In 2024, 40 of the 50 cities ranked as the most polluted in the world were located in India. Delhi topped the list. Over the past decade, air pollution has become the Indian capital's number one scourge. The situation is getting worse every year, but the authorities seem to be ignoring it, much to the dismay of residents. Our correspondents Alban Alvarez and Lisa Gamonet report.
Breathing clean air is a fundamental right, yet it is one that Delhi's 30 million residents seem to have lost.
For the past decade, the Indian megacity has held the title of the world's most polluted capital. Throughout the year, levels of fine particulate matter – dangerous primary pollutants – average 10 to 20 times higher than the limits recommended by the World Health Organization.
Read moreDelhi’s pollution is a crisis of democracy as much as public health, citizens say
The crisis deepens in winter. A toxic, yellowish-white fog blankets the city, poisoning its people. While the wealthy can protect themselves with air purifiers, the poor have no way to escape.
This ecological disaster is also a public health catastrophe. In the capital alone, at least 15,000 people die every year from pollution-related diseases – a figure considered a conservative estimate. Nationwide, air pollution claims 1.5 million Indian lives annually.
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