Delhi records 200,000 acute respiratory illness cases amid toxic air Some hospitals in Delhi now have clinics to treat pollution-related illnesses More than 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses were recorded in six state-run hospitals in Delhi between 2022 and 2024 as the Indian capital struggled with rising pollution levels, the federal government has said. The government said in parliament that more than 30,000 people with respiratory illnesses had to be hospitalised in these three years. Toxic air is a recurring problem in Delhi and its suburbs, especially during winters. For weeks now, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) - which measures different types of pollutants, including PM2. 5, a fine particulate matter that can clog lungs - has been more than 20 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization