Every winter, India’s capital city turns into a gas chamber. There is a sharp spike in cases of people reporting respiratory complaints. Children’s schooling is disrupted. They can’t go out and play. The elderly can’t take their morning walks. And the state does very little to address what is evidently a public health emergency.

Beijing had exactly the same problem – but no longer. It took measures to solve it. India has big claims to be a rising power. But our government and bureaucracy have been unable to deliver on the most basic of requirements for life – breathable air.

Why are we in this situation? What can be done?

Guest: Vimlendu Jha, environmentalist

Host: G Sampath

Recorded, produced, and edited by Jude Francis Weston

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