‘We are breathing smog to survive’: Delhi’s dirty air is killing the city’s invisible workforce

On a cold January morning in Mehrauli, in south Delhi, in a one-room shanty, 36-year-old Meneka Deviki coughs and her chest feels tight, but she cannot skip a day of work. It would mean no food on the table for her family of five.

The air is enveloped in a grey haze, and it carries a chill and a slight smell. Deviki leaves home for work, kicking up more dust on the way to her place of employment, a building site 3km away from her home. India’s capital has a population of over 20 million and is experiencing a construction boom.

Delhi and several regions across North India are in the grip of a prolonged cold wave, with temperatures plunging to multi‑year lows. On Friday, the capital recorded a low of 2.9°C – its coldest morning in three years. The cold, however, brings another issue: pollution. This year, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of above 500, making it the world’s most polluted city.

The unorganized workforce that labors outdoors is impacted most harshly by the toxic winter air. While authorities last month advised government and private offices to adopt work-from-home measures, daily-wage workers, vendors, construction laborers, and delivery staff have no such option. For them, staying home means losing income.

Deviki starts work at the construction site at 8:20am. She rests for five minutes before beginning to carry material on her head to the building. “For the day, I have to deal with toxic air and the dust at the site. It is cold too, but I cannot help. I have to work. I don’t care about air pollution anymore,” she told RT.

At the end of the day, Deviki says that her hair is covered with dust and her skin feels dry. “The cough gets worse at night. We are poor people, we need to earn during the day and eat in the evening,” she adds.

Sometimes during work, Deviki wants to rest. But pausing for too long means the supervisor can dismiss her from work.

“I feel my health deteriorating due to air pollution and continuous exposure to dust, what other option do I have?” Deviki asks as she continues her work in the cold.