Air pollution in the Greater Delhi Region has escalated into a full-blown public health crisis, with millions exposed daily to hazardous levels of toxic air.
The smog that blankets the city during winters, combined with fine particulate matter from vehicle emissions, industrial activity, and construction dust, is severely impacting the health and lives of residents—especially children, pregnant women, the elderly, and essential service workers. According to an August 2024 report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), residents of Delhi are losing an average of nearly eight years of life expectancy due to high PM2.5 concentrations. These microscopic particles, less than 2.5 microns in diameter, penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, increasing risks of heart disease, asthma, hypertension, and stroke. In the congested Khayala village in West Delhi, Sunita (name changed), a mother of four, wakes up every morning to dust or smog. “My children cough constantly, especially in winter,” she says. Her youngest, a two-year-old, has already been hospitalised twice for respiratory illness. The danger is widespread. Ram Kumar (name changed), a middle-aged government employee, developed nasal polyps and aggravated asthma from decades of exposure to diesel fumes and construction dust. He continues to live in the capital for his children’s future but says he finds real relief only when visiting his ancestral village or coastal towns far from Delhi’s industrial haze. Studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that air pollution causes around 7 million deaths globally every year, with India among the worst affected. Outdoor and household air pollution together contributed to approximately 1.8 million deaths in India in 2016, primarily from heart and lung diseases.
Delhi remains one of the most polluted cities in the world, with 2021 data from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showing average PM2.5 levels at 109 µg/m³, over 10 times the WHO’s safe limit. Cities across the National Capital Region—Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and NOIDA—reported similarly alarming figures. Pollution sources include traffic emissions, industrial output, dust from construction and demolition, and seasonal crop burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Informal settlements suffer the most, where poor housing and sanitation make residents more vulnerable to toxic exposure. Children, with underdeveloped lungs and immune systems, are especially at risk. Air pollution is also known to cross the placental barrier, causing developmental harm to unborn babies. A study by The Lancet links poor air quality to premature births and lifelong respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Essential services workers—such as sanitation staff, traffic police, and firefighters—face prolonged exposure without adequate protection. Research by the Indian Institute of Public Health has found higher rates of respiratory disease in this group than the general population. In response, authorities have rolled out the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, and the Delhi government’s Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Initiatives such as the Odd-Even Scheme, expansion of public transport, and increased electric vehicle use aim to reduce tailpipe emissions.
Cleaner transport, rooftop solar power, improved industrial practices, and responsible waste management are gradually gaining ground, but experts warn these steps are not enough. Stricter enforcement, mass awareness, and health monitoring systems are urgently needed. Without decisive, sustained action, Delhi’s air will continue to cut lives short—silently, but devastatingly.
