UK, Canada tourists praise fresh air at home after returning from India: ‘Really incredible difference’

According to a recent study, nearly 44 percent of Indian cities face chronic air pollution, driven by persistent emissions rather than short‑term episodes. (AI-generated image)

Breathing in India's polluted air appears to have made international travellers thankful for the air quality in their own countries. A wave of posts on X by visitors returning from weddings in India has drawn attention to the country’s chronic air‑pollution problem, with travellers from the UK and Canada saying the contrast in air quality hit them almost instantly upon landing back home.

One Canadian traveller who had flown to India for a cousin’s wedding wrote that while it was “amazing to see family,” nothing compared to returning home to Canada’s clean air. Another visitor, posting under the handle TechGeek Tesla, said he had travelled across Jaipur, Agra and Delhi before returning: “First thing I noticed was the fresh air. You take it for granted until you leave for an extended period of time. Really incredible difference.”

I was also in India for a wedding and got back today. First thing I noticed was the fresh air. It’s something you take for granted until you leave for an extended period of time. Really incredible difference actually. https://t.co/D8pY7p1mrQ

— TechGeek Tesla (@JonBbC_TechGeek) February 22, 2026

UK‑based traveller Yashu Sharma, who had visited multiple cities, described the “overpopulation” and environmental stress as overwhelming.

Reacting to the posts, an X user wrote: "I hear you… It breaks my heart that a beautiful country with such simple, good folks doesn’t get to have the basic necessities of clean air, clean water and safe day-to-day living."

'You only realise it when you leave'

Several travellers said the contrast is most noticeable when they step out of the airport after returning abroad. One user wrote that Vancouver’s clean, cool air felt like a “reset,” adding that while Canada has its own problems, clean air remains one of the biggest positives of living there.

Another X user from the UK echoed the sentiment, saying the difference was “really incredible,” especially after spending weeks in polluted zones during peak winter smog.

India’s air quality crisis 

These personal accounts mirror long-standing data on India’s severe air‑quality challenges. According to a January 2026 analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), nearly 44 percent of Indian cities face chronic air pollution, driven by persistent emissions rather than short‑term episodes. Yet only 4 percent of these cities are covered under India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Delhi ranked among the most polluted cities with annual PM2.5 levels of 96 µg/m³, far above national standards.

At the policy level, even as Delhi‑NCR grapples with hazardous air, the Union Budget 2026–27 cut pollution‑control funding by Rs 209 crore, allocating Rs 1,091 crore under the Control of Pollution scheme. Experts have called the cut “deeply disappointing,” warning that it undermines efforts to improve air quality in non‑attainment cities.