In Guwahati, pregnant women from low-income homes face both outdoor and indoor pollution
A report highlights how marginalised pregnant women in Guwahati keep working outside despite heavy roadside pollution, and how indoor smoke from traditional ch울
Rupmoni Das, 26, is seven months pregnant and spends around six hours each day at a makeshift fruit stall along the Beltola-Baistha Road in Guwahati. She said she continues to work because household income depends on her daily earnings. She also described physical strain from standing for long hours, along with frequent coughs and colds.
Rupmoni said the air around busy roads affects her breathing. She described smoke and dust exposure from passing vehicles, burning waste, and nearby construction. She said evenings can bring continuous coughing and breathlessness, yet she returns to her stall the next day. “There are many nights when I cannot sleep because of continuous coughing,” she said, adding that she lives with severe body pain after work.
Outdoor exposure linked to worsening local air quality
Her experience matches a wider pattern of air quality pressure in the city. The report mentions that, during 187 days of 2026 up to the time of filing, Guwahati recorded several days under categories that indicate worsening pollution. It also cites an annual average AQI (US) figure for 2026 and notes that air quality has deteriorated compared with earlier years.
Ilusmita Konwar, a social worker and coordinator of SAKHI one stop centre, said economically vulnerable communities face pollution most because they have fewer options to reduce exposure. She argued that precautions are easier for people with stable work and resources, but daily wage earners must keep working even when conditions are unhealthy. Konwar also pointed out that the problem is not only outside the home.
Indoor smoke rises when cooking fuel becomes unaffordable
The report describes how indoor pollution affects pregnant women when families cannot use cleaner cooking options. It says a recent LPG gas shortage led some low-income households to switch back to chullah cooking using firewood, coal, and biomass fuel. In Dhirenpara, Ruksar Begum, 24, said she reverted to traditional cooking after her family could not afford refills.
Ruksar said her kitchen is poorly ventilated and that smoke can make breathing difficult, with burning in the eyes and throat. She also mentioned developing skin irritation. Medical experts quoted in the report say prolonged exposure to polluted air can affect maternal blood quality and influence baby development during pregnancy.
