Gurugram chokes: Air purifiers, face masks become essentials for survival

A recent viral incident in Gurugram summed up the city’s worsening air quality crisis. During a general knowledge quiz, a local student was asked to list essential commodities in his home. His top two choices? An air purifier and a high-end face mask. When asked why, he innocently explained to his teacher: "My parents say these will keep me and my grandfather alive until we move to a new home in the mountains."

This is not just the story of one child — it reflects the grim reality of 25 lakh residents of Gurugram, often dubbed the "face of Haryana." Here, clean air is a luxury, and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a recurring fixture for nearly eight months a year.

Though Gurugram first became familiar with the term "smog" around 2015-16, it officially entered the world pollution map in 2018. That year, a report by IQAir, a global air quality monitoring platform, and Greenpeace ranked it as the most polluted city in the world — with air quality 17 times worse than the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s prescribed safe limits.

Terms like AQI (Air Quality Index), smog and good air days soon became part of daily conversation. Initially, most residents associated smog only with poor visibility — until 2021, when a study by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC) revealed a shocking fact: "Residents of Gurugram are losing 9.9 years of their life due to air pollution."

In 2023, Gurugram did not experience a single ‘good air’ day. The air quality remained consistently poor, and in 2024, only about five days so far have met the ‘good air’ standard. GRAP restrictions were in place for nearly eight months last year.

Independent health surveys have reported a 15% rise in pollution-related pulmonary and ophthalmic diseases since 2022. Several private hospitals in the city now operate dedicated ‘pollution OPDs’. The impact of air pollution is reshaping lifestyles — newly constructed apartments and stilt floors now come pre-installed with air purifiers. Schools and corporate offices have begun offering ‘smog work-from-home’ policies during peak pollution periods.

While politicians point fingers at stubble burning in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, experts highlight unregulated construction, dust mismanagement, traffic congestion, rising vehicular emissions and shrinking green cover as primary causes.

Despite being hailed as the “Singapore of Haryana”, Gurugram’s leadership has failed to integrate air quality into policymaking, governance, or civic planning. The authorities rely on water sprinkling as a pollution control measure while the city operates with just four outdated AQI monitors. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board remains ineffective.

Environmental activists continue to push for action, but local leaders have yet to make the ‘Right to Clean Air’ a priority — let alone include it in election promises or master plans.

Once considered a better alternative to Delhi, Gurugram is now witnessing a ‘smog exodus’. Even residents of luxury flats worth Rs 100 crore are now desperate for clean air.

As pollution tightens its grip on Gurugram, the city’s so-called "millennial dream" is turning into a nightmare.