Sangeeta Chauhan from India

We have suffered for years as we had to leave our Delhi home every Diwali (festival when crackers are burst) and retreat into the mountains to ensure that my 12-year-old son Shiv does not suffer another debilitating attack. Shiv, a promising soccer player who has played for local clubs and at international tournaments, hates leaving home and friends during the festival, but he doesn’t have a choice.

Given the Supreme Court order for green crackers only, we had moved to the outskirts and returned the day after Diwali thinking the situation would be better. No sooner than we entered Delhi, did my son start coughing and feeling feverish. Things got progressively worse and we had to move out, this time to Rishikesh, which meant two weeks of missed school and soccer for Shiv. He recovered as soon as we reached neighbouring state where AQI was good.

But for how long can we do this? Moreover the damage to his health is inevitable in this pollution.