People flee toxic air

SMOGGY: INDIA'S NEW DELHI IS THE WORLD'S MOST POLLUTED CITY

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ACRID. A boy looks for reusable waste as smoke billows from burning garbage at the Ghazipur landfill amid smoggy conditions in New Delhi, India.

(AFP)

Pollution levels in India's capital shaped Natasha Uppal and her husband's decision on parenthood either raise their child away from the city, or stay put and remain childless.

New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution.

Uppal, who grew up in the city, often considered leaving especially on days spent indoors with air purifiers humming, or when she battled severe migraines.

The turning point came when the couple decided to try for a baby.

"When we thought about what we can curate for our child in Delhi," she said, "the air just became such a blocker for so many of those things."

In 2022, they relocated to Bengaluru and, days later, she discovered she was pregnant.

They are among a small but growing number of families leaving Delhi because of health risks linked to air pollution.