Tech Entrepreneur On India’s Air Quality Crisis: ‘We Live in Denial’

Last Updated:December 04, 2024, 12:11 IST

In a recent wedding he attended in Delhi, he said he engaged the attendees in discussions about the low quality of air in the city.

An Indian-origin venture capitalist based in San Francisco, U.S., has fuelled an online debate over India’s pollution crisis. Debarghya Das has highlighted severe pollution levels, especially in the large metropolitan cities of Delhi and Bengaluru. The observations made by Das, which have now gone viral, revealed dangers associated with health that growing air pollution poses. In his post on X, Das narrated how any trip to India worsens ailments including eye-watering and constant coughing.

He stated, “Every time I’m in India, I notice my eyes water more, I blow my nose more and people in general cough more.” He compared his experience with the U.S. stating that such symptoms vanish instantly when his parents visit him, which indicates a major role played by the environment. Das said that “we live in denial of a massive health crisis” looming over the country.

In a recent wedding he attended in Delhi, Das said he engaged the attendees in discussions about the low quality of air in the city. He said that even polite discussions became rather serious as people started to discuss problems of pollution which makes outdoor activities dangerous. “I don’t know if it’s safe to even exercise,” one guest said, a sentiment echoing a concern about health hazards posed by air pollution has been growing rapidly.

Das refuted the narrative that only the winter months are bad for the air quality in the capital city. He said, for instance, the city of Bengaluru, which is considered quite clean, still faces the problem of pollution. “People in the ‘clean’ city of Bengaluru also cough all the time,” he asserted.

The thread received 2 million views and thousands of reactions, with many users supporting Das’s observations. But it also stirred heated debate as some people accused him of amplifying the severity of the pollution or criticized him for his health problems as stemming from “weak immunity.’’ To this end, Das explained that many Indians possess similar sentiments as he has on the air quality and that he is simply raising awareness of such matters.

American entrepreneur Bryan Johnson echoed similar sentiments, commenting, “This is accurate. I arrived in Mumbai yesterday. Even with air purifiers in my hotel room and wearing a N95 mask outside, my throat and eyes burn. I agree, it’s a pretty serious health situation.”

A user highlighted, “India is a democracy in denial. Unhealthy food causing diabetes, unhygienic habits etc, all in denial.”

Another user said, “Delhi people live happily with 200-220 AQI levels throughout the year, it’s only when AQI crosses 400 do we raise hue and cry.”

Meanwhile, a user criticised Das stating, “Typical rant from a poor country immigrant in a rich country built on African slavery & usurped Native American land. Uncle Tom never dare talk about that.”

“There’s dust and pollution in the air of every major city in India. A health crisis for sure!” a comment read.

“It’s worse in the US. Kids are allergic to peanuts, lactose intolerant and walk around with an inhaler. That’s not good immunity, that’s flu shots and vaccines,” another comment read.

In the comments section, there was a general agreement that pollution levels in Indian cities are rising rapidly.