In New Delhi, Aman, a 6th standard student, lived with his family. He was a bright student and loved playing outdoor games and spending time with his friends and family. 

Delhi is a smart metro city but also one of the most polluted cities in the world. The air quality is worse, which affects the health of the city’s residents, including children like Aman.

One day, Aman was on his way back home from school. As he reached his doorstep, he started coughing uncontrollably. He was unable to breathe properly and experienced fatigue. 

Seeing Aman’s condition, his concerned parents rushed him to the doctor, who examined Aman.

“Doctor, what is wrong?” Aman’s father asked.

“I did some tests and found out that Aman has got a respiratory infection and his immune system has weakened. I have seen some inflammation and imbalances in his immunity.” the doctor replied.

“What could be causing it?” Aman’s mother asked.

The doctor explained that Aman’s weakened immune system resulted from prolonged exposure to air pollution. The harmful pollutants in the air had taken a toll on his respiratory system, immunity, and overall health.

“The air pollutants cause inflammation and alter the immune system responses while also affecting lung function. The low immunity worsens the diseases caused by air pollution not allowing the person to recover.” the doctor said.

(Air pollution affects all of us, especially children, pregnant women, and elderly people)

“Don’t worry. I will write some medications that will help.” the doctor added.

The family returned, gave Aman medicines regularly, and got busy in their lives. However, they forgot that taking only medications would not help Aman, as the culprit (air pollution) still affected him.

As days and weeks went by, Aman’s condition didn’t improve. He fell ill frequently, facing the same symptoms, catching every passing cold, and struggling to recover. It seemed as though his immune system couldn’t fight off infections effectively.

Next, Aman’s worried parents decided to take action. They contacted the same doctor and told him everything. He then told them to contact air pollution experts and take advice on how they could protect Aman from air pollution.

The team told the family several strategies that could make a difference like

1. First, they made changes within their home by installing air purifiers in every room, ensuring that Aman was inhaling fresh and clean air. They also added indoor plants, which acted as natural air filters and helped improve air quality in their home. 
2. To reduce exposure to outdoor pollution, Aman’s parents encouraged him to skip school for some days and stay indoors. When he returned to school, his father used to drop him in a car, wearing a mask and closing car windows.
3. They also made sure to close windows and stay indoors during peak pollution hours and taught Aman to check air quality indexes daily.
4. To boost their child’s weakened immune system, they consulted a nutritionist for their family’s diet focusing on nutrient-rich foods. Aman started consuming more vegetables, fruits, and immune-boosting foods like yogurt, citrus fruits, and nuts.
5. Aman’s parents also emphasized the importance of hygiene. They taught Aman to wash his hands frequently, especially before and after eating meals, and maintain good respiratory etiquette to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Over time, Aman saw an improvement in his health. His immunity improved, and he was able to focus on his studies. 

However, one thing that still worries us is that air pollution is still bad around Aman and will not improve with just one family’s measures. No doubt we can reduce indoor air pollution but reducing outdoor air pollution will take a whole community’s effort. 

Aman got active and started educating his friends and family about air pollution and its effect on human health. We believe that a little kid’s small effort will definitely make some change in the future. However, we also wish everyone reading this blog to become aware of the air pollution around them.