Studies show that constant exposure to pollution has an impact on behaviour and activities of children.
With at least four areas in the national capital ranked most polluted in the country, NDTV today conducted a test to illustrate how life in Delhi's environment can be different from living in a less polluted environment.
Air pollution in Delhi has been a growing concern since the World Health Organization report termed the national capital as the most polluted city in the world.
The national capital has the highest concentration of PM2.5 (fine particles as thin as 1/30th the thickness of a human hair that harm the lungs), which is considered most serious as the human body has no natural defence against it and can cause respiratory health problems.
15-year-old Surabhi has lived her entire life in the lush greens of the IIT Kanpur campus. She says,"Every year more trees were planted and each house is surrounded by a garden'. She moved to Delhi in April this year and already suffers from a constant cough.
According to the pulmonary function test, her lung capacity is at 139 per cent. The same test was conducted on Pratishtha who is in the same age group but has lived in Delhi all her life. Her lung capacity graph showed 108 per cent - a difference of 31 per cent.
Doctors say both lung capacities are normal but levels below 110 per cent can be more susceptible to chronic respiratory problems and constant exposure to pollution will only make things worse.
Dr Anand, a pulmonologist says, "There is an urgent need to implement measures else the future generations are headed for chronic respiratory ailments which may lead to cardiac problems too."
Studies show that constant exposure to pollution has an impact on behaviour and activities of children.
Prevalence of asthma symptoms is present in twice as many Delhi children compared to children from a less polluted city.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released in May last year, Delhi was ranked as the most polluted city in the world.
A recent study, led by the University of Surrey in the UK, identified several factors including a "toxic blend of geography", growth, poor energy sources and unfavourable weather for the situation in the national capital.