opportunity and ability to travel abroad or to less polluted places, I strongly advise them to leave Delhi in six to eight weeks to protect themselves from the stress of shortness of breath, need for oxygen, etc."
Health Effects
The toxic air affects the health of people in the city, regardless of underlying health problems. Many Delhi residents are complaining of breathing problems and eye irritation this week. “Every breath in Delhi NCR [National Capital Region] Today, it comes with high healthcare costs – we are seeing more patients struggling with shortness of breath, asthma and heart problems, especially among children, elderly and those with chronic diseases," Dr Harshal Ramesh Salve of the Center for Community Medicine at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told a group of journalists on Monday.
Report on Air Pollution
A current report, Countdown on Health and Climate Change 2025, published by the medical journal Lancet, contained a dire warning for India: The country recorded around 1.72 million deaths from outdoor air pollution in 2022, a staggering 38 percent increase since 2010.
