Delhi youth reveal why stress and toxic air make quitting smoking a struggle, even as pollution takes a heavy toll on their lungs.
Brinda, a working professional in Delhi, classifies the winters as her favourite but suffocating season. “I love the season but it feels suffocating,” she explains to NewsX. She knows of the health risks, but Brinda still smokes, attributing her inability to quit to stress at work.
Examining the psyche of youth in the Delhi NCR region who smoke creates a multifinished reality. Smoking is unhealthy, and with Delhi’s terrible Air Quality Index (AQI), it is even worse. Even non-smokers are at the risk of lung damage, it is completely possible for someone just living in Delhi to do the amount of damage to their lungs correlated to smoking several cigarettes a day.
Delhi is the second most polluted city in India between January and June in 2025 having 29 days in the classification of ‘very poor’ and just 3 days in the ‘good’ bracket, a mid-year report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has revealed. In total, compared to a national overall air pollution ranking, Delhi also recorded 63 days of ‘moderate’ air, 52 days of ‘satisfactory’, 31 days of ‘poor’, and three days of ‘severe’ air. PM2.5 levels was observed at 87 µg/m³, which is almost double the national air quality standard.
Tobacco has a major negative impact on the environment. Tobacco smoke has about ten times the air pollution of diesel vehicle exhaust, with fine particulate matter and can cause serious health effects. Indoor pollution caused by cigarettes may be higher than outdoor pollution, making double exposure even riskier while living in a city like Delhi.
A NewsX survey of 30 people has been conducted to know smoking patterns in Delhi NCR in the face of increasing pollution. The vast majority of respondents, 80%, were Delhi-NCR residents. The questionnaires were distributed to 16 females and 14 males, with 24 being in the 18–30 age group, five were 31–40 years old, and one participant was under 18. When queried regarding whether they were active smokers, 14 replied affirmatively while 16 replied negatively. 15 had smoked less than five cigarettes per day, eight did not include themselves, five had smoked more than five, and two had smoked more than ten.
Surprisingly, 11 indicated that increased pollution had led them to give up smoking, whereas nine responded that it had not, and ten were not sure. A smaller opinion poll of 12 participants further probed the link between pollution and smoking behavior. Seven said Delhi’s air pollution had not affected their smoking habits, while five admitted it had. When asked if they smoked more or less due to high pollution levels, seven said there was no change, and five said they smoked less. Awareness about the combined health impact of smoking and poor AQI was high, with 11 acknowledging the risk and one saying they were somewhat aware.
Regarding quitting due to pollution concerns, eight respondents said they had considered it, while four had not. Seven reported that they had encouraged someone else to quit because of pollution risks, while five had not. When asked how they experienced smoking in Delhi’s high pollution, eight said it made no difference and felt the same as always, while four admitted it felt unhealthy but they continued smoking. Half of them indicated having respiratory problems like coughing or shortness of breath caused by pollution and smoking, and five stated that they did not, and two stated sometimes.
Looking to the future, four respondents were already trying to quit, four were willing to quit or cut back if pollution worsened, three might be, while one was not. Seven respondents believed that smoking contributed to air pollution in Delhi, albeit in a small way. Five did not agree. When asked about if the government can impose a more strict ban on smoking in polluted cities, responses were evenly divided, with six agreeing and six disagreeing.
Akash Singh, a media worker, said, “I am cutting back smoking because of work pressures and the environment. My wife is very concerned for my health. I also am very aware that I am only contributing to the pollution of Delhi by smoking.” Brinda further said “Even if I know the dangers, I can’t quit. Stress makes it difficult to quit, particularly in Delhi.”
Pulmonologists alert against the dangers of inhaling air in Delhi as being akin to the effect of smoking 25–30 cigarettes per day. Chronic exposure to air pollutants leads to diseases such as COPD, bronchitis, rhinitis, and pneumonia. A study by the University of Chicago also discovered that air pollution shortens the life expectancy of Delhi residents by nearly eight years. In addition, during winter months, farm fires from Punjab and Haryana increase the air pollution load.
As pollution rises, the survey mirrors the double challenge for residents of Delhi: fighting not just environmental threats but also individual habits that make them sicker. Experts stress that more stringent government regulation on smoking in very polluted cities might be needed to save public health.
(Note: The names of respondents have been changed to protect their privacy and anonymity.)
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
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