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New Delhi – Before leaving for work, Rohit Kushwaha’s wife reminds him to take his medicine and hands him a freshly washed piece of cloth, making sure it is properly wrapped around his face and mouth before he puts on his motorbike helmet.

She has been religiously following this routine since November, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi consistently hovered between 300 and 400, indicating “severe” levels of pollution.

A few years ago, 25-year-old Rohit and his family of four moved to Delhi in pursuit of a better future.

In 2025, Rohit joined an e-commerce company as a delivery driver with a monthly income of around 18,000 rupees (about ?30,000), a relatively low wage in one of India’s most expensive cities. The menial work has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.

According to a report released by Swiss firm IQAir in March, New Delhi remained the world’s most polluted capital city for the eighth consecutive year. The national capital recorded a yearly PM2.5 concentration of 82.2 micrograms per cubic meter, over 16 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.

“I was quite happy when I got this job because it meant not sitting in one place, but who knew I would be riding inside a gas chamber all day,” Rohit says while waiting outside a parcel collection hub.

“The air in this city is so thick and full of pollutants that with every single breath, my chest feels heavy.” ?

Rohit says he can’t afford a high-quality mask and uses a cloth instead. Some days, he opts to stay home from work, but then the family struggles to put food on the table.

Rohit is hardly alone.

Around 12 million people were employed in gig work in India as of last year, and that number is projected to double by the end of the decade.

Around 85% of these workers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, work eight or more hours a day, relying on gig work as their primary source of income.? According to a study conducted in 2023, food delivery workers riding two-wheelers in Delhi are exposed to dangerously high levels of particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, a known carcinogen.

“All of us have some health problems due to the nature of our job. Still we work like machines be it rain, cold, or any natural disaster to keep e-commerce or food companies in India functional,” Rohit says, noting that summer heat is another hazard of the job in addition to air quality concerns.

On New Year’s Eve, thousands of gig workers in India working for major e-commerce companies and delivery app platforms went on a strike, demanding improved working conditions, fixed wages, reasonable working hours, paid leave and better job stability.

“Gig workers are treated as ’hostages with helmets’ instead of employees with basic rights,” said Raghav Chadha, a former member of parliament with the Aam Aadmi Party who recently defected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Rajesh Kumar, 24, who works for Blinkit, a prominent Indian quick-commerce platform that delivers groceries and other essentials, feels disappointed he was not able to join his fellow delivery drivers for the strike due to a high fever and persistent cough.

“This pollution is slowly killing my lungs,” he says. “Sometimes I ooze blood when I cough and the doctor has suggested I change jobs but that’s not possible as there are no jobs available for people like us. These companies are like parasites that grow on us but give nothing in return.”

A survey by the All India Gig Workers Union found that over 60% of gig workers reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, driven by financial insecurity and long hours.

“The other day, due to a lack of sleep and the thick smog making visibility almost zero, I was in an accident. Luckily, nothing major happened,” Rajesh says.

Gig workers are merely one set of victims of the pollution that continues to plague Indian cities.

A December report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago shows that air pollution is shortening the life expectancy of Delhi residents by nearly 12 years. Another study based on data by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that in 2023, 1 in 7 deaths in Delhi was linked to polluted air, claiming more lives than issues related to high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity.

“Gig workers who spend long hours outdoors in polluted cities like Delhi need protection at several levels,” says Pratima Singh, a director of air pollution and waste management at the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST). “At the individual level, high-filtration masks such as N95 respirators, regular replacement of filters, and access to indoor rest spaces with air purification can reduce exposure.”

While long-term solutions to reduce pollution should be implemented, in the short term, Singh says it’s up to the companies and the government to act in order to protect gig workers like Rajesh and Rohit.

“Platforms can integrate real-time air-quality alerts into apps, adjust delivery targets during severe pollution days, and provide protective gear or health coverage,” Singh says. “At the policy level, governments could classify extreme air pollution as an occupational hazard, allowing workers to pause work without penalties.

“Ultimately, structural pollution control combined with workplace protections is essential to safeguard workers whose jobs require daily outdoor exposure.”