Latest update:31 December 2025 at 6:09 PM IST

A man traveling to India to attend a wedding has fallen ill and is extremely concerned about deteriorating air quality and pollution.

Severe pollution has ravaged India since the beginning of winter. (Image source: X)

As the air quality and pollution index continue to deteriorate in the ongoing peak winter season in India, locals and tourists are facing various health risks and breathing challenges. Summarizing his ordeal, the Dutchman revealed how his visit to India for a wedding two months ago has since proven to be a health-related nightmare.

“I love Indian food and culture, but I just want to be able to breathe and not burn my throat. I’ve been in India for the past two months for my Indian wedding, and I can’t remember the last time I was sick for that long. I’m tired of wearing a mask,” noted Sascha Arbonnell, who hails from the Netherlands.

Tourists are concerned about pollution levels in India

Aside from suffering from the disease himself, the Dutchman said he was concerned about the situation for locals in the country. Arbonnell wrote that he was particularly concerned about children and what the continuing health risks would have to do to their bodies.

“I see little children walking on the roads with their parents and the pollution around them, and I can’t stop thinking about how bad it is for their little lungs. The children of this country deserve better,” the tourist said in his post

In a bittersweet statement, Arbonnell noted that India’s growing technology scene has seen a financial boom and salaries for employees here now rival those in Europe. However, the pollution crisis is making life in India unbearable at the same time. The tourist wrote: “It seems worthless with the amount of pollution the cities suffer from. It’s as if everyone who lives here pays a huge pollution tax.”

“The condition is critical”

The Dutchman urged government authorities in India to move quickly on this issue and mitigate the pollution crisis, describing it as a “serious” threat to people’s lives and health in various states and cities.

“The situation is very bad and I really hope the Indian government realizes this soon,” Arbonnell wrote.

Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands-based tourist’s post resonated with people online and left many Indians feeling angry that the foreign tourist had to experience such poor breathing conditions.

“People don’t realize it now, but slowly the signs of declining health will become more apparent,” one person predicted.

Another person said, “Absolutely! 100 percent. Pollution is outrageous! We should be so angry about it but no, like everything people will take this in their stride!”

Another Indian citizen commented, “The pollution in our cities is crazy and the government is barely scratching the surface to fix it. These children breathing every day is the real tragedy. India has the talent, the brains, the culture, the economy…but none of that matters if people can’t even breathe safely.”

It is not possible to verify exactly where in India the tourist traveled to attend the wedding. But by the looks of the photo attached to his post, which had him approaching a shop with a description in Marathi, many online users suspected that it might be Pune or Mumbai in Maharashtra.

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