Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : December 16, 2025 12:23 PM IST
As India grapples with hazardous air quality, particularly the national capital of India waking up again to another thick smoggy morning with visibility dropping low, Dr Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown warns that the absence of official data on air pollution-related mortality is eyebrow-raising. While talking to a leading media outlet, Romanello points out that the fact that there is "no conclusive national data to establish a direct correlation between deaths or diseases occurring exclusively due to air pollution" is a deliberate choice by the government to remain blind to the problem.
According to a 2024 report published by The Lancet Planetary Health, it revealed that long-term exposure to polluted air contributes are due to 15 lakh annual deaths in India. On Sunday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented the highest level of its graded response action plan (GRAP) to fight against pollution, by scaling up from Grade-III to Grade-IV of the plan.
Talking to a leading media outlet, Dr. Romanello underscores that while the government may debate standards, human bodies do not respond to politics. She said, " Unfortunately, our bodies do not understand politics. The World Health Organization (WHO) sets these air-quality thresholds, and they're set there because there's very robust scientific studies that show that pollution underneath the air quality thresholds reduces the burden of disease enormously."
Dr. Romanello remarks, "There is no safe level of air pollution." The executive director of the Lancet Countdown further noted that India could save millions of lives with timely intervention by supporting public health, sustainable development and long-term economic growth.
Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gases that comes from many sources such as household fuel burning, industrial chimneys, traffic exhausts, power generation, open burning of waste, agricultural practices, desert dust and others, according to the WHO. The global health organization explains that air pollutants measured include PM2.5 and PM10, ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Here are some ways to stay safe from Delhi smog:
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