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‘Promises vanish with smoke’: Entrepreneur shows Delhi air purifier reading jumping from 97 to 500 AQI as he opens door

The video captured by Kapil Dhama in Delhi shows how quickly outdoor pollution seeps into indoor spaces.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS), pollution levels surged, with the AQI reaching 316 at 9 am across the capital (Image source: @kapildhama/X)

With air quality in Delhi falling into the “very poor” category, a video shared by a city-based entrepreneur revealed how even air purifiers are failing to combat the Capital’s toxic air.

The video, posted by startup founder Kapil Dhama, captures how quickly outdoor pollution seeps into indoor spaces. In the clip, an air purifier’s Air Quality Index (AQI) display, which initially shows clean air, spikes to hazardous levels within seconds of him opening the main door.

The now-viral video begins with Dhama filming the purifier’s reading at 97 – a reading of 50-100 is considered to be ‘satisfactory’. As he opens the door, the numbers begin to climb, first hitting 177, and then shooting past 500, which is considered ‘severe plus’, almost instantly.

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In the caption, Dhama wrote that despite “running four purifiers 24/7,” the air quality inside his home shifted “from safe to dangerous in mere seconds” after opening the door.

Watch here:

4 purifier running 24×7 at home

Reading while all doors are closed – 100

Just opened main door and touched – 500

Life become hell in NCR and govt is busy in bihar campaign. pic.twitter.com/7b5Zg3QXea

— Kapil Dhama (@kapildhama) November 1, 2025

The video quickly gained traction, accumulating over a million views and triggering strong criticism against the Delhi government. “One of the most failed nation in the world. Uncontrolled population, no fresh water, air even after paying huge taxes. This society has been corrupted from its core. Super power is my foot, it’s a blind government not a vision less,” a user wrote.

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“NCR air so bad, your purifier’s working overtime while politicians are busy campaigning for cleaner headlines instead,” another user commented. “It’s heartbreaking that clean air has become a luxury. Every year the same story promises vanish with the smoke,” a third user reacted.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS), pollution levels in Delhi have surged, with the AQI recording 316 at 9 am across the capital on Monday. The AQI scale categorises air quality as good (0–50), satisfactory (51–100), moderately polluted (101–200), poor (201–300), very poor (301–400), and severe (401–500). Higher AQI readings indicate increasingly unhealthy air.