Hundreds of people gathered in Delhi on Sunday to protest against the worsening air pollution that has plagued India’s capital and its surrounding regions. The demonstration was notable for its size and intensity, reflecting growing public frustration over the deteriorating air quality, which has reached dangerously high levels in recent weeks.
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures the concentration of PM 2.5—fine particulate matter small enough to penetrate the lungs—has been alarmingly high for the past three weeks. The AQI has consistently hovered between 300 and 400, representing pollution levels 20 to 30 times above the World Health Organization’s safe limits. Such pollution poses severe health risks, including respiratory problems and other chronic conditions, prompting concern from citizens, activists, and health experts alike.
The protesters, numbering close to 400 men and women of all ages—including children—gathered near the iconic India Gate monument, holding banners and chanting slogans demanding urgent government action. Some wore gas masks as a stark symbol of the hazardous air they are forced to breathe daily. Banners carried messages such as “Right to live, not just survive” and “Life in Delhi: Take birth, breathe, die,” underlining the gravity and desperation of the situation.
However, the protest was met with police intervention. Approximately 80 people were briefly detained for staging the demonstration without permission at India Gate, which is considered a high-security zone. The detainees were all adults and were released later the same day. Senior Delhi Police officer Devesh Mahla emphasized that India Gate is not designated as a protest site, explaining the reason for the detentions.
Delhi’s air pollution is a perennial issue, driven by a combination of factors including vehicular emissions, dust, and industrial pollutants. However, the problem intensifies significantly during the winter months. One key contributor is the practice of crop stubble burning by farmers in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana. The smoke generated from these fires drifts into Delhi, compounding the pollution. Additionally, low wind speeds and atmospheric conditions trap pollutants close to the ground, resulting in smog and poor visibility.
Although air pollution is a recurring problem, Sunday’s protest was the largest in recent times, signaling a rising public demand for more effective government interventions. On Monday morning, the AQI in Delhi remained high at 330 according to the federal government’s Safar app. For context, AQI levels between 101 and 200 are considered moderate; 201 to 300 are poor; 301 to 400 are very poor; and anything above 400 is classified as severe. Other independent monitoring sources painted an even grimmer picture. The Air Visual app, operated by the Swiss company IQAir, reported pollution levels between 414 and 507—categorizing the air quality as hazardous.
The protest attracted a diverse group of participants, including environmental activists, university students, journalists, and opposition political leaders. One prominent environmental activist, Bhavreen Kandhari, highlighted the government’s failure to fully implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a tiered set of measures designed to combat air pollution in Delhi and its suburbs. Currently, Delhi is under the second phase of GRAP, which restricts the use of diesel generators and bans the burning of coal and firewood. However, the third phase, which would impose stricter measures such as halting all non-essential construction and banning diesel vehicles, has not been activated despite the worsening air quality.
Ms. Kandhari stressed the urgency of the situation, pointing out the long-term health consequences for children growing up in Delhi. She lamented that children in the capital are expected to live significantly shorter lives compared to those in cities with cleaner air, underscoring why the protesters remain hopeful and continue to demand change.
Other protesters criticized recent government efforts as inadequate and ineffective. Measures like sprinkling water on streets to reduce dust and a recent, though unsuccessful, cloud-seeding attempt to induce rain have failed to make a meaningful impact on the pollution crisis. One protester voiced frustration, urging the government to take the issue more seriously and implement lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes.
On the government side, Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa defended the ongoing efforts to tackle the problem. In a video statement released on Sunday night, he outlined various measures being taken, including the installation of anti-smog guns on high-rise buildings, widespread dust mitigation using water sprinklers, increased monitoring of construction sites