On the morning of October 13, 2025, Moni woke up to another uncontrollable coughing fit. She reached for water, then more water, hoping the scratch in her throat would settle. It did not.

The 26-year-old had conceived in January 2025. Moni lives in Dakshinpuri, a dense, industrial and high-traffic neighbourhood in South Delhi where AQI levels were above 440 in the weeks before her pregnancy. What started as mild irritation and dry cough during the peak pollution months of........

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