Lakshay Chaudhary’s Noida balcony offers no view below as smog chokes Delhi-NCR😶‍🌫️

On Monday, Noida's Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 470, placing it in the ‘hazardous’ category.

As Noida continues to reel under toxic air, visuals shared by content creator Lakshay Chaudhary have highlighted the severity of the pollution, with dense smog engulfing residential towers and public spaces across the city.

The visuals emerged as Noida reported some of the worst air quality levels in the country. (Instagram/@lakshayonly)

In a series of Instagram stories, Chaudhary posted clips showing thick haze blanketing high-rise buildings in Noida, reducing visibility to a few metres. In one video, apartment towers appear partially swallowed by smog, with surrounding structures barely visible through the polluted air. The clip was captioned simply: “Noida!”

Another video shared by the influencer showed him and others playing cricket on a ground enveloped in heavy smog. Stadium lights struggled to cut through the haze as players stood just a short distance apart, partially obscured by the poor visibility. Chaudhary captioned the clip in Hindi, suggesting that cricket continues regardless of the conditions. “Kaisi bhi prastithi mein cricket,” he wrote.

Delhi-NCR’s air turns hazardous

Notably, the visuals emerged as Noida reported some of the worst air quality levels in the country. On Monday, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 470, placing it in the ‘hazardous’ category. On Sunday, Noida recorded the highest air pollution levels nationwide, with the AQI rising to 466, up from 455 on Saturday.

All four air monitoring stations in Noida recorded ‘severe’ air quality on Sunday. Sector 116 reported the highest AQI at 493, followed by Sector 1 (489), Sector 125 (453) and Sector 62 (427).

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), AQI levels are classified as: 0–50 ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’. Levels beyond this range are considered extremely hazardous to health.

Noida, Delhi schools shift to hybrid mode

Meanwhile, Chaudhary’s posts are among several videos shared by residents living in high-rise buildings in Noida and the wider NCR in recent days, documenting choking smog, poor visibility and growing health concerns as air quality continues to deteriorate.

With air pollution reaching hazardous levels and raising serious health concerns, particularly for children, schools across Delhi rolled out a hybrid learning model with immediate effect to ensure student safety while maintaining academic continuity.

Following the implementation of GRAP Stage-IV, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration also announced a major decision for schools and coaching centres in Noida.