Farm fires, a court rap, and a marathon trolled: AQI chokehold tightens in Delhi
The annual pollution crisis of the Indian capital has got reactions ranging from ballistic to the bizarre, and medical advice is blunt too as politics continues
A suffocating gray haze settled stubbornly over Delhi and the wider National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday, too, with the needle on the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering not far from the ‘very poor’ mark, intensifying the annual pollution crisis.
Crop-stubble fires on farms in other states such as Punjab and Haryana are yet again a reason, but the compounding effect is the overall weather condition.
It's got three types of reactions:
- One reaction is a fierce judicial response, with the Supreme Cour demanding proactive steps from authorities who, the court noted, routinely wait until pollution turns "severe" before acting.
- On the political front, the opposition parties such as AAP and Congress have put the blame squarely on the BJP's Delhi government led by CM Rekha Gupta. The government has imposed restrictions on polluting vehicles, and has been trying experimental methods like cloud-seeding to induce “artificial” rain that hasn't worked so far.
- But perhaps the most bizarre dimension has been the holding of “fitness events” such as marathons and cycling, where hundreds have gathered — with or without masks to somewhat save themselves from the toxic air — despite severe trolling across social media platforms.
How bad is the Delhi air, really?
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data over the weekend showed that on Sunday, November 2, Delhi's overall AQI rose sharply to 366, categorised as ‘very poor’, from 303 the previous day, news agency PTI reported. By Monday, the AQI came down to 316, still bad enough.
The CPCB warns that at these levels particles can cause breathing discomfort especially among vulnerable populations such as people with lung or heart diseases, children, and the elderly.
Other NCR cities like Gurugram (357), Ghaziabad (351), Noida (348), and Greater Noida (340) were all firmly in the "very poor" bracket.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS), it is expected to remain in the 'very poor' category until at least November 4.
What have farm fires in other states got to do with Delhi AQI?
A contributor to the northern region’s smog is stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, which occurs following the paddy harvest in October and November. Farmers often set fields alight to quickly clear crop residue of the kharif season, due to the short window available before sowing the rabi season's wheat crop.
Data from the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management in Delhi showed that the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s air pollution had increased from 1.6% on Friday to 9.03% on Saturday. The contribution was, however, expected to go down to 3.45% soon.
There has been an overall reported drop in cases this kharif season, but Punjab reported 178 new farm fire incidents on Sunday too, bringing the season’s total to 2,262. This relatively localised burning contributed to dipping air quality within Punjab, too, where Mandi Gobindgarh recorded an AQI of 319. Punitive actions have been implemented, including registering 114 cases and imposing ₹8.25 lakh in environmental compensation in Tarn Taran alone.
"The early November AQI spike is a predictable seasonal trend driven partly by peak fire counts. Yet, this spike sits on an already elevated pollution baseline. Even before the fires, air quality in the region remained ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ due to continuous urban and industrial emissions,” Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), told India Today.
Thus, how it affects the wider region has to do also with other meteorological factors — weak winds in Delhi, for instance. The AQEWS reported that wind speed dropped below 8 kmph from the northwest during evening and night hours.
SC slams reactive measures
The Supreme Court intervened strongly on Monday, directing the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken to prevent air pollution in Delhi-NCR from worsening.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran stressed that authorities must act proactively, and not wait until pollution levels hit the "severe" stage, PTI reported.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the bench as an amicus curiae ('friend of the court'), flagged a crucial issue. Media reports have indicated that several air quality monitoring stations in Delhi were non-functional during the Diwali period even though crackers were allowed this time.
She highlighted that only nine of 37 monitoring stations were continuously functioning on Diwali day, arguing that this prevents authorities from knowing when to implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
AQI fails to stop fitness events
Amid all of this, a debate is on about whether fitness events held in such a time mean resilience of some kind or plain stupidity.
Delhi hosted several high-profile fitness events on Sunday, for instance, drawing condemnation on X.
A post went viral questioning the city’s priorities after the Sekhon IAF Marathon 2025 was flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. At the time, Delhi's AQI hovered near the 'severe' 400 mark.
One X user labeled running a marathon in such pollution as “nothing short of suicidal”. Another user identifying as a marathoner agreed that running outdoors in the current Delhi NCR AQI is "hazardous" and likely to lead to immediate after effects like cold, cough and fever.
What doctor says: ‘Leaving Delhi may not be…’
Senior pulmonologist Dr Gopi Chand Khilnani has advised those who have the means and/or chronic health conditions like lung or heart disease, or those on oxygen, to leave the capital for six to eight weeks, ideally until December. Dr Khilnani emphasised that while not everyone can leave, those who can should do so to protect themselves.
He highlighted that air pollution is increasingly responsible for conditions like lung cancer in non-smokers, underlining that 40% of lung cancer cases are now seen in people who have never smoked. The pollution also affects the heart, brain, kidneys, and overall immunity, he added.
Asked about air purifiers, he noted that while they can help people with chronic respiratory issues at home, they must be of good quality, run constantly, and the room kept closed for maximum efficiency. Don't go outside, or just leave Delhi at least for now, was the gist of what he said.
