'Never imagined breathe to become luxury...': Saiyami Kher sounds alarm on Mumbai's air pollution

Comparing the situation to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saiyami said that the worsening air quality has drastically changed her daily life.

Mumbai has reportedly been suffering from deteriorating air quality for some time now and frequently made headlines with appeals from high-profile citizens for urgent intervention. These influential voices have urged the authorities to intervene and safeguard the environment, and the latest popular face to raise an alarm is actress and fitness icon Saiyami Kher.

Comparing the situation to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that the worsening air quality has drastically changed her daily life. Taking to her social media platform, the Ghoomer star penned a detailed note addressing the urgent need to prioritize health amidst rising air pollution levels.

Sharing a picture of herself standing by the beach while wearing a mask, Saiyami spoke about how running by the sea at Carter Road had been a part of her life for years. She also added that she began running a decade ago and enjoyed the fresh ocean breeze every morning. Now, however, it felt "dystopian" to wear a mask before going for a run.

"Every morning, I'd find myself on Carter Road, chasing the ocean breeze. That wind is what made me fall in love with this city and running. I want to feel it again. And dystopian as it is, I put on a mask before lacing my shoes. It took me back to the pandemic. Except there's no virus in the air endangering our lives. The air itself could kill us. I never imagined a day when the very thing we breathe to survive would become a luxury," she wrote.

"My doors and windows stay shut. I bought an air purifier. I moved my runs to a treadmill, staring at a wall instead of the sea. And it still isn't enough. Running is the thing that keeps me whole. It clears my head. It heals something in me that nothing else reaches. But now the act I built my life around feels like it's quietly destroying me. Pollution is undoing what years of discipline, sweat, and devotion built, one breath at a time," she added.

Netizens seemed to have agreed with Saiyami, as they lent their support by sharing and replying to the post, like, “That’s exactly how every runner feels. And yes, the AQI is unbearable, the air quality is getting worse with each passing day. Each one of us is equally responsible,” and “It’s pathetic the way they are taking away our basic right to breathe. We need accountability in development and no cutting of trees.” According to AQI.in Mumbai’s air quality stands at a ‘poor 112’ today.