Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further with several areas falling below the 'severe' mark on Friday, with mounting medical alarms and surveys showing that nearly 80 per cent households in Delhi-NCR have had at least one member fall ill due to toxic air in the past month.
Calling this a 'public health emergency', experts have said that there is enough evidence to show that pollution hits life expectancy. Doctors also said that while masks and air purifiers offer certain protection, a round-the-year policy change is needed to tackle the problem.
Here are the top points on Delhi air quality
- No respite for Delhiites: Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 370 at 9 am on Friday morning, according to the government's Sameer app. This is the eight consecutive day that Delhi AQI has stayed in the 'very poor' category. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) noted that AQI levels were 392 on Wednesday, 374 on Tuesday, and 351 on Monday, indicating a sharp weekly rise.
2. 18 stations cross 'Severe': Over 18 monitoring stations logged AQI above 400. These include Chandni Chowk, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Narela, DTU and Wazirpur - many of which consistently cross the 400–450 range.
{{/usCountry}}2. 18 stations cross 'Severe': Over 18 monitoring stations logged AQI above 400. These include Chandni Chowk, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Narela, DTU and Wazirpur - many of which consistently cross the 400–450 range.
{{/usCountry}}3. Worse days ahead: The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Air Quality Early Warning System said Delhi’s air quality is expected to slip into ‘severe’ and remain in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ zone for the next six days, driven by stagnant winds and winter inversion.
4. What's causing the pollution: The IITM-Decision Support System estimated that on Thursday, vehicular emissions contributed 17.3% of PM2.5 pollution, while stubble burning contributed 2.8%. For Friday, these are expected to dip slightly to 16.2% and 1.8%, respectively.
5. Farm fires detected across states: Satellite data showed 16 fires in Punjab, 11 in Haryana, and 115 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday - relatively low, but enough to feed background pollution under stagnant winter conditions.
6. Doctors sound alarm: AIIMS experts warned that air pollution has entered “medical emergency” territory, with hospitals witnessing a 10–15% spike in respiratory and pollution-linked cases.
- "The pollution here is absolutely severe and life-threatening. This situation has been going on for the last ten years. We try to do something every time, but in reality, on the ground, I don't see much change. The responsible agencies should take drastic steps over time. Not just respiratory, it's now affecting other organs as well. Many are facing life-threatening situations. There's definitely been an increase in both outpatient and emergency rooms. Many people even have to be put on ventilators. It should be treated like a public health emergency," AIIMS doctor Dr Anant Mohan said.
- "Pollution harms the heart, brain, mental health—every physiological system. It affects unborn children and the elderly. We now have clear evidence that it cuts life expectancy," Dr Mohan added.
- He said wards are overflowing with people suffering from wheezing, breathlessness, burning eyes, and fast-deteriorating COPD.
- Dr Saurabh Mittal, AIIMS said: “Delhi makes a huge mistake treating pollution as a November-only issue. Water sprinklers and street sprays offer only marginal benefit. The city needs year-round action, not seasonal panic.”
7. Do masks help? Doctors stressed masks and purifiers “offer limited individual protection” and cannot replace systemic solutions.
8. 80% households in Delhi affected: A LocalCircles survey found that 8 in 10 households in Delhi-NCR had at least one member fall ill due to toxic air in the past month.
- 36% households had four or more members suffer respiratory or pollution-linked symptoms.
- Residents report persistent cough, burning eyes, headaches, congestion, and aggravated asthma.
9. Supreme Court steps in: Earlier this week, the Supreme Court urged the CAQM to consider deferring school sports events planned for November–December, noting that conducting outdoor activities now was like making children “train in gas chambers”. The Court also emphasised monthly monitoring of air pollution mitigation and asked states to follow CAQM’s stubble-burning guidelines “scrupulously”.
10. Public anger rising: Residents, including young children and parents, are protesting at India Gate and Jantar Mantar, demanding urgent government action. Many said worsening pollution, coupled with “year-round political inaction”, left them with no choice but to take to the streets. Protesters complained that restrictions under GRAP hit workers hard, but pollution remains high due to poor enforcement and lack of long-term planning.