India’s capital city woke up on Friday to a grim milestone as the city entered its seventh consecutive day of severe pollution. A thick, toxic haze continues to blanket the skyline, reducing visibility and trapping millions in what medical experts are now calling a life-threatening public health emergency. The relentless smog has prompted leading doctors at AIIMS to issue a red alert, warning that the damage is no longer confined to lungs but is attacking every organ in the body.
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Dr. Anant Mohan, head of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS, did not mince words when describing the crisis. He stated that the pollution here is absolutely severe and life-threatening. He emphasized that this situation has persisted for a decade with little on-ground change, leading to a scenario where the toxic air is now cutting into the life expectancy of residents. The medical evidence is overwhelming. Hospitals are reporting a 15 percent spike in respiratory cases, with wards overflowing with patients suffering from wheezing, burning eyes, and fast-deteriorating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The crisis is visible in the numbers, yet those numbers tell a complicated story. While the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an AQI of 400-plus in key hotspots like Wazirpur, Bawana, and Anand Vihar, many citizens are confused by the discrepancy between local and international data. On days when the official Indian AQI hits the ceiling of 500, international monitors often show readings of 800 or even higher.
This gap exists because India’s Air Quality Index is capped at 500. When the scale was designed in 2014, experts believed that values above 500 would not serve a practical purpose for public communication, as anything in the “Severe” category already demands the strictest emergency response. However, international bodies use the US EPA scale, which has no upper limit and categorizes levels above 300 as “Hazardous.” This technical limitation in the Indian scale often masks the true extent of the toxicity on the worst days, leading to a false sense that the pollution has hit a plateau when it may actually be worsening.
The Supreme Court has also weighed in, suggesting that schools consider deferring sports events. The court noted that conducting outdoor activities now was like making children train in gas chambers. This judicial observation aligns with findings from a recent LocalCircles survey, which indicated that 80 percent of households in Delhi-NCR have had at least one member fall ill due to the toxic air in the last month.
Dr. Saurabh Mittal from AIIMS warned that the city is creating new patients every year. He noted a disturbing trend where people with no prior history of respiratory illness are now showing up with severe symptoms. The medical consensus is clear. Masks and air purifiers are merely band-aids on a gaping wound. Without a systemic, year-round overhaul of how the region manages transport, construction, and biomass burning, Delhi is destined to repeat this breathless cycle.
