Breathing Failure: How India Learned to Live with Air Pollution

Hybrid Classes Amid Delhi’s Air Pollution: Solution or Seasonal Surrender?

Every winter, Delhi and several other Indian metropolitan cities brace themselves for an invisible yet deadly enemy—air pollution. As smog thickens, visibility drops, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses the “severe” mark, governments are forced to take urgent decisions.

One such recent decision by the Delhi government was to direct schools to conduct classes up to Class IX and XI in hybrid mode, while continuing physical classes for Class X and XII students. Offices were also asked to allow at least 50 percent of employees to work from home.

At first glance, this decision appears sensible and humane, especially when public health—particularly children’s health—is at risk. But an uncomfortable question arises every year:

Is this a solution to pollution, or merely a way to live with failure?

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Understanding the Context: Why Hybrid Classes?

When AQI levels cross 400, the air becomes hazardous even for healthy adults, let alone children, elderly citizens, and people with respiratory conditions. Prolonged exposure can cause asthma attacks, lung damage, cardiovascular problems, and long-term health complications.

The decision to shift to hybrid or online learning during such periods is primarily aimed at:

• Reducing children’s exposure to toxic air
• Cutting down vehicular movement during peak hours
• Preventing a public health emergency

From a health standpoint, the move is necessary and responsible. No education policy can justify exposing children to air that is comparable to smoking multiple cigarettes a day.

However, necessity does not equal sufficiency.

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Emergency Measure, Not a Structural Solution

Hybrid schooling is not designed to solve pollution—it is designed to cope with it. It is a classic example of crisis management rather than long-term planning.

Every winter, Delhi follows a predictable cycle:

• AQI worsens
• GRAP measures are imposed
• Schools go online
• Construction is halted
• Trucks are restricted
• Pollution reduces marginally
• Restrictions are lifted
• Pollution returns next year

This pattern exposes a deeper truth: India is managing pollution seasonally instead of structurally.

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Impact on Students and Education

While hybrid learning protects health, it comes with its own challenges:

• Unequal access to digital devices and stable internet
• Reduced classroom engagement for younger students
• Increased screen time and learning gaps
• Stress for working parents

For many economically weaker families, online education is still not a level playing field. Thus, pollution indirectly worsens educational inequality—something rarely discussed in policy debates.

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The Psychological Normalisation of Pollution

Perhaps the most dangerous impact of such measures is psychological. By routinely shifting schools online, we are silently telling citizens:

“Polluted air is normal. Adjust your life around it.”

This normalisation is alarming. Clean air is not a luxury—it is a fundamental right. When emergency responses become annual routines, they indicate policy paralysis.

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What Are the Real Sources of Pollution?

1. Vehicular Emissions: Rising vehicle numbers, congestion, diesel dependency, and weak traffic management.
2. Construction Dust: Poor enforcement of dust-control norms.
3. Crop Stubble Burning: Seasonal burning in neighbouring states with inadequate coordination and incentives.
4. Coal-Based Power and Industries: Outdated thermal plants, brick kilns, and small industries.
5. Diesel Generators: Power cuts leading to generator use, worsening air quality.

None of these root causes are solved by keeping children at home.

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The Economic Cost of Pollution

Air pollution is not just an environmental issue—it is an economic one. India loses billions annually due to:

• Increased healthcare costs
• Reduced productivity
• Premature deaths
• Lower workforce efficiency

Preventive, year-round pollution control would cost far less than recurring emergency shutdowns.

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Governance and Accountability

Air pollution does not respect state boundaries, yet policies remain fragmented.

What is missing:

• Strong Centre–State coordination
• Clear accountability timelines
• Transparent pollution data and action tracking
• Year-round enforcement, not winter panic

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What Would Real Solutions Look Like?

Sustainable Transport

• Massive public transport investment
• Reliable last-mile connectivity
• Rapid EV infrastructure expansion

Construction Reforms

• Mandatory dust suppression technology
• Heavy penalties for violations
• Real-time monitoring

Agricultural Solutions

• Incentives for non-burning alternatives
• Machinery subsidies for small farmers
• Market-based residue solutions

Energy Transition

• Phasing out coal near cities
• Rooftop solar adoption
• Ban on diesel generators with reliable power

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Conclusion: Protection Is Not Progress

The decision to shift schools to hybrid mode during severe pollution is necessary, humane, and responsible—but it is not progress.

It protects children from immediate harm, but it does not protect their future.

If we truly care about the next generation, we must stop asking:

“How do we live with pollution?”

And start demanding:

“Why are we still breathing this air?”

Until then, hybrid classes will remain a symbol of adaptation, not resolution—and a reminder that clean air in India is still treated as a seasonal privilege rather than a permanent right.