Why are we not screaming at the top of our lungs?

India tops the most polluted list with 10 cities in the top 15 most polluted cities in the world list. 35 Indian cities are in the top 50. And right here at home, New Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world! This warrants a citizen uproar, yet very few of my peers are even aware of the list despite the news headlines yesterday.

Two interesting points from the report that was released by Swiss organisation IQAir in World Air Quality Report on March 22. First, the report highlights that "air pollution has a massive impact on human health in India." It is the second biggest risk factor for disease, and the economic cost of air pollution is estimated to exceed $150 billion dollars annually. Major sources of air pollution in India include vehicular emissions, power generation, industrial waste, biomass combustion for cooking, the construction sector, and episodic events like crop burning. This is the first time the report has highlighted crop-burning as a source of pollution. And particularly at time when both Punjab, where crop-burning is most prevalent, and Delhi are ruled by the same governing party, Aam Admi Party (AAP). All eyes are on AAP and what they will do to control pollution in the winter of 2022.