View: We Cannot Normalise Dirty Air Anymore

As I write this on the 3rd of November, Delhi has woken up to its third consecutive morning of dense smog. The light feels muted, the air hangs heavy, and the city moves a little slower. Every year, around this time, the conversation about air quality resurfaces — AQI charts circulate, parents worry about school hours, and citizens exchange tips on air purifiers. Then the wind changes, and the topic drifts away.

But this cycle of attention and amnesia has gone on too long. What Delhi and the wider NCR are experiencing each winter is no longer just a pollution episode. It is a public health crisis — one that affects everyone, regardless of age, income, or fitness level.

The comparisons with COVID-19 are not exaggerated. Both target the same systems: the lungs, the heart, and immunity. During the pandemic, we wore masks, checked data dashboards, stayed indoors, and took no chances. Today, the same air that makes our eyes water and throats burn contains particulate matter that quietly damages our lungs and heart. Yet, we behave as though this is normal. It is not.

Doctors are sounding the alarm. Dr Naresh Trehan of Medanta has said that high pollution levels “can trigger heart attacks, strokes and respiratory distress,” especially among the elderly and children. Former AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria adds that these fine particles “do not just stay in the lungs — they enter the bloodstream and travel to all parts of the body, increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and even dementia.”

There is growing medical evidence that sustained exposure to toxic air can also worsen autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, as well as affect brain development in children. This means the impact of pollution is not short-term; it stays in the body and reshapes our health trajectory for years.

And yet, we continue to see morning walkers in parks without masks when AQI levels are “severe.” We send children to playgrounds on days when visibility is poor. We attend outdoor events as if the air is merely unpleasant rather than unsafe. This acceptance — this normalisation — is as dangerous as complacency was during COVID’s early days.

The harm extends beyond individual health. Every winter, a part of the city’s energy, productivity, and well-being is quietly drained. People fall sick more often; schools shift online; outdoor work slows down. Healthcare costs rise, and with them, the emotional and financial stress on families. These are not abstract economic figures — they are lived realities for millions.

The city’s reputation and quality of life are also at stake. Delhi is a cultural, economic, and diplomatic hub — a place that hosts world leaders, global events, and thriving industries. But the images of its landmarks shrouded in haze do not tell the story of ambition and growth that India wants to project. They reflect the scale of a problem we have yet to solve with conviction.

The solutions are known — cleaner fuels, tighter emissions control, improved waste and dust management, better coordination on crop residue burning, and rapid expansion of electric mobility. The question is not what to do; it is how urgently and how consistently we do it.

Policy measures alone won’t suffice. Citizens, schools, and organisations must respond with the same seriousness once reserved for pandemic precautions. High-quality masks should return when pollution spikes. Indoor air quality should be monitored in offices and classrooms. Physical activity schedules should adapt to real-time AQI data.

Businesses can also frame this as a health and productivity challenge, not merely an environmental one — linking clean air to workforce well-being, reduced absenteeism, and sustainable growth. This is not an act of corporate responsibility; it is an investment in resilience.

For households, this is a reminder to stay informed and proactive. For policymakers, it is an appeal to maintain momentum beyond the winter months. And for all of us, it is a call to stop normalising the haze as an unavoidable part of Delhi life.

Bad air is not the cost of urban living. It is a signal of what we stand to lose — health, focus, and time itself. The air may seem still outside, but beneath that stillness lies a slow-burning emergency that demands our full attention.

Clean air is not a privilege. It is a necessity — for our bodies, our families, and our city’s future and our future.

Rakesh Thukral is CEO APAC for Edelman. Views expressed are personal.