Women lead voice against effects of air pollution among Delhi's kids

The air pollution in Delhi is known to rise at an alarming rate every year especially during winter. The leading reasons contributing to this problem include stubble burning, vehicular emission, and more. While a number of groups are advocating for clean air, one committed voice is that of Warrior Moms - a women-led advocacy group that raises awareness predominantly about the impact of air pollution on children. In fact, these pan-India female activists are demanding government action for clean air on a national level. They are fighting for uncontaminated air by educating citizens, empowering local communities, and engaging with policymakers. India is home to 37 of the 50 most polluted cities in the world, and air pollution is a severe health crisis in our country especially like Delhi. In fact, this city ranked the world’s most polluted capital for the third consecutive year in 2020 by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels. Air pollution alone was responsible for almost 54,000 premature deaths in Delhi in 2020, stated a joint study by Greenpeace Southeast Asia Analysis and IQAir. "If you see the reports, and analyse the damage that is happening every second, you would realise that a lot needs to be done at the policy level," says Bhavreen Kandhari, environmentalist and spokesperson for Warrior Moms. Warrior Moms will also be sending a petition to the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change today. Signed by 1,000 women across the country, this petition pursues the central government to implement the thermal power plant norms and make sure all coal-powered thermal power plants adhere to the 2015 emission control norms. "We only take short-term measures during winter, when the issue becomes bad. These thermal power plants aren’t going anywhere anytime soon so at least we can make sure they meet the required standards," says Mukarji.