New Delhi

Warrior Moms, a collective of mothers, has urged the National Human Rights Commission to take suo motu action against Delhi's toxic air, which it said has become a "persistent and preventable" crisis violating children's fundamental right to life.

In a representation submitted to an NHRC member, Warrior Moms warned that the city's air quality which routinely swings between the 'very poor' and 'severe' amounts to an annual public-health emergency inflicting irreversible lung and cognitive damage on millions of children.

The collective said Delhi's youngest residents bear the harshest burden, with mounting evidence linking particulate exposure to asthma, lower respiratory infections, impaired lung function, stunting, preterm births and measurable cognitive decline.

Calling the situation a "rights issue, not merely an environmental problem", it argued that the state is failing in its constitutional obligations under Articles 14 and 21, as well as India's international child-rights commitments.

The collective asked the NHRC to immediately intervene and direct authorities from the Centre and the Delhi government to pollution regulators and enforcement agencies to implement concrete protections for children.

The measures sought include mandatory AQI-linked school-closure protocols, real-time pollution alerts for parents, and filtered-air rooms and air purifiers in both government and private primary schools.

The group recommended a ban on construction and demolition activity near schools during high-pollution days, stricter enforcement of GRAP restrictions including curbs on heavy vehicles and open burning and free respiratory and developmental health screenings for children in high-exposure zones, among several other steps.

The petition argued that Delhi's recurring winter smog combined with fossil-fuel emissions from transport, industry and construction constitutes "systemic negligence" that demands accountability.

"Every day of delay means lifelong harm to a child's lungs and brain," the mothers wrote, urging the commission to issue urgent interim directions and require governments to publicly report progress on pollution-control benchmarks.

The group also offered to supply the NHRC with medical evidence, AQI data and testimonies from parents and paediatricians to support its appeal.

Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said, "Over 1.7 million Indians died in a single year due to air pollution. That is not a statistic; it's a national emergency. Delhi's children are the smallest victims of the biggest failure of governance. The NHRC must hold authorities accountable for denying children their most basic right: the right to breathe."

Warrior Moms member Jyotika Singh said Delhi's toxic air has turned childhood into a daily health hazard.

"No parent should have to choose between sending a child to school and protecting their lungs. We urge the NHRC to recognise this as a clear violation of children's rights and act with the urgency the crisis demands," she said.

The appeal comes at a time when the city continues to grapple with severe pollution.

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Throughout November, Delhi's AQI hovered between the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories, while several monitoring stations recorded 'severe' air quality with readings touching 400, levels that pose health risks even to healthy individuals.