On December 8, the capital New Delhi continued to sink into a thick layer of toxic fog with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at many monitoring points still anchored at red alert level.
The image of the mass of people working through the gray curtain at the metro stations has become a "new normal", but behind it is a health crisis that is eroding people every day.
Vanshika Bindal, a 22-year-old IT specialist who often travels between Noida and Delhi, could not hide his fatigue when sharing about his daily commute: "After only about 10 to 15 minutes of travel, my eyes started to burst from the dust. When I arrived at the office, my body was completely exhausted. The concentration has seriously decreased and I feel helpless when I cannot devote myself to work."
Vanshika's story is a testament to an underlying labor productivity crisis. According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, New Delhi tops the list of most polluted cities, with the AQI often exceeding 300-400 in winter.
Studies show that even when employees are present at the office, their work performance still drops significantly due to fatigue, cough and respiratory problems.
The economic losses are very alarming. The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that air pollution causes the Indian economy to spend about 95 billion USD per fiscal year.
A 2021 study conducted by Dalberg Advisors highlights an 8-10% reduction in employee productivity during peak pollution days, with about 1.3 billion working days lost each year.
The negative impact also spread to the recruitment market. Alvin David, a human resources director at a technology company, said many talented candidates have refused to join or requested to move to areas with cleaner air.
Not only that, the future generation of workers will also be severely affected. A survey at the University of Delhi shows that more than 65% of students admit that poor air quality reduces their ability to concentrate.
Professor Chirashree Ghosh of the Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, warned that if young workers enter the market with poor health, India's global competitiveness will be seriously threatened.
In this situation, experts are calling on the government to take urgent measures to green transformation to save the health of the economy.
