Focus

For almost 6 months every year, residents of New Delhi suffocate under a blanket of pollution. The Indian capital is among the most polluted cities in the world, and new records are set each November. The fine particles in New Delhi’s air are 60 times that of levels recommended by the WHO, which can cost an average of 12 years in life expectancy for a lifetime spent in the city. For children, the impact is even more serious: being born in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 30 cigarettes a day. One child in three suffers from serious respiratory illnesses, and cancers in children, particularly lung cancer, are on the rise. To combat this invisible evil, citizens are taking action by demanding their fundamental right to clean air. But neither PM Narendra Modi nor his environment minister have expressed any concern regarding the apocalyptic situation in the national capital. Marion Laouamen, Khansa Juned and Navodita Kumari report.