Delhi pollution: Mothers' group write to health minister, highlight respiratory issues among kids

New Delhi: Thirteen-year-old Maira said the smog is overwhelming on her way to school. “It’s really sad to see Delhi like this. It was supposed to be green, but now it’s grey,” said the teenager who accompanied a citizen action group that submitted a letter on pollution to the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.

“We have to sit in class the whole day, and we can’t even go out to play,” she said.

On Children’s Day, ‘Warrior Moms’, a network of mothers demanding clean air and climate action in cities, visited Nirman Bhawan and submitted a memorandum and a copy of their survey on respiratory issues among children to Health Minister JP Nadda.

Delhi air quality plummets to alarming levels every year in the winter. On Thursday, after the air quality in the capital remained in the “severe” category for a second consecutive day, authorities imposed the third stage of GRAP.

Purnima Ranganath, one of the mothers, said that even though air pollution is a serious health issue, it is being ignored. “That’s why we are here to request the health minister to take a firm stand and hold those responsible for this public health crisis accountable,” she said.

A chemist in east Delhi said that there was a significant rise in demand for pediatric nebulisers and low-dose inhalers this November. “It’s alarming to see so many parents coming in for respiratory aids for their children,” he said.

“One parent mentioned her 5-year-old daughter was already on her third round of antibiotics for respiratory infections,” he said. This surge in pediatric demand highlights the growing impact of air pollution on children, who are increasingly needing respiratory support as air quality worsens.

In their letter, the collective of mothers have requested the health minister to provide respiratory aids to children in Delhi.

They urged in the letter for real-time air quality monitoring in key public spaces such as hospitals, schools, and transportation hubs. They advocated for the establishment of low-emission zones around hospitals to protect vulnerable groups.

Additionally, the group requested that doctors be advised to consider local air quality when diagnosing and treating respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

They also requested the ministry to launch public awareness campaigns, ensure adequate availability of respiratory medications during this high-demand season, and establish health surveillance systems to monitor pollution-related illnesses.

“We request a dedicated surveillance system to track and report cases of pollution-linked respiratory illnesses, especially among children during the winter months,” Warrior Moms added in the letter.