Doctors also observed a 20–30 per cent spike in respiratory cases in Delhi hospitals during December.
Air Pollution Now India’s Biggest Health Crisis Since Covid, Doctors Warn
Senior doctors have warned that air pollution has emerged as arguably the biggest public health crisis India has confronted since the COVID-19 pandemic. They urged immediate action to prevent a growing burden of chronic disease that is currently undetected and untreated among millions of Indians.
According to an assessment shared with the media, multiple senior UK-based doctors said that a “vast, hidden burden” of airway disease is building beneath the surface, with potentially severe long-term consequences for public health and the country’s healthcare system.
The doctors linked the global rise in cardiovascular disease over the past decade not just to lifestyle factors like obesity but strongly to exposure to toxic emissions from urban transport, including automobiles and aircraft, which they said contribute significantly to India’s worsening air quality.
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed Parliament that nearly 40 per cent of pollution in Delhi stems from the transport sector and stressed the need to accelerate the adoption of cleaner alternatives, including biofuels.
Despite this, the government told Parliament during the winter session that there is no conclusive national data directly linking high Air Quality Index (AQI) levels to lung disease and mortality, even while acknowledging that air pollution acts as a triggering factor for respiratory and related illnesses.
Consultant pulmonologist Manish Gautam, who was previously a member of India’s COVID-19 advisory committee, said a lung health emergency was unfolding and called for early detection and structured treatment programs similar to India’s tuberculosis control model.
Doctors also observed a 20–30 per cent spike in respiratory cases in Delhi hospitals during December, including a significant number of young adults and first-time patients.
Cardiologist Rajay Narain pointed to overwhelming scientific evidence linking air pollution to a wide range of diseases, from respiratory and cardiovascular ailments to neurological conditions, and emphasised the need for sustained, science-driven public policy interventions to protect vulnerable populations.
According to the 2025 Report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, PM2.5 pollution was responsible for over 1.7 million deaths in India in 2022, with petrol-fuelled road transport alone contributing nearly 2.7 lakh deaths.
A global study by the International Council on Clean Transportation found that policies aimed at reducing road transport emissions could save millions of lives and prevent widespread childhood asthma by 2040.
Source: The Tribune
