As air quality and pollution index continue to worsen at the height of the ongoing winter season in India, locals and tourists are encountering various health risks and breathing challenges. Summing up
the ordeal at hand, a Dutchman revealed how his visit to India for wedding two months back has since proven to be a health-related nightmare.
“I love Indian food and the culture, but I just want to be able to breathe and not have my throat burn. Been in India for the last two months for my Indian wedding, and I don’t remember the last time I was so sick for such a long time. I’m tired of wearing a mask,” noted Sacha Arbonel, who hails from the Netherlands.
Tourist Alarmed By Pollution Levels In India
Apart from battling sickness himself, the Dutchman said he has been alarmed by the situation for locals in the country. Arbonel wrote that he had been especially concerned for the children and what the ongoing health hazard must be doing to their bodies.
“I see small kids walking on roads with their parents with pollution around them and cannot stop thinking how bad it must be for their young lungs. The kids of this country deserve better,” the tourist mentioned in his X post.
I love Indian food and the culture but I just want to be able to breathe and not have my throat burn.
Been in India for the last two months for my Indian wedding and I don’t remember the last time I was so sick for such a long time.
I’m tired of wearing a mask.
I see small… pic.twitter.com/ZFOthBiUJU
— Sacha Arbonel (@sachaarbonel) December 29, 2025
In a bittersweet statement, Arbonel noted that India’s ever-growing technological scene has witnessed a financial surge and salaries for employees here now rival those in Europe. However, the pollution crisis makes living in India unbearable at the same time. “It all feels worthless with the amount of pollution the cities have. Feels like everyone living here is paying a hefty pollution tax,” the tourist wrote.
‘The Condition Is Critical’
The Dutchman urged the government authorities in India to quickly act on the matter and mitigate the pollution crisis, identifying it as a “critical” danger to people’s lives and health condition across different states and cities.
“The condition is critically bad and I really hope the Indian Govt realises this soon,” Arbonel wrote.
The post of the Netherlands-based tourist unsurprisingly resonated with people online and left many Indians aggrieved that a foreign tourist has had to experience such poor breathing conditions.
“People ain’t realising this now but slowly the signs of deteriorating health will become more visible,” predicted an individual.
Someone else said, “Absolutely! 100 per cent. The pollution is outrageous! We should be so so so angry about it but naah, like everything people will take this in their stride!”
“Pollution in our cities is insane and the government has barely scratched the surface fixing it. Kids breathing this daily is the real tragedy. India has talent, brains, culture, economy… but none of it matters if people can’t even breathe safely,” commented another Indian citizen.
It couldn’t be verified where exactly the tourist had travelled to in India for the wedding. But by the looks of the picture attached to his post, which had him approaching a shop with a Marathi description, many users online suspected it could be Pune or Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra.
