Scores of demonstrators gathered in New Delhi on Sunday, urging government intervention against toxic air pollution, as a dense smog with harmful microparticles enveloped the city.
Parents in the protest brought their kids, who donned masks and held placards, one of which read: “I miss breathing.”
New Delhi, with its vast metropolitan area of 30 million people, is frequently ranked as one of the world’s most polluted capitals.
Each winter, acrid smog covers the skyline as cooler air traps pollutants, creating a lethal combination of emissions from crop burning, industrial activities, and heavy traffic.
PM2.5 levels — cancer-causing particles small enough to enter the bloodstream — can rise up to 60 times the UN’s daily health guidelines.
“Today I am here as a mother,” said protester Namrata Yadav, who attended with her son.
“I don’t want to become a climate refugee,” she added.
On Sunday, PM2.5 levels at India Gate, the iconic monument where protesters gathered, exceeded 13 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum.
“Year after year, it’s the same story with no resolution,” said Tanvi Kusum, a lawyer who joined the protest out of “frustration.”
“We must exert pressure for the government to take this issue seriously,” she remarked.
Fragmented government measures have yet to make a significant impact.
These include partial restrictions on fossil fuel vehicles and water trucks spraying mist to reduce airborne particles.
“Pollution is cutting short our lives,” said a young woman claiming to “speak for Delhi,” who declined to reveal her name.
A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health last year linked 3.8 million deaths in India from 2009 to 2019 to air pollution.
The United Nations children’s agency warns that polluted air significantly increases the risk of acute respiratory infections in children.
As the sun set behind the smog-laden skyline, the number of protesters appeared to grow before police detained several activists, confiscating their placards and banners, citing a lack of protest permits.
One torn placard read: “I just want to breathe.”
