As smog envelops northern India, cities beyond the capital face dire health risks, with a lack of awareness hindering meaningful action.
Most of India’s Smog Crisis Lies Beyond Delhi's Borders
Most of India’s Smog Crisis Lies Beyond Delhi's Borders
While Delhi garners attention for air pollution, northern cities like Chandigarh experience even worse conditions.
In the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, lawyer Imran Ahmed Ali describes stepping outside his home and feeling the immediate impact of toxic air: “It felt like I was inhaling smoke.” Pollution levels in Chandigarh, planned city yet perilously close to a crisis, have surged beyond 15 times the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit for over a month.
Like millions of others in northern India, Ali has been dealing with the harsh realities of winter pollution — a seasonal ordeal that exacerbates health complications. Initially dismissing his dry cough as a common cold, the severity of his chest congestion led him to seek medical help. Tests confirmed that the culprit was pollution, and he now requires medication twice daily to manage his symptoms.
Reports by Swiss firm IQAir highlight that eight of the ten most polluted cities globally were in the Indo-Gangetic plains—an area stretching through northern India and parts of neighboring countries, home to over 540 million people. The recent Energy Policy Institute report indicates these conditions could shave off 5.4 years of life expectancy on average.
Despite the alarming air quality, attention is disproportionately focused on Delhi. Partha Basu from the Environmental Defense Fund points out, “Delhi’s status as the capital draws focus, but other cities like Chandigarh or Meerut are suffering just as much.”
Every winter, the government of Delhi implements measures such as driving restrictions and bans on construction during peak pollution, but very few other cities adopt similar approaches. Misconceptions persist that rural areas remain cleaner; however, pollution is affecting agricultural workers in small towns and villages just as much.
The causes are multifaceted: vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, crop burning, and a lethal combination of stagnant weather. As cold air traps pollutants near the ground, public health deteriorates. Dr. Rajesh Gupta, a pulmonary specialist, notes that even healthy individuals are afflicted, especially children and the elderly.
In Meerut, 100 kilometers from Delhi, Aditi Garg laments her changed outdoor routine due to persistent high pollution levels, now staying indoors next to her air purifier. For many, indoor shelter isn’t an option. Daily wage workers, numbering in the millions, are particularly vulnerable.
Mohammed Salim Siddiqui, a vendor in Kanpur, faces the pollution every day and voices the urgent need for solutions. Initiatives like the National Clean Air Programme launched in 2019 aim for cleaner air by 2026, but experts stress that coordination at local and state levels remains ineffective.
Ali and Garg agree: there's a sharp lack of discourse around this pressing issue. “Many have accepted these conditions as unavoidable,” says Ali. "It's an annual topic, only to be forgotten until next winter."
