Traffic pollution in Gurugram has cost children nearly 95,000 missed school days and driven a significant surge in asthma cases, largely fueled by private vehicles and regional congestion. According to an ICCT report, transitioning to electric vehicles and improving public transit are critical steps to safeguard children’s health and educational futures.
Environment Pulse Desk: In Gurugram, a city known for its towering glass skyscrapers and seemingly unending traffic congestion, there is a hidden danger facing the youngest members of our community. According to a 2025 report published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), traffic pollution has caused children in Gurugram to lose almost 95,000 days of school due to respiratory problems and other health concerns. To be precise, traffic pollution was responsible for the loss of 94,859 days of school time for children and young people aged 5 to 18; this means that in total, traffic pollution has taken away the equivalent of one full academic year from 431 students.
A different study also found that there were approximately 89 additional cases of asthma caused by vehicle emissions, which equals about once every four days. Traffic was responsible for about one-quarter of all new asthma cases that resulted from air pollution in the city during this period. As Gurugram develops its economy through the creation of new infrastructure, it is also quietly harming the health and education of its children.
Why children suffer most
The fact is that young bodies have a much harder time dealing with environmental factors. Their respiratory system and immune system are both in the process of developing. They also take more breaths per minute based upon their overall weight. Finally, most children spend time playing outside on the ground where emissions tend to linger. Both PM2.5 and NO2 emitted from vehicles enter deep into children’s lungs and cause inflammation, asthma attacks, bronchitis and force children to stay indoors.
Locally, road transport was responsible for approximately 6 percent of the PM2.5 exposure and 20 percent of the NO₂ exposure that occurred in the Municipal Corporation Area. Road transport-related PM2.5 levels were found to reach up to 7 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) in some areas. Also, 41 percent of the Municipal Corporation Area was found to exceed the World Health Organization’s annual guideline value for PM2.5.
The cars behind the smog
Private vehicles were the largest contributor. The number of privately owned cars in Gurugram was among the highest in India, with 323 privately owned cars for every 1,000 residents. A more unexpected find was that more than 80% of vehicle emission-related air pollution was generated by newer model BS-IV and BS-VI compliant vehicles, indicating that removing older, more polluting vehicles will not be sufficient to reduce vehicle emissions. Another contributing factor to the air quality problem was that approximately 500,000 vehicles enter Gurugram on a daily basis from Delhi and the National Capital Region.
More than missed classes
In addition to the financial consequences associated with missing school, students who miss school experience an interruption in their education, which contributes to increased educational inequalities. Furthermore, students’ families may be experiencing additional financial burden due to medical expenses or lost income as a result of taking time off from work. Losing over 94,000 days of school each year is a collective erosion of our human capital, rather than simply a series of individual failures.
A way forward
Solutions do exist. The ICCT study found that replacing all vehicles registered in Gurugram with electric vehicles could provide nearly 75 percent of the total possible health advantages for children. The other 25 percent would require addressing emissions from vehicles entering Gurugram from throughout the NCR. This suggests a quicker transition to zero emission vehicles, improved public transportation systems, safer pedestrian and cyclist routes, and enhanced traffic control measures.
Gurugram’s experience is a cautionary tale for rapidly growing urban areas in India and around the globe. Traffic-related pollution is not some vague ecological problem. Rather, it is a real-life threat to the health and education rights of children. Taking action against this growing crisis requires immediate and coordinated efforts from both individuals and organizations, as each day that is missed at school is another day that today’s vehicular emissions have stolen. If we don’t take drastic measures to alter our current course, then the cost of failing to protect the next generation will continue to escalate; not only in terms of hospitalizations, but also in terms of vacant classrooms and unfulfilled potential.
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