Shortness of breath: living in the world's most polluted environment

Shortness of breath: living in the world's most polluted environment

New Delhi is home to the first clinic specializing in pollution-related diseases. Deepak Rajak, a 64-year-old, has great difficulty breathing. In the last few days his asthma has worsened significantly, which is why his daughter took him to the clinic concerned. In the waiting room, Rajak tells CNN he is "very breathless" and can't stop coughing. "It's impossible to breathe. I just came on the bus and felt like I was suffocating," he says.

A new health center for an acute crisis

The specialist clinic at Ram Manohar Lohiya (RML) Hospital was set up last year to help the growing number of patients affected by the dangerous air pollution that increases in the Indian capital every winter. Outside, a painful and toxic smog has settled over the city since late last month, day turning into night, flights disrupted, buildings no longer visible and the lives of millions of people at risk.

Medical emergency and government measures

Last week it emerged that there is no other place on earth where the air is so hazardous to health, global air quality monitoring agencies reported. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi declared a "medical emergency" while authorities closed schools and asked people to stay at home. But that's not an option for Rajak as he relies on his dry cleaning job to support his family. "What can I do? I have to leave the house to work," he explains, adding: "If I don't earn money, how will I eat? When I leave the house, my throat becomes completely blocked. In the evening I feel lifeless."

The effects of air pollution

Rajak has already had to go to hospital once this year because the smog aggravated his asthma. With no improvement in sight, his daughter, Kajal Rajak, fears he will have to be hospitalized again - an added financial burden as they already struggle to cover the cost of inhalers and expensive diagnostic tests. Even the journey to the clinic was dangerous. “You can’t see what’s in front of you,” says Kajal. “We were at the bus stop and couldn’t even see the bus number or tell if there was a bus coming – it was so foggy.”

Shocking air quality levels

In some parts of Delhi this week, air pollution levels rose above 1,750 on the air quality index, which is considered hazardous to health, according to the IQAir tracking tool. A value above 300 is considered dangerous to health. On Wednesday, levels for the smallest and most dangerous pollutant, PM2.5, were more than 77 times above safe limits set by the World Health Organization.

When inhaled, PM2.5 reaches deep into the lung tissue, where it can enter the bloodstream and with asthma, Heart and lung diseases, cancer and others Respiratory diseases and cognitive impairments in children.

Personal reports from local residents

In a conversation with about a dozen Delhi residents last week, most said they were having breathing problems due to the pollution. Viele beschrieben das Gefühl, zu ersticken, während die schädliche Luft ihre Augen brennen und ihre Kehlen jucken ließ. „Es fühlt sich an, als hätte ich Chili in den Augen,“ sagte Mohammad Ibrahim, ein langjähriger Autofahrer in der Stadt. "When I come home at night and wash my hands and face, black stuff comes out of my nose. This has never happened before," he added. Wie Rajak kann auch Ibrahim es sich nicht leisten, die Arbeit zu unterbrechen, obwohl seine Gesundheit auf dem Spiel steht. "If I don't go out to work, how will I fill my belly? How will I pay my rent? I'm a poor man," he said.

The challenges of life in Delhi

Some vulnerable residents say it has become more difficult to survive in Delhi. Retired Air Force personnel Aditya Kumar Shukla, 64, said he tries not to go outside on heavily polluted days. "You can't do anything (to protect yourself from pollution), even if you stay indoors, the pollution will also get inside because the air is very dirty," he said, and is being treated for asthma at Delhi's Batra Hospital. Shukla reports three hospitalizations this year and would leave town immediately if he could. “It causes stress and is very dangerous, but where can I go now?” he asks. “It makes me very angry, I want to leave Delhi but there are no options in India, especially for people with asthma and lung diseases.”

The increase in respiratory diseases

In the clinic, Dr. Amit Jindal said he and his colleagues have noticed a significant increase in patients with chest and breathing problems since pollution levels have skyrocketed. He confirmed that this increase is directly related to the smog. Patients suffer from persistent cough, chest and lung pain and burning eyes, with those with existing health problems such as Rajak and Shukla or people who work outside being more vulnerable. Dr. Gaurav Jain, a pulmonologist at Batra Hospital, explains that even non-smokers suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - a lung disease that restricts airflow and causes breathing problems.

Long-term crisis management

Delhi has been struggling with high air pollution levels for over twenty years. Air quality deteriorates every year as the summer heat gives way to cooler months. Calm winds mean smog from agricultural waste fires, coal-fired power plants and traffic floats across the city's skies. India's environment regulator said on Sunday that several parts of Delhi had "very poor" air quality and was trying to ease smog by implementing emergency measures such as stopping non-essential truck traffic and construction work.

Officials also note that roads will be sprayed with water and dust-binding agents and street cleaning will be increased. However, experts warn that these measures, which are implemented every year, are merely temporary solutions that are not the Causes of air pollution tackle. "Very little has been done in terms of actual action to reduce emissions at the source and I can say with reasonable certainty that the intensity of the government's response to curb these dangerous levels of pollutants does not match the urgency of the emergency," said environmental analyst Sunil Dahiya.

In 2019, the Indian government introduced the National Clean Air Program to improve air quality in cities and several other commissions have been set up at both national and state levels to address air pollution. Still, analysts say governments are focusing on emergency measures rather than sustained efforts to improve air quality. While straw burning during the winter harvest season exacerbates pollution levels, the crisis needs to be addressed year-round, Dahiya said. “We need to work on systematic and comprehensive measures that reduce pollution at the source, which means we need to talk about how much emissions are from the transport sector, power sector, industry, waste and what geographical areas,” Dahiya explained.

At the clinic, Kajal Rajak is worried about her father's deteriorating health, which is preventing him from breathing and walking. She is angry but says anger won't solve the problem. “The government needs to do something.”