Air pollution is not just annoying, it is a full-blown health emergency, according to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO chief scientist.
She warns it quietly harms almost every organ in our bodies and can even cause issues like premature births and cardiovascular impacts.
"We don't see it, we get used to the smell of it, and it is slow-moving. It does kill," she told NDTV, urging everyone to take it seriously.
Swaminathan urges India adopt AHQI
Dr. Swaminathan wants India to switch to an Air Quality Health Index (AHQI) that actually shows how pollution affects our health, not just the numbers.
She is pushing for cleaner schools, air purifiers, and policies that protect everyone equally, especially kids and those from less privileged backgrounds.
Her five-step plan calls for a national action plan to study how China dealt with pollution and contextualize it, because clean air should be everyone's right.