Delhi Pollution Crisis: Why Is India’s Environment Ministry Silent?

Sarita Singh

Delhi Pollution Crisis: India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) was established with one clear purpose — to protect the nation’s environment, reduce pollution, safeguard forests and wildlife, and ensure a healthier future for every citizen.
But today, as pollution rises to dangerous levels across the country, especially in Delhi, people are asking a painful question:

If this Ministry exists to save the environment, why does it remain silent when the environment is dying?

Delhi Pollution Out of Control — Ministry Still Silent

Delhi’s AQI Turns Hazardous — People Struggle to Breathe

Every winter, Delhi’s air becomes a gas chamber.
Children are coughing, senior citizens are struggling to breathe, and young adults are developing lung problems that were once seen only in older age.

This year, the Air Quality Index in Delhi shot up to hazardous levels, forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes wearing masks, even indoors. Schools were shut, hospitals were overcrowded, and doctors warned of long-term health damage.

Despite this crisis, the Ministry responsible for environmental protection failed to offer:

People Reached India Gate for Help — But No One Came

In desperation, Delhi’s citizens gathered at India Gate — not for celebration, but for a plea.
Families, students, workers, elderly people—everyone stood together demanding clean air, demanding action, demanding responsibility.

They expected that Bhupender Yadav, the Minister of Environment, would come forward:

But none of that happened.

Instead of sending officials to address the public’s concerns, the police detained and removed protesters, stating that they were protesting “in the wrong place.”

But when the air you breathe becomes poison, where exactly is the “right place” to protest?

The Ministry’s Duty: What Is It Supposed to Do?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change carries some of the most important responsibilities in the country:

1. Control and reduce pollution levels

Ensuring that industries follow eco-friendly norms, monitoring air quality, and implementing urgent measures when AQI rises.

2. Protect forests and biodiversity

Making policies that preserve India’s natural resources.

3. Promote climate action

Creating and enforcing strategies to combat climate change and reduce emissions.

4. Ensure public health and environmental safety

When pollution threatens public health, the MoEFCC must take immediate action, issue guidelines, and support the affected population.

5. Raise awareness and communicate openly

A Ministry should regularly inform the public through press conferences, advisories, and social media.

But the painful truth is — not a single meaningful social media post, advisory, or communication came from the Minister addressing the rising pollution crisis.

People Are Asking: Why Does This Ministry Exist If It Does Not Protect Us?

It’s heartbreaking that citizens are not asking for luxuries —
they are asking for the right to breathe.

That is the most basic human need.

Yet, they are met with:

If the Ministry responsible for protecting the environment does not step forward during the biggest environmental crisis of the year —
what purpose does it serve?

India Needs Action, Not Silence

Delhi’s situation is not just an environmental failure —
it is a failure of communication, leadership, and responsibility.

The people of India are not asking for miracles.
They are demanding:

Clean air is not a privilege — it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution under the Right to Life.

The Voice of the People Cannot Be Arrested

Protests can be stopped, but public suffering cannot be hidden.
People will continue to speak because the fight is not political —
it is personal, it is about survival.

The Ministry of Environment must act.
Delhi must breathe.
India deserves better.

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