The capital city woke up to a faint glimmer of hope on Monday, the air looked a little clearer, but the relief was short-lived. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered around 346, still firmly in the “very poor” range. For many residents, stepping outdoors felt like breathing through a veil of smoke.
At several monitoring stations namely Bawana, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri and Nehru Nagar, the numbers were even worse, touching the “severe” zone. Doctors have warned that such levels can trigger breathing problems even in healthy people, while children and the elderly are especially at risk.
Meteorologists say faster winds and a dip in farm-fire smoke brought minor relief, but the smog isn’t going away anytime soon. Forecasts show the haze is likely to hang over the city for days.
Even so, authorities decided not to invoke Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the phase that would ban construction, halt older vehicles, and shut schools up to Class V. Only Stage 1 and 2 restrictions are in place, focusing mainly on curbing dust and industrial emissions.
Meanwhile, citizens are running out of patience. On Sunday, a group of parents, children, and environmental activists gathered at India Gate, holding placards and inhalers, demanding the “right to breathe.” Their message was simple stressing that air is not a privilege, it’s a basic need.
The peaceful demonstration soon met police resistance when some protesters sat on the road near Man Singh Road. Several were briefly detained for blocking traffic and later released.
The group, which included doctors, teachers and students, urged both central and Delhi governments to take stronger long-term steps, including better public health advisories, real-time pollution alerts, and transparency in how funds meant for clean-air projects are spent.
Delhi’s air has remained toxic since Diwali, slipping between “poor” and “severe” almost daily. For now, citizens are left doing what they can by masking up, checking air-quality apps, and hoping that their collective voice will finally be heard.
