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Journalism of Courage
Delhi woke up enveloped in a thick layer of smog on Tuesday morning, just hours after Diwali celebrations lit up the sky with fireworks. Air quality across the National Capital Region (NCR) nosedived overnight, at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 346, placing most parts of the city firmly in the red zone.
A video shared by PTI showed the iconic India Gate and Kartavya Path barely visible through the haze, highlighting how sharply visibility had dropped in the city’s heart.
As residents struggled to breathe through the toxic air, frustration poured out on social media. “We don’t need green crackers today or tomorrow. We need better air quality. We have a right to breathe! Wake up, Delhi government. Every breath we take is toxic enough!” one user urged on X.
Another user shared a grim update from their neighbourhood: “Current situation where I live #AQI #delhi #Diwali Hardly I can see the fireworks in the sky but still people continue to lit up the cracks to make our city a literal gas chamber.”
The anger and helplessness were echoed across timelines. “Clean air isn’t a privilege, it’s policy. Yet, India chokes on inaction yearly,” one comment read. Others shared their physical distress, “My throat is choked. My throat is seriously burning,” wrote a user, while another noted, “Delhi’s AQI exceeds 1000 in some areas, surpassing the maximum limit. I can literally feel the smog in my eyes and throat. But who cares?”
More reactions on the worsening AQI, which crossed 1,000 in some areas of Delhi.
Memes also flooded the platform as users tried to cope with the crisis through dark humour, joking about Delhi’s annual post-Diwali transformation into a “gas chamber.”
According to data from private air quality tracker aqi.in, the air outside Delhi was no better. At 7 am, Noida recorded an AQI of 412, Greater Noida 390, and Ghaziabad 412. Faridabad and Gurugram were not far behind at 412 and 402, respectively, while Meerut’s AQI stood at 302.
To put that in perspective, AQI readings are categorised as: good (0-50), satisfactory (51-100), moderately polluted (101-200), poor (201-300), very poor (301-400), and severe (401-500). Anything beyond that threshold is hazardous to human health.
The World Health Organization’s guidelines are far more stringent, recommending that PM2.5 levels not exceed a 24-hour average of 15 μg/m³ more than a few days per year, and PM10 levels be limited to a maximum of 45 μg/m³ over 24 hours. Tuesday’s readings in Delhi were several times over those limits, turning what should have been a festive morning into another toxic aftermath.
