Pollution rising? Warrior moms are here to fight against bad air days

A group of environmentally conscious mothers have joined hands to raise their voice against air pollution and fight for the right to breath clean air.

“Come July, and my kids would start wheezing, catch allergies if they are out for too long. Unlike bad water and polluted grounds, the effects of polluted air are not immediately visible. This pandemic has also proven that people who have respiratory issues find it hard to cope with the infection. It’s high time we fight for better breathing rights for our future generations,” says Bhavreen Kandhari, a Delhi-based environmentalist, and mother to twin daughters. She is also a member of Warrior Moms — a pan-India initiative of environmentally conscious mothers who are fighting against air pollution and other environmental issues.

Mothers, across India, are coming together to be part of a campaign against air pollution. (Photo: Facebook/WarriorMoms)

There are more than 1,000 women engaging with the team on a pan India scale, with numbers increasing every day. But, why the name Warrior Moms? Kandhari says it’s because they are now operating on a war scale, and explains that “Mothers will go to all ends of the world for the benefit of their children. The name is a reflection of that commitment. I shiver to think as a mother that I’m packing cigarettes instead of lunch boxes in the school bag; the air our child breathes could be equal to smoking up to 20 cigarettes a day! It is a national emergency.”

Bhavreen Kandhari, a Delhi-based environmentalist and mother to twin daughters feels it’s high time we fight for better breathing rights for our future generations. (Photo: Facebook/Warrior Moms)

During the lockdown and even in phases of unlock, the pollution levels reduced drastically, thus allowing Delhi-NCR residents to breathe in peace. “This is a chance for us to reflect upon the lifestyle choices we make, and also question the government’s decisions that have made the air unbreathable prior to lockdown,” says Anuja Bali Karthikeyan, a Warrior Mom from Pune.

“If mothers understood the implications of air pollution on their children, they would rise and fight for solutions.”
– Sherebanu Frosh, a Gurugram-based Warrior Mom

Sherebanu Frosh, a Gurugram-based Warrior Mom who is one of the 50 women at the core of this collective, says, “Coming together and raising voices has always been the only way to make a difference. We felt that if mothers understood the implications of air pollution on their children, they would rise and fight for solutions.”

WHO has pointed out that children, especially below five years, are more vulnerable than ever to the harmful effects of air pollution. Gurugram-based Warrior Mom, Dr Sarika Verma, an ENT surgeon by profession, agrees to this, and says, “We have taken up this cause because we feel authorities are not effectively dealing with this menace. The number of cases of children who now need nebulisers to breathe properly, has increased manifold in Delhi and nearby areas. But our fight isn’t limited to air pollution. We will be championing the cause of waste management, oppose indiscriminate tree felling, and demand cleaner fuel for vehicles among other key issues.”

Talking about the need for appropriate policies to drive a sustained change, Frosh adds that the group is aiming for social media campaigns and conversations with a wider reach. She adds, “Our mission is to push the change in technologies and policies, which are needed to get to a zero emission and AQI 60, for the sake of our children.”

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter