The real impact of pollution

The rising intensity of air pollution is wreak-ing havoc on our health.

- By Dr Sudhir Rawal

On November 18, 2024, New Delhi recorded the highest air quality index (AQI) that has been recorded in India—a staggering 1,081. With this, the city infamously earned the distinction of being the most polluted in the world that day. What is particularly disturbing in that New Delhi isn’t just any other city—it, along with parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), is home to 33 million people.

The crisis is nothing short of a curse for the residents of the Indo-Gangetic plains—a region that houses nearly half of India’s population. According to a 2019 study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, individuals living here are expected to lose up to seven years of life expectancy as compared to those in less polluted regions. The major culprits here are vehicular emissions, industrial and construction activities, and the widespread use of bio-mass for heating and cooking—all of which release fine particulate matter and toxic gases into the atmosphere.