Delhi’s Lethal Air Quality Endangers Pregnant Women

“When it comes to air pollution, everybody is quiet,” Komal Khulbe, a Delhi resident who is eight months pregnant, told More to Her Story.

Frustrated by the lack of guidance from the Indian government on protecting herself and her unborn baby, Khulbe turned to her own research. She feared that Delhi’s toxic air would trap her indoors, stealing away simple joys like walks in the nearby park.

Earlier this month, air pollution in Delhi hit unprecedented levels, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring to 978 in some areas and peaking at 1300, far above the threshold of healthy air quality levels, at 500. These hazardous conditions are comparable to the health effects of smoking over 50 cigarettes in a single day. But this surge in poor air in northern India is not an anomaly — it has become seasonal in the region since at least 2010. 

According to a report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), Delhi ranks among the most polluted cities globally, with air pollution reducing the life expectancy of its residents by up to ten years. The cause of this issue stems from continuous emissions by transport, industries, power plants, construction activities, and biomass burning, compounded by seasonal stubble burning and adverse winter weather that traps pollutants.  

During the region’s pollution season, simple pleasures like outdoor activities become rare luxuries, and air purifiers run relentlessly even outdoors as they battle to create pockets of breathable air amidst the pervasive pollution. The Delhi government moves in-person primary schooling to online, restricts most construction work, revises government office hours, and implements a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle pollution through easing traffic.

Despite these protections, Delhi’s air pollution continues to impact its 30 million inhabitants; in 2024, air pollution has been linked to nearly 12,000 deaths.

Deaths from respiratory diseases in Delhi have risen from nearly 5 percent in 2005 to nearly 10 percent in 2023, according to a report by the Medical Certification of Cause of Deaths. Research shows that air pollution has slashed the life expectancy of Delhi's residents by over a decade, with more cases of Asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and breathlessness being reported.

Pregnant women exposed to high pollution levels face an increased risk of their baby developing asthma. Additionally, air pollution raises the risk of respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which pose even greater dangers during pregnancy.

“The smog is bad for everybody, including pregnant women. For pregnant women, pollution exposure may lead to complications like low birth weight or stillbirths,” Sumit Sengupta, a pulmonologist from Kolkata, India, told More to Her Story.

Pregnant women exposed to polluted air also face a higher risk of premature births. “The only solution we have is to reduce emissions of hazardous pollutants either by shifting to clean fuels and energy sources for all the polluting sectors or by adopting strict emission controls at the source,” says Sunil Dahiya, who is an environmental analyst and the founder of Envirocatalysts. He believes the Indian government needs to direct a straightforward goal among industries and provide firm deadlines to reduce hazardous air pollutant emissions.

The Warrior Moms in India, a network of mothers pushing for clean air and climate action conducted a comprehensive survey in November with chemists across Delhi that sheds light on the substantial rise in the demand for nebulisers, inhalers, and respiratory medications across India, as parents clamor to protect their children from the health effects of polluted air. The network found that nearly one third of customers reaching out to pharmacies is a parent purchasing respiratory aids and medications for their child.

“This clearly points out to the vulnerability of children to the air pollution,” says Bhavreen Kandhari, co-founder of Warrior Moms.

In India, air pollution imposes a staggering annual cost of ₹7 trillion ($95 billion) on Indian businesses, equivalent to 40 percent of the country’s expenditure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and 3 percent of the nation’s GDP. Indian businesses lost approximately 36.8 billion of economic output in 2019 alone due to air pollution-related deaths and health issues. Globally, pollution accounts for 18 percent of all deaths, underscoring its devastating impact. 

Mothers in Delhi told More to Her Story they are taking matters into their own hands, but fear their individual efforts cannot offset the relentless impacts of air pollution.

“We have invested in air purifiers, making sure every room is filtered so I don’t fall ill—and by extension, my baby. It’s really worrying; even a simple cough sends shivers down my spine,” says Noor Anand Chawla, mother to a three-month-old and an eight-year-old.

Komal Khulbe echoes this fear. “Doing my own research and reading about how pollution could result in a stillbirth, abortion, or even the baby being born with defects was really affecting my mental health,” she says.

To protect herself and her unborn baby, Khulbe uses air purifiers, limits the time windows and doors remain open, keeps indoor plants to naturally clean the air, and avoids going outside as much as possible during her pregnancy.