Swiss monitor flags Delhi AQI of 700+ as unresolved pollution complaints spark protests

Delhi pollution

Delhi’s air quality plunged to “hazardous” levels on Friday morning, with the city recording an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 700+, according to data from Swiss monitor IQ Air.

This alarming deterioration marks a dramatic escalation of the capital's annual winter pollution crisis, which has worsened since Diwali due to a toxic combination of post-festival pollution, farm fires in neighbouring states and low wind activity trapping pollutants over the city.

(AQI reading in IQAir.com)

The catastrophic reading came a day after the capital's air quality had already surged into the ‘very poor’ category, with an official AQI of 311 - a stark decline from 202 just hours earlier. The visible grey haze, which made eyes water and throats scratchy, has now solidified into a persistent public health emergency.

A perfect storm of pollutants intensifies

The crisis stems from a confluence of adverse factors. Calm local winds and falling temperatures have trapped pollutants close to the ground, creating an atmospheric lid over the city. This was exacerbated by illegal firecracker bursts and a sharp increase in smoke from agricultural fires.

According to data from the Centre’s Decision Support System, stubble burning contributed an estimated 9.48% to Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution on Thursday—the highest share so far this winter. Forecasts reported by HT indicated this contribution could skyrocket to 38% by Friday.

PM 2.5 remained the dominant pollutant, with 32 out of 38 central monitoring stations reporting air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. On the national scale, Delhi ranked as the fourth most polluted Indian city, with Rohtak topping the list.

Public fury erupts at Jantar Mantar

As the smog thickened, public frustration spilled onto the streets. On Thursday, student and activist groups staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against what they termed the central and Delhi governments' failure to address the worsening climate crisis and choking air pollution.

Over 80 protesters, holding posters and banners in a demonstration organised by Scientists for Society and the Campaign for Right to Public Health, voiced their anger. The gathering saw participation from students, activists, journalists, artists and representatives of organisations such as Naujawan Bharat Sabha and Disha Students’ Organisation.

Thousands of pollution complaints languish unresolved

Parallel to the environmental and public unrest, a deep-seated crisis in civic governance has been laid bare. A review of Delhi’s public grievance platforms revealed that several key departments are failing to address pollution-related complaints, with over half of a staggering 326,045 registered grievances remaining unresolved.

The analysis, conducted by the Delhi government in mid-October, covered data from multiple platforms. The report identified the Indian Railways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Irrigation and Flood Control department as the worst performers, with pendency rates of 90%, 86% and 53% respectively. Neither Indian Railways nor NHAI commented on the matter.

A senior government official stated that the data shows a critical lack of urgency during the smog season, noting that every pending complaint represents a visible, ongoing source of pollution, from open garbage burning to illegal construction dust.

Transparency and monitoring under scrutiny

The staggering ‘hazardous’ AQI reading from IQ Air stands in contrast to the official monitoring system. An investigation conducted by HT recently uncovered issues of missing data and algorithmic loopholes in how the city’s average AQI is calculated, suggesting official readings may not fully reflect ground-level conditions.

Further concerns about transparency have been raised around the Decision Support System. As reported, the system went silent for four days before updating on November 4, only after queries were raised with officials. Data for the peak impact days of November 1 and 2 remains missing.

The capital now enters an extended period of hazardous air that typically persists through the winter months, with thousands of visible pollution sources across the city yet to be actioned by the very authorities tasked with the cleanup, even as the breathable air disappears and public patience wears thin.