Now India is fast getting the tag of the most polluted country in the world, specially after the recent WHO report listed 14 Indian cities in the world's worst 15.
Make no mistake about it, India could soon have the most polluted air amongst all large countries. In 2016, it saw the steepest rise in level of air pollution since 2010, while China actually saw a slight decline.
The pollution problem is big but is fixable with a mix of policy, political will, and micromanagement by residents at their home and neighbourhood level.
One hopes the Prime Minister changes his Diwali message from last year. Study after study shows that children are most susceptible to airborne pollutants - PM 2.5 i.e. particulate matter 30x less than a hair's breadth.
The ban on the sale booze anywhere within 500 meters of a state or national highway has led to a lot of outcry. But there's another "500-metre" order with which the Supreme Court could save lives.
A week into Delhi's Odd-Even trial, it's obvious the scheme won't bring down pollution single-handedly. Science makes it clear factors like temperature, wind, humidity, etc affect air quality.
Ambient pollution is not a Delhi problem alone. The air quality index reports danger levels many times the health limit across North India. From the plains of Punjab to Bihar, that's roughly 400 million people.
India's "poor" warning begins above an AQI of 200 and says breathing discomfort could be caused to most people on prolonged exposure. There is no separate warning for children. What stands out is that the US warning doesn't differentiate between healthy or unhealthy kids.
Anyone reading this - in English on a phone/tablet/computer - most likely has a lifestyle that will need more than just one Earth to sustain if all seven billion people followed it. Mine, to my shock, was over four planets. Carbon Footprint tests are easily found on the net and are good and guilty fun.
