Air pollution has rapidly emerged as India’s largest health threat, silently harming millions while shaping the country’s public health landscape in alarming ways. Often described as an “invisible epidemic,” the crisis is now so widespread and deeply rooted that it affects nearly every aspect of daily life—from the air people breathe to the long-term health of children who have grown up under chronically toxic skies. Scientific evidence over the past decade has consistently shown that air pollution in India is not just an environmental issue; it is a national health emergency demanding urgent action.

India is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world, and air quality routinely dips into hazardous levels during winter months in major urban centers like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Lucknow. Yet the problem is not limited to metros. Rural regions—traditionally overlooked—have also reported dangerous levels of particulate matter caused by crop-residue burning, household biomass use, industrial emissions, and dust from unpaved roads and mining zones. This has exposed nearly the entire population to levels of pollution far above global safety standards set by the WHO.

Health experts warn that air pollution affects every organ in the human body. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is particularly deadly because it penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream. The result is a surge in chronic respiratory illnesses, asthma, heart diseases, stroke, lung cancer, preterm births, and even cognitive impairment in children. Infants and elderly citizens are disproportionately.