The iconic Taj Mahal in the northern city of Agra is covered in toxic smog every year [Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cWhen I stepped out of my house, it felt like I was inhaling smoke,\u201d says Imran Ahmed Ali, a lawyer in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.<\/p>\n
Pollution levels in Chandigarh – India’s first planned city<\/a>, located about 240km (150 miles) from capital Delhi – have been at more than 15 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for more than a month.<\/p>\n It is now common for air quality in the city to dip every winter, but Mr Ali says he has never felt so sick before.<\/p>\n A few weeks ago, the 31-year-old began experiencing a dry cough and shortness of breath, which he initially dismissed as symptoms of a seasonal cold. But as the temperature dropped, his chest congestion worsened and he went to a doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter running several tests, the doctor told me that my symptoms were caused by pollution. I\u2019m now taking medicine twice a day to manage my breathing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Mr Ali is among hundreds of millions of people living in northern India who are forced to breathe toxic polluted air for extended periods every winter.<\/p>\n According to Swiss firm IQAir<\/a>, eight of the 10 most polluted cities in the world last year were located in the Indo-Gangetic plains – a densely populated region which stretches across northern and eastern India, along with parts of Pakistan and Nepal.<\/p>\n A recent report<\/a> by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reiterates that the northern plains – home to 540.7 million people across Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – is the most polluted region in India. When compared with the WHO’s standards, air pollution at current levels could reduce the life expectancy of people here by 5.4 years, it adds.<\/p>\n But as the toxic smog closes in every winter, headlines and attention are mostly focused on Delhi.<\/p>\n Breathing polluted air can cause serious health complications [Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Delhi receives significant attention due to its position as the capital of India, says Partha Basu, strategic adviser at the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit group focused on delivering climate solutions.<\/p>\n Every year, the Delhi government implements an annual action plan, which includes measures such as driving restrictions and a ban on construction activities during peak pollution periods.<\/p>\n Even though there is criticism that this isn’t enough, most other places in northern India have not seen such proactive steps.<\/p>\n Mr Basu says that often, people don’t associate other parts of northern India – particularly villages and small towns and cities – with high pollution.<\/p>\n “In [people’s] minds, villages are clean, green and pristine – but that\u2019s far from the reality,” he says.<\/p>\n Pollution in the region is not caused by a single factor, but a combination of elements – such as construction activities, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants and the seasonal burning of crop residue<\/a>.<\/p>\n While many of these factors are present throughout the year, the difference in the winter months – from October to January – is the weather conditions.<\/p>\n The air quality worsens each winter because cold stagnant air traps pollutants near the ground, making it harder for them to disperse, says Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at weather forecasting company Skymet.<\/p>\n The landlocked geography of the Indo-Gangetic Plain worsens the situation. The region is surrounded by mountains and lacks strong winds, which normally help blow polluted air away.<\/p>\n Other northern Indian cities are often overlooked as Delhi’s air pollution crisis gets all the attention [Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Doctors and health experts warn of the risks of breathing in these pollutants.<\/p>\n “Patients complain of a burning sensation in their eyes and throat when they step outside. Some face difficulty in breathing,” says Dr Rajesh Gupta, director of the pulmonary department at Fortis Hospital in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh state.<\/p>\n Dr Gupta says that people who are otherwise healthy also develop respiratory troubles this time of the year, and that children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.<\/p>\n The bleak conditions also exact a mental toll. Aditi Garg, who works in Meerut town – about 100km from Delhi – used to cherish the quiet moments on her balcony each morning.<\/p>\n That routine has been disrupted completely.<\/p>\n Since mid-October, pollution levels in Meerut have remained at levels classified as “poor” or “severe”, making it difficult to breathe.<\/p>\n Ms Garg now spends nearly all her time indoors, next to her air purifier, trying to shield herself from the toxic air outside.<\/p>\n “I don’t have an option but to stay inside, this is the best I can do,” she says.<\/p>\n And not everyone has the privilege of staying indoors.<\/p>\n In Uttar Pradesh alone, more than 83 million people<\/a> are registered as employees in the unorganised sector. The actual number is likely to be much higher.<\/p>\n This includes daily wage workers, street vendors and agricultural labourers who have no choice but to work outdoors, risking their health.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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