Throttled city

PM2.5 can be generated within an already polluted atmosphere and this secondary formation is one of the most underestimated reasons for persistently high pollution levels in cities like Delhi. Even when direct emissions arereduced, polluted air rich in precursor gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds can chemically reactinthe atmosphere to form new fine particulate matter. Under conditions common to Delhi- high humidity, low wind speed, fog, and temperatureinversion~ these gases undergo complex photochemicaland aqueous-phasereactions, producingsecondary PM2.5 such as sulfates, nitrates, and organic aerosols

- DEBAPRIYA MUKHERJEE

Air pollution in Delhi has reached a critical and almost irreversible stage, turning the city into one of the most polluted capitals in the world and posing a serious threat to public health and environmental sustainability. For a significant part of the year, especially during winter, the air becomes a toxic mix of PM 2.5 and PM 10, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, construction dust, and smoke from biomass and stubble burning, often pushing the Air Quality Index into the "severe" category. Dense smog reduces visibility, disrupts daily life, and leads to a sharp rise in respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, particularly among children, the elderly, and outdoor workers.

I wish to record my deep grievance over the chronic and almost normalized failure of India's air-pollution governance, where responsibility has been systematically avoided by scientists, politicians, institutions, and society together. Scientific data produced for agencies like the Central Pollution Control Board accumulated year after year, but without moral pressure or unified scientific resistance, it failed to translate into enforceable action. Politically, pollution persists because it is a slow killer without immediate electoral consequences. Accountability is diluted through blame-shifting between central and state governments, seasonal excuses, and symbolic emergency measures that vanish once winter ends.