Independent, smart, tech-savvy and ready to take on the world. Meet the new-age Delhi kids. Groomed in the best schools and brought up with access to state-of-the-art health facilities and information, they sure are a confident lot. However, there’s a flipside to being born in Delhi, they feel. Piya Gill, 16, who lives in Patparganj in east Delhi, says, “The extreme weather conditions and exposure to excessive noise and air pollution makes life difficult in the city. If I was born in a smaller town, I am sure I would have been healthier. The pollution levels would be lower and I wouldn’t be so dependent on junk food,” says Gill. Experts echo Gill’s views. Dr Anupam Sibal, paediatrician and medical director, Apollo Hospital, says Delhi’s peculiar weather makes children more vulnerable to certain ailments. “Gastrointestinal diseases are common among children in the summer months, when temperatures go up to 45 degrees Celsius. The bitter cold is no better. Low temperature and smog aggravate asthma and bronchitis and limit outdoor activities,” he said. Lack of outdoor activities and exposure to the sun put children at a risk for Vitamin D deficiency. A study has revealed 11.9% of Delhi’s schoolchildren in the age group of 5–16 years suffer from bronchial asthma. Significant risk factors for its development are male sex, a family history of atopic disorders and the presence of smokers in the family. Wheezing, another respiratory disorder, was found to be common among schoolchildren. In a study published in medical journal Indian Paediatrics, over 30% school going children were found to be affected by wheezing. “Exposure to environmental pollutants, compromised immunity and overcrowding makes children more vulnerable,” says Dr Sanjeev Bagai, senior pediatric consultant, Nephron Clinic. Delhi Government’s statistical handbook released last year showed that 7,525 persons died of complications from respiratory diseases in 2010 — a 41% increase from 2009. Pollution is a contributing factor to these deaths, say experts. “We are losing out on the benefits of introducing CNG buses to thousands of cars that are being added to city’s roads every day. Pollution levels are up, with levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers, called PM10s, often touching 300 per cubic metre, thrice more than the city’s permissible limit of 100 per cubic metre and well above the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 20 per cubic metre,” said a senior government official. “Today, children step out of AC homes, travel in AC cars and study in AC classrooms with hardly any exposure to sunlight. They grow up in cramped spaces with little clean air to breathe and no room for recreation,” said an expert.