The Invisible Emergency: India’s Air Pollution Crisis Reaches New Heights

As the northern hemisphere settles into its winter chill, the India once again finds itself choking under a thick, grey blanket of smog, transforming its capital, New Delhi, and surrounding regions into one of the most hazardous places on Earth to draw a breath. For millions of residents, the onset of November signals not just a change in season, but the start of a public health emergency that demands a sustained global focus. Today, the crisis escalated sharply, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi surging past the Severe threshold, exceeding 600 in some areas in the early morning, according to real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a key Indian government authority.

The core of this annual catastrophe is a toxic synergy of factors: unchecked local emissions, regional agricultural practices, and unfavourable weather patterns that trap pollutants close to the ground. Official government data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Air Quality Early Warning System indicates that the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category for the foreseeable future, warning that this period, historically, presents the most polluted fortnight of the year. While the Delhi government has announced a comprehensive 25-point ‘Winter Action Plan’, including the deployment of mechanical sweepers and anti-smog guns, and strict enforcement on construction sites, the stark reality remains that these measures are battling a crisis of a much larger, systemic scale.

The primary culprits are well-documented. Rapid motorization has made vehicular emissions a significant contributor, accounting for a large percentage of local pollution in major cities. Industrial operations, particularly those reliant on coal, continuously pump vast amounts of particulate matter (PM) into the air. Crucially, the seasonal practice of stubble burning by farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, peaking during October and November, introduces colossal plumes of smoke that are carried by northwest winds directly into the National Capital Region (NCR). A report by the NGO Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) noted a sharp decline in air quality across India in October, particularly in the NCR, identifying vehicular pollution, crop residue burning, and industrial emissions as major causes. CREA’s findings starkly underline the failure of existing plans to contain the crisis before it reaches hazardous levels.

The resulting air quality, dominated by the minuscule, lung-penetrating PM2.5 particles, poses a grave risk to public health. The consequences are measured not just in hazy visibility, which often grounds flights and cripples road transport, but in shortened lifespans and soaring mortality rates. The severity of the health crisis has been underscored by medical experts. A recent study, cited by leading medical professionals, suggests that approximately 15% of all deaths in Delhi are now linked to air pollution, acting as a chronic stressor that accelerates or worsens underlying conditions like heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Doctors are reporting a worrying rise in respiratory illnesses, including lung cancer, even among non-smokers, confirming that fine particulate matter is a Group 1 human carcinogen, placing it in the same category as tobacco smoke, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While government agencies point to incremental improvements in long-term average air quality figures in some months of 2025 as evidence of policy success, the consistent annual spike demonstrates an urgent gap between policy and execution. Despite the government’s efforts to promote the shift to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles, and the banning of certain dirty fuels for industrial use, the sheer volume of pollution sources, coupled with poor enforcement, often negates the progress made during cleaner periods. Furthermore, while the government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aims to achieve a 20-30% reduction in PM concentrations by 2024 (from 2017 levels), the scale of the challenge suggests this goal remains distant for the country’s most polluted cities. The recurring health emergency of the Indian winter is no longer an isolated regional problem; it is a global embarrassment and a profound humanitarian crisis demanding not only robust local accountability but also sustained international attention and technological assistance.