Delhi’s Deadly Air

New Delhi, home to 26 million people, regularly ranks as the most polluted capital city in the world. The air quality is now so severe, that in periods where cold weather compounds the pollution, schools are closed, construction is halted, and traffic is stalled as a matter of public safety.

In this short film, Neha Tara Mehta takes us on a journey around the city, interviewing scientists, doctors, political experts, activists and citizens on the subject of air pollution. The film spends time examining the rise in lung cancer patients across the city, particularly in non-smokers, children and women. A doctor explains that there is no non-smoker in India, and that it is rare to ever see a pink set of lungs.

But there is rising hope among citizens. Delhi is waking up to its polluted reality, and whole communities are protesting for their future. The film paints a picture of a city at a tipping point, of either a toxic or clean and breathable future.