A few days before the election campaigning ended for the Delhi Assembly elections, the burning issue of toxic industrial waste from Haryana’s factories being dumped into the already polluted Yamuna river, amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi, became the centre of heated debates.
However, within just three days, this pressing concern vanished from discussions, as if it were not serious enough for Delhi’s voters to base their decisions on.
On January 7, when the Election Commission announced the Delhi Assembly election schedule, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a report highlighting growing concerns about public health due to worsening air quality. The report indicated that an air quality level with PM 2.5 concentration or higher is considered hazardous.
It further revealed that monitoring stations recorded an alarming 26% increase in air pollution levels from October to December of the previous year.
However, there was neither a visible commitment to tackle the issue nor any special budgetary provision for making Delhi pollution-free in the Union budget presented in Parliament last week.
As election campaigning ended on Monday and voting day approached, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) reached a hazardous level of 355. Smog and pollution enveloped the sky, and forecasts indicated a worsening trend. Over the past few days, hospitals have reported an increase in patients suffering from eye irritation and respiratory issues.
Also read: Delhi Election 2025: Why is Rahul Gandhi Attacking Arvind Kejriwal?
While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in mutual accusations over the pollution crisis for a brief period, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi doubled down on the Kejriwal government during his final election rallies, criticising the city’s filth and difficulties of breathing the toxic air.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also did not miss the opportunity to garner sympathy by publicly questioning Kejriwal, asking if the Haryana government would poison the same water that he (Modi) drinks in Delhi.
The Election Commission appeared to be aiding the BJP in targeting the AAP government as it promptly issued a notice to Kejriwal, demanding evidence of the alleged poisoning of Delhi’s water supply. Meanwhile, the EC also remained unresponsive to multiple complaints from non-BJP parties about violations of the model code of conduct.
Strangely, after just a few days, the entire debate was forgotten as if Delhi’s air quality had miraculously improved overnight and the Yamuna river had been purified.
The campaigning ended, voting day came closer and the air quality index (AQI) once again plummeted to an extremely toxic level of 355. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) warned that the air would remain in the “severe” category in the coming days.
During his election rallies, Modi repeatedly referred to the AAP as a “disaster.” Yet, there is also no significant increase in disaster management allocations in Delhi’s budget.
Public health emergency gone unheard
Every year from November to January, Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) face severe air pollution. During these months, air quality deteriorates to such hazardous levels that the entire region is covered in a toxic smog. This situation affects every aspect of life, particularly public health.
Despite this, air pollution failed to become a central issue in the electoral discourse.
It must also be noted that 60% of the city’s population resides in high-risk seismic zone 4, where a devastating earthquake could strike at any time.
The manifestoes of all three major political parties in the Delhi elections lack concrete solutions to this critical issue. Their focus remains on offering free services and facilities to lure voters. Consequently, air pollution, which severely impacts public health and quality of life, is often missing from their agendas.
Air pollution in Delhi-NCR is not just an environmental issue – it is a public health emergency.
According to doctors and independent research studies, cases of respiratory diseases in hospitals are rising due to poor air quality.
Dr. Arvind Kumar, a renowned pulmonologist and health expert, says, “Children are facing breathing difficulties, asthma, and stunted lung development. In elderly people, there is a surge in heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other severe ailments. Long-term exposure to polluted air also increases the risk of cancer.”
A report indicates that more than one million people die annually in India due to air pollution. Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, sees its residents losing several years of life expectancy solely due to its air.
This is a serious warning that cannot be ignored.
Experts also argue that air pollution’s impact extends beyond health – it affects the economy and society as well. Poor health reduces people’s productivity, causing economic losses at multiple levels. The costs of hospital treatments, premature deaths and declining quality of life impose a significant financial burden on society and the government.
Immediate benefits become priority
Over the past few decades, Delhi’s electoral trends reveal that voters often prioritise immediate benefits such as free electricity, water and transport. Approximately 40% of Delhi’s population lives in unauthorised colonies – a segment that was once the vote bank of Congress and, for the past 15 years, has been AAP’s stronghold.
For lower-income groups, daily survival and financial stability usually take precedence over long term but less immediate concerns like hazardous air and water pollution. As a result, offering free services has proven to be a more effective electoral strategy than addressing these environmental crises.
Experts say that Delhi’s governance structure is complex as power is divided between the Delhi government, the Union government and municipal corporations. This fragmented system hinders coordinated efforts to tackle issues like air pollution.
However, Delhi’s air pollution crisis cannot be sidelined or separated from climate change. Rising global temperatures have exacerbated the “urban heat island” effect in cities like Delhi, pushing summer temperatures up to 50°C.
Unusual weather patterns such as extreme rainfall, heat waves and other climatic changes are worsening the already fragile environmental situation. Additionally, burning fossil fuels like coal, petrol and diesel not only releases greenhouse gases but also increases the concentration of harmful pollutants in the air.
Without effective measures to combat climate change, Delhi’s air pollution problem will only worsen in the coming years.
Umakant Lakhera is a Delhi-based journalist and political commentator.
