Noida mom says pollution pushed young son into surgery. Heartbreaking hospital video triggers wave of alarm
A content creator has shared a heartbreaking video of her young boy admitted to the hospital, blaming Delhi NCR’s air pollution for his ailments.
A content creator has shared a heartbreaking video of her young boy admitted to the hospital, blaming Delhi NCR’s air pollution for his ailments. Sakshi Pahwa said that she and her family moved to the national capital region two years ago. Since then, her son has been suffering from chronic cold, breathing problems and severe allergies.
In the last few days, it reached a point where the young boy had to be hospitalised.
Delhi NCR's air pollution crisis
Delhi NCR has been battling severe air pollution since the onset of the winter season. In the first half of November, the city recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 348 — the lowest for that period in three years. By mid-November, pollution worsened, and on November 11 the AQI shot up to 428 — the first “severe air” day of 2025. Many monitoring stations continue to report values above 400.
Experts say a combination of stagnant winter weather, vehicular emissions, dust from construction, and residual effects of stubble-burning in surrounding states is driving the pollution surge.
Noida mom’s post on pollution
For one Noida family, the true extent of the air pollution crisis hit home when their son was rushed to the hospital for surgery.
“Delhi NCR pollution didn’t just affect the air we breathe… it pushed my little one into surgery,” mom Sakshi Pahwa wrote on Instagram, sharing a video that shows her young son crying on the hospital bed. In another clip, she was seen cradling him while wearing a face mask.
(Also read: Startup founder cuts Delhi trip short due to toxic air, urges people to leave)
Pahwa claimed that her son’s health issues began when the family moved to Noida. “Two years ago we shifted here, and from that day chronic cold–cough, nonstop allergies and breathing issues began,” she wrote.
“No medicine worked, only pollution kept getting worse,” said the Noida-based mother and content creator in her Instagram post. Pahwa said that pollution had affected her son's adenoids and tonsils, pushing him to surgery.
She demanded accountability from authorities, writing: “We pay taxes… and this is what our kids get in return. It’s time to speak up.”
Richa Chadha reacts
Her video has gone viral since being shared one day ago, racking up over 1.8 million views on Instagram. It also reached the social media platform X, where actor Richa Chadha reacted to it.
Chadha, who spent her school and college years in Delhi, said it broke her heart as a parent to watch the video. “Yesterday someone said “pollution will affect you even if you don’t have children”. Duh, did that need to be spelt out? It’s the adults who are destroying the lives of children. Children, elderly, animals … we’ve let them down. Like our regime has let us down,” she wrote. “They have zero solutions for pollution.”
Other viewers shared similar sentiments as the video triggered alarm.
“Only a massive protest can save our country from pollution,” wrote one Instagram user. “Please can we help him! As doctors it’s inhumane for him and many other children!” another said.
On X, a user shared a similar complaint. “Same story here. My kid developed upper respiratory issues. He was hospitalised 5-6 times with high grade fever around the year. Continuous antibiotics broke his body. In the end, same adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy. We were so helpless,” he wrote.
