Air Pollution India's Biggest Health Crisis Since Covid, Warn Doctors

New Delhi- Air pollution is arguably the biggest public health crisis India has faced since the pandemic and will continue to worsen each year unless urgent action is taken, a UK-based Indian-origin pulmonologist warned, noting that a looming tsunami of airway disease remains largely underdiagnosed and untreated.

Speaking to PTI, multiple senior doctors practising in the UK asserted that a vast, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is“building beneath the surface” and its incoming wave will exact a heavy, lasting toll on Indian citizens and its healthcare system.

They linked the global rise in cardiovascular diseases over the past decade to increasing exposure to toxic emissions from urban transport, including automobiles and aircraft, particularly in cities across India, the UK and beyond, rather than obesity alone.

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday admitted that nearly 40 per cent of the pollution in Delhi is caused by the transport sector due to dependence on fossil fuels, while emphasising the urgent need for cleaner alternatives, and pushing for the adoption of biofuels.

During the recently concluded winter session of Parliament, the government said that there is no conclusive data establishing a direct correlation between higher Air Quality Index (AQI) levels and lung diseases, despite acknowledging that air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases.

“The Indian government's renewed focus on controlling air pollution is necessary and overdue. However, it is time to confront an uncomfortable truth: for millions living in North India, the damage has already been done. What is currently being managed represents only the tip of the iceberg. A vast, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is building beneath the surface,” Consultant Pulmonologist in Liverpool and a former Covid-19 Advisory Committee Member of India's Health, Manish Gautam, told PTI.

He cautioned that years of exposure mean that a lung health emergency is unfolding, while urging the policymakers to focus on early detection and treatment of airway diseases, and consider establishing a rapid“lung health task group”.

In December, Delhi hospitals alone witnessed 20 to 30 per cent spike in respiratory patients, including many first-time cases and young adults, according to doctors.

Gautam, who holds over 20 years of experience at the UK's National Health Service, further noted that while pollution control and prevention measures remain critical, they are no longer sufficient on their own.

“India has shown before that large-scale public health interventions are possible. Government initiatives have significantly reduced the impact of tuberculosis through early diagnosis, and structured treatment programmes. A similar level of urgency and investment is now required for airway diseases,” the Liverpool-based Pulmonologist told PTI.

The government reiterated in Parliament recently that there is no conclusive data establishing a direct causal link between air pollution and mortality or disease.

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