India, Feb. 26 -- Air pollution is truly a public health emergency in India and especially its national capital. Breathing polluted air is causing 16 times more deaths annually nationwide than deaths recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatrician Sanjeev Bagai revealed during a session at the ongoing Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2026 in Nimli, Rajasthan.

During the four years of COVID-19, about 600,000 deaths were recorded in India. However, annual deaths due to air pollution are 16 times higher than the average annual deaths during the COVID-19 period, said Bagai. Despite this, Indian hospitals do not have a specific diagnosis coding for air pollution in either inpatient or outpatient department records.

The national capital is faring wo...