Imagine being stuck in a jungle where a massive fire is raging and there is black smoke and fumes everywhere as you look for a little space to breathe. That's the level of toxicity in the air Delhi is breathing right now and it's only going to get worse.
Delhi's air pollution seems to show no sign of abating ahead of Diwali and the winter. While the average air quality index, an indicator of the PM (particulate matter) 2.5 levels, remained just below the 300 mark in the poor category, it is now in the 'very poor' zone. The overall AQI at 10 AM on Tuesday was 318. This is an alarming situation for your families, especially if you have kids and elderly people at home.
With the upcoming festival of Diwali, the situation is likely to get worse as every year as smoke from is going to fill the air with pollutants that could have a severe impact on people's health.
Impact Of Air Pollution In Delhi
According to NASA, the AQI at any given place must be below 200. If it breaches the 200 mark, an alert is issued in the US and efforts are made to bring the AQI down. However, any value of AQI over 300 is considered "hazardous" and is "frequently associated with particulate pollution from wildfires".
As per Clean Air Crew cited by NASA, wildfire can cause "coughing, shortness of breath, increased heart rate and other immediate effects, even in healthy people". "It can also aggravate chronic heart and lung conditions, increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, and damage vital organs," the CAC says. Such conditions have become common in Delhi in recent years, especially during winters.
Every year, the 'dangerous' levels of PM 2.5 levels in the air, especially after Diwali, lead to a rise in the number of patients with respiratory illnesses. Apart from breathing difficulties, people experience burning eyes, heart ailments, skin allergies, sore throats, and a host of other problems.
As per Stanford University, "Exposure to wildfire smoke over 5 to 7 days can cause damage to the lungs, blood, and heart and cause strokes." Children exposed to five days of wildfire are twice as likely to have asthma. For the elderly over 65, the risk of strokes could rise by 40%, along with increased chances of heart attacks. Pregnant women are also vulnerable, with a higher risk of premature birth and reduced birth weight following exposure to wildfire smoke, according to Stanford University.
The World Health Organization says that exposure to PM 2.5 over 24 hours must not be more than 15 micrograms per cubic metre. However, many areas in Delhi record AQI 30 times more than the acceptable level. According to the data published by the Air Quality Early Warning System For Delhi, a majority of localities in Delhi are breathing air, the toxicity of which is well above the permissible limits.
Check out the table below for the AQI readings at the major air quality monitoring stations in Delhi at 9 AM on Tuesday.
| Station | AQI |
| Jahangirpuri | 366 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 262 |
| Lodhi Road | 278 |
| Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium | 328 |
| Mandir Marg | 317 |
| Mundka | 375 |
| NSIT, Dwarka | 248 |
| Najafgarh | 316 |
| Narela | 326 |
| Nehru Nagar | 322 |
| North Campus, DU | 307 |
| Patparganj | 307 |
| Punjabi Bagh | 351 |
| Pusa | 302 |
| RK Puram | 333 |
| Rohini | 353 |
| Sirifort | 307 |
| Bawana | 354 |
| Sonia Vihar | 339 |
| Sri Aurobindo Marg | 297 |
| Wazirpur | 349 |
| Alipur | 323 |
| Anand Vihar | 385 |
| Ashok Vihar | 342 |
| Burari Crossing | 343 |
| Dwarka | 324 |
| IGI Airport | 323 |
AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 is considered 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 is considered 'moderate', 201 to 300 is considered 'poor', 301 to 400 is considered 'very poor' and 401 to 500 is considered 'severe'.