NEW DELHI: More than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses were recorded at six state-run hospitals in New Delhi between 2022 and 2024, government data revealed on Tuesday, highlighting the severe health impact of toxic air in the capital. The figures show that over 30,000 patients required hospitalisation during the three-year period.
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Delhi, home to around 30 million people, regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities. Winter months are particularly hazardous as cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating dense smog from crop burning, heavy traffic, and industrial emissions. Levels of PM2.5, tiny particles capable of entering the bloodstream and causing cancer, can reach up to 60 times the daily limits set by the United Nations.
Delhi records 200,000 acute respiratory illness cases amid toxic air https://t.co/uTYgRRLor9
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Junior Health Minister Prataprao Jadhav told parliament that rising pollution levels are closely linked to increased visits to emergency rooms. “Analysis suggests that an increase in pollution levels was associated with an increase in the number of patients attending emergency rooms,” he said in a written reply.
A 2024 study in The Lancet Planetary Health estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution. The United Nations children’s agency has also warned that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.
However, the health ministry cautioned that air pollution alone cannot be blamed for the spike in hospital cases. Factors such as diet, occupational exposure, socioeconomic conditions, medical history, immunity, and heredity all play a role in respiratory health outcomes.
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As Delhi continues to grapple with worsening air quality, experts emphasise the need for urgent interventions, including stricter emissions controls, better public awareness, and improved healthcare preparedness, to reduce the burden of pollution-related illnesses.