NO LOVE In THEAIR

The city hospitals are witnessing a disturbing new trend. Patients now include people who are otherwise healthy. There is an unprecedented surge in respiratory illnesses affecting all, skyrocketing the demand for inhalers and other related medication

- Ifrah Mufti

ALL-time high OPD cases, packed eye-care centres, and chemists are unprecedented spikes in reporting the sale of inhalers, cold syrups, and nasal sprays-Delhi's air pollution grapples all. It is a fullblown 'public health emergency, as the AIIMS pulmonary head termed it three days ago. City doctors say the crisis is changing the baseline of health in the city. People who never had a history of asthma issues are developing symptoms. Chronic patients are suffering a faster deterioration. Children's lungs are under stress. Pregnant women and infants are at heightened risk, and healthy young adults are waking up with inflamed eyes, congested sinuses and persistent coughs and headaches.

The State of Global Air 2025 report warns that India recorded over two million deaths linked to toxic air in 2023. With PM 2.5 concentrations in South Asia among the highest worldwide, experts describe it as a deepening environmental and human crisis. Environment experts and policy-makers are of the view that India's pollution stems from multiple sources, with residential solid-fuel burning contributing around 30% of the ambient PM2.5, with vehicles, coal-fired power plants, industrial emissions, and agricultural residue burning adding to the load.

"Delhi represents the sharp edge of India's air pollution emergency," said Dr Rakesh K Chawla, the head of the department of respiratory medicine, sleep and interventional pulmonology at Jaipur Golden Hospital in Rohini. He pointed out that each winter, particulate-matter levels soar to nearly 10 times that of the WHO safe limit. "After Diwali and the stubble-burning season, the city sits under a lid of stagnant cold air that traps toxins.

This isn't just a seasonal inconvenience; it's a continuous assault on lungs that weakens immunity, worsens asthma, and accelerates chronic lung disease. Clean air must be treated as a basic right, not a luxury dependent on weather or wind," he said.